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Table of Contents
Country Reports
Nagorno-Karabakh, Landmine Monitor Report 2004

Nagorno-Karabakh

Key developments since May 2003: In 2003, the HALO Trust completed clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance in Nagorno-Karabakh’s main city of Stepanakert. In 2003, HALO cleared 2,302,761 square meters of affected land manually and 14,496,100 square meters by battle area clearance, surveyed 1,783,000 square meters, and destroyed 845 antipersonnel mines and 498 antivehicle mines. In the first six months of 2004, HALO cleared 1,235,357 square meters of affected land manually and 7,653,100 square meters by battle area clearance. The ICRC concluded its mine risk education program in December 2002. HALO took over responsibility for the program in March 2003, and by August 2004, has provided training to a total of 5,116 people from 97 villages, including 3,861 children.

Key developments since 1999: In January 2000, the HALO Trust resumed mine clearance operations which it had previously undertaken in 1995-96. From 2000 to 2003, HALO cleared 2,691,097 square meters of affected land manually, cleared 45,414,190 square meters by battle area clearance, surveyed 7,767,500 square meters, and destroyed 2,167 antipersonnel mines, 977 antivehicle mines and 8,710 items of UXO. Since 1999, 131 new mine/UXO casualties were reported in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mine Ban Policy

Nagorno-Karabakh is an autonomous region in the South Caucasus. In 1988, it voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, which resulted in armed conflict from 1988-1994. The region declared independence as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) on 2 September 1991. Since the end of conflict in 1994, NKR has presented itself as an autonomous republic linked to Armenia, but it has never been recognized by the United Nations.

Political and military leaders of NKR have stated their support for a landmine ban eventually, but have indicated NKR would not join the Mine Ban Treaty now even if eligible to do so. In February 2002, the NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs Naira Melkoumian said Nagorno-Karabakh would be able to join “only after the establishment of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.”[1] Dialogue on such a treaty is in progress, mediated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group.[2]

Nagorno-Karabakh states that it has never produced or exported mines, and has not purchased new mines since 1995.[3] Nagorno-Karabakh’s antipersonnel mine stockpile consists of mines left over from the former Soviet Union (PMN-2, POMZ-3, and OZM-72 mines). There were no reports of new mine use in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2003 or 2004.

Landmine Problem

The war between Armenian forces and Azerbaijan, in which battle lines were constantly shifting and always loosely defined, left Nagorno-Karabakh contaminated with landmines. The NKR Ministry of Agriculture has estimated that 37 million square meters of arable land and 35 million square meters of pasture are affected, and 80,000 square meters of vineyards are unusable.[4]

Mine Clearance

Several nongovernmental organizations provide humanitarian assistance in Nagorno-Karabakh, despite a lack of official governmental recognition. A Working Group on Mine Problems (WGMP), established by the government in 1993, is responsible for coordinating mine action efforts. Its membership includes relevant government ministries, HALO, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Nagorno-Karabakh Committee of the ICBL.[5]

The HALO Trust conducts mine clearance, surveying, mine risk education (MRE) and training of local deminers. This British demining NGO has operated in Nagorno-Karabakh since January 2000, when it resumed operations previously undertaken in 1995-96. In 2004, HALO employed 199 locals and deployed eight four-man Large Loop Detector (LLD) teams, five manual clearance teams, two mechanical clearance teams, four battle area clearance teams, three survey teams, and a mine risk education team. In 2004, HALO estimated that if current funding levels are maintained, mine clearance should be completed within five to seven years.[6]

In 2003 and 2004, HALO received $600,000 from the Netherlands (for three LLD teams, two manual mine clearance teams, two mechanical clearance teams, two battle area clearance teams, two survey teams, and a mine risk education team), $450,000 from US Agency for International Development (for two LLD teams, two manual mine clearance teams, and two battle area clearance teams), $95,000 from Cafesjian Foundation for an LLD team, and funding from the Cooperative Bank for two LLD teams.[7] In earlier years, HALO has received support from Fondation Pro Victimis and Anti-Landmijn Stichting.

