The British government resolved on cessation of financing for 2011 The HALO Trust program in Karabakh.

“The British government drew a new list of states for implementation of HALO Trust activities, which does not include Karabakh,” program manager Roly Clark told December 15 news conference.

As he stated, organization budget was cut by USD 400 thousand, which, still, does not pause the organization’s activities. “However, unless the necessary sum is found, 65 employees in NKR will lose jobs. Without financing, Artsakh will need 7-8 years to clear the territory of mines,” he noted.

Since 2000, the organization has cleared 4,500ha of affected land in Khachen village and around it, destroying 1,334 cluster aerial bombs and 643 items of unexploded ordnance.

Mines, cluster aerial bombs and other ordnance were widely used during hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh. After 1993, the number of victims of mines and ordnance explosions was 328 (including killed and injured). Mines and cluster aerial bombs prevented farmers from using huge territories of farmland.

Since 2000, HALO has been the only organization dealing with demining of the NKR territory. It has 210 employees headed by an expatriate. Over ten years, HALO cleared around 23,700ha of affected land, so that local population can safely and effectively use it. In addition to 10,000 mines and 10,000 cluster aerial bombs, the organization has detected and disarmed over 45,000 items of different types of unexploded ordnance.

The further development, rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance immediately depend on continuation of demining works in Nagorno Karabakh. Besides, these works are very important also to reduce the number of accidents as a result of mines explosion.

Around 80% of mine fields and 70% of territories affected with cluster aerial bombs have been already cleared by The HALO Trust in Nagorno Karabakh. The organization believes that the demining works at the rest territories will take from 5 to 6 years. However, it depends on donors’ financing.