Contamination and Impact

Kosovo is contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including cluster munition remnants, primarily as a result of the conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the late 1990s and the conflict between the FRY and NATO in 1999.[1] However, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams continue to encounter occasional items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) dating back to World War II.[2]

The UN coordinated a major demining operation by international NGOs and commercial companies from June 1999 to December 2001 and reported that “the problems associated with landmines, cluster munitions and other items of unexploded ordnance in Kosovo have been virtually eliminated.”[3] However, further investigation since then has revealed considerably more contamination.[4]

In March 2011, the Kosovo Mine Action Center (KMAC) reported a total of 110 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) and suspected hazardous areas (SHAs). This is eight fewer than in 2010 and 20 fewer than reported in 2008, but still considerably more than the total of 58 reported three years earlier. The March 2011 estimate was composed of 60 CHAs (two fewer than in May 2010) and 50 SHAs that require survey and possibly clearance (six fewer than in May 2010).[5]

A community liaison survey completed by HALO Trust in August 2007 identified 172 remaining mine or ERW clearance tasks.[6] The Office for the Kosovo Protection Corps Coordinator (OKPCC)[7] discounted 42 of these after resurvey found they had no mine or UXO threat.[8] HALO found more contamination in areas the OKPCC had not considered dangerous in 2009,[9] but it did not report any additional finds in 2010.[10]

Mines

Kosovo has not published any estimate of the area contaminated by mines or other ordnance, but in March 2011 the KMAC reported 12 confirmed mined areas (two more than at the end of 2009) and 44 suspected mined areas (four fewer then at the end of 2009).[11]

Cluster munition remnants

Kosovo continues to be affected by cluster munition remnants. The 1998–1999 conflict between the KLA and the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) precipitated a NATO bombing campaign between 24 March and 10 June 1999 (Operation Allied Force) in which NATO aircraft dropped substantial numbers of cluster munitions.[12] Forces of the FRY also used cluster munitions during the 1998–1999 conflict in Kosovo.[13]

In March 2011, the KMAC reported 48 areas with confirmed contamination by unexploded submunitions and a further six suspected areas, the same numbers as in 2010.[14]

Other explosive remnants of war

EOD teams continue to encounter items of UXO dating back to World War II,[15] but most contamination consists of unexploded aircraft bombs located mainly in the west of the province, and items of abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO). Kosovo Force (KFOR) EOD teams regularly collect items of AXO in response to information provided by the public and demining organizations.[16]

Mine Action Program

 Key institutions and operators

In January 2011, the EOD Coordination Team became the KMAC under the Ministry of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF).[17] The KMAC is responsible for managing clearance of mines and ERW. It prepares an annual workplan in cooperation with demining NGOs[18] and coordinates operations of both the NGOs and KFOR. It also coordinates survey, quality assurance, mine/ERW risk education (RE), public information, and victim assistance, and has reported that in 2010 it inspected clearance sites daily.[19]

Land Release

Kosovo reported releasing a total of 477,809m² of land affected by mines, cluster munition remnants, and other ERW through clearance and technical survey in 2010.[20] Operators completed clearance of seven CHAs and started work on 12 more, but later suspended operations due to the end of demining season.[21]

KSF EOD Teams, which underwent restructuring and retraining in 2009, were active again in 2010, clearing an area of 130,880m², 27% of the total area cleared in 2010.[22] HALO, which temporarily increased capacity to implement a Swiss-funded project in the west of Kosovo, cleared 201,555m² of land.[23] MAT and MDDC, in a joint operation, released 145,374m².[24]

Five-year summary of mine and battle area clearance[25]

Survey in 2010

No non-technical survey was reported in Kosovo in 2010.[26] The MDDC from Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, continued conducting technical survey in conjunction with clearance operations by MAT and the KSF EOD Team. It employed four MDD teams (each with one dog) and worked on 12 task sites in the areas of Ponoševac, Košare, Milaj, and Belinc, where it searched and released an area of 80,320m².[27] Out of 12 tasks, MDDC supported MAT on one task and supported KSF on the rest.[28]

Mine and battle area clearance in 2010

KSF EOD Teams, MAT, and HALO conducted mine and battle area clearance (BAC) on a total of 15 tasks in 2010.[29] Operators did not find cluster munition remnants on demining tasks or vice versa.[30]

MAT conducted mine and battle area clearance, technical survey, EOD disposal, and community liaison, clearing an area of 65,054m² and destroying a total of 22 items of UXO and seven antipersonnel mines, as well as some small arms ammunition and four mine fuzes.[31]

HALO manually cleared five tasks covering a total of 72,883m² in Dulje Pass, Košare, and Krivenik, destroying 45 antipersonnel mines.[32]

Mine and cluster munition remnants clearance in 2010[33]

* KFOR during EOD response tasks

Mine clearance capacity in 2010[34]

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas in 2010

KSF EOD Teams, MAT, and HALO cleared a total of five cluster munition contaminated areas in 2010.[35] HALO cleared an area of 128,182m² on one task in Pepsh, finding and destroying 44 submunitions.[36]

Battle area clearance and EOD in 2010

KFOR is responsible for EOD response tasks, acting on information provided by the public or demining organizations. In 2010, it found and destroyed a total of 466 items of UXO.[37] The KMAC reported that KSF EOD teams conducted 32 EOD response tasks during 2010 and found and destroyed 84 items of UXO.[38] The area cleared in both cases has not been reported.

Quality management

The KMAC deployed two quality assurance (QA) inspectors for quality assuring NGO demining and BAC teams in 2010, conducting at least one visit per week on every site.[39] NGOs reported conducting weekly internal QA visits to every demining site.[40] The EOD Coordination Team’s annual plan provided for QA inspectors conducting five QA visits a week and found no irregularities during 2010.[41] Public information assistants also investigated one reported incident in which two juveniles were slightly injured by a hand grenade fuze.[42]

Safety of demining personnel

No demining incidents were reported in Kosovo in 2010. All demining personnel go through regular refresher trainings before accreditation.[43]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

During 2010, RE continued to be implemented by three main actors: KSF, the QPEA, and Kosovo Red Cross. RE included trainings, presentations, and dissemination of materials.[44]

QPEA implemented a “School Based Mine Risk Education” project from November 2009 to October 2010 in cooperation with the Serbian NGO “FUTURE” which aimed to increase the role of teachers and schools in RE activities in providing psychosocial assistance to children in need as well as to their parents. Teachers participating in the project will implement it in their schools and communities.[45]