Demining brings hope in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sunita Siljeg lives in Trusina in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina with her family. She owns a small portion of land but until recently, she was too afraid to cultivate it, knowing the area was suspected to be a minefield.

Trusina's contamination has a significant impact on the local population. People living in these areas were unable to build homes or farm their land in a safe manner. People expected to be able to farm their land once they returned, but the majority were unable to do so due to the landmine contamination, she explained.

Determined to provide for her family, Sunita gathered firewood on a small patch of land she thought was safe, despite its close proximity to the minefield. She was torn, like many other families in Trusina, between providing better opportunities for her children and ensuring her own safety.

It was impossible to plan for the future. My husband was concerned that he would not be able to send our children to school and that they might need to use the mined land to provide a better future for them.

At the end of the 2019 demining season, NPA’s manual deminers released over 1.2 million square metres of previously suspected area, which has now been handed over to the community for the safe use.

Since NPA's intervention in 2019, Sunita ploughs and cultivates the land. She can now begin saving for her children's education.