Contamination and Impact

Tajikistan is contaminated by mines and other ordnance as a result of civil war in 1992–1997 and mine-laying along its borders by Russian and Uzbek forces. It is not known to what extent conflict with a non-state armed group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, has added new contamination. In view of the security situation, the region has not yet been accessible for survey, although one has been planned for 2011 as soon as the situation in the region is stabilized.[1] The precise extent of contamination across Tajikistan remains to be determined.

Mines

Tajikistan is contaminated with mines along its borders with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. As of June 2011, reported contamination was up in 274 mined areas estimated to cover a total of at least 9.7km². Of this total, 7.2km² is located in 191 areas along the Tajik-Afghan border, 2.5km² is located in 26 areas in the Central region, and 57 suspected mined areas are located along the Tajik-Uzbek border.[2] The extent of this contamination remains unclear.[3] The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) has planned to conduct a non-technical survey along the Uzbek border in 2011.[4] This followed agreement from the Government of Tajikistan that survey and clearance operations could begin in these border areas.[5] Survey had not commenced as of the beginning of August 2011.[6]

Cluster munition remnants

There is also a residual threat from cluster munition remnants, particularly in Central Region, although the precise location and extent of contamination is not known.[7] In 2007–2008, 336,000m² contaminated by cluster munition remnants was cleared, with the destruction of 500 unexploded submunitions. In 2009 and 2010, re-survey of the contaminated areas identified four hazardous areas covering 150,000m².[8] In 2010, two unexploded submunitions were destroyed during clearance in Central region. Further clearance of cluster munition remnants planned for the second half of 2010 could not be carried out due to insecurity.[9]

Other explosive remnants of war

The extent of other explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination is not known, and may include unexploded ordnance (UXO) from Ministry of Defense (MoD) training exercises.[10] In the area cleared from cluster munition remnants, 2,800 ERW were identified and destroyed.[11] Due to conflict in Kamarob, new areas may have been contaminated by UXO. Furthermore, some parts of the area along the border with Afghanistan are believed to be contaminated by UXO. Since some of these areas also contain mines, clearance of ERW is carried out simultaneously with mine clearance.[12]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

The Commission on the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (CIIHL) is Tajikistan’s national mine action authority. The CIIHL is chaired by the deputy prime minister for security.[13] On 29 April 2010, the government issued Decree No. 202 to approve the National Strategy of Border Management and its Implementation Plan. The Strategy underscores the need to demine the border areas, aiming in particular at improving the quality of the border control services.[14]

The Tajikistan Mine Action Center (TMAC) was established on 20 June 2003 and functions as an executive body of the CIIHL in accordance with an agreement between Tajikistan and UNDP. TMAC is responsible for the coordination and monitoring of all mine action activities in Tajikistan. TMAC also develops the national mine action plan and standards, tasks operations, and presents certificates of cleared sites to local authorities.[15] As of August 2011, the government of Tajikistan was still considering whether to change TMAC’s status to make it a fully national body and a distinct legal entity, either under the government or directly under the president.[16]

In 2006, a national mine action strategy was formulated for 2006–2010 and approved by the government.[17] In December 2009, UNDP contracted a consultant to develop the new national mine action strategy for 2010–2015.[18] The strategy was approved in May 2011.[19]

FSD has been the only international demining operator in Tajikistan for many years, but in November 2010 Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) formally launched a demining program.[20]

A local NGO, the Union of Sappers of Tajikistan, consists of former MoD engineers and is working under a memorandum of understanding with the MoD. The NGO is funded by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and states that it does not receive support from TMAC nor does it report back to TMAC.[21]

Land Release

In 2010, more than 1.8km² of mined land was reportedly released, with the destruction of 2,081 mines, two unexploded submunitions, 705 items of UXO, and more than 16,700 pieces of small arms ammunition.[22] Of this total, 630,000m² was released by mechanical demining/technical survey, 441,000m² using mine detection dogs (MDDs), and 807,000m² by manual clearance.[23] A breakdown of this reportedclearance by operator has not been provided.

