{"id":3123,"date":"2025-08-20T12:59:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T10:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawai.li\/fsd\/?post_type=country&p=3123"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:24:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:24:05","slug":"croatia","status":"publish","type":"country","link":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/countries\/croatia\/","title":{"rendered":"Croatia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Landmines left behind from the war of independence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the late 1990s, minefields remaining from Croatia\u2019s war of independence still posed a serious threat to local communities, limiting access to farmland and essential infrastructure. Between 1991 and 2020, almost 2,000 people were killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located on\u00a0a former front\u00a0line in eastern Croatia, a place tragically marked by a deadly ambush during the conflict, the village of\u00a0Kusonje\u00a0was the site of intense fighting and was\u00a0almost entirely\u00a0destroyed, leading to the displacement of a large part of its population.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While homes had been partially secured after the conflict, agricultural land remained inaccessible, preventing residents from resuming their livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n \n<\/svg>\n \n FSD in Croatia <\/span>\n\n
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\n \n 2,000 <\/div>\n
\n casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war between 1991 and 2020 <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n 1st <\/div>\n
\n humanitarian demining NGO active in the country <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

FSD\u2019s first humanitarian demining mission in Croatia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Commissioned by the Swiss association\u00a0Causes Communes<\/em>\u00a0and funded by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, FSD conducted its first humanitarian demining operation in Croatia between 1998 and 1999, in the village of Kusonje.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation focused on agricultural land, access routes, and the surroundings of the village church,\u00a0a central place\u00a0for community cohesion. In total,\u00a040,972 square\u00a0metres\u00a0were processed between June and August 1999. Although no mines or unexploded ordnance were found, the intervention helped remove a major source of uncertainty and restore community confidence, which was essential for the resumption of agricultural activities. This unexpected outcome also highlights the limitations of the information available at the time to accurately\u00a0identify\u00a0contaminated areas after the conflict.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A country now free from landmines\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although Croatia was long affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war,\u00a0significant progresswas made over the years. Large hazardous areas were cleared, with the remaining contamination concentrated in mountainous and rugged terrain, making operations more complex.\u00a0The country officially became mine-free in March 2026, marking a major milestone in its recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n From Bosnia to Ukraine <\/span>\n
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For nearly 30 years, FSD has been working to make land safer. Explore the key milestones of our humanitarian work since our first demining operation in 1998.<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n Discover our story \n \n \n<\/svg>\n <\/a>\n \n \n<\/svg>\n \n \n<\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Latest news from FSD<\/h2>\n \n View all \n \n \n<\/svg>\n <\/a>\n
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International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action\u00a0 – 4 April 2026<\/h3>\n

PDF of complete Joint Statement (March 2026) Invest in Peace; Invest in Mine Action  Geneva, 31 March 2026 The world…<\/p>\n

\n Landmines and explosive remnants<\/span>\n Humanitarian demining<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n

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FSD’s Mine Action Programme in Ukraine<\/h3>\n

Complete Ukraine brochure (March 2026) \u2013 PDF Our ongoing operations \u2013 March 2026 As of March 2026, more than 450…<\/p>\n

\n Humanitarian demining<\/span>\n Ukraine<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n

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Interview with Olivier Shu \u2013 La Ligne de c\u0153ur (RTS La Premi\u00e8re)<\/h3>\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Listen now \u00a9 Interview broadcast on RTS La Premi\u00e8re, in the programme La Ligne de c\u0153ur About Olivier A demining expert…<\/p>\n

\n Landmines and explosive remnants<\/span>\n Machines, drones and technology<\/span>\n Humanitarian demining<\/span>\n Ukraine<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Landmines left behind from the war of independence By the late 1990s, minefields remaining from Croatia\u2019s war of independence still posed a serious threat to local communities, limiting access to farmland and essential infrastructure. Between 1991 and 2020, almost 2,000 people were killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war across the country. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7946,"template":"","country_category":[99],"class_list":["post-3123","country","type-country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country_category-past-operations"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country\/3123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/country"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country_category?post=3123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}