Croatia becomes mine-free after 30 years, meeting Ottawa Convention commitment

(Photo: Pudelek (Marcin Szala)/ CC BY-SA 3.0)

Croatia has officially become a country free of mine danger, successfully completing the demining process in line with the Ottawa Convention after nearly three decades.

The announcement, made this week in a report presented by State Secretary Tomislav Bilandžić from the Ministry of the Interior, marks the achievement of the core objective of the National Mine Action Programme and the fulfilment of Croatia’s international obligations.

Since the end of the Homeland War, vast areas of the country had remained contaminated by landmines and unexploded explosive remnants.

Through sustained national efforts and international cooperation, Croatia systematically reduced mine-suspected areas year after year.

In total, almost 107,000 mine-explosive devices and around 470,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance were located and safely removed during the process.

Beyond the technical achievement, authorities stressed the human dimension of the milestone, honouring victims and improving safety, economic recovery and development in previously affected regions.

Although physical demining has now been completed, Croatia will continue mine risk education programmes and maintain cooperation with international partners, sharing its expertise with other countries facing similar challenges.

With this achievement, Croatia closes a significant chapter of its post-war recovery and stands as a global example of long-term commitment to humanitarian demining and international treaty obligations.