The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping organization located on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It was established in 1982 as a result of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty.
MFO Zones in Sinai.
Background and Formation
The peace treaty (Camp David Accords) between Israel and Egypt was signed in 1978 following Egyptian president Anwar Sadat’s visit to Israel in 1977 after intense negotiation. One of the points in the agreement was the withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula which Israel had captured during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Following the signing of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty on March 26, 1979, the United Nations was asked to provide the peacekeeping forces for the Sinai Peninsula mandated in the treaty. As a result of the UN Security Council impasse, Egypt, Israel and the United States opened negotiations to set up a peacekeeping organization outside the framework of the UN.
After further talks between the US, Egypt and Israel a deal was struck and on the 3rd of August 1981, the Protocol to the Treaty of Peace was signed, establishing the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO).
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Acting with full respect for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, a protocol was negotiated between Egypt and Israel, witnessed by the United States and signed on 3 August 1981. This protocol established the MFO as an alternative to the UN peacekeeping force and observers.
In the framework of international law, the MFO is an international organization, established by the protocol to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
Building and Manning the MFO
Somewhere after the Summer of 1981, and after the agreement was signed, the MFO started to build the camps in the Sinai Desert, one in the North, El Gorah, and one in the South, Sharm el Sheikh. The camps were manned by soldiers from countries all over the world, but the majority of the forces were American.
The MFO assumed its mandate on April 25, 1982, the day Israel handed over sovereignty of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
The MFO is located in the Sinai desert, Egypt and is divided into two camps: North Camp and South Camp. North Camp is located in El Gorah, Egypt and is approximately 15 miles from the Gaza Strip (Israel).
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MFO soldiers wear a terracotta-colored beret or bush hat.
Participating Nations
The Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) is an independent peacekeeping organization which is headquartered in Rome and based in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Created by agreement between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel it is comprised of military members and from 13 nations.
Australia, Canada, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Republic of the Fiji Islands, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United States and Uruguay contribute contingents to make up the MFO's Force.
Over the four decades that the MFO has carried out its mission, it has proven a highly successful force. The MFO has its main headquarters in Rome, where it is headed by the Director-General.
The Observer contingent of the MFO is made up of civilians seconded to the peacekeeping force.
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Historical Contributions
- Australia: From 1982 until 1985 the majority of the Australian contingent was made up of 100 personnel mainly from the RAAF to support 8 RAAF Iroquois helicopters. An Australian Army Officer, Major General David B.
- Canada: 28 personnel within the Force and Contingent HQs in addition to the Operations, Liaison, V.I.P.
- Netherlands: The Netherlands joined the MFO as well and sent around 100 soldiers per tour to the Sinai to perform various tasks. The Dutch were mostly involved with communications and military police.
Mission and Mandate
The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO is a peacekeeping organization that was designed to provide a peacekeeping presence between Israel and Egypt.
Unlike the earlier United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) I and UNEF II, the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) supervises implementation of a peace treaty instead of an armistice line and, moreover, does not operate under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). Another peculiarity is that, for the first time, the United States is participating in a peacekeeping operation.
The MFO is to supervise the implementation of the annex to the peace treaty and to employ its best efforts to prevent any violations. To provide maximum security for both parties, the peace treaty provides four limitedforce zones in Egyptian and Israeli territory.
Article 2 of Annex I of the Peace Treaty called for the Sinai Peninsula to be divided into zones:
- Zone A: Between the Suez Canal and Line A.
- Zone B: Between Line A and Line B.
- Zone C: Between Line B and the Egypt-Israel border.
- Zone D: Between the Egypt-Israel border and Line D.
In addition there are thirty smaller sites at various points within Zone C. Zone C is subdivided into sectors, each controlled by a Sector Control Center.
Along the Egyptian/Israeli border, there are approximately 35 outlying remote sites where soldiers "observe and report" any movement on each side of the border. The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) operate thirty two remote observation posts, and MFO coastal patrol vessels monitor traffic through the Straits of Tiran.
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Uniforms and Medals
Military personnel serving with the MFO wear national military dress appropriate to the climatic conditions of the Sinai. MFO crests are sewn on uniforms to identify the wearer as a member of the force. All military members of the force wear a terracotta-colored beret or bush hat.
Peacekeepers who complete a tour of service in the Sinai of six months are authorized their first Multinational Force and Observers Medal. These are commonly presented at contingent medal parades. Each six-month tour after that authorizes the wearer to place a number on their ribbon (beginning with the number "2").
Civilians employees of the Force are authorized to wear the MFO Civilian Medal for the same terms of service as peacekeepers. Finally there is the Director General's Award, which is presented to both peacekeepers and civilians for outstanding service or action on behalf of the MFO.
Challenges and Quality of Life
Maintaining a good quality of life for MFO members in the Sinai is difficult, due to the remoteness and desolation of the region as well as more recent security concerns. The Force has its own magazine, the bimonthly and bilingual Sandpaper.
Sporting events are held at both camps. Members are encouraged to take visits to Israel and Egypt, usually in organized trips. There are also trips to Mount Sinai, Luxor, Cairo, Jerusalem, and other sites within Egypt and Israel.
At remote observation sites, which might house only a dozen peacekeepers, the quality of life is harder to maintain. During tours at remote sites peacekeepers have limited access to the internet, are provided with workout equipment, and are permitted to have pets.
After the original inception of the MFO, routine travel to al-Arish, Sharm El Sheikh and a beach facility near the Gaza Strip were restful getaways but recent security concerns over possible Hamas activity has changed that.
Incidents and Events
Throughout its history, the MFO has faced various challenges and incidents, including:
- On December 12, 1985, a chartered Arrow Air DC-8 with two hundred and forty eight returning members of the US 101st Airborne Division and eight flight crew crashed into the cold, damp landscape at the end of runway 22 at Gander International Airport in Gander, Newfoundland, with no survivors. The 101st was rotating home from a tour of duty with the MFO.
- MFO Director-General Leamon Hunt is assassinated in Rome while sitting in his chauffeur-driven armored car, outside the gates of his private residence. The assassins poured automatic weapon fire into the reinforced rear window until they were able to penetrate the glass and strike the director-general in the head.
- A French Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft on duty with the MFO Fixed Wing Aviation Unit crashed in the middle of the peninsula, 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of the town of Nakhl. All passengers and crew were serving members of the MFO, eight French and one Canadian, and all were killed.
- Dozens of armed militants attacked North Camp on Friday 14 September 2012, breaking down a wall of the facility housing the MFO headquarters, setting fire to vehicles and facilities. MFO soldiers defended the base and there was an exchange of fire.
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