Azerbaijan prepares ad hoc report on Armenian mine terror

A special ad hoc report has been prepared in Azerbaijan to provide information about the mine terror of Armenia.

Report informs that the announcement came from the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, at an event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Mine Action Agency of Azerbaijan on July 18.

Aliyeva said that fact-finding missions were carried out on the front line, in adjacent areas, as well as in cities and areas where the civilian population was targeted both during the Second Karabakh War and in the post-war period, prepared a special ad hoc report that included data on ongoing mine terror due to Armenia's failure to provide minefield maps.

The Ombudswoman noted that the prepared documents were submitted to international and regional human rights organisations, as well as to national human rights institutions in various countries.

Noting that the elimination of the mine problem is one of the priority tasks facing the government, Aliyeva said as a result of the explosion of mines and ammunition, more than 300 people have died or been seriously injured since the end of the 44-day war in 2020; while these figures continue to grow.

She also highlighted the fact that the existing mine problem causes setbacks in the process of the safe return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands, seriously hindering the reconstruction and construction work carried out in the region, as well as the peacebuilding process.

Mine threat

The Karabakh (Garabagh) and East Zangazur regions of Azerbaijan have been heavily mined by Armenia’s forces since the 1990s. Following the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, Armenia launched a full-blown military assault against Azerbaijan. The bloody war continued until a ceasefire was signed in 1994, resulting in Armenia’s occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories. During the war, over 30,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, and one million were forced to flee their homes in a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign conducted by Armenia.

On September 27, 2020, the decades-old conflict between the two countries reignited after Armenia’s forces deployed in occupied Azerbaijani lands shelled military positions and civilian settlements of Azerbaijan. During the counter-attack operations that lasted 44 days, Azerbaijani forces liberated over 300 settlements, including the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Shusha, from the Armenian occupation. The war ended with the signing of a tripartite statement on November 10, 2020, by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, under which Armenia also returned the occupied Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan.

Since the end of hostilities, the Azerbaijani government has been carrying out demining operations in the liberated territories to expedite the return of internally displaced Azerbaijanis to their homes. Despite extensive efforts, demining operations face many challenges due to Armenia’s refusal to hand over maps displaying the locations of the landmines.

The Azerbaijani National Agency for Mine Action reported that the maps provided by Armenia were just 2 percent effective in mine action. According to the Azerbaijani government data, international experts estimate it will take nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve issues related to demining.