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A deminer in Kosovo holds a detector whilst standing on a snow covered hill

Kosovo

In 1999, NATO air forces conducted over 10,000 combat bombing missions over Yugoslavia, releasing cluster bombs on Yugoslav military and infrastructure targets in Kosovo. Each cluster bomb strike contained hundreds of bomblets. With a failure rate estimated at twenty per cent, tens of thousands of these unexploded items littered the ground or became buried in fields, gardens and school yards.

In addition, in response to an insurgency campaign, Yugoslavia's military had planted minefields on Kosovo's borders to prevent infiltration by fighters for the Kosovar Liberation Army from Albania and Montenegro.

"I was frightened to walk along the road before it was cleared. There were cluster bombs there. I want to be a doctor when I grow up."
Kaltirina Gashi, age 8, Kosovo

Our Work

Clearing landmines and explosives

HALO started working in Kosovo immediately after the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops in 1999, where hundreds of thousands of returning refugees were finding their farmland, homes and gardens contaminated by explosives.

By 2025 HALO Kosovo had cleared cluster bombs and landmines from an area the size of over 2,800 football pitches, so parents like Basri no longer fear for their children’s future.

We employ over 100 local men and women, creating opportunities in a country where there are few formal jobs prospects, particularly for women. After discovering childcare issues were a barrier to local women applying for work with HALO, we introduced childcare stipends in 2018.

In the summer of 2024, HALO celebrated 25 years of making the people of Kosovo safe.

OUR IMPACT

"I am too old now to really enjoy life, but I am happy knowing that my children and grandchildren will live in a safe place, free of mines."
Zejnepe, Kosovo

Only months after the war ended, Zejnepe's husband, Afet, lost his leg in an explosion when he stood on a landmine while collecting firewood. In the years that followed, the family lived in fear of further accidents but, in November 2017, much to Zejnepe's relief, our deminers finished clearing the minefield where the accident happened.

Stories from Kosovo

The green hills and mountains of the Kosovo landscape
Clearing the Dangers on Kosovo's Accursed Mountains
Read more
A man plants a tree outside of a house in Arllat village in Kosovo
Protecting Families in Kosovo
Read more
Testing Ground: The Grenadier in Kosovo
Testing Ground: The Grenadier in Kosovo
Read more
HALO continues to clear hundreds of NATO cluster bombs in Kosovo
Read more

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Our Work is Funded By:

The United States Government
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CARRONFOOT, THORNHILL, DUMFRIES, DG3 5BF

The HALO Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 2228587. Registered Charity No. 1001813 and (in Scotland) SC037870. Registered Office: One Bartholomew Close, Barts Square, London EC1A 7BL

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