Land mines in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Land mine contamination in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a serious aftereffect of the Bosnian War, which took place from 1992 until 1995. During this time period, all 3 conflicting factions (ARBiH, HVO, and VRS) planted land mines near the current-day political entity borders. As a result, the country has had the most severe land mine problems in the world. Although landmine removal efforts have made progress throughout the country and the landmine-related deaths have steadily decreased each year, many people are still killed or suffer injuries caused by unexploded munitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For local communities, contamination is a barrier to socio-economic development and access to livelihoods. This is important as Bosnia and Herzegovina remains economically fragile and one of the poorest countries in Europe. Over 60 per cent of the population live in rural areas and are dependent on access to land for agriculture, livestock grazing, hunting, and gathering wood and herbs. Despite the threat of landmines, people enter contaminated areas out of economic necessity.