In 2010, FSD started the first regional land release project between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at Darvoz on both sides of the river Panj.[24] Demining operations were conducted in 41 mined areas of seven districts of Tajik-Afghan border. Of this, 15 were released and clearance of the remaining 26 areas was postponed due to the cold weather.[25] 

Five-year summary of land release by clearance

Survey in 2010

Both technical and non-technical survey is conducted to support land release in Tajikistan. FSD has three dedicated non-technical survey teams, and its nine multipurpose demining teams are trained and equipped to also conduct technical survey.[26]

Mine clearance in 2010

FSD demining capacity in 2010 consisted of two non-technical survey teams; five MDD sets; seven multi-purpose demining teams; two mechanical demining teams, each with a MV-4 mini-flail; and three weapons and ammunition disposal teams.[27]

In 2009, the MoD established one multipurpose humanitarian demining team, which started operations in late November. In April 2010, the United States provided the MoD with a Mini-MineWolf demining machine. During 2010, the team worked in seven areas, of which two were released and submitted for quality control by TMAC. The other five areas were subject to technical survey. In total, the team cleared 0.6km² with the help of machines.[28]

Four NPA multipurpose demining teams initiated operations in November 2010; and it was planned to establish an MDD capacity within the Ministry of Emergency Situations.[29] NPA was planning to start the training for MDD handlers on 20 August 2011, pending the arrival of dogs in the country. NPA was also planning to establish a fifth multipurpose demining team in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, with training of the new team scheduled to take place in September.[30]

In 2010, the Union of Sappers of Tajikistan reports that it cleared 387,000m² of mined area, destroying 166 mines in the process.[31]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, and in accordance with the 10-year extension granted at the Second Review Conference in 2009, Tajikistan is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 April 2020.

In general, mine clearance has proceeded slowly, and operations were only initiated several years after Tajikistan became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Furthermore, Tajikistan has still to establish the precise extent of mine contamination, although re-survey has clarified the mine threat on the border with Afghanistan. New national and international capacity, including machines and MDDs, should speed up land release significantly, and should enable Tajikistan to fulfill its Article 5 obligations well before its 2020 deadline.

Battle area clearance in 2010

No clearance of battle areas took place in 2010.[32]

Quality management

Mine clearance in Tajikistan is conducted in accordance with the National Mine Action Standards (NMAS), which were adopted in March 2008 based on the International Mine Action Standards.[33] In February 2009, an NMAS on land release was approved by TMAC.[34] The national standard land release form has eight criteria for determining whether land can be released without the need for clearance.[35] Additional NMAS on planning, reporting, and mechanical demining were approved in February 2011.[36]

TMAC has a two-person quality management section.[37]

Safety of demining personnel

An FSD deminer was injured during clearance operations on 12 October 2010.[38]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

There is limited mine/ERW risk education (RE) capacity in Tajikistan. RE is implemented through the volunteer network of the Tajikistan Red Crescent Society, which is currently working in five districts across the Rasht valley.[39] The Red Crescent program is operational in 24 districts of Tajikistan. In 2010, 300 mine risk warning signs were set up and more than 22,000 RE pamphlets were disseminated to affected populations. In 2010, Tajikistan Government reports that more than 44,500 persons in seven districts along the border with Afghanistan received RE.[40]

Also in 2010, Handicap International (HI) carried out a KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, Practice) survey of 780 households in three districts of Sogd Region in northern Tajikistan, where the accident rate is particularly high.[41] Overall, the survey showed that the at-risk population had good knowledge of the dangers posed by mines/ERW. The report produced a number of recommendations on how to improve RE in Tajikistan. These included the need for further KAP surveys, a need for refresher RE sessions in affected regions, increased involvement of local government and community structures, and standardization of KAP approaches at national level.[42]