Eight Locations in BIH Handed Back to the Local Community
Eight locations in BIH were recently cleared and returned to the local population. This success is attributed to the assistance of the government of Japan which donated 314,787 EUR through ITF in order to conduct demining activities and technical surveys in the areas of Ilijaš and Busovača. Since the inception of ITF, the government of Japan has provided a total of 3 million EUR for various demining activities in BIH. With their generous donations, a total of 2 million square meters of land in BIH has been cleared, eliminating 157 mines and 206 UXO.
![Mr Saša Obradović, BHMAC Acting Director, Mr Asim Mekić, Mayor of Municipality Ilijaš, Mr Akihito Teruuchi, Counsellor (Deputy Head of Mission), Embassy of Japan in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amb Tomaž Lovrenčič, ITF Director (Acting), Mr Asim Mekić, Mayor of Municipality Busovača.](/img/w1000/upload/gallery/486/bih-jap-2-300218.jpg)
In this most recent project, 19 mines and 79 UXO were found in an area totalling 295,638 square meters, which is now safely available to the local population. Activities started in June and were successfully finished by the end of August 2017. In total, 3 locations in Ilijaš were cleared and 5 more in the Busovača municipality.
![Field visit.](/img/w1000/upload/gallery/486/bih-jap-300218.jpg)
In order to have a more holistic approach, the demining activities and technical surveys in Ilijaš and Busovača had multiple goals. Not only to create a safe environment for the local population, but to create the opportunity for agriculture and livestock breeding while simultaneously developing the possibility of a lumber industry. In addition to economic benefits, there is also the social impact as returnees are able to rebuild their community. A strong community is essential for the socio-economic rehabilitation of a local population and represents the essence of international humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected areas, and ITF’s personal mission.