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Press release
tuesday, 10.3.2009.
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SCALE OF CLUSTER BOMB PROBLEM IN SERBIA REVEALED FOR FIRST TIME
(Belgrade, 10. March 2009) Ten years after the NATO bombing of Serbia,
unexploded cluster munitions still represent a deadly threat to tens of
thousands of people living in 16 municipalities in Serbia. A survey implemented
by Norwegian People’s Aid for the first time details the scope of the impact of
cluster bombs in the country. The results of the survey were presented at a
press conference in Belgrade today.
Regional Director of NPA in southeast Europe Emil Jeremic explained that ”with
the comprehensive survey Serbia now has a tool for solving the problems of
cluster contamination in affected communities. Serbia should sign t he
Convention on Cluster Munitions that would open the door for support to
clearance and victims assistance and uphold their earlier committment to the
Oslo process to ban this indiscriminate weapon.”
Cluster bombs were used in 105 deployment zones during the NATO intervention in
1999. Four types of sub-munitions were used, the total number of sub-munitions
dropped was around 37,000 and of these, an estimated 2,500 are left unexploded
in the ground. Immediately after the bombing Serb military forces undertook
surface clearance in a number of areas, but no data is available on this
clearance. Since then humanitarian clearance has been undertaken in around 4
km2 with around 250 unexploded submunitions cleared.
The total suspected hazard area covers 30.7 km2 in 16 municipalities, an area
around the size of New Belgrade. Accidents recorded to date have resulted in
191 victims, 31 fatal and 160 suffering injuries. More than 88,000 people live
close to hazard areas in 28 local communities.
”Serbia was not only participating but was a leader in the process to ban
cluster bombs, especially on issues related to securing better lives and
livelihoods for survivors, their families and all those affected,” said Dejan
Dikic a civilian victim of cluster munitions who lives in Nis and has been a
prominent advocate for the global ban. ”Too many people have been killed or
injured already by cluster munitions. We do not want to see any more victims
from these weapons and the only way to prevent this is by signing the treaty
and clearing the land.”
Characteristics of the contaminated areas made inaccessible for productive use
indicate significant and va ried socio-economic impacts of cluster
contamination in Serbia: 33% of the contaminated area is agricultural land,
around 20% is hampering the reconstruction of settlement infrastructure and
utilities, 14% of contaminated land is preventing reconstruction of housing
units, whereas in 9% of the areas development of tourism is hindered by cluster
contamination, and 8% blocks exploitation and maintenance of forests.
”We see the same pattern of harm from cluster bombs in Serbia as we have seen
in conflict after conflict around the world. They are indiscriminate when they
are dropped and keep on killing for years afterwards. This is why most of the
world has banned them and why the weapons will soon become a thing of the past.
Serbia needs to choose whether it wants to live in the past or look to the
future,” said Thomas Nash, Coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
The predicted area for clearance of cluster munitions in Serbia is 15 km2.
Clearance of contaminated areas is the only solution to the problem and will
remove the risk posed by cluster munitions to the population in currently
affected communities, and return inaccessible land to productive use. The
majority of contaminated areas are found in southern and central parts of
Serbia, in municipalities that are among the poorest in the country.
The survey project has been funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and was implemented as a regional project involving the NPA humanitarian mine
action programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, NPA regional office for southeast
Europe in Belgrade, and the Serbian Mine Action Centre.
Notes to editors:
Types of submunitions used are: US manufactured BLU 97; UK manufactured MK 1
and MK 4 (also known as BL755) and US manufactured MK 118.
Contact persons:
Emil Jeremic, Regional Director NPA southeast Europe, mobile +381 63 37 47 75
Per Nergaard, Head, Mine Action Department, NPA Head Office, mobile: +47 90 98
03 11
Thomas Nash, Co-ordinator Cluster Munition Coalition, mobile +44 77 11 92 67 30
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