Minefields in Croatia Minefields in Croatia cover of territory . The minefields ( usually known as " mine suspected areas " ) are located in 12 counties and 96 cities and municipalities . These areas are thought to contain approximately 90 , 000 land mines , in addition to unexploded ordnance left over from the Croatian War of Independence . Land mines were used extensively during the war by all sides in the conflict ; about 1 . 5 million were deployed . They were intended to strengthen defensive positions lacking sufficient weapons or manpower , but played a limited role in the fighting . After the war of territory was initially suspected to contain mines , but this estimate was later reduced to after physical inspection . demining programmes were coordinated through governmental bodies such as the Croatian Mine Action Centre , which was hiring private demining companies employing 632 deminers . , of the suspected minefields remained to be cleared . and Croatia plans to clear all suspected minefields by 2019 . The areas are marked with more than 15 , 000 warning signs . , 509 people were killed and 1 , 466 injured by land mines in Croatia since the war ; those figures include 60 deminers and seven Croatian Army engineers killed during demining operations . In the immediate aftermath of the war there were about 100 civilian mine casualties per year , but this gradually decreased to below ten per year through demining , mine - awareness and education programmes . Croatia has spent approximately €450 million on demining since 1998 , when the process was taken over by private contractors coordinated by the Croatian Mine Action Centre . The cost to complete the demining is estimated at €500 million or more . Economic loss to Croatia ( due to loss of land use within suspected minefields ) is estimated at €47 . 3 million per year . Background . In 1990 , following the electoral defeat of the Communist regime , ethnic tensions worsened in Croatia . After the elections , the Yugoslav People ' s Army ( JNA ) confiscated Croatia ' s Territorial Defence weapons to minimize potential resistance . On 17 August , tensions escalated to an open revolt by the Croatian Serbs . The JNA stepped in , preventing Croatian police from intervening . The revolt centred on the predominantly Serb - populated areas of the Dalmatian hinterland around the city of Knin , parts of the Lika , Kordun and Banovina regions and eastern Croatia n settlements with a significant Serb population . This contiguous area was subsequently named the Republic of Serbian Krajina ( RSK ) . The RSK declared its intention to join Serbia , and as a result came to be viewed by the Government of Croatia as a breakaway region . By March 1991 , the conflict had escalated into what became known as the Croatian War of Independence . In June , Croatia declared its independence as Yugoslavia disintegrated . By January 1992 , the RSK held of territory within borders claimed by Croatia . This territory ranged from in depth , and had a front line along Croatian - controlled territory . Wartime use . Land mines were first used by the JNA in early 1991 , before its withdrawal from Croatia , to protect military barracks and other facilities . Even JNA facilities located in urban centres were secured in this way , using mines such as the PROM - 1 bounding mine and MRUD directional anti - personnel mine . The Croatian Army ( HV ) and Croatian police began laying land mines in late 1991 , relying heavily on them to stop advances by the JNA and the Army of the RSK ( ARSK ) until early 1992 . These early minefields were laid with little documentation . In 1992 the ARSK increased its use of mines to secure the front line , largely due to its limited number of troops . Consequently , the ARSK constructed static defensive lines ( consisting of trenches , bunker s and large numbers of mines designed to protect thinly - manned defences ) to delay HV offensives . This approach was necessitated by the limited depth of RSK territory and the lack of reserves available with which to counterattack ( or block ) breaches of its defensive line , which meant that the ARSK was unable to employ defence in depth tactics . The combination of poor documentation of minefield locations and the lack of markings ( or fencing ) led to frequent injuries to military personnel caused by mines laid by friendly forces . It is estimated that a total of 1 . 5 million land mines were laid during the war . The HV successfully used anti - tank mine s as obstacles in combination with infantry anti - tank weapons , destroying or