Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlmoldovia



Moldovia <![CDATA[Moldova is affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO) but it is unclear the extent to which territory under its jurisdiction or control is mine-affected. Moldova reported previously that it had completed the destruction of all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its control by August 2000. In its Article 7 report for calendar year 2005, Moldova claimed that there were no mined areas containing antipersonnel mines on territory under its control, while acknowledging that it had no information on the situation in Transnistria.

In the context of the CCW, however, Moldova has stated that there might be mined areas in some regions on the side of the Nistru river where the Transnistrian conflict took place in 1992. In this conflict landmines were said to have been laid in Dubasari, Cosnita-Pogrebea, and Varnita-Benderi.

The most UXO-contaminated areas are said to be along the Nistru River, as well as the districts of Calarasi and Ungheni, where major battles took place during World War II. In 2001 through end 2007, a total of 1,095 items of UXO were encountered by the civilian population, including 351 items in 2007, the highest annual total recorded. UXO contamination, mostly from World War II, is said also to affect Transnistria.

No new mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were reported in Moldova, including the Transnistria region, in 2007 and to March 2008. However, Landmine Monitor identified one previously unreported casualty in Transnistria in 2006 when a boy was injured by a grenade at school. It is possible that more casualties have occurred as information on mine/ERW casualties in Moldova has not been made publicly available.

The total number of mine/ERW survivors in Moldova, including the Transnistria region, is not known. Moldova’s 2006 CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 report stated in relation to mine casualties: “There are no such victims on the territory controlled by the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova.” However, mine/ERW casualties have been reported from incidents and demining accidents resulting from contamination during the conflict in Transnistria. From 1992 to 2005, 47 civilian landmine casualties were recorded in eight villages in the Dubasari region of Transnistria (21 people killed and 26 injured). Ten military casualties occurred during the same period (two killed and eight injured). From 2001 to 2005, 14 UXO casualties were recorded in five districts of Moldova; 10 people were killed (including six children) and four people injured; all were civilians.

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