Liberation of 30-years-long occupied territories was a momentous occasion for Azerbaijanis, especially for internally-displaced people who had been expelled from their homelands.

As Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity, people had the chance to return to their homes and rebuild their communities.

However, widespread presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war, left behind by Armenia overshadowed and marred this.

Formerly-occupied territories make Azerbaijan one of the most contaminated countries with landmines and explosive remnants of war in the world.

Throughout the conflict and its occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories, Armenia indiscriminately planted hundreds of thousands of mines and other explosive devices, including in civilian areas.

Despite attempts at formally requesting information about the location of those mines, Armenia repeatedly denied that it possessed the relevant information and refused to engage on the issue.

Armenia grossly violates the requirements of international legal acts by not providing accurate maps of the mines buried in Karabakh during and after the occupation.

Since November 10, 2020, when the 44 days War ended, up to 300 Azerbaijani citizens have been killed or seriously injured as a result of Armenia's mine terrorism. The latest landmine explosion occurred on April 28. The explosion of an anti-tank mine in the village of Tapgaragoyunlu of Azerbaijan's Tartar district. Three employees of RPS Energy Ltd. lost their lives as a result of the explosion.

“I would like to inform you with regret that 3 people lost their lives as a result of the last mine explosion, and we continue our activities to prevent these tragedies. The mine incident that happened on April 28 once again testifies to the serious mining of areas and the danger it poses to human life,” Technical Director at UK RPS Energy Ltd. David Denman said during a briefing in connection with the recent mine explosion.

According to official assessments, Azerbaijan requires approximately $25 billion to solve issues related to demining, a process that would take up to 30 years.

Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) is the main coordinating body in the demining activities carried out in the liberated territories. ANAMA cleared 77 890 hectares of areas, of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) so far.

The Agency found 86 244 mines and UXOs in these areas and neutralized them.

Despite the efforts of ANAMA, the scale of the problem remains daunting. The presence of landmines in the region continues to pose a serious threat to the safety and security of the population.

Analytic group of News.Az

The article focuses on the theme of the historical victory won in the 44-day "Patriotic War" under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Muzaffar, the truth about the crimes against peace and humanity committed by Armenia, as well as the war crimes, were conveyed to the world community.