According to Bosnia’s Mine Action Center (BHMAC), there are 478 landmine suspected areas across 118 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The outcomes of two EU-funded 18-month projects, “EU Support in Creating a Web Platform for the Mine Action Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina” and “General Assessment of Mine Suspected Areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” were presented at an online event on Thursday.
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The EU funded the projects with 1,1 million euro through its Instrument for Contribution to Stability and Peace (IcSP).
Chair of the BiH Demining Commission, Mirna Pavlovic, EU Special Representative, Johann Sattler, EUFOR Commander, Major General Reinhard Trischak, UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia, Steliana Nedera, addressed the participants.
The projects were implemented by BHMAC along with Bosnia’s Armed Forces, Norwegian People's Aid in Bosnia and Herzegovina (NPA BiH) and the UNDP in Bosnia, under the supervision of EUFOR teams.
“As a basic outcome of the General Assessment project, the identification and prioritization of mine suspected areas is now much more precise and clear, making the overall mine action process even more transparent. Data for 143 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina were processed, while the mine danger was confirmed in 118 municipalities, and a total of 478 mine suspected areas were formed,” a press release by BHMAC said.
It said that the BH MAC database, “as one of the key pillars and an essential part of the entire mine action in our country,” has been improved and that a “new more transparent, functional and efficient system based on new technologies has been created, meeting all requirements in terms of reporting, planning and data storage.”
“At the same time, conditions have been created for the improvement of operational activities, as well as the system of prioritization and its effective implementation.”
It also said that better security for all citizens will be ensured thanks to the first mobile application which shows mine suspected locations will be available to all citizens.
“Although as a country we are struggling to invest as much as possible in the mine action process, we must emphasize the importance of donor assistance and contributions in the coming period, in order to achieve a country without mines and other explosive remnants of war and improving the safety to all people living here,” the press release said.
