By Saša Obradović
Internal Control Inspector at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center, Saša Obradović, writes that accurate and up-to-date data is crucial for the success of mine action.
The history of the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its associated events is very complex, causing an equally complex mine situation with large and long-term consequences. It is well known that the former SFR Yugoslavia had a highly developed military industry with a wide range of production of ammunition and mine-explosive devices. Precisely this important potential and character of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina resulted in the frequent shifting of former front lines and the massive use of mines and explosives.
Devastated infrastructure, limited return, and blockage of natural resources are just some of the obstacles directly caused by the presence of mines and residual mine explosives. Nevertheless, mass casualties are one of the biggest and irreparable consequences.
Along with the mass displacement of people and contamination of land with explosives, more than 200,000 people died as a direct consequence of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The General Framework Agreement for Peace (Dayton Peace Agreement) marked the official end of the war and led to the establishment of government at the central level with two entities – the Federation of BiH and the Republika Srpska – and the Brčko District as a separate local unit in BiH.
Despite the armed conflicts ending more than three decades ago, Bosnia and Herzegovina is still polluted by mines and explosive devices left over from the war and is undoubtedly one of the most polluted countries in Europe. Here, just as in other affected counries, mine contamination continues to have serious and negative social, economic, and environmental effects.
Mine Removal Organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mine removal activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 1996, immediately after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The first mine removals were carried out under the supervision of forces for the stabilization of peace in BiH, called IFOR. The United Nations Mine Action Center (UNMAC) initially coordinated the local structure and mine action operations, before the Law on Demining was adopted at the BiH level in 2002.
BHMAC was established by the decision of the State Council of Ministers with its headquarters in Sarajevo, and it fully assumed the role and responsibility of UNMAC. Its obligations and competences are also regulated by this law.
The law on demining founded two bodies in charge of mine action within the State Ministry of Civil Affairs: the Demining Commission as a strategic body and the Center for Demining in BiH as a technical body.
Within BHMAC, two main offices with headquarters in Sarajevo and Banja Luka were formed, and they are subordinated to BHMAC. Eight regional chancelleries operate and work within the these two main offices.
Casualties, Contamination, and Clearance
At the time of writing in August 2024, 1,781 people have been injured as a result of mine accidents since the end of the hostilities, 624 of which fatally. 134 deminers have become victims of landmines while carrying out humanitarian demining operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of whom 53 have died.
The current size of the mine-suspected area in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 838 km², and over 500,000 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina still live under the threat of mine contamination. So far, more than 3,330 km2 of mine-risk areas have been released and returned to use, while more than 80,000 mines and 64,000 explosive remnants of war have been found and destroyed.
Even though demining efforts have progressed throughout the country, and the number of mine victims has continuously decreased each year, people are still dying or suffering serious consequences caused by explosive remnants of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on the results of the General Assessment of the mine suspected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are still around 180,000 mines and a significant number of unexploded ordnances in BiH.
According to the latest extension in accordance with the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Landmines, Bosnia and Herzegovina undertook to remove all mines by 2027. This is the third and certainly not the last extension, based on the current situation and predictions for the next period.
Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that exceptional progress has been achieved when it comes to the removal of cluster munitions. Bosnia and Herzegovina succeeded in removing all cluster munitions in 2023 and thereby comply with its obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions.
The latest data on residual mine contamination and the impact it has on the daily lives of the local population continues to be devastating. Although Bosnia and Herzegovina is now undertaking to completely demine the country by 2027, the lack of financial resources has slowed down this process and this remains the key obstacle preventing the realization of mine action objectives. Thus, Bosnia and Herzegovina requires constant support from the donor community, while the state, dealing with other priorities, has completely set aside its promises to finance humanitarian demining.
Impact on Civilians and Tourism
Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the leading regional destinations for outdoor tourism, with an increasing number of visitors coming from abroad. However, one of the biggest risks for the civilian population, mountaineers, and nature lovers is the removal of mine warning signs from minefields.
For this reason, BHMAC launched a series of activities on the restoration of warnings and the education of the local population through mine risk education projects. Despite their beauty, many famous mountains and tourist destinations in BiH are at risk of mines. Several cases of mountaineers and nature lovers coming across a minefield or seeing mine-explosive devices left over from the war have been registered.
Thanks to the basic financing through the German Federal Foreign Office, strong foundations have been laid on which new projects can be built and successful mine action could be continued. The General Assessment of Mine Suspected Areas 2018-2019 has laid the basis for the continuation of mine action. In addition to the scope, this assessment also defines the level of risk, which is a key parameter for establishing level of priority criteria.
Mobile Application and New Mine Action Planning Software
Since 2021, Bosnia and Herzegovina has an application for mine-suspected areas, owned by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center and developed as part of the projects “Country Assessment of Mine Suspected Areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018-2019” and “EU Support to the Creation of BHMAC’s Information System Web Platform” .
The application is an extremely good addition to the world of mountaineers and nature lovers because anyone can easily and quickly get information about minefields. It can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store.
The application allows all citizens to be aware of and to avoid the locations of mine-suspected areas throughout the country. At the same time, it provides the possibility of taking photos, recording coordinates, calling the police, and reporting during field work, especially if explosive remnants of war are observed. This also contributes to updating the application itself.
Thanks to the support of the German government, BHMAC and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) are deploying new software – IMSMA Core – that will strengthen mine action planning for safer communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Accurate and up-to-date data are key to the success of mine action not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region. From the beginning of 2023, BHMAC and GICHD have been working on the standardization and implementation of the information management system (BHIMSMA Core), which will contribute to increasing the level of transparency and ensure conditions for greater productivity and efficiency of all participants in mine action in BiH.
The general goal is to positively influence BiH to secure mine-free status in accordance with the requirements of the Mine Action Strategy and the Ottawa Convention. Fulfilling the 2027 deadline and reaching the associated goals depends primarily on all entities involved in solving this issue collaborating to ensure that the necessary financial and human resources, capacities, and material-technical means are available.
“Do not risk your life and the lives of others by entering risky areas” is still a general warning to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with this warning, BHMAC promotes other warnings such as: “Inform yourself about mine-suspected areas in BiH”, for which it provides all the necessary materials, such as the application for mine-suspected areas.
Hope remains that war-era mines and mine-explosive devices will soon become a thing of the past so that future generations in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not have to live in fear.
Click here to download BHMAC’s Mine-Suspected Areas app on Android devices, and here for Apple devices.
Saša Obradović is currently Internal Control Inspector at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center (BHMAC). From September 22, 2015 until October 4, 2023 he was Director of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre where he successfully managed BHMAC for eight years. He also led and participated in the drafting of amendments to the law on demining in BiH, the drafting of BiH Mine Action Strategy, the project “General Assessment of Mine Situation in BiH”, as well as the workshop “Linking Mine Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals in BiH”.