Contaminated by: landmines (medium contamination) and other unexploded ordnance (UXO). There may be residual contamination by cluster munition remnants.

Article 5 deadline: 1 April 2020
(Not on track to meet deadline)

Non-signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW): As of May 2017, the Republic of Tajikistan had 9.4km² of confirmed and suspected mined areas, a decrease from the end of 2015 and 2016. It also had a further 1.1km² of ERW contamination. In 2016, 1.45km² of mined area was released: 0.65km² was canceled, 0.3km² was reduced, and 0.5km² was released through clearance. A total of 1,248 antipersonnel mines were destroyed. This was double the mine clearance output compared to 2015. Just under 2.55km² of mined area was confirmed. A humanitarian demining law was ratified in 2016.

Cluster munition remnants: As of the end of 2016, one known area of approximately 0.17km² of cluster munition contamination remained, identified during survey in 2016. No clearance of cluster munitions took place in 2016, and the clearance of this remaining area is scheduled for 2017. Once this is cleared, a residual threat may remain.

Recommendations for action

• Tajikistan should, as soon as possible, complete survey of 58 unsurveyed mined areas along the Tajik-Afghan border whose records were made publicly available in September 2013, in order to clarify the actual extent of mine contamination.
• Tajikistan should finalize its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 completion workplan.
• Tajikistan should develop a resource mobilization strategy to secure funding for mine clearance operations in both the border regions and the central region.

Mine Contamination

At the end of 2016, Tajikistan had more than 7.76km² of mine contamination across 147 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs), and 1.97km² of suspected mine contamination across 77 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs), as set out in the table below.[1] The mined areas are located in three provinces and 14 districts of Tajikistan.

By May 2017, contamination had come down to 7.7km² of confirmed mined area in 144 CHAs, and 1.7km² of suspected contamination (based on desk analysis) in 58 unsurveyed minefields. A further 1.1km², in nine battle areas, contain ERW only.[2]

This is a small reduction in overall baseline contamination compared to the end of 2015, when Tajikistan had 6.76km² of confirmed contamination (5.72km² of confirmed “accessible” and “executable” mined area and 1.04km² of “inaccessible” and “non-executable” areas), in addition to an estimated 3.6km² of suspected mined area still to be surveyed.[3]

Antipersonnel mine contamination by province (as of end 2016)[4]

Note: * The size of the suspected minefields is an estimate, based on desk analysis, and pending further survey; GBAO = Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.

Mine contamination in Tajikistan is the consequence of different conflicts. Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan was mined by Russian forces in 1992–1998; the border with Uzbekistan was mined by Uzbek forces in 2000–2001; and the Central region of Tajikistan was contaminated as a result of the 1992–1997 civil war.[5]

Mine contamination remains in the provinces of Khatlon and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) along the Tajik-Afghan border region (reported to contain 60,357 anti-personnel mines), and in the Central region.[6] Shuroobod, in the Khatlon region on the Afghan border, is the most heavily mined district, and most of the mines were dropped by helicopter due to the inaccessibility for vehicles and people.[7]

In 2013, following a Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) survey, the FSD and the Tajikistan Mine Action Center (TMAC, now called the Tajikistan National Mine Acton Center, TNMAC) concluded that no mines remain on the Tajikistan side of the border with Uzbekistan.[8] However, in its National Strategy on Humanitarian Mine Action for 2017–2020, Tajikistan reports that the population living in dangerous areas near the Tajik-Uzbek border are mainly engaged in livestock, agriculture, fodder, and collection of firewood, and that “despite the high degree of mine risk, the local population is forced to operate in hazardous areas.” Furthermore, the strategy also states that “as a result of natural disasters, it is possible that some minefields or individual mines have moved to the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan, although at the moment, their exact location and area are not known.” The strategy also refers to mine risk education (MRE) measures, including those to minimize the number of mine or UXO accidents during demining; to establish a transparent mechanism for reporting incidents involving mines or UXO; and refers to “questionable mined areas.”[9] This raises doubts about whether the Tajik-Uzbek border is in fact mine-free, as previously reported.

