Bujanovac – Four locations in the territory of Bujanovac that were suspected of residual mines, which are located in the belt towards the administrative line, are now safe. The Mine Action Center completed the projects for this year. The cleaning of the area was funded by the Governments of Serbia, the United States and South Korea.
Bujanovac – Four locations in the territory of Bujanovac that were suspected of residual mines, which are located in the belt towards the administrative line, are now safe. The Mine Action Center completed the projects for this year. The cleaning of the area was funded by the Governments of Serbia, the United States and South Korea.
In the village of Lucani, an anti-personnel mine was found fifty meters away from the houses and the local road. It was safely removed, while the whole area of 73,200 square meters was cleared. De-miners searched the area of the villages of Dobrosin, Topolske Mahale and Djordjevacki Rid, too.
“Two locations were in abandoned villages, while the area was inaccessible for vehicles. However, it was good for work because of low pollution. There were a minimum of 10 de-miners, while, depending on the possibilities, up to 20 de-miners were operational," says Aleksandar Kusmuk, a de-miner.
24 anti-personnel mines, 4 unexploded ordnance and 1,300 pieces of small ammunition were found in the area of half a million square meters. Those locations have moved from the category of suspicious ones to the category of safe ones.
“Following the end of the armed conflict, especially risky is the Ground Security Zone. The safety of that area is very important for all those who live there and for those who need to pass through it, "said Stojanca Arsic, the Deputy Mayor of Bujanovac.
“The project was implemented with the support of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and with the support of donor countries, which include the United States of America and South Korea. I would like to point out that we signed a new agreement with the donor, Japan, in October. Japan will finance the project in the amount of 570 thousand euros next year," said Jovica Simonovic, the Director of the Mine Action Center.
The Mine Action Center plans to implement four more projects next year, which include searching the terrain near Bujanovac, Nis, Sjenica and Mt. Kopaonik.
Source: Serbian Broadcasting Corporation and Coordination Body
