THE MINE AND UXO SITUATION IN KOSOVO

LEFT: TMA 5 ANTI TANK MINE. BELOW: PMA3 ANTI PERSONNEL MINE

NATO BLU 97, BL 755 AND ROCKEYE SUB-MUNITIONS

INTRODUCTION

Mine action activities are neither esoteric nor complicated but require a multi-pronged approach and multi-disciplinary approach. Effective mine action involves, for example, mine awareness to alert people to the dangers of mines, extensive surveys to locate known or suspected minefields, competent management and use of minefield data, minefield clearance, training and the development of an indigenous capacity as a prerequisite for programme sustainability and a long-term cost effective response.
DHA Study Report The Development of Indigenous Mine Action Capacities, 1996, p2

Background to the Kosovo Situation Following the recent conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) armed forces, the Vojska Jugoslovenska (VJ) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK), and the subsequent NATO bombing intervention, numerous areas of Kosovo are contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). These persistent left-overs of war pose an immediate threat to peoples lives and are a serious setback to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the reconstruction of homes, infrastructure, essential services, and the rebuilding of civil society. The humanitarian mine action response during the initial period of the conflict took the form of a public information campaign in the refugee camps, with the aim of informing refugees about the mine/UXO threat that they could expect upon returning to their homes in Kosovo. Immediately following the entry of KFOR into the Province on 12 June 1999, it became readily apparent that the area was also heavily contaminated with unexploded NATO-dropped cluster munitions (CBU) and that these were causing considerable casualties amongst the rapidly returning civil population. In the absence of a recognised governmental structure in Kosovo, the United Nations was mandated by Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) to establish an international civil presence, in order to provide an interim administration under which the people of Kosovo can enjoy substantial autonomy. Accordingly, the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) was created, now headed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Dr Bernard Kouchner. In the UN Security Council Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to Paragraph 10 of Security Resolution 1244 (1999), dated 12 June 1999, it was stated that UNMIK will establish, as soon as possible, a Mine Action Centre to deal with the threat posed to the returnees and internally displaced persons by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Subsequently, following the guidance contained in the UN General Assembly approved policy document, Mine Action and Effective Coordination, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) set about mobilising donor support to fund the UNMIK Mine Action Programme (MAP). As a result of these actions and a number of other independent initiatives, donors provided support for a significant number of bilaterally funded mine action resources. Donors also agreed that these resources should act under the auspices of the UNMIK Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC), as part of one comprehensive MAP. The MACC was established by UNMAS through the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to lead the mine action effort in the Province. Responsibility for the MACC and the overall MAP was assigned to the Office of the DSRSG (Humanitarian Affairs), which is also referred to as Pillar 1 of the four-Pillar UNMIK organisation1 . The MACC currently employs seven International UN staff, 11 in kind staff and 17 local staff and was specifically designed to fulfil the role of a coordinating body and focal point for all mine action in Kosovo. The MACC commenced this role on 17 June 1999, five days after the arrival of KFOR in Kosovo. Mine Action Programme Objectives The overall objective of the UNMIK MAP is to replicate the situation that exists in virtually all European countries that have experienced conflict during the 20th Century. Although mines/UXO are be found on a regular basis in these countries, they pose only a slight threat to the population and are not an impediment to economic and social development. On the occasions that mines/UXO are found by members of the public, they are aware of the reporting
1

