About this Episode
Kosovo has concluded 27 years of humanitarian landmine clearance following the 1999 war. The HALO Trust began working there immediately after the conflict, which left minefields and unexploded cluster munitions across the territory.
HALO and a UN-led clearance mission destroyed more than 50,000 anti-personnel mines, anti-vehicle mines and cluster bomblets between 1999 and 2001. From 1999 to 2024, nearly 600 people were killed or injured by mines and other unexploded weapons, with most casualties occurring in the first two years after the war.
Being declared landmine-free does not mean authorities can guarantee that no isolated mine remains. It means all known and suspected minefields have been investigated and cleared using wartime records, local testimony, accident reports and surveys. National authorities will handle any explosives discovered in the future as HALO closes its Kosovo operation.
Previously contaminated areas can now return to civilian use. Clearance has enabled redevelopment near Pristina Airport, made areas along the E851 motorway safer and allowed tourist trails in mountain areas near Peja to be used without the known threat of mines.