In 2003, HALO cleared 2,302,761 square meters of affected land manually, cleared 14,496,100 square meters by battle area clearance, surveyed 1,783,000 square meters, and destroyed 845 antipersonnel mines and 498 antivehicle mines.[8] In 2003, HALO completed its mine/UXO clearance in NKR’s main city of Stepanakert.[9] In early 2003, HALO increased the speed of its manual mine clearance to twenty square meters per day, from an average of ten square meters per day in 2002. This was achieved through a combination of the developed skill and experience of the deminers, an increase in the number of hours spent demining each day, and the introduction of Large Loop Detectors on antivehicle minefields. HALO estimates that one team of LLD deminers (four members) can clear up 2,500 square meters per day.

In the first six months of 2004, HALO cleared 1,235,357 square meters of affected land manually, cleared 7,653,100 square meters by battle area clearance, surveyed 1,338,000 square meters, and destroyed 230 antipersonnel mines, 165 antivehicle mines and 680 items of UXO.[10]

From 2000 to 2003, HALO cleared 2,691,097 square meters of affected land manually, cleared 45,414,190 square meters by battle area clearance, surveyed 7,767,500 square meters, and destroyed 2,167 antipersonnel mines, 977 antivehicle mines and 8,710 items of UXO.

Mine clearance by HALO Trust in Nagorno-Karabakh: 2000-2004[11]

Type
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
(1 Jan-30 Jun)
Manual clearance (m²)
0
7,950
380,386
2,302,761
1,235,357
Battle Area Clearance (m²)
4,450,675
14,667,895
11,799,520
14,496,100
7,653,100
Area Surveyed (m²)
0
2,300,600
3,683,900
1,783,000
1,338,000
AP mines destroyed
57
258
1,007
845
230
AV mines destroyed
46
158
275
498
165
UXO destroyed
1,014
3,467
1,436
2,793
680

HALO carried out a feasibility study in December 2002 on the use of mine detecting dogs in Nagorno-Karabakh and found that the dogs were not ideally suited to the conditions in the country or cost-effective in comparison to current assets employed.[12]

The Engineering Service of the Army and the Department of Emergency Situations carries out some basic mine clearance.

Mine Risk Education

In December 2002, the ICRC concluded the mine risk education (MRE) program that it had carried out since May 1994. HALO took over responsibility for the program in March 2003. The ICRC conducted three MRE projects: (1) a Mine Awareness School Program that introduced MRE lessons into schools’ curriculum and included “child-to-child” MRE projects, such as a children’s puppet show; (2) a Public Education Campaign that broadcast six mine risk education video announcements on television between 1999 and 2001; and (3) a Community Based Mine Awareness (CBMA) project, targeting specific rural villages in contaminated areas.[13] In 2003, the ICRC opened a playground in Khramort, as part of a Safe Playgrounds for Children program designed to create play spaces for children away from mined areas.[14]

From March 2003 to August 2004, a total of 5,116 people from 97 villages, including 3,861 children, received training from HALO’s mine risk education team. After an increase in the number of casualties in 2004 involving antivehicle mines on agricultural land, the team switched their focus away from schools and concentrated more on the adult sector, as this was deemed to be the most “at risk” sector.[15]

A Mine Awareness Working Group, created by the authorities in 1999, did not meet in 2003 or 2004, but consideration is being given to the establishment of a Mine Action Committee that would include governmental and non-governmental representatives.[16]

Landmine Casualties

In 2003, 21 new mine and UXO casualties were recorded in Nagorno-Karabakh, including nine people killed and 12 injured.[17] Casualties increased significantly in the first six months of 2004, with 30 new mine/UXO casualties recorded; eleven people were killed and 19 injured, including three children.[18]

New landmine and UXO casualties had been decreasing since the ceasefire in 1994. In 1995, there were 86 casualties, 64 in 1996, 25 in 1997, 16 in 1998, and 30 in 1999.[19] There were 14 casualties (five killed and nine injured) in 2000, 19 casualties (four killed and 15 injured) in 2001, and 17 casualties (all injured) in 2002.[20]