The four Pillars of UNMIK are Humanitarian Affairs (UNHCR), Civil Administration (UN), Institutional Building (OSCE) and Reconstruction (EU). Kosovo Mine Action Programme 1

actions to take, and a capacity is trained to respond and deal with the threat in an appropriate and timely manner. In addition, for those that become victims to landmines, a comprehensive assistance capacity exists. This capacity not only includes the immediate emergency treatment capability, but also includes appropriate rehabilitation, psychosocial, reintegration and vocational support services. Given a sustained level of support from the international community, the UNMIK Mine Action Coordination Centre strongly believes that these circumstances can be replicated in Kosovo by December 2002. The Mine/UXO Threat Under the terms of the Military Technical Agreement (MTA) signed with KFOR, the VJ have provided 624 minefield records. These mined areas are principally along the borders with Albania and FYROM, but defensive minefields are also located in the interior, together with nuisance mines laid by the Serbian Special Police (MUP) and paramilitary forces. Many of these unmarked nuisance mines have been laid in and around villages and essential infrastructure, and records of their whereabouts have not been provided to the MACC. Although the UCK also used mines, these have been reported as being cleared in accordance with the requirements of the MTA signed with KFOR. NATO has provided the location of 333 Cluster Bomb Unit (CBU) strike areas upon which 1392 bombs were dropped. Each bomb contains hundreds of smaller bomblets, which are designed to cover a wide area. However, due to inherent inaccuracies in the information, many of the strike areas have not yet been located. Based on an extrapolation of the current clearance results, as many as 30,000 individual bomblets may have failed to function and will require clearance. The bomblets are in a highly sensitive state, and can explode as a result of being moved or picked up. This volatile condition combined with their destructive power and attractiveness to children means that the NATO-dropped CBU are a major part of the mine/UXO problem in Kosovo. In addition, the CBU problem is exacerbated by the fact that many bomblets have penetrated the ground and some have been found up to 50 centimetres below the surface. This means that CBU strike areas must be subjected to sub-surface clearance using detection equipment before the areas can be declared free of UXO.

Operational activities should be undertaken by independently managed mine action agencies, such as national and international NGOs, under contract to the MAC. The MAC should retain overall control of the programme through sound contractual arrangements
DHA Study Report The Development of Indigenous Mine Action Capacities, 1996, p5.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES Overview of the MAP Headquarters UNMIK approved the Outline Concept Plan for the UNMIK Mine Action Programme on 24 August 1999. This Plan defined three phases, the Preliminary, Emergency and Consolidation Phases as a systematic, comprehensive response to the problem. The approval of the plan officially signified that the UN had assumed responsibility for mine action in Kosovo, after Resolution 1244 had temporarily assigned this role to KFOR until such time that the UN were in a position to take over. Close cooperation with KFOR was an important contributing factor to the speed with which the MACC were able to assume this responsibility. This interaction commenced early in 1999 when KFOR adopted the standard UN Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) as the database to be used by the military forces in theatre. KFOR were responsible for the management of the system until such time as MACC personnel arrived and developed the facilities to house the equipment. The IMSMA continues to be a shared planning resource. Other examples of cooperation include explosives being supplied to operators, medical evacuation, mine awareness and joint planning and coordination carried out on a regular basis. Whilst KFOR only clears mine/UXO which are necessary for the completion of their mission, they have undertaken to survey and mark CBU strike areas as part of a joint effort to eradicate the cluster bomb threat. Kosovo Mine Action Programme 2

The underlying principle behind the development of the MAP was to establish the MACC as a coordination body. As such, the MACC has not created its own operational mine action assets. The organisations which are currently undertaking mine/UXO clearance, mine awareness and victim assistance activities under the coordination umbrella of the MACC, have either been bilaterally funded by various governments, engaged directly by humanitarian relief organisations, or contracted for a limited duration by UNOPS. All organisations have to be accredited by the MACC and must meet minimum standards of training, equipment, procedures, medical cover, communications and in the case of mines awareness, the material which is being disseminated. The required standards are based on the UN International Standards for Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations and the International Guidelines for Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Awareness Education. During the Emergency Phase (24 August-31 December 1999), priority was given to addressing the immediate humanitarian crisis associated with the spontaneous return of thousands of refugees, and coordinating and controlling the operational assets which were mobilised through rapid donor intervention. In close cooperation with UNICEF, WHO, ICRC and NGO partners, the MACC also commenced coordination of mines awareness and victim assistance activities, including assisting with the establishment of a mine/UXO casualty database to support the WHO/ICRC casualty surveillance system. The MACC has not attempted to establish regional offices within the Province. Rather, the approach taken has been to involve the various organisations in local level coordination activities. Within each of the five Multi-National Brigade (MNB) areas, Senior Partners from mine clearance and mine awareness organisations have been identified to act as a focal point and to represent the MACC as appropriate. The Senior Partners coordinate activities amongst the various organisations on a daily basis, and in particular, deal with KFOR personnel on operational matters.

