In Pec, in western Kosovo, at the foot of the snow-capped Dinaric Alps, lit by the February sun, the setting is breathtaking. However, Aleksandar (first name changed at his request) is not there to enjoy the view. This Ukrainian came to train for almost two months in the art of demining. The 27-year-old joined his country’s armed forces at the very start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Almost a year later, at the request of his superior, he completed two training courses at this renowned international center.
“The trainers have extensive experience in demining here. In Ukraine, we now have a major problem with mines. It is therefore important knowledge that we acquire and that we will share [une fois rentrés] “Explains the twenty-something in a khaki uniform. “We learned to identify the different explosive devices, and whether or not it is possible to move them. It can save lives or help make the right decisions,” continues the one who worked in IT, in Kharkiv, before the war.
Founded in 2010 by a former British soldier sent in 1999 to demine Kosovo after the war, MAT Kosovo has since trained nationals from 70 countries, including 120 Ukrainians for eleven months. “In 1999, Kosovo was infested with mines”, recalls Arben Qorraj, in charge of the institution’s finances. The 50-year-old himself joined the Kosovo Liberation Army – the UCK – against the Serbian aggressor in 1998.
Cluster bombs
The Kosovo war may have been one of the shortest in the Balkans in the 1990s, but at least 100,000 mines were deployed on the territory of this former Yugoslav province between February 1998 and June 1999. The forces NATO also dropped cluster bombs there. The conflict, which resulted in a withdrawal of troops from Belgrade, after the NATO bombardments in Serbia, claimed ten thousand victims in Kosovo, the majority of whom were Kosovar Albanians. On February 17, 2008, the country declared its independence, not recognized to this day by dozens of States in the world, including Ukraine.
The return of the war to Eastern Europe has brought back trauma to many Kosovars, several hundred thousand of whom experienced the roads of exile in the late 1990s. “Kosovo should be completely cleared of mines by 2025, only a few isolated mountainous areas remain. But there are a good fifty mined countries in the world, and the demand for mine clearance remains very high, continues Arben Qorraj, who confesses to being “terrified” by the war in Ukraine. 1999 is still very fresh, especially for those who, like me, have lost loved ones. »
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