According to HALO, the increasing casualty numbers are the result of record harvests produced in recent years and a greater investment in agriculture. As farmers try to increase their agricultural boundaries, more suspected mined areas are being ploughed—despite advice from HALO and the government, and the presence of danger mine signs. Most incidents involve antivehicle mines. The number of annual incidents per capita in Nagorno-Karabakh is far higher than other heavily mine-affected countries such as Cambodia or Afghanistan. The 30 new casualties in 2004 represent 2.5 people for every 10,000 inhabitants.[21]

The total number of landmine casualties in Nagorno-Karabakh is not known. According to the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Health, between June 1993 and May 1999 the number of victims of explosions, including landmines, was 687 (180 killed and 507 injured).[22]

On 5 November 2001, three Azerbaijani servicemen were injured after one stepped on a mine while crossing the line of contact between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.[23]

Survivor Assistance

The healthcare system in Nagorno-Karabakh has been seriously affected by the general economic situation, and by a lack of resources and skilled staff. In 2003, the ICRC supported 66 primary health centers that had been rehabilitated in 2001 and 2002 in the conflict-affected districts of Mardakert/Agdara, Martuni/Khocavend and Hadrut with the supply of medicines and training of health staff.[24]

Physical rehabilitation and prosthetics are available at the Orthopedic–Technical Prosthetic Center, in Stepanakert, and psychosocial support services are also available, but resources are limited. All landmine survivors receive free treatment in the medical institutions of Nagorno-Karabakh, and are eligible for monthly pensions, corresponding with the level of their disability.[25]


[1] Meetings between Nagorno-Karabakh Committee of ICBL and Naira Melkoumian, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Masis Mailian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1 and 2 February 2002.
[2] “Eight Killed by Landmines in Nagorno-Karabakh” Interfax (Stepanakert), 15 June 2004.
[3] Remarks by Lt. Col. Marsel Pogosian, Deputy Chief, Field Engineer Service, at a meeting of the Working Group on Mine Problems, 21 November 2000.
[4] Onnik Krikorian, “Clearing the Killing Fields,” Transitions Online, 20 June 2002.
[5] Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp. 837-841.
[6] “HALO Trust Continues Progress in Heavily Mined Karabakh,” Armenian News Network (Groong), 15 July 2004; email from Ed Rowe, Program Manager, the HALO Trust, 3 September 2004.
[7] Email from Matthew Hovell, the HALO Trust, 13 June 2003; email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 3 September 2004.
[8] Email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 3 September 2004.
[9] HALO receives one or two call outs each year from inhabitants of Stepanakert who have discovered UXO, a figure similar to European countries that were heavily mine/UXO affected during World War Two. The last call out HALO received was in July 2004. Email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 3 September 2004.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Statistics from the HALO Trust database. Email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 3 September 2004.
[12] Information provided by Matthew Hovell, HALO, 13 June 2003.
[13] ICRC, “Azerbaijan/Nagorny Karabakh: ICRC community-based mine/unexploded ordnance awareness program,” 31 October 2002.
[14] ICRC, “Azerbaijan/Nagorny Karabakh program,” 31 October 2002.
[15] Email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 27 August 2004.
[16] Ibid, 3 September 2004.
[17] Email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 27 August 2004.
[18] Ibid; “Eight Killed by Landmines in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2004,” Interfax, 15 June 2004;
[19] Information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of NKR, 19 March 2002.
[20] Email from Ed Rowe, HALO, 27 August 2004.
[21] Nagorno-Karabakh’s population is estimated at 120,000. Ibid.
[22] Annual report of the NKR Ministry of Health, 1999.
[23] “Three Azerbaijani Servicemen Injured By Land Mine,” AP/Mediamax/Eurasianet, 6 November 2001.
[24] ICRC, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, June 2004, p. 219; “Annual Report 2002,” June 2003, p. 246.
[25] For details see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 976-977.