The armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina in humanitarian demining operations

The destructive impact on human populations has been a common characteristic of all wars throughout history - not only during their course but long after combat operations have ceased. One of the most insidious legacies of modern warfare is the presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Many countries on whose territories combat operations were conducted continue to face this problem. This issue represents a specific security threat as it simultaneously endangers people, the environment, as well as natural, material, and other assets, while also being a latent cause of socio-economic harm to society as a whole. In the context of Southeast Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks among the countries most affected by the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance. The aim of this paper is to present practical experiences regarding the etiology of mine action and the capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to conduct humanitarian demining operations as a segment of mine action. The paper focuses on explaining one component - the military sector - of the unified system established at the state level and aimed at solving the problem of residual mines and unexploded ordnance. Accordingly, the initial hypothesis posits that the capacities of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina enable them to conduct humanitarian demining operations. The paper employs specific scientific methods: induction-deduction, analysis-synthesis, and definition-classification.