Western Diocese

Nagorno Karabakh, which over the last decade has had some of the world's most dangerous ground to walk on, is turning a corner.  After working steadily in the region since 2000, The HALO Trust, an international charity, has cleared more than 26 square kilometers of minefields and 125 square kilometers of battlefields, and destroyed 51,600 landmines, cluster bombs and other unexploded ordnance (UXO).  Statistics show just 5 casualties in 2007 and 10 in the first ten months of 2008, markedly down from the 2004 peak of 43. 

The problem dates back to the 1992-94 war between Armenians and Azerbaijan for control of Nagorno Karabakh after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Armenians won de facto control of the territory but inherited a land littered with lethal explosive remnants from the conflict.  In the 14 years since the 1994 ceasefire, the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh has suffered the world's highest per capita casualty rate from landmines and UXO - more, even, than Afghanistan and Cambodia.

Although it will require years more of sustained effort to clear the remaining known minefields and battlefields, not just to eliminate casualties but also to remove critical blockages to subsistence agriculture, the goal is now firmly within reach.  HALO's Nagorno Karabakh program has been supported to date by the Dutch and British governments and USAID, with additional grants from a number of private organizations.  In 2007, the principals of the California-based Julia Burke Foundation visited the program and made a $1 million commitment to help accelerate Nagorno Karabakh toward mine impact free (MIF) status.  The Foundation has established the Nagorno Karabakh Challenge, a program in which it will match, dollar-for-dollar, funds raised for HALO's clearance program in Nagorno Karabakh.  The aim of the Nagorno Karabakh Challenge is to rid the enclave of all minefields and cluster bombs impacting on civilian lives within five years. 

THE PROBLEM 

Mines were laid by both Azeri and Armenian forces during the conflict in 1992-1994. According to HALO's detailed survey, there remain more than 150 minefields in need of clearance.

In addition, tens of thousands of unexploded cluster bombs remain from the Azerbaijani air force's bombardment of Nagorno Karabakh.  These are predominantly Russian Shoab and Ptab cluster submunitions.  Tank, artillery, grenade and mortar ammunition were also widely used during the conflict. Many of them were fired but failed to detonate and as such they affect approximately 170 villages all around Nagorno Karabakh. HALO estimates that 400 cluster strikes remain to be cleared by battle area clearance (BAC) teams. 

Since the ceasefire between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, there have been 237 documented civilian accidents resulting in 312 casualties. Considering the latest population figures for Nagorno Karabakh of 140,000, this is the highest known per capita casualty rate in the world, at over two mine casualties for every 1,000 people.

The following table indicates landmine and UXO casualties in Nagorno Karabakh from 1995 up to October 2008: 

Quite apart from the cost in human life and limbs, there is an economic cost from the existence of minefields and cluster bomblets, in that they hinder agricultural activity and depress incomes.  The table below estimates the income value of land currently contaminated by explosive items.

Agricultural Land Contaminated by Landmines & Cluster Bomblets, Estimated
	Area (ha)	Yield (kg/ha)	Prod (kg)	Local price ($/kg)	Annual value
Wheat fields	4,118	2,800	11,530,400	$0.49	$5,649,896
Vineyards	122	20,000	2,440,000	$0.49	$1,195,600
				Annual Value:	$6,845,496

HALO'S OPERATIONS IN NAGORNO KARABAKH 

In 1995 and 1996 HALO conducted an 18-month long program in Nagorno Karabakh which established a mineclearance capacity for the local authorities. This included a survey of the region and the equipping and training of deminers. The teams operated without assistance for three years and while they successfully cleared hundreds of mines, their equipment had degraded and accurate records of clearance had not been kept for some time.

HALO returned to Nagorno Karabakh in 2000 to create its own local capacity, providing equipment and training and establishing a Mine Action Center (MAC). The MAC collates information concerning mines, UXO and safe routes, and disseminates it to all stakeholders and other actors as requested, in particular NGOs and international humanitarian bodies operating in Nagorno Karabakh. Over the last eight years HALO's program in Nagorno Karabakh has steadily expanded to its current number of 247 national staff. The policy in Nagorno Karabakh (as in all other places in which HALO operates) is to build a substantial local capacity that can deal with the problem.

Since 2000, HALO Nagorno Karabakh has returned over 150 square kilometres of contaminated land to previously impacted communities, during which time over 50,000 landmines, cluster munitions and other items of unexploded ordnance were safely located and destroyed. 

HALO conducts both manual and mechanical clearance of minefields in Nagorno Karabakh. Cluster bomb strikes are cleared by HALO's Battle Area Clearance (BAC) teams, while other items of UXO are cleared by HALO's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams. HALO's program is complemented by Survey and Mines Risk Education teams. The program is managed by one expatriate, while all other senior management positions are filled by locally recruited and trained staff.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Under the Nagorno Karabakh Challenge, donations to HALO's Nagorno Karabakh clearance program will be matched by The Julia Burke Foundation.  People interested in donating should visit www.halousa.org, where it gives instructions for how to contribute online, by mail or by phone.  Specify that you want your donation to go to the "NK Challenge".

FURTHER INFORMATION 

Further information about The Julia Burke Foundation can be found at www.juliaburkefoundation.com.  Further information about HALO in general, HALO's Nagorno Karabakh program, and the NK Challenge can be found at www.halousa.org.

November 2008