More than US $13 million required for demining over 5 years

Dushanbe needs at least US $13.5 million in aid over the next five years to remove landmines from its territory, Jonmahmad Rajabov, head of the Tajik Mine Action Centre (TMAC), told IRIN on Wednesday. "This amount could well increase as there is no accurate estimate of how many mines are out there," he said, from the Tajik capital. Tajikistan had mines left over from the civil war that raged after the former Soviet republic became independent in 1991, and along its borders with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Tashkent mined its Tajik border in an attempt to prevent Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) extremists from entering the country. Tajikistan's central, eastern and Pamir districts, had been extensively mined by both sides in the 1992-97 civil conflict. "During the past three years, 62 Tajik civilians have died on the border with Uzbekistan and another 60 have been wounded," Rajabov told reporters a day earlier at a press briefing at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offices in Dushanbe. "But not one extremist or terrorist, for whom the Uzbek side laid the mines," he added. "Tashkent justifies its actions by the need to protect its border from infiltration by international terrorists, but only Tajik civilians have died from mines so far," Rajabov stressed. He said that the settlement of the issue depended on the political will of the two states. The Tajik defence ministry estimates some 16,000 mines and unexploded bombs and shells (UXOs) were left in the country after the civil war in the early 1990s. An estimated 2,500 of these mines have been destroyed, the ministry said. The TMAC said some 2,500 sq km of Tajik territory needs to be demined. "The demining work will begin in a couple of months, starting in central Tajikistan," Rajabov said. According to TMAC, mine clearing operations will begin in mountainous districts of eastern Tajikistan as early as spring next year. A survey has been carried out in 359 mountainous villages since last autumn and some of the most heavily mined sections were identified during the survey. The survey work will be continued in spring. The preliminary programme is designed for the next five years, Rajabov said. Donor countries are providing financial support through the UNDP and Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Some US $365,000 have has so far been allocated, but donor support is urgently needed to raise the balance of at least US $13 million. Russian troops, who patrol Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan, no longer lay mines to try and prevent drug smugglers and Taliban sympathisers from crossing the border, the TMAC noted, adding that this border would require intensive demining work as well.