MAC is the term used to describe the executive arm of the national authority. It is the key interlocutor for all UN and non-UN supported mine action activities. Its most important function is to ensure that all mine related activities regardless of source of funding form part of an integrated and coherent programme that addresses priority needs in a cost effective manner. The MAC will normally perform a range of functions from strategic planning, monitoring, and reporting on use of resources to refining standard operating procedures and investigating accidents
DHA Study Report The Development of Indigenous Mine Action Capacities, 1996, P5.

Achievements to Date In the eleven months that it has been established, the MACC has created the framework for coordination and planning of mine action at the Provincial level. The Programme is currently in the Consolidation Phase, and the MACC is now effective in the operational coordination and tasking of 14 accredited mine clearance organisations ( NGOs and commercial companies) working on priorities defined in the Works Programme. Put simply, these priorities are to prevent further casualties by clearing areas around centres of population and agricultural land, and to support the rehabilitation of infrastructure and the restoration of essential services. The MACC also coordinates the activities of 12 accredited mine awareness organisations, and integrates their activities into the operational plan.

Clearance Achievements to Date as of: 31 May 2000

Area 2 Cleared/Verified m 4,396,559 Houses Schools Cluster Bomb Anti Personnel Units Mines 16,131 776 3,966 3,405 Anti Tank Mines 3,768 Unexploded Ordnance 10,451

Kosovo Mine Action Programme

A number of organisations have provided training for local mine clearance capacity and there are now in excess of 600 local deminers that have now either trained or are currently undergoing training. Concurrently, the MACC is in the process of defining the institutional arrangements to meet long-term mine action requirements. The formation of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) and its assigned mine clearance role is likely to provide the capacity to deal with the residual problem of mined areas and UXO in Kosovo. Mine Awareness The main mine awareness programmes that are being implemented are community based activities which include the Safer Village concept and the Child to Child programme, which is supported by an EOD team to undertake immediate UXO clearance tasks along with the identification and marking of child safe areas. The Safer Village concept looks at the specific needs of a village and tries to provide an alternative solution to risk taking behaviour. The Child to Child programme was implemented because mine/UXO awareness will not become part of the school curriculum until November 2000. It focuses on the child as a trainer of other children, and parents in the home using traditional games

Mine Awareness Achievements as of: 31 May 2000 Medium impact High impact Total 537 425 1973 Classified village 254 209 678 Visited village 47% 49% 34% Coverage
Note: This table describes the number of villages that are either in a Medium or High Impact area and does not include figures for villages located in Low Impact areas.

Activities Total High impact Medium impact

Mine Awareness by Activity as of: 31 May 2000 Child to Child Community Direct Imam
141 47 55 445 164 155 311 102 122 20 3 10

Youth
45 18 15

Total activities

Note: This table describes the number of villages that are either in a Medium or High Impact area and does not include figures for villages located in Low Impact areas. and activities. It allows for the reinforcement of positive messages over a longer period of time and already there have been occasions when children have used the information passed to them during the Child to Child training to report cluster bombs and UXO to a responsible adult/community member or KFOR representative. Casualties and Victim Assistance/Rehabilitation There have been more than 487 people involved in mine/UXO incidents since June. Of these, 100 have died and the remainder have sustained injuries ranging from traumatic loss of limbs, through to minor wounds. Following the decline over winter, the rate at which the casualties are occurring has risen in recent times to approximately 15 per month, and the resources currently available to deal with the immediate and follow on specialised treatment are inadequate. The lead agency for victim assistance is WHO, which along with ICRC and a number of NGO partners such as Handicap International and the Mother Theresa Society, are developing the means to provide comprehensive medical and rehabilitation care to mine victims. However this will take some time, as much of the public health system and services had deteriorated over a number of years and will require considerable effort to be upgraded.

