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Montenegro
Mine Action
Contamination and Impact
The Republic of Montenegro became contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), mainly unexploded ordnance (UXO), as a result of conflicts during the break up of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.[1]
Mines
In 2007, Montenegro was reported to have become the first Balkan country to be cleared of mines following clearance of antipersonnel mines in the territories of Rožaje and Plav, near the border with Serbia and Albania.[2] Its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for 2008 stated “there are no areas under Montenegro’s jurisdiction or control in which anti-personnel mines are known or suspected to be emplaced.”[3] However, Montenegro still had to survey a mountainous area on its borders with Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to clarify if contamination on the Croatian side of the border also affects Montenegro.[4] As of July 2012, Montenegro had not formally declared completion of its Article 5 obligations.[5]
Cluster munition remnants
NATO air strikes between March and June 1999 involved the use of 22 cluster bombs of four different types: AGM-154A JSOW guided missiles, BL-755s, CBU-87/Bs, and Mk-20 Rockeyes. These scattered a little over 4,000 submunitions consisting of three different types: BLU-97A/B, MK-1, and MK 118.[6]
Montenegro’s initial Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report affirmed that, as of 27 January 2011, “there are no contaminated areas in Montenegro.”[7] In July 2011, however, the director of the Regional Centre for Divers’ Training and Underwater Demining (RCUD) confirmed that unexploded submunitions had been found in 2007.[8] In 1999, after the air strikes, military units collected more than 1,800 submunition remnants, but Montenegro informed the intersessional meetings of the Convention on Cluster Munitions that clearance had not been conducted “fully according to humanitarian mine action standards” and that it planned to conduct a survey.[9]
Non-technical survey (NTS) conducted by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) between December 2012—April 2013 identified 87 polygons of suspected or confirmed hazardous areas covering a total area of 1.72km² located in 11 locations affecting five communities in three municipalities: municipality of Golubovci (communities of Mataguži and Golubovci), municipality of Rožaje (communities of Jablanica and Njeguši), and municipality of Tuzi (community of Šipčanik).[10] Of these, the most affected area was Golubovci municipality, particularly around its airport, which accounted for 1.38km² of the total, followed by Tuzi and Rožaje municipalities.
There are signs that submunitions may also be present in two other areas of Plav municipality, Bogajice and Murino, which could not be immediately investigated because of high levels of snow.[11]
Mine Action Program
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration established a Department for Emergency Situations and Civilian Safety in 2007. It lacks human resources and equipment, however. Because of a shortage of funds, the responsibility for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) remained with the police.[12] Police set up an EOD team that currently has three trained members who conduct demolitions.[13]
RCUD has continued its role as the national mine action center.[14] RCUD was set up in 2002 by the government, which assigned the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration to “develop [the center’s] organization and its specification.”[15] It describes itself as a “public institution and has status of a legal entity realizing independently its functions assigned by the [government].”[16]
RCUD and NPA signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2012 under which NPA agreed to fund and implement a two-phase project—the “Cluster Munition Convention Completion Initiative for Montenegro”—involving, first, the conduct of NTS and, secondly, technical survey (TS) and clearance of areas where the presence of cluster munitions is confirmed. NPA agreed to set up a database and to develop capacity for NTS and quality management.[17] NPA has reported that the first phase of NTS was completed by April 2013 and involved one NPA survey team (two surveyors), one RCUD survey team (two surveyors), one NPA quality monitor, and two RCUD quality monitors.[18] Technical survey and clearance planned for the second phase are planned to begin in 2014 once funds are secured. Clearance is planned to be completed within 12 months from the start of operations.[19] NPA plans to engage operational recourses for phase two as follows: two to three manual teams (each team consisting of six operators and a team leader), one mine detection dog team (two dog handlers and two mine detection dogs), two medics, and one project coordinator.[20]
Land Release
Montenegro did not report any release of areas contaminated by mines or cluster munitions in 2013,[21] although NPA had previously stated that it expected to release 1.2–1.3km2 through TS and clearance and 0.4–0.5km2 through NTS.[22]
Survey in 2012–2013
NPA began a non-technical survey in December 2012 which was completed in April 2013 and identified 87 polygons of suspected or confirmed hazardous areas covering a total area of 1.2km2 affecting five communities in three municipalities (see Contamination and Impact section above).[23] Technical survey, clearance of confirmed hazardous areas, and the release of residual suspected hazardous areas through NTS was planned to commence in 2014 under phase two of the Completion Initiative.[24]
Mine clearance in 2013
No mine clearance on land has been reported in Montenegro since 2008.[25]
Article 5 Compliance
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Montenegro 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 2017. Officials stated publicly in November 2007 that Montenegro was free of mines, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not formally declared completion of its Article 5 obligations and has not said when it plans to do so.[26]
Clearance of cluster munition-contaminated areas in 2013
Montenegro did not conduct clearance of cluster munition-contaminated area in 2013.
NPA, in cooperation with RCUD, has prepared 10 clearance and TS projects covering 834,630m2 to be undertaken during the second phase of the Completion Initiative, in addition to one project for underwater clearance covering 24,150m2. This reportedly corresponds to approximately 70% of the contaminated area that will be included in the TS and clearance activities.[27]
Compliance with Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Montenegro is required to complete clearance of all areas affected by cluster munition remnants under its jurisdiction or control by 1 August 2020.
