Tajikistan

The Republic of Tajikistan, commonly known as Tajikistan, is a mountainous country located in Central Asia bordering Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. It has an area of 143,100 km² and a population of approximately 9 million people. In October 2020, Emomali Rahmon was elected president for the next 7 years for a fifth term in a row with a margin of 90%.

The country became an independent sovereign nation on the 9^th of September 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated. A period of instability followed, and tension between supporter of the government and the opposition intensified to the point where faction took up weapons. Shortly after independence, the country sunk into a civil war between factions and clans, lasting from 1992 to 1997.

During this period, the Central Region was heavily contaminated by landmines and Explosive Remnants of War. At the same time, Russian forces laid landmines on the Tajik-Afghan border to protect the border and border posts from armed group trying to get into the country from Afghanistan. A ceasefire was agreed between Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, and the opposition in 1997 under the guidance of the UN. Starting 1999, Uzbekistan forces laid mines along the border with Tajikistan to protect armed groups from entering the country from Tajikistan.

Norwegian People's Aid Tajikistan

During survey activities carried out in 2004 and 2005 by Tajikistan Mine Action Centre (TMAC) and Swiss Foundation for Demining, a total of 159 suspected hazardous areas (SHA) were identified. In 2009, Norwegian People´s Aid was invited by the Government of Tajikistan and TMAC to conduct land release, including non-technical survey (NTS), technical survey (TS) and clearance. A Mine Action Program was set up in July 2010 and field operations were first carried out in November 2010. The aim is to support Tajikistan in fulfilling its obligation in accordance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty with a deadline on 31^st of December 2025.

Between 1992 and 2012, more than 800 accidents have been recorded, including more than 350 fatalities. Landmine contamination restricts the possibility to use land for agricultural purposes and represents a serious risk to civil populations engaged in farming, wood gathering, and other rural activities. In 2020, 0.67km² of land were cleared from anti-personnel (AP) mines, resulting in the destruction of more than 5300 AP mines. At the end of 2020, the country still had an estimated 11.8 km² of AP mines contamination. Moreover, 2/3 of suspected hazardous areas in the country are on the Uzbek-Tajik border, parts of which have still to be demarcated and have not yet been surveyed.