Kosovo Mine Action Programme

Information Management IMSMA, an essential tool for planning and coordination, is well established and can produce a wide range of products to assist a variety of agencies in their work. IMSMA has been developed for the UN by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining in collaboration with UNMAS. The system has two component modules, a database that holds mine/UXO information and a Geographic Information System (GIS) to display and map the data. IMSMA contains information gathered by the HALO Trust Dangerous Area Survey, VJ minefield records, NATO information, updated information on mines and UXO from a variety of sources, casualty statistics and statistics on mine awareness education. IMSMA acts as the single, Province wide information system in Kosovo for both the UN and KFOR. Data from the system is used by KFOR to produce the 1:50,000 scale mine maps which are distributed widely throughout the Province. Mine/UXO Impact Survey In order to gain a better understanding of the impact of mine/UXO contamination and to provide a basis from which to prioritise activities, the Survey Action Centre (SAC), a consortium of international NGOs, was contracted to tailor a specific solution for the unique problem within Kosovo. This modified Level One (Impact) Survey combined information from a wide variety of sources such as UNMIK, UNHCR, FAO, WFP, IMG, WHO, ICRC and the initial HALO Trust Rapid Assessment. The SAC created a socio-economic index of the impact of landmines and UXOs and aggregated the information at the level of 320 districts within the Province. This gives a greater degree of precision than previously available when the information was being examined based on the 29 municipalities. The classification of dangerous areas and district impact has been generated in such a way that the mechanism remains flexible enough to absorb reconstruction priorities when they become available. The methodology has proven to be statistically highly significant. As a result of the Survey, each district within the Province has been categorised as having a High, Moderate, Low or Nil impact as the result of mine/UXO contamination. Furthermore, each individual mined or dangerous area can be characterised in the same way, based on its affect on agricultural development, proximity to habitation or lines of communication, and impact on activities such as firewood collection. Based on these criteria, 760 out of a total 1926 recorded Dangerous Areas have been classified as having a high impact. This degree of analysis enables a clear definition of priorities for clearance, as well as identifying where other activities such as mine awareness must place as a minimum activity. The modified Level One (Impact) Survey completed by the SAC under this project represents a significant achievement in mine information management, and is an invaluable tool in the effective coordination of mine action activities in Kosovo. FUTURE ACTIVITIES

The initial stages of UN involvement are critical. A comprehensive assessment of the problem and sound planning are key. Precious time can be lost if activities are not informed by a clear understanding of what external and national stakeholders can provide to address the problem.
General
DHA Study Report The Development of Indigenous Mine Action Capacities, 1996, p2

The year 2000 marks the start of the Consolidation Phase of the MAP, during which the success achieved during the Emergency Phase will be built upon and further developed. The systems for effective coordination of all activities will be enhanced through experiences and lessons learned in 1999. In particular, the MACC now has a greatly improved system for assigning clearance tasks, monitoring the progress of this work and subsequent certification that areas have been cleared to humanitarian standards.

Kosovo Mine Action Programme

Objectives for Year 2000

Clearance of all high priority mined/dangerous areas.

Assumptions:

The level of support currently received from donors will continue throughout Y2000 Additional assets which cover existing capability gaps will be available, either through bilateral arrangements or direct contracts with the Programme through UNOPS. There is not a significant increase in the number of reported dangerous/mined areas. The weather permits a full work season of 35 weeks where maximum output can be achieved.

Clearance of all Cluster Bomb Sites.

