Scope of the Problem

Tajikistan’s landmines contamination is a legacy from various past conflicts:

• Russian forces laid landmines on the Tajik-Afghan Border during the 1992-1998 period to protect the border and the border posts from armed groups attempting to enter Tajikistan from Afghanistan.
• Starting from 1999, Uzbekistan forces used mines along the Tajik-Uzbek Border to protect the border from armed groups and bandits attempting to enter Uzbekistan from Tajikistan.
• The Central Region of the country was contaminated by landmines and Explosive Remnants of War during the 1992-1997 civil conflict.

During survey activities carried out in 2004 and 2005 by TMAC and FSD, a total of 159 suspected hazardous areas (SHA) had been identified for a total of approximately 50 km² of land. TMAC and FSD cooperated to carry out land release (LR), survey and clearance activities that resulted in the reduction of the surfaces considered contaminated. At a later stage, FSD, NPA and the MoD, Mine Detection Dogs (MDD) and mechanical demining capacities have been introduced to increase operational efficiency. So far, TMAC has coordinated the elimination of 85% of all suspected and contaminated land, resulting in the clearance of 8 km² of safe land, the destruction of 21,000 landmines and more than 6,700 Unexploded Ordnances (UXO). It is estimated today that more than 7 km² of land still remain contaminated. 

Between 1992 and June 2012, 841 mine accidents have been recorded, including 367 fatalities. Landmine contamination restricts the possibility to use land for grazing and agricultural purposes and represents a serious risk to civil populations engaged in farming, wood gathering, grazing and other rural activities. Victim assistance (VA) services have also been made available to mine accidents survivors and their families through services provided by the RCST, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and civil society organizations.

The overall objective of the mine action programme is to eliminate the humanitarian impact of the contamination and to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country and to poverty reduction strategies, in the frame of the MDG.