Support of BH, Serbia and Croatia Post Floods Landmines and UXO Recovery

Recent disastrous floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia, which affected in total over 1.3 million residents in almost 410.000 households, the sole destruction of living space, food production areas, employment capacities are not the only concerns which citizens of these two countries are facing. Direct threats posed by 120.000 landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) which still today, in spite of almost 20 years of mine action community efforts, maintain in the soil throughout the area, obtained a whole new dimension after the recent floods.

Namely, with approximately 1.218 square kilometers of currently mine affected land, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains one of the most mine affected countries in the world, it is currently estimated that almost 900 square kilometers of the mined lands is directly or indirectly affected by the floods. Great masses of water, mud and landslides caused that many of the mines and UXO in the before-flood period known, mapped and marked areas were now moved and flushed away from the known areas (in worst case also into the already cleared areas).

For this reason all these areas would need to be urgently re-surveyed, re-marked and re-mapped. Many of the already cleared areas would also need re-clearance. Local population in the flooded areas needs to be urgently and constantly informed of the mine and UXO risk.

ITF Enhancing Human Security will support all these activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia and is already actively involved in preparation of urgent re-survey and mine risk awareness, after which re-clearance will follow.

We are hereby making an appeal for urgent financial support of these mine and UXO related activities in order to avoid the after-flood mine and UXO accident life-threats to the local residents in the flooded areas.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.