Contamination and Impact

Mines

Serbia has a relatively small mine problem, a legacy of the armed conflict associated with the break-up of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. A general survey completed by the Serbian Mine Action Centre (SMAC) in 2002 found minefields with a mixture of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines covering a total of 6.2km² in Šid municipality on the border with Croatia.^[1]

At the end of 2009, Serbia reported it had completed clearance of the border with Croatia^[2] and its Article 7 transparency report for 2009 did not report any mined areas.^[3] However, Serbia has stated repeatedly that it has not completed mine clearance and that it needed to survey areas on the border with Kosovo, where it had received information that there might be some remaining mined areas.^[4] At the request of SMAC, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) completed a preliminary survey of mined areas in southern Serbia on the border with Kosovo, provided training on general survey of suspected mined areas, and drafted standing operating procedures for the process.^[5] SMAC, supported by NPA and the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), started a general survey of the area in April 2010, and by June had identified mined areas covering about 1km² in southern Serbia. SMAC estimated that the total mined area would not exceed 1.5km².^[6]

Cluster munition remnants

Serbia also has a significant problem with cluster munition remnants from NATO air strikes in 1999 which it reports struck 16 municipalities (Brus, Bujanovac, Čačak, Crveni Krst  in the city of Niš, Gadžin Han, Kraljevo, Knić, Kuršumlija, Leposavić, Medijana, Preševo, Raška, Sjenica, Sopot, Stara Pazova, and Vladimirci).[7]

A survey by NPA completed in November 2008 identified 28 communities with about 162,000 inhabitants affected by unexploded submunitions. The assessment found that 88,000 people lived in the immediate vicinity of a suspected area and were exposed to daily risk. Of these, two-thirds live in Duvanište, a suburb of the city of Niš. NPA found that unexploded submunitions mostly block agricultural land (one-third of the total suspect area), reconstruction of community infrastructure and utilities (19.9%), or impede the rehabilitation of housing (14.2%).[8]

The NPA survey identified some 30km² of suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) containing unexploded submunitions. Based on a partial re-survey of these SHAs, SMAC has identified 260 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) covering a total area of 14.3km² and 144 SHAs affecting a total of 8.4km². SMAC planned to survey these areas in 2010 and 2011[9] and expected the affected areas would be found to cover a total of around 17km².[10]

Other explosive remnants of war

NATO air strikes in 1999 also scattered unexploded bombs across Serbia. At the June 2010 intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, Serbia stated that some 64 unexploded aircraft bombs or rockets weighing up to 930kg can be found at 44 locations at depths of up to 20m in the ground, as well as in the river beds of the Danube and Sava rivers.[11] SMAC has identified 12 SHAs covering a total of 6.6km², mainly in rivers and along river banks.[12] 

An explosion at the Ministry of Defense ammunition storage area in Paraćin on 19 October 2006 resulted in contamination of surrounding areas with UXO and led to classification of Ćuprija and Paraćin as SHAs estimated to total 7km².[13] Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor was informed that at the time of explosion approximately 700 PROM-1 antipersonnel mines were stored in the facility, which may now be scattered around the area.[14]

Serbia also has to deal with large quantities of naval mines and other items of UXO that were aboard German World War II vessels which sank in the Danube river, in the vicinity of Prahovo, in 1944. The position of the sunken vessels and UXO was pinpointed in a general survey of the area in 2006 which identified 22 war vessels and found naval mines and other items of UXO on four of them. [15]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

SMAC was established on 7 March 2002. The Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries passed in August 2004 identified the center as a legal independent entity (not part of a ministry), and made it responsible for humanitarian demining, the collection and management of mine/UXO-related information (including casualty data), and for surveying SHAs. It also has the mandate to plan demining projects, conduct quality control and monitor operations, ensure implementation of international standards, license demining organizations, and warn the population about mine/UXO dangers.[16]

SMAC does not conduct demining directly or employ deminers, but conducts survey of areas suspected to be contaminated by mines, unexploded submunitions, or other UXO. It also prepares clearance tasks, undertakes quality management of demining operations carried out by others, and issues certificates for cleared areas. Demining is conducted in accordance with international standards by commercial companies and NGOs, after being selected through public tender procedures, which are executed by the ITF.^[17]

Serbia does not have a strategic plan for solving its mine/ERW problem but produces annual plans which are adopted every year by the government. Planning mostly depends on available funding.^[18]

Land Release

During 2009, Serbia reported completing clearance on the Croatian border releasing a total of 1.68km² of SHAs in the villages of Batrovci, Jamena, and Morović in Šid municipality.[19]

SMAC reported releasing less than half of the area containing unexploded submunitions planned for clearance in 2009. SMAC said it had capacity for the planned clearance and had prepared task dossiers but lacked funding.[20]

Five-year summary of clearance[21]

Survey in 2009

In 2009, Serbian mine survey capacity consisted of six persons: two NPA teams and one SMAC team, each team with two surveyors. However, no mine survey was conducted in Serbia during 2009. The survey teams went for retraining to conduct systematic survey[22] and general survey at the beginning of 2010.[23]

