Contamination and Impact

The Republic of Tajikistan is contaminated by mines and other ordnance as a result of a civil war in 1992–1997 and mine-laying along its borders by Russian and Uzbek forces.

Mines

Tajikistan is contaminated with mines along its borders with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and in the central region of the country (Districts of Rasht, Tojikobod, Nurobod, Tavildara, and Darband).[1] A 2003–2005 survey identified 50km² of contaminated area.[2] As of January 2013, the Tajikistan Mine Action Center (TMAC) had reduced the contaminated area to 7.2km² through non-technical survey (NTS), technical survey, and clearance; this included 4.89km² of suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) along Tajikistan’s Afghan border and a further 2.28km² in the Central Region.[3] At the intersessional meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in May 2013, Tajikistan stated that the majority of the remaining area would be manually cleared with very little released through NTS.[4] However, in September 2013 at a European Union/Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (EU/GICHD) workshop in Dushanbe, TMAC unexpectedly revised its estimates of the remaining contamination and reported that 11.68km² of contaminated area remained, along with the possibility that further mined areas could be confirmed on the Tajik-Afghan border by 2015.[5]

No. of Confirmed Hazardous Areas in Tajikistan as of September 2013[6]

BAC = battle area clearance; CHA = confirmed hazardous area

Survey on Uzbek-Tajik border

In 2011, the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) confirmed 63 mine accidents involving 140 casualties along the Tajik-Uzbek border in four districts (Panjakent, Ayni, Isfara, and Asht) in Sougd region.[7] All casualties were Tajik citizens. A UNDP-commissioned evaluation in 2011 found shepherds and others crossing the border illegally accepted the risk to avoid charges at legal crossing points.[8]

Results of NTS on Tajik-Uzbek border

The survey only collected information on the location of accidents. Although none of the accidents occurred on Tajik territory, it is still possible, due to the terrain and the lack of a clear delineation of the border, that some mines may lie within Tajik territory. No descriptions or measurements of SHAs were made. In September 2013, TMAC reported the survey was 97% complete and was uncertain when the remaining area would be surveyed.[9]

Cluster munition remnants

There is also a residual threat from cluster munition remnants, particularly in the central region, although the precise location and extent of contamination is not known. The last cluster munition remnant found was in 2011.[10]

Other explosive remnants of war

The extent of contamination from other explosive remnants of war is not known, and may include unexploded ordnance (UXO) from Ministry of Defense training exercises.[11]

Impact

Landmine contamination in Tajikistan affects primarily agriculture and small farmers. A UNDP evaluation in 2012 concluded its impact was local rather than national in nature.[12] The vast majority of mined areas are located in unpopulated areas along the Afghan-Tajik border. As a result, some cleared areas may never be used.[13] However, at the EU/GICHD workshop in Dushanbe in September 2013, TMAC reported there were people living near the mined areas who should be surveyed to determine what impact the mined areas may have on them.[14]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

The CIIHL is Tajikistan’s national mine action authority. The CIIHL is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Security.[15] 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.[16]

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. The President of Tajikistan appoints the director of TMAC.[17] TMAC is not a nationally-owned mine action program, although its structure mirrors other mine action programs based on international standards and TMAC is considered a national organization.[18] TMAC, however, has no legal status and does not report to any ministry. UNDP manages the mine action program in Tajikistan as a project that is neither categorized as a direct execution nor as a national execution project, UNDP’s two main project structures. The lack of legal recognition, and UNDP’s decision to manage, but not own, the project has presented several problems for TMAC. First and foremost, TMAC does not have legitimate authority, even though it operates as a quasi-governmental organization, and coordinates and monitors like other national mine action centers. Furthermore, without legal status, TMAC cannot open a bank account to receive and disburse funds.[19] The Ministry of Justice is leading the government effort in nationalizing TMAC, and a commission has been established to study the issue and make recommendations on the structure of the Center. A decision is expected sometime in 2014.[20] Mine action is not included in the 2010 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Tajikistan; this may be complicating the government’s commitment to allocating resources to mine action and addressing TMAC’s status.[21]

Still, 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.[22]

TMAC has staff assigned to land release, victim assistance, risk education, quality management, and data management. FSD, through a grant from the United States (US) Department of State, provides technical assistance to TMAC.[23]

The FSD and NPA are the two international mine clearance operators.[24] The Union of Sappers of Tajikistan (UST), consisting of former Ministry of Defense engineers, was created in 2010 with funding from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to support humanitarian demining and operates within the FSD structure.[25] It plans to become an independent NGO by 2015 and increase the number of demining teams.[26]

The OSCE in Tajikistan has been supporting mine action since 2003. Its two main objectives are to support the government of Tajikistan in collaborating with neighbouring states in mine action (two of three mined regions are in border areas) and to support a sustainable national mine action capacity. In this regard, the OSCE has facilitated the development and implementation of bilateral and multilateral cooperation arrangements between Tajikistan and OSCE member states in Central Asia and Afghanistan, in addition to funding two UST demining teams on the Tajik-Afghan border and one Mini MineWolf machine. The OSCE also provides technical advice to the CIIHL, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defence. The OSCE in Tajikistan plans to continue to support mine action in Tajikistan, with a focus on building national capacity.[27]