In April 2013, Montenegro said it planned to complete clearance of all contaminated areas in 2014 “if the funds are provided.”[28] In early 2014, Montenegro indicated that clearance would be complete by “the end of 2016.”[29]
Battle area clearance in 2013
In 2013, Montenegro reported that one item of UXO was found in Golubovci during construction work. The item was destroyed by the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro.[30]
In the first six months of 2012, RCUD underwater teams worked on clearance of 8,000m2, finding and destroying a total of four tons of various UXO.[31] In July and August 2012, RCUD underwater teams reported that 2.5 tons of explosives had been removed from the Zeta river, in addition to an “aircraft bomb” from the Moraca in the center of Podgorica.[32]
Explosive ordnance disposal in 2013
In 2013, Montenegro reported that the police department had found and destroyed two “shells of antitank mines” and two pieces of antipersonnel mines without fuzes. An unidentified number of improvised explosive devices were also reported as having been destroyed. No further information on the location of the demining activities was given.[33]
Support for Mine Action
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs contributed a total of approximately US$60,500 in 2013 in support of the joint NPA-RCUD non-technical survey and training for five quality monitors from RCUD.[34]
Support in 2013[35]
|
Donor |
Contribution in US$ |
Contribution in NOK |
Activity |
|
Norway |
57,675 |
338,575 |
Non-technical survey |
|
Norway |
2,800 |
17,143 |
Capacity building RCUD-Training for Quality Monitors |
|
Totals |
60,475 |
355,718 |
|
[1] Interview with Veselin Mijajlovic, Director, Regional Centre for Divers’ Training and Underwater Demining (RCUD), Bijela, 14 March 2007.
[2] See “Montenegro is the only one without mines in Balkans,” Pobjeda (Montenegrin daily newspaper), 8 November 2007; interview with Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, Podgorica, 16 March 2008; and Mine Ban Treaty Initial Article 7 Report, 2007.
[3] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Forms C and I, 2008. Montenegro’s subsequent Article 7 reports state “no change.”
[4] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 29 July 2012; and interview, Podgorica, 18 February 2009.
[5] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 29 July 2012.
[6] Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), “Cluster Munition Remnants in Montenegro,” July 2013, pp. 6 and 16.
[7] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for the period 1 August 2010 to 27 January 2011), Form F, 27 January 2011.
[8] Telephone interviews with Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 19 and 25 July 2011.
[9] Statement of Montenegro, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 17 April 2012.
[10] NPA, “Cluster Munition Remnants in Montenegro,” July 2013, pp. 6 and 23; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Amela Balik, Operations Manager, NPA, 3 March 2014.
[11] NPA, “Cluster Munition Remnants in Montenegro,” July 2013, pp. 6 and 21.
[12] Telephone interview with Zoran Begovic, Assistant to the Minister, Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Administration, 21 June 2011; email, from Zoran Begovic, Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Administration, 8 April 2010; and interview with Borislav Miskovic, Montenegrin Police Force, Podgorica, 16 March 2008.
[13] Email from Zoran Begovic, Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Administration, 28 June 2012.
[14] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 29 July 2012.
[15] Sluzbeni list RCG (Official Gazette of Montenegro), No. 66, pp. 28–32.
[16] See the RCUD website.
[17] NPA, “Cluster Munition Remnants in Montenegro,” July 2013, p. 8.
[18] Email and response to Monitor questionnaire from Amela Balik, NPA, 3 March 2014.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Amela Balik, NPA, 3 March 2014.
[21] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form F, 16 April 2014.
[22] NPA, “Cluster Munition Remnants in Montenegro,” July 2013, p. 27.
[23] Ibid., p. 6.
[24] Email and response to Monitor questionnaire from Amela Balik, NPA, 3 March 2014.
[25] See the Monitor Montenegro Mine Action Profiles 2008–2013 available on the Monitor website.
[26] Telephone interview with Stanica Andjic, Department for UN and Other International Organizations, Multilateral Sector, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2011; “Montenegro is the only one without mines in Balkans,” Pobjeda, 8 November 2007; and “Montenegro cleared,” Dan, 9 November 2007.
[27] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Amela Balik, NPA, 3 March 2014.
[28] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form F, 31 March 2013.
[30] Ibid.
[31] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form F, 31 March 2013.
[32] See RCUD, “RCUD’s underwater deminers removed 2,5 t of explosives from the river Zeta,” undated but August 2012; RCUD, “RCUD antimine diving team pulled out aircraft bomb from Moraca river in the center of Podgorica,” undated but August 2012; and Veselin Mijajlovic, “The Regional Center for Divers Training and Underwater Demining,” Journal of ERW and Mine Action, Issue 17.2, Summer 2013, p. 16.
[33] Convention on Conventional Weapons Amended Protocol II Article 10 Report, Form B, 14 March 2014.
[34] Email and response to Monitor questionnaire from Amela Balik, NPA, 3 March 2014.
[35] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Amela Balik, NPA, 3 March 2014.
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