Assumption:

All CBU strike areas can be rapidly surveyed and marked, particularly by KFOR units which have been assigned responsibility for this task.

Reduction of the casualty rate by raising the level of mine/UXO awareness at the community level. Supporting the existing prosthetic and rehabilitation capacities and the development of psychosocial and vocational training services to assist with the reintegration of victims.
ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVES

The following activities will be implemented to achieve these objectives: Mine/UXO Clearance. In order to achieve the objective of clearing all high priority areas in the year 2000, emphasis will be placed on the integration of manual teams, mechanical assets and Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) teams. The ability to apply a combination of these assets greatly increases the efficiency of clearance operations and will lead to a significant amount of land being returned to productive use without the necessity for full-scale manual clearance operations. CBU Clearance. In order to remove the immediate threat posed by CBU, a two phased process will be implemented as appropriate. Teams will destroy UXO found on the surface and then mark these areas to warn of the additional possibility of sub-surface munitions. The sub-surface clearance will then be completed at a later date. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Individual items of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) such as bombs and grenades will continue to be discovered throughout Kosovo for some time. As these items are reported, EOD teams will respond accordingly. Level 2 Survey and Area Reduction. Level 2 Survey activities are an essential component of any Mine Action Programme. A survey capacity will be developed to pinpoint the exact location of the mined areas, prior to clearance activities starting. Level 1 Survey and Verification. Ongoing Level 1 Survey activities are to be carried out in areas where limited information still exists. This also includes survey tasks to verify the accuracy of information contained in IMSMA. On many occasions, areas were reported to the MACC or KFOR because of the suspected presence of mines or UXO. In most instances, there are no mines or UXO and the areas are being used by the local population. Action must be taken to amend the status of these locations.

Kosovo Mine Action Programme

Quality Assurance. The MACC philosophy for Quality Assurance (QA) is to systematically inspect each clearance site at various stages of the process. The combination of these checks will constitute a comprehensive evaluation of the standards to which activities have been completed. The MACC has contracted the services of an independent QA capacity for this purpose. Mine Awareness. An analysis of the mine victim data shows that males in the 15 to 25 age groups constitute the most at-risk component of the population. A campaign that targets this particular group is currently being implemented. There will also be a child orientated mine/UXO awareness programme implemented to cover the gap until mine awareness education becomes part of the school curriculum. This activity will be launched in conjunction with the ongoing safer village projects and safe play area-marking schemes. Victim Assistance. It will be important to support the existing prosthetic and rehabilitation capability and to introduce a psychosocial and vocational support network to assist with the reintegration of mine/UXO victims in the workforce or school system. SUMMARY

The UNMIK Mine Action Programme has been developed and implemented in a rapid and perhaps unprecedented manner. This could not have been possible without generous support and decisive action shown by donor governments. Despite the tremendous progress made so far, it is important to realise that the work in Kosovo is far from completed. Although the prognosis is encouraging, there is still a significant amount left to do in the Province. In addition, the gains made in 1999 could be quickly erased if the momentum of this important work is not continued. This would certainly be the case if the casualty rate continues to climb unchecked during the spring and summer months. Sustained mine awareness and clearance activities are essential to prevent this situation occurring, and this requires ongoing funding support of donors. Finally, in Kosovo, there is the possibility of fulfilling the requirements of the Ottawa Treaty, even though the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is not a signatory. By reinforcing the success that has been achieved to date, this situation could be realised in a period of three years. This would be a tremendous achievement both symbolically and physically, and the international community could be justifiably proud of this result. Conversely, any reduction in effort at this point could mean that this period is measured in decades, not years.

Even in the most severe situations, the most acute aspect of the landmine problem minefields which directly threaten lives and livelihoods can be addressed and brought under control in a finite time if adequate resources are brought to bear in a professionally conceived and executed programme. The time period involved can be counted in years rather than decades.
DHA Study Report The Development of Indigenous Mine Action Capacities, 1996, p2

Kosovo Mine Action Programme