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THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF MINES IN SOUTH SERBIA

11. April 2014.

Bujanovac - A presentation of the issues related to landmines and other unexploded ordnance, which was organized by the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja and the Mine Action Center, was held in Bujanovac.

The Director of the Mine Action Centre, Branislav Jovanovic, said that 3.3 million square meters of land in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo was still mined. According to him, those areas have been fenced and marked, including warnings for the inhabitants, since the end of hostilities in the area in 2001. Mr. Jovanovic also said that another nine locations, which are suspected to contain groups of mines, had been marked.

“Around one million square meters of land in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo has been cleared of cluster munitions and landmines since 2007. The removal of mines near the village of Cerevajka, in the municipality of Presevo, is nearing completion and that is done with the USA’s financial assistance”, Mr. Jovanovic said.   

Mr. Jovanovic pointed out that the Mine Action Center kept marking the locations containing mines with warning signs, which people were often removing and breaking.   
Zoran Stankovic, the President of the Coordination Body, said that that governmental body, along with the Mine Action Centre and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, was actively working on the issue, as well as that it was trying, together with representatives of  the international community, to provide at least around 6 million euros, so that  the area of South Serbia could be made safe and secure for the population.

According to the data of the Municipal Emergency Center in Bujanovac, seven people had got killed and 22 wounded in the municipality by the residual cluster bombs and mines since 1999.

Unexploded cluster bombs, which remained after the NATO bombing, were completely cleared from the locations in Presevo and Bujanovac in 2012. This project was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, while it was implemented by the Norwegian People's Aid. 

The residual minefields in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo are located mainly in the ground security zone, towards Kosovo. It is estimated that six million euros would be necessary to remove the mines from that area.  

Source : Radio and Television of Serbia and the Coordination Body