545,000 citizens threatened by mines in BiH, 869 locations prioritized for demining

The mine problem in BiH is extremely large, and is currently identified in 129 cities or municipalities to a greater or lesser extent, Patria writes.

Currently, 8,800 mine-contaminated micro-locations have been identified in 1,400 threatened communities, i.e., inhabited places in BiH. Micro-locations contaminated with mines directly affect the safety of 545,000 residents, or 15 percent of the total population of BiH.

The most affected geographical regions by the mine problem in BiH are Bosanska Posavina, Central Bosnia, Bosanska Krajina, and the Doboj region. The ten municipalities with the most threatened communities in BiH are Doboj, Teslić, Maglaj, Usora, Zavidovići, Gornji Vakuf, Sanski Most, Velika Kladuša, Travnik, and Ilijaš – said the Council of Ministers in response to a parliamentary question on this issue.

The operational plan for mine action in BiH for 2017, in accordance with the Law on Demining in BiH, is prepared by the Mine Action Centre, approved by the Demining Commission in BiH, and adopted by the Council of Ministers.

- The preparation of the plan is underway, and it is aligned with the Analysis of the Implementation of the Mine Action Strategy in BiH 2009-2019, with a proposal for amendments. An integral part of the Operational Plan for Mine Action is the List of Priority Tasks for Humanitarian Demining in 2017 – said the Council of Ministers.

According to the Draft List of Priority Tasks, there are 142 tasks in the Una-Sana Canton, 29 in the Posavina Canton, 87 in Tuzla, 94 in Zenica-Doboj, 23 in Bosnian-Podrinje, 145 in Central Bosnia, 99 in Herzegovina-Neretva, 48 in Sarajevo, 96 in Canton 10. In total, this amounts to 763 in the Federation, 82 in the Republika Srpska, and 24 priority demining tasks in the Brčko District.

Thus, in BiH, 869 locations are a priority for demining.