Country & Territory Reports - Landmine Action

30 bosnia and herzegovina
farmers decided to demine three risk areas. One farmer
claimed to have cleared 20 MOTAPM. 201
In 2000, Tramosnica (Tuzla Canton), one of the most
productive agricultural areas for cash crops such as tobacco
and livestock, was unable to function due to heavy contamination
with MOTAPM and anti-personnel mines. The
reconstruction of houses had to be suspended because of
the contamination. Many residents began to clear the areas
around their homes without support or approval of the
authorities, as a response to economic pressure and the
need to ensure the safety of their families. 202
The MIS concluded that schools, factories, health centres,
etc., were not seriously affected. 203 However, UNHCR
identified mine and ERW contamination as a major
obstacle to the repatriation of refugees and IDPs in BiH, so
much so that UNHCR introduced a clearance project as an
integral component of its “Community Based Reintegration
Assistance to Minority Returns in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Programme”. 204
Between 1 June 2003 and 30 June 2004, the ICRC recorded
10 accidents involving returnees and IDPs. Two returnees
were killed by mines, three injured by mines and two
injured by an unknown explosive device. Two IDPs were
killed by ERW and one injured by an IED. Accident rates in
BiH have fallen considerably but in 2003 there was still an
average of four to five accidents per month involving mines
(both anti-personnel mines and MOTAPM) and ERW. 205
According to UNHCR, no projects have been cancelled as a
direct result of MOTAPM and ERW contamination, but the
problem continues to affect efforts to “move from reconstruction
towards more long-term development efforts”. 206
While not referring to the specific impact of MOTAPM or ERW,
the UNHCR official said that a “significant amount of land
along the inter-entity boundary line continues to be
unutilised due to mines and ERW”. Another official stated
that no projects have been cancelled due to mine and ERW
contamination, but that the UNHCR first confirms that an area
is not suspected of mine and ERW contamination before
instigating humanitarian projects. “If an area is identified or
suspected of mine and ERW contamination, the UNHCR
would not be able to instigate support programmes”. 207
Efforts to address the problem
The BHMAC is the only body responsible for the
supervision and certification of clearance operations in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, through its regional offices and
quality assurance inspectors.
The MIS recorded 289 professional clearance operations
conducted, plus a total of 364 local initiatives. The latter
were unsanctioned and carried out by local people. 208
SFOR began its “Operation Harvest” in March 1998 to
gather illegal unregistered weapons, such as hand
grenades, from private houses and illegal weapons caches.
erw and motapm – global survey 2003–2004
Despite large numbers of weapons and ammunition being
disposed of since 1998, it is estimated that a considerable
amount of weapons and ordnance remain in private
possession. 209 In 2003, for example, 45,000 hand
grenades were collected. SFOR destroys ammunition,
mines, ordnance and other AXO in cooperation with the
BiH armed forces at approved demolition sites. 210
Operation Harvest statistics show that, from January to July
2003, SFOR collected or confiscated some 4,400 small
arms, nearly 1.3 million rounds of ammunition, more than
25,000 hand grenades and more than 2,300kg of
ordnance. 211
To help the entity armed forces reduce their stocks of
unserviceable, unsafe and surplus or obsolete ammunition
and AXO – and to reduce the number of ammunition
ordnance storage sites in BiH – SFOR initiated “Operation
Armadillo” on 7 November 2003. 212 During its first phase,
the Operation disposed of 31,920 MOTAPM, 2,574 antipersonnel
mines and 302,832 detonators. Operation
Armadillo was ongoing through 2004. 213
The main obstacle to clearing BiH of ERW and MOTAPM is a
lack of funding for clearance and associated activities. The
government’s strategic aim is to eliminate all risk areas of
first priority, conduct urgent clearance of the most
dangerous areas of second and third priority categories,
conduct permanent marking of second priority areas and
directional marking of third priority sites. 214
The United Nations has provided substantial support for
mine action in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1996. The
former UNMAC was the predecessor to the current BHMAC
and was fundamental to establishing clearance operations
in the country.
On 26 February 2004, UNDP and the Ministry of Civil Affairs
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is responsible for mine
action and incorporates the BiH Demining Commission,
signed the Integrated Mine Action Programme (IMAP) for
BiH. 215 The IMAP is intended to create a clear link between
mine clearance priorities and national long-term economic
development, integrating it with UNDP’s institutional capacity
building efforts in the area of ERW and mine action. IMAP
aims to maximise funding for clearance and accelerate
restoration of socio-economic activities in BiH, while consolidating
the ERW and mine action structures and their ability to
execute long-term mine action planning. 216
The clearance priority for BiH during 2004 was to return
land in mine and ERW contaminated areas to full use, to
reduce the contamination’s socio-economic impact and to
support the return of refugees and IDPs. 217
Legislation
On 3 December 1997, Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the
Ottawa Convention, ratified it on 8 September 1998, and
became a State Party in March 1999. 218 Bosnia and