Azerbaijan Hit by Humanitarian Crisis Due to Extensive Landmine Contamination

Jakarta, MINA – Azerbaijan, after successfully reclaiming its proviously occupied territory, but now is facing a serious humanitarian crisis. The extensive landmine contamination threatens the live, safety dan livelihoods of both military personnel or civilians in the aftermath of conflict.

“The landmine contamination crisis in Azerbaijan is the results of the military occupation by Armenia from 1991 to 2020. During this occupation, Armenia military units are reported to have planted approximately 1,5 milion mines and explosives in these territories, making Azerbaijan as one of the most landmine contamination in the world,” said the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Jakarta to MINA, Monday.

During the nearly three decades of occupation, Armenia deliberately have planted mines in the territories causing in many casualities, especially among civilians. Tragically, almost every week there are deadly mine explosions with 343 individuals have become victims since November 2020, and more than 3.300 people falling victim to mines over the past 30 years.

The widespread landmine contamination not only hampers the rehabilitation and reconstruction plans rolled out by the government of Azerbaijan and also hinders the inalienable right of hundreds of thousand internally displaced people to return to their homes in safety and dignity.

The families forced to flee from their homes for nearly 30 years are still cannot return in safety until the mines cleared.

Although, Armenia has released some records of mines in contaminated areas under international pressure, the practical utility of this information remains limited. Mine explosion statistics confirm that most mine incidents occur in areas where no mine records are provided.

As one of the countries with the largest mine contamination, Azerbaijan is working hard to address the humanitarian threat posed by landmines to its civilian population.

The number of mine victims in Azerbaijan contributes significantly to the global number of mine victims, which negatively affect the lives of the population and pose a humanitarian threat.

Given this humanitarian urgency, it is critical for the international community to encourage Armenia to eliminate this threat and cooperate seriously by providing practical information and providing material and technical assistance for mine clearance operations. (T/RE1/P2)

Miraj News Agency (MINA)