In 1994, the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) agreed to resume negotiations to end the longest conflict in Latin America.

A series of agreements had earlier been concluded covering a wide range of problems in Guatemalan society: Since November 1994, MINUGUA carried out verification activities and institution-building throughout the country.

Their presence and verification activities have focused public attention on human rights and the related problem of impunity, reinforcing the declining trend in political violence.

By adopting resolution 1094 (1997) on efforts towards peace in Central America, the Security Council authorized on 20 January 1997 the attachment of a group of 155 military observers and requisite medical personnel to MINUGUA for a three-month period, operational as of 3 March 1997.

In a Presidential Statement of 5 March 1997 (S/PRST/1997/9), the Council welcomed the deployment on 3 March 1997 of the group of United Nations military observers attached to the United Nations Mission for the Verification of Human Rights and of Compliance with the Commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights in Guatemala (MINUGUA) for the purposes of verification of the Oslo ceasefire agreement and reaffirmed its full support for the peace process in Guatemala.

The 1996 Oslo Agreement provided for the formal ceasefire to enter into force as of 00:00 hours on D-day, on which date the United Nations military observer group as the verification authority was ready to assume its responsibilities.

On 13 February 1997, the Secretary-General informed the Security Council (S/1997/123) that the operation it had mandated could begin on 3 March 1997, following completion of the preparatory work for the deployment of the group and the establishment of the URNG assembly points.

As Army units left the security zones, URNG troops moved to the assembly points according to a plan presented to the military observer group on D+2 (5 March 1997).