Bosnia and five more signatories of the Ottawa Convention will ask for a two-year extension of the deadline the treaty prescribes for members to be mine free.

Representatives of Bosnia’s Mine Action Centre (BHMAC) are attending the two-day meeting of the Ottawa Convention State Parties which began on Thursday. One of the articles of the Convention foresees full clearance of land mines in the participating countries by 2019.

Nearly 300 representatives of more than 75 countries and 17 NGOs have taken part at the meeting of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, which takes place every six months.

About 2.1 percent of Bosnia’s territory might still be congested with land mines left over from the 1992-1995 war. The mines are jeopardizing the lives of some 545,603 people, which is 15 percent of Bosnia’s population.

There are still some 75,000 to 80,000 land mines and other explosives buried in Bosnia on an area of 1,061.32 square kilometres, according to BHMAC. The problem affects 129 Bosnian municipalities and towns, of which the ten most endangered are Doboj, Teslic, Maglaj, Usora, Zavidovici, Gornji Vakuf, Sanski Most, Velika Kladusa, Travnik and Ilijas.

Land mines have taken 613 lives and have injured an additional 1,143 people since the war ended in 1995. Among those victims are 250 children (14 percent) and 185 women (11 percent).

Of the 127 deminers who fell victim to land mines and other explosive devices while performing their job, 51 lost their lives.

In 2017, land mines killed three people and injured four. There have been no land mine incidents up until now in 2018.

The Thursday and Friday meeting was attended by BHMAC acting Director, Sasa Obradovic, and Chairman of Bosnia’s De-mining Commission, Suvad Džafić.

The next Ottawa Convention meeting is expected to take place in November this year, when the decision on the requested deadline extensions will be announced.