SMAC, supported by NPA and ITF, started a survey of areas along the border with Kosovo in April 2010. By June it had identified the presence of various types of mines in an area of about 1km² in the municipality of Bujanovac. SMAC expected to complete surveys of the remaining municipalities of Kuršumlija, Medveđa, and Preševo in 2010 and projected that the area needing clearance would not exceed 1.5km².[24] In addition, eight surveyors are conducting general survey of 12 SHAs along the Danube and Sava rivers affecting an estimated 6.6km².[25]

Two NPA survey teams, each with two surveyors, started a general survey of areas affected by unexploded submunitions in November 2007. The first part of the project, completed in November 2008, covered all areas exposed to cluster munitions and found 15 municipalities affected by suspected contaminated areas totaling 30.7km².[26] The second part of the survey started in January 2009 and focused on preparing clearance tasks, but also identified a 16^th municipality affected by submunitions. Of 6.7km² surveyed in 2009, 3km² was cancelled and released.[27]

In June 2010, Serbia reported that there are 260 CHAs covering a total area of 14.3km² in the 16 municipalities as well as 144 SHAs totaling 8.4km². SMAC planned to survey these locations in 2010–2011 and expected the area needing to be demined would total around 17km².[28]

Cancellation by non-technical survey in 2009[29]

Mine clearance in 2009

Serbia cleared almost 1.68km² of SHAs in 2009, 56% more than the previous year, and the highest annual result since mine action started in Serbia in 2003. Clearance operations in 2009 destroyed a total of 72 antipersonnel mines, 27 antivehicle mines, and 129 items of UXO. [30]

Six demining operators were active in 2009: UXB Balkans, Tornado, PMC Inženjering, TMP Demining, ENIGMA Ltd., and DOK-ING Demining. Their combined resources included 435 deminers, four mine detection dog teams (eight dogs), and four machines (three MA4 and one armored bulldozer). Tornado and PMC Inženjering acted as subcontractors to two separate UXB Balkans tasks, and TMP Demining acted as subcontractor to ENIGMA Ltd. on one task. The Serbian army did not conduct any mine clearance in 2009.[31]

Mine clearance in 2009[32]

*Including clearance by Tornado as subcontractor on one task of 129,400m².

**Including clearance by TMP Demining as subcontractor on one task of 124,500m².

***PMC Inženjering acted as subcontractor to UXB Balkans on one task of 135,189m².

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Serbia is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2014.

Serbia previously stated that it expected to complete clearance of mined areas and fulfill its Article 5 obligations in 2008, later postponed to 2009.[33] By the end of 2009, however, it reported it had obtained new information about mined areas along the border with Kosovo. [34] At the June 2010 intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, Serbia confirmed it had completed clearance of all mined areas on the border with Croatia but still needed to complete survey and clearance of the areas bordering Kosovo.[35]

Since the start of demining operations in 2003, Serbia reported releasing a total of 6.2km² of suspected mined areas, destroying in the process 3,997 antipersonnel mines, 842 antivehicle mines, and 300 items of UXO.[36] Serbia released 5.8km² of the total through clearance and 0.4km² through technical survey.[37] 

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated area in 2009

During 2009, three demining organizations with a total of 66 clearance personnel worked on clearance of unexploded submunitions in Serbia: EMERCOM, PMC Inženjering, and DOK-ING Demining. The three organizations released a total of 0.5km² of SHA,[38] less than half the amount released in 2008. The reduction is said to be a result of lack of funding.[39]

 

Clearance of cluster munition remnants in 2009[40]

*DOK-ING Demining was a subcontractor on this task.

Compliance with Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Although Serbia has suffered from the use of cluster munitions and was an early supporter of an international ban on the weapons, actively participating in the Oslo Process to negotiate the Convention on Cluster Munitions, it has not signed the treaty by its entry into force on 1 August 2010.

Battle area clearance in 2009

SMAC reported police explosive ordnance disposal response teams had 24 technicians clearing UXO but they did not report details of their activities.[41]

Community liaison

SMAC survey teams conduct community liaison during survey activities to obtain information about any mine, submunition, or other UXO problem in communities. Demining organizations are also expected inform communities about their operations and the results of clearance activities.[42] 

Quality management

SMAC and the police each have two quality assurance inspectors.[43] During 2009, they made a total of 106 quality assurance visits and found serious mistakes on one task, ordering the work to be redone.[44]

Safety of demining personnel

No demining accidents were reported during 2009.[45]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

There is no risk education program in Serbia, although SMAC is responsible for warning the population about mine/UXO dangers.[46] SMAC reports that marking is conducted during survey. For that purpose, it developed a new bilingual UXO/submunition warning sign in Serbian and Albanian in 2008.[47] A total of 250 new UXO/submunition warning signs were placed in unexploded subminition-affected areas by NPA survey teams in 2009.[48]