2010-08-24 00:56:49 - The Albanian government, working in conjunction with various governments and organisations, is slowly working its way towards establishing a stronger national mine action programme and, eventually, a mine-free Albania.

by Jab Swart, CTA, Albanian Mine Action Programme



The mine and UXO threat in northeast Albania emanated from the Kosovo conflict; it extends across a 120-km border between Albania and Kosovo, from Shistavec to the Montenegro border in the north, to up to 20 km inside Albania. After the Albanian Armed Forces’ (AAF’s) Level One Survey in 1999, 102 areas were identified, representing 15,250,000 sq m. The threat includes AP and AT mines laid by Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) forces, UXO and sub-munitions from FYR rocket artillery and at least six North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) cluster strikes within Albanian territory. An added complication is that no records of minefields are available for Albania. None of this has been caused by

Albania. As a matter of fact, NATO requested that the AAF not get involved in the conflict, and Albania had to look on helplessly while its territory was contaminated.

For more information on Jab Swart and the Albanian Mine Action Programme visit:

maic.jmu.edu/journal/7.2/focus/swart/swart.htm