On Monday 11 April, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) opened a new Mine Action and Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Training Centre in RAJLOVAC Barracks, Sarajevo. The Centre will conduct trainings in humanitarian demining and the destruction of unexploded ordnance, and will significantly assist institutions in BiH to continue to deal with the demining challenge.
Photos by WOII Martin Austerhuber
The ceremony was attended by officials of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the AFBiH, and guests from the International Community based in BiH. This included the new Commander of the European Union Force (COMEUFOR), Major General Friedrich SCHRÖTTER and key members of the HQ EUFOR Staff – especially those from the EUFOR Capability Building & Training (CB&T) Division.
The AFBiH Minister of Defence, Marina Pendes also attended. She said: “The Centre will contribute to the process of clearing the areas still covered with landmines, and will provide the higher level of safety for the citizens and the economic development of BiH”. She went on to say, it will “Enable joint training of personnel from Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations and provide for unified oversight of the certification process for Deminers”. The ambition of the MOD and the AFBiH to establish a regional center for South East Europe and ensure it is recognized as an International Competence Centre for NATO and its Partners, is being achieved.
The Minister of Defence thanked the governments of Norway, Italy, France and USA, as well as the UNDP, for their great contribution to establishing the Centre. The event also included a presentation of UK donated equipment for the AFBiH. This included IT Equipment and printers for the Joint Staff AFBiH, Gym Equipment and Musical Instruments for the AFBiH Military Band.
EUFOR has been assisting and advising the AFBiH in the field of demining since 2008. EUFOR continues to deliver Mine Risk Education (MRE) to the BiH population via its Liaison and Observation Team (LOT) Houses, and supports the BiH Mine Action Centres (BHMAC). However, its main effort is the provision of CB&T to the AFBiH.
BiH’s Article 4 of the Law on Defence tasks the AFBiH with countermine action responsibility, with the functional role of demining across BiH being managed and conducted by AFBiH. The AFBiH is responsible for approximately 20% of all humanitarian demining efforts in BiH; a fact that illustrates the importance of this new Mine Action and EOD Training Centre in RAJLOVAC.