A national survey in 2003–2005 by the FSD estimated that mine and ERW contamination extended over 50km².[10] Tajikistan subsequently alleged that lack of experience among the initial survey teams, the absence of minefield records and other important information, and inadequate equipment contributed to the first impact survey not generating sufficiently robust results. As a result, the sizes of SHAs were miscalculated and their descriptions not clearly recorded.[11] While most minefield records are of good quality, some records, for example for areas where mines were dropped by helicopter, do not reflect the reality on the ground, and as such the records have to be verified and validated by non-technical survey and data analysis.[12]

In September 2013, records of 110 previously unrecorded and unsurveyed minefields were made public for the first time, with security constraints said to have prevented survey activities in the past.[13] The number of minefields was subsequently confirmed as 107 (not 110).[14] All are located in the provinces of Khatlon and the GBAO along the border with Afghanistan.[15] Non-technical survey of the minefields began in 2014.[16] As of December 2015, 101 unsurveyed minefields were said to remain, covering an estimated 3.6km²,[17] while by May 2017, the number had come down to 58.[18] Serious challenges have been reported during non-technical survey, due to the extreme inaccessibility of mined areas and one mined area blocking access to others.[19] According to records, these unsurveyed minefields contain 57,189 mines (50,948 blast mines, 4,430 fragmentation mines, and 1,811 “booby-trapped” mines), in addition to 17 munitions employed in booby traps, and 100kg of explosive charges (500 pieces of 200g of TNT).[20]

Mine contamination in Tajikistan is said to constrain development, limit access to grazing and agricultural land, and affect farming, wood gathering, and grazing activities related to rural life, especially in the Central region.[21] Most of the contamination is located along the borders, with a less direct impact on local communities and development, as these are restricted military security zones. However, district authorities and local communities do still use these areas for development projects, including collecting firewood and stones, piping for irrigation and drinking water, and fishing and livestock. National authorities have used cleared land for road construction, disaster mitigation activities, water piping, electricity line posts, gold extraction, and maintenance of dams.[22] Furthermore, contamination in these regions affects cross-border trade and security, and has a negative political impact on peacebuilding initiatives with neighboring countries.[23]

Cluster Munition Contamination

Clearance of the remaining known area of cluster munition contamination was completed in August 2017. However, additional, previously unknown cluster munition remnants were found later in the year during battle area clearance (BAC) at two locations in Rasht valley of the Central region.[24] TNMAC has stated that submunitions may still be encountered in the future during other survey and clearance operations.[25]

At the end of 2016, one known area of cluster munition contamination remained in Tajikistan, in the Darvoz district of the Central region. The hazardous area, covering approximately 170,000m², was confirmed by non-technical survey conducted by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in August 2016. It had previously been earmarked for further investigation during BAC of an adjacent valley in 2015.[26] The remaining area of cluster munition contamination, which is mainly used for pasture and the grazing of livestock, was approximately 4km from the nearest village, Sagirdasht.[27]

Cluster munitions were used during Tajikistan’s civil war in the 1990s, though it is not known who used them. In total, since the start of the mine action program in 2003 until the end of 2015, it was reported that approximately 750 submunitions were identified and destroyed in Tajikistan.[28]

Program Management

The Commission for the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (CIIHL) acts as Tajikistan’s national mine action authority, responsible for mainstreaming mine action in the government’s socio-economic development policies.[29]

TNMAC reports to the First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan, who chairs the CIIHL. Since its nationalization in 2014, TNMAC believes its cooperation with national ministries and agencies has improved.[30]

While transition to national ownership is considered to have been successful, the UNDP’s Support to Tajikistan Mine Action Programme (STMAP) project will continue until at least the end of 2017 in order to support the building of sustainable national structures and TNMAC’s technical capacity.[31]

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) office in Tajikistan has been supporting mine action since 2003. The OSCE’s strategy in Tajikistan is twofold: to support the development of national demining capacity; and to foster regional cooperation in border management and security.[32]

The Ministry of Defense plays a significant role in Tajikistan’s mine action sector. With its adoption in July 2013 of the Strategic Plan on Humanitarian Demining (2013–2016), the Ministry has sought to focus on three main objectives: to further support demining; to enhance national capacities; and to create the conditions for a sound national mine action program.[33] The OSCE Program Office in Dushanbe was supported by the Ministry of Defense to develop an updated plan, entitled “Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Tajikistan Co-operation Plan for Humanitarian Demining 2018–2023.” The draft plan was developed in August and September 2017 through a joint working group, and as of early October, was with the Ministry of Defense.[34]