Mine Action Strategy 2010–2015

In May 2011, the government of Tajikistan approved a mine action strategy for 2010–2015.[28] From 3–5 June 2013, the CIIHL, UNDP, GICHD, and relevant government agencies collaborated with the ICRC, Tajikistan Red Crescent Society, and clearance, victim assistance, and risk education operators, to conduct a mid-term review of the strategy in Dushanbe. While obligations of the Mine Ban Treaty were discussed in depth, a major focus of the meeting was on how to transition the mine action program from a UNDP project to national ownership. As a result of the meeting, UNDP and TMAC planned to submit a completion plan to the CIIHL by the end of 2013.[29] At the EU/GICHD workshop “Humanitarian Demining in Tajikistan: Towards Completion,” TMAC reported they expected the revised plan to be approved by the CIIHL in early 2014.[30]

Evaluation

In December 2011, UNDP commissioned an evaluation of the mine action program in Tajikistan.

The evaluation focused on the future of TMAC and on reviewing progress against the UNDP Country Program Action Plan, the UNDP Development Assistance Framework, and the mine action strategy 2010–2015. It concluded that although TMAC had improved its coordination and clearance capacity had increased, the ambiguous status of TMAC, as described above, has limited TMAC’s visibility as well as its ability to tap into UNDP funds. The evaluation highly recommended UNDP and the government of Tajikistan address the status of TMAC.[31]

The evaluation also made two other key recommendations. It recommended UNDP recruit an international program manager and that an exit strategy for UNDP be developed.[32] The evaluation concluded that current TMAC capacity was not needed to address the residual ERW contamination after all the mined areas were cleared. Since the evaluation, UNDP has recruited a part-time international mine action advisor and held a workshop in June 2013 to assess the 2010–2015 strategy, which will include an exit strategy. It is planned to submit a revised mine action strategy to the CIIHL before the end of 2015.[33]

Land Release

Survey

As of September 2013, the ongoing survey on the Uzbekistan border, mentioned above, had found no mined areas within Tajikistan’s territory. With demarcation of the border incomplete, the government of Tajikistan may delay declaring any of the Uzbek border area mine-free.[34]

In 2012, Tajikistan released 296,287m² of contaminated area through NTS.[35]

Clearance in 2012

In 2012, three operators provided two survey teams, 14 manual demining teams, eight Mine Detection Dog (MDD) teams, and three mechanical demining machines.[36] In 2012, FSD, NPA, and the UST completed clearance in 18 mined areas finding 1,306 antipersonnel mines and 61 items of UXO. TMAC expects to have similar capacity in 2013, and planned to release at least 1.5km² of contaminated land.[37]

Demining capacity: 2013

Clearance was ongoing in the other 23 areas at the end of the year.[38] All clearance operations in 2012 were conducted on the Tajik-Afghan border.[39]

Between January and April 2013, the three operators had cleared an additional 293,384m², destroying 2,575 antipersonnel mines and 157 UXO.[40]

In 2011, NPA brought 10 mine detection dogs from its training center in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In March 2012, the TMAC quality management team accredited the NPA MDD teams which, according to TMAC, made a significant contribution to the demining program throughout the year. At the end of 2012, however, it was determined the dogs were no longer needed and NPA returned the dogs to Bosnia and Herzegovina.[41]

Completed mined areas in 2012

Five-year summary of land release by clearance[42]

Post clearance land use

Released land is used mainly for grazing animals, gathering firewood and stones, haymaking, agriculture, accessing drinking water, installing and repairing power lines, and other development projects based on national and local government planning. However, more often than not, cleared land is unused due to a lack of funding for development projects.[43]

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.

Tajikistan only started demining several years after becoming a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty and has made slow progress. However, operations gained more resources and momentum following NPA’s arrival in 2010.

In May 2013, Tajikistan projected that it will have cleared 60% of the remaining contaminated area by 2015, raising expectations that it could meet its 2020 deadline if current funding and demining resources were maintained. However, four months later, in September at an EU/GICHD-sponsored workshop in Dushanbe, doubts surfaced on whether the remaining 40% could indeed be cleared before the 2020 deadline, with TMAC citing projected reduced funding, more mined areas, and the requirement for only manual clearance of the remaining contaminated area after 2015 as reasons for a possible delay. TMAC also planned to revise its national standard for land release to include more criteria that could result in land release without the need for clearance.[44]

Quality management

Mine clearance in Tajikistan is conducted in accordance with the National Mine Action Standards (NMAS), adopted in March 2008, which are based on the International Mine Action Standards.[45] In February 2009, an NMAS on land release was approved by TMAC.[46] Additional NMAS on planning, reporting, and mechanical demining were approved in February 2011.[47]

In 2012, TMAC conducted 89 monitoring operations on technical surveys and clearance, including: 18 visits involving mine detection dogs, four on technical survey, 11 on mechanical demining, 56 on manual clearance monitoring, 17 on training, 23 quality control visits, and one investigation of an accident.[48]

Safety of demining personnel

In a demining accident that occurred on 26 September 2012, a deminer injured his eye and suffered other minor injuries, while a team leader suffered injuries to his hand.[49]