Areas for land release are prioritized on a district-by-district basis, based on tasks issued by the Tajik government, requests from local authorities, and the capacities of demining agencies. Issues of accessibility due to mountainous terrain and adverse weather conditions during winter limit access to some designated priority tasks, as do security restrictions.[35] There is typically a six-month operational season in Tajikistan, from May to October, but in the Central region mined areas are only accessible for up to four months. As such, while the priority for clearance of mined areas in the Afghan border of the Khatlon region is lower than for example the Khaburabod pass in the Sagirdasht area of the Central region, clearance teams are deployed to the Khatlon region at the beginning of the working season, as it is accessible, whereas mined areas in the Central region are not.[36] The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is working with TNMAC and the UNDP to develop a prioritization system and tool for Tajikistan, which will identify distinct criteria and indicators for the separate regions.[37] A two-day prioritization workshop was held in Dushanbe in May 2016 as part of TNMAC/UNDP’s STMAP project, which was also attended by operators, and facilitated by the GICHD.[38] In May 2016, the GICHD facilitated a two-day prioritization workshop in Dushanbe, attended by TNMAC, the UNDP, and clearance operators, which resulted in a list of agreed criteria and indicators to help set priorities.[39] Following the workshop, TNMAC and the UNDP gathered geo data that would represent these indicators for use in the pilot of PriSMA (the Priority Setting Tool for Mine Action), and the pilot was conducted between July and September 2017.[40] A second version of PriSMA was due to be completed in November 2017, with updates based on feedback from pilot countries, including Tajikistan. Once completed, TNMAC and the UNDP will run a second pilot of a new version of PriSMA. Discussions will take place on how to incorporate priority setting in Tajikistan’s strategy, and how PriSMA can be integrated into Tajikistan’s existing priority setting workflow in 2018.[41]

Strategic planning

The previous national mine action strategic plan (NMASP) 2010–2015 expired at the end of 2015.[42] A new National Strategy on Humanitarian Mine Action for 2017–2020 was approved by the government of Tajikistan on 25 February 2017.[43]

TNMAC is in the process of finalizing the draft “Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention Article 5 Completion Plan 2016–2020,” which contains more detail on operationalization and implementation of the strategy, and which will be reviewed each year.[44] As of May 2017, it was still being revised and finalized by TNMAC.[45] Based on the October 2016 draft, the completion plan seeks to focus on the most heavily mined regions, which are along the Afghan border. From June to September, during favorable weather in the high-altitude areas, efforts will focus on the Central region.[46] In conjunction with the government of Tajikistan and the Tajik Border Forces, TNMAC will prioritize land release activities using a district-by-district approach based on the following criteria: mined areas with economic and infrastructure impact; the number of unsurveyed minefield records in each district (those with a larger number of minefields records will be considered a priority for the deployment of non-technical survey teams); and the number of mined areas in each district (a smaller number of minefields will be considered a priority to deploy clearance teams to release the whole district).[47]

As part of the draft Article 5 completion plan, Tajikistan has defined four different categories of mined areas: CHAs; “inaccessible CHAs”; “non-executable CHAs”; and “unsurveyed minefield records.” CHAs are defined as “An area declared dangerous due to the presence of mines”; inaccessible CHAs are defined as “CHA that is impossible to access by land release teams due to relief (like high mountains, steep slopes, etc.), small river islands, mudflows and other constraints including security”; non-executable CHAs are defined as “A CHA in which clearance is impossible to execute under current working conditions,” due to sandy soil, depth of items (60–70cm), or waterlogged ground.[48] As of November 2016, Tajikistan had identified 23 areas, covering an estimated 1.3km², on the Tajik-Afghan border, which it deemed not accessible for further clearance operations due to “relief, sandy soil, islands, flows, mine located too deep (60–70cm), no access by road, and other constraints.”[49] TNMAC expects further inaccessible and non-executable tasks to be identified through non-technical survey or technical survey or during clearance; and that operating teams and TNMAC will agree on common criteria to declare an area/task as inaccessible or non-executable.[50] In June 2017, Tajikistan reported that it needs “advisory support and exchange experience on addressing inaccessible areas and non-executable tasks, as well as on all other challenges faced.”[51]

In May 2017, TNMAC reported that it is using a new approach to survey, in which, in addition to standard non-technical survey information gathering, survey teams are also using technical assets to identify actual evidence of mines and UXO, including locating parts of, or whole mines, and items of UXO, as well as explosion craters, to confirm areas as contaminated.[52]

Legislation and standards

In 2015, Tajikistan drafted a humanitarian demining law, which covers all aspects of mine action. However, relevant NGOs are not believed to have been consulted during its drafting.[53] The law, which was ratified by Tajikistan’s parliament on 23 July 2016,[54] was presented to mine action stakeholders in Tajikistan in September 2016, during a workshop hosted by TNMAC.[55]

Tajikistan’s National Mine Action Standards (TNMAS) have been revised, and were approved by the government on 1 April 2017. The new standards have been translated into Russian and English.[56]

Information management

Tajikistan has reported that one of the challenges it faces in information management is retention of experienced staff.[57] In 2016, Tajikistan enhanced its information management capacity by providing training to two information management officers and updating its information management system to IMSMA 6.0.[58]

Operators

In 2016, the total FSD, NPA, Union of Sappers Tajikistan (UST), and Ministry of Defense operational capacity for survey and clearance in Tajikistan was 135 personnel across nine multi-purpose teams, one manual clearance team, and two non-technical survey teams[59]—an increase over the 117 operational personnel deployed in 2015.[60] Of this, NPA deployed four multi-purpose teams, totaling 46 personnel in 2016; the FSD deployed one manual team, consisting of 13 personnel; the Ministry of Defense’s Humanitarian Demining Unit (HDU) deployed five multi-purpose teams, totaling 67 personnel; and the UST deployed two non-technical survey teams, totaling nine personnel.[61]

The FSD and NPA are the two international demining operators in Tajikistan.

Due to a decrease in funding the FSD reduced its teams to one in 2016.[62] In 2017, the FSD deployed a second demining team to address the additional tasks being allocated to it by TNMAC.[63]

NPA reported that the number of operations staff deployed in 2016 fluctuated, due to security restrictions on the Tajik-Afghan border and weather limitations in the Central region, and a subsequent lack of tasking by TNMAC that resulted. During maximum capacity, NPA deployed 53 operations staff (including 29 deminers, four task supervisors, and four team leaders), in addition to six management and support staff.[64]

Following the signature of an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2009, the Ministry of Defense established a Humanitarian Demining Group (HDG).[65] Since TNMAC’s nationalization, the HDG has acted as a contractor for TNMAC, and OSCE funds the HDG through TNMAC.[66] The HDG increased its operational capacities in 2016, increasing from three multi-purpose teams in 2015 to five in 2016.[67]

Until 2015, limitations in Tajikistan’s legislation had prevented UST, a national not-for-profit organization, gaining accreditation for demining activities.[68] In 2015, UST obtained permission to conduct survey and received a grant from the UNDP for technical and non-technical survey in the south of the country.[69] UST is accredited to conduct non-technical survey, risk education, and victim assistance. In 2017, UST received additional accreditation to conduct non-technical survey with technical survey intervention, but it is not accredited to conduct stand-alone technical survey or clearance.[70] In 2016, two UST teams conducted non-technical survey in the Shamsiddin Shohin district (formerly known as Shuroobod district) of the Khatlon region, and as of May 2017 survey operations were ongoing.[71] As of early October 2017, UST was conducting non-technical survey with technical survey intervention, in line with the new land release methodology in Tajikistan.[72]

Neither mine detection dogs (MDDs) nor machines were used operationally in 2016.[73] The MDD program ended in early 2015 due to the very limited number of tasks suitable for dogs. Consequently, 18 MDDs were handed over to the Ministry of Interior and to the Border Forces.[74] Similarly, economic use of mechanical assets reached its limit, and as of November 2016, all areas suitable for machine deployment had been completed.[75]

Land Release (mines)

Total mined area released by clearance in 2016 was 0.5km², with a further 0.95km² released by survey (both technical and non-technical). Almost 2.55km² was confirmed as mined.

Survey in 2016 (mines)

In 2016, a total of 0.95km² was released through survey, by the FSD, NPA, and the Ministry of Defense.[76] Whereas in Tajikistan’s Article 7 report for 2016, area canceled and area reduced was disaggregated (see table below),[77] TNMAC reported a combined, non-disaggregated figure for area released by survey (see second table below).

The UST confirmed 59 mined areas totaling 2.08km², during non-technical survey of Shamsiddin Shohin district, in Khatlon province in 2016.

Antipersonnel mine survey by province in 2016[78]

Note: TS = technical survey.

Anti-personnel mine survey by operator in 2016[79]

Note: * TNMAC reported a combined figure for area canceled and area reduced.

In addition, 1.45km² was canceled in three BAC tasks in Rasht district of the Central region, during joint NPA and TNMAC survey operations.[80]

Clearance in 2016 (mines)

In 2016, the FSD, NPA, and the Ministry of Defense/HDG cleared close to 0.5km² across 17 mined areas (four of which were suspended and not yet completed as of the end of 2016), destroying 1,248 antipersonnel mines and 206 items of UXO (see tables below).[81] This is double the clearance output compared to 2015, when 0.25km² was cleared, while significantly more mines were found and destroyed during land release operations in 2016.[82]

Mine clearance by province in 2016[83]

Note: AP = antipersonnel.

Mine clearance by operator in 2016[84]

Note: * Clearance suspended and not yet completed as at end 2016; AP = antipersonnel.

TNMAC reported that better use is being made of technical survey to collect direct evidence of contamination, and to ensure that CHAs do indeed contain mines.[85] NPA also reported the application of more efficient land release techniques over SHAs and CHAs in the Central region, GBAO, and the Tajik-Afghan border and increased cancelation of non-contaminated land.[86]

An agreement on cooperation between the governments of Tajikistan and Afghanistan was signed in 2014, and TNMAC has coordinated with the UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACCA) and Afghanistan’s Directorate of Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) on land release approaches, NMAS, exchange visits, cross-border projects, victim assistance, and risk education.[87] However, in 2015 and 2016, due to increased security in northern parts of Afghanistan (along the Tajik border), the Border Forces denied permission for clearance operations in the Khatlon border region—an area that contains nearly three-quarters of all mine contamination in Tajikistan.[88] In 2016, the Border Forces only permitted non-technical survey operations in Shamsiddin Shohin district of Khatlon province, to survey some of the 101 previously unrecorded minefields. As such, two UST survey teams were established; these conducted non-technical survey in 2016, and survey continued in 2017.[89] As of August 2016, TNMAC was negotiating with the Border Forces for the opportunity to start mine clearance operations in Khatlon region,[90] and in January 2017 greater access for clearance and survey operations was granted along the Tajik-Afghan border, in particular to Shamsiddin Shohin district.[91]

Progress in 2017

Improved security conditions in 2017 have enabled greater access for survey and clearance operations along the Tajik-Afghan border, following the permission of the Border Forces Command of Tajikistan, which was granted in late January.[92] Increased access in early 2017 included the Shamsiddin Shohin district on the southern Tajik-Afghan border of Khatlon province, which is the most heavily mined district in Tajikistan, accounting for a significant proportion of overall contamination in the country.[93] In early October 2017, humanitarian demining organizations had received tentative indications from TNMAC that the remaining districts of the Tajik-Afghan border that had been closed might also be opened for survey and clearance.[94]

Land Release (cluster munition remnants)

No cluster munition-contaminated area was released by BAC in 2016. However, approximately 170,000m² was confirmed as cluster munition-contaminated through non-technical survey.[95]

While NPA completed clearance of the remaining known area of cluster munition remnants contamination in August 2017, additional, previously unknown cluster munition remnants were found later in 2017 during BAC by the FSD.[96]

Survey (cluster munition remnants)

In August 2016, NPA conducted non-technical survey of an area suspected to contain cluster munition contamination. The area, located in Darvoz district in the Central region of Tajikistan, had been identified as requiring further investigation during BAC in the adjacent valley in 2015.[97] During the 2016 survey, approximately 170,000m² was confirmed as contaminated with type AO-2.5RT submunitions,[98] and one AO-2.5RT submunition was found, along with other evidence of contamination, including pieces of cluster bomb containers, remnants of further AO-2.5RT submunitions, and several recognizable blast locations.[99]

The single submunition found during the 2016 non-technical survey was not destroyed at the time of discovery, as TNMAC quality assurance/quality control instructed NPA not to destroy any items until the task was actually opened by NPA for clearance in 2017. The submunition was clearly marked and left in place, as was the entire area/task, in accordance with the TNMAS.[100]

Clearance (cluster munition remnants)

No cluster munition-contaminated area was cleared in 2016. The onset of winter and adverse weather conditions at high altitude prevented NPA from conducting clearance in 2016 of the 170,000m² area.[101] As of June 2017, NPA had received the task order from TNMAC.[102] NPA completed clearance in August 2017.[103]

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 Compliance

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the 10-year extension granted by States Parties in 2009), Tajikistan is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 April 2020. It is not on track to meet its deadline.

The first quarter of each calendar year is typically not conductive for clearance operations, so in order to meet the deadline, clearance would need to be completed by the end of 2019.[104] Current land release output, insecurity along its border with Afghanistan, and the inaccessibility and/or operational difficulty of some mined areas, means that Tajikistan will not finish in time. Tajikistan reported in June 2017 that: “There is a need to increase the demining capacity in Tajikistan in order to ensure timely implementation of the Ottawa Convention obligations by 2020. Of course, this will require additional resources.”[105]

In total during the last five years, Tajikistan has cleared less than 5km² of mined area (see table below). Progress was hampered in 2015 and 2016 due to restricted access for clearance in the Afghanistan border region owing to a heightened security situation in Kunduz and other areas in northeast Afghanistan. This resulted in clearance operations originally scheduled for preparation in January 2016, with deployment in mid- to late-February, being delayed until May. It also saw clearance focused on the mountainous Central region, where adverse weather means the demining window is much shorter, with additional challenges posed by the need to access remote locations and to ensure medical evacuation.[106]

Mine clearance in 2012–2016[107]

TNMAC has said that it anticipates that Tajikistan will complete survey and clearance of mined areas by the end of 2020, but has acknowledged that this is contingent on sufficient funding and capacity, as well as the security situation at the Tajik-Afghan border, both of which could affect its ability to complete.[108] This also does not take into account how Tajikistan plans to release the “inaccessible” and “non-executable” areas, referred to below.

Tajikistan is in the process of finalizing an Article 5 completion plan for 2016–2020 in which it will “demonstrate clear and reasonable evidence and efforts of Tajikistan to complete its obligation in time.”[109] However, the draft completion plan (as of 4 October 2016) only outlined Tajikistan’s plans to address accessible and executable CHAs. “Inaccessible” and “non-executable” areas have been excluded from land release activities during the Article 5 completion period, and will be defined as “residual threat.”[110] This is not compliant with Tajikistan’s Article 5 survey and clearance obligations. In June 2017, at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings, Tajikistan reported that it needs “advisory support and exchange experience on addressing inaccessible areas and non-executable tasks, as well as on all other challenges faced.”[111]

In the Tajik-Afghan Border region, after deducting 23 “inaccessible” and “non-executable” areas, 60 CHAs covering some 2.67km² remain to be addressed under TNMAC’s draft October 2016 completion plan,[112] while in the Central region, 10 CHAs remain to be addressed, covering 1.74km². TNMAC predicts that the proportion of land manually cleared and reduced by technical survey will remain the same as the average of the last six years, namely 40% and 33% accordingly. Therefore, it predicts that from the 5.72km² of total CHA, only 3.83km² will be subjected to full clearance.[113]

In addition, with regards to the unsurveyed minefield records along the Tajik-Afghan border, it is assumed that about 20% of mined areas will not be accessible or executable for land release operations, and about 10% will be canceled through non-technical survey.[114]

Depending on weather conditions, land release operations in the Khatlon region of the border usually start in February/March; the GBAO part of the border only becomes accessible from May until October; and the Central region from June until September.[115]

In its draft Article 5 completion plan for 2016–2020, Tajikistan estimates that to clear 5.52km² of CHA (and excluding the unsurveyed minefield records on the Tajik-Afghan border, and “inaccessible” and “non-executable” areas) by the end of 2019, would require about 24 manual clearance teams annually clearing an average total each year of 1.4km². Alternatively, a lesser, but still increased, capacity of 14 manual clearance teams could take approximately seven years (2015–2023), based on current clearance rates.[116]

Most recently, in its Article 7 transparency report for 2016, Tajikistan estimates that it will clear a total of almost 4.9km² in 93 mined areas in 2017–2019.[117] This comprised 1.52km² across 22 mined areas in 2017; 1.66km² across 42 mined areas in 2018; and 1.71km² across 29 mined areas in 2019.[118] The 4.9km² of mined area that Tajikistan plans to clear by 2020 represents approximately half the overall combined confirmed and suspected mined area which totals over 9.7km² (see opening table above). This suggests that Tajikistan is currently well behind schedule to meet both its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline of 1 April 2020 and TNMAC’s expected completion of the end of 2020; and highlights the need for increased capacity and optimum application of non-technical and technical survey to release areas found not to be mine-contaminated, and focus clearance efforts only where contamination is confirmed.

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the mine action research in 2017, including on survey and clearance, and shared all its resulting landmine and cluster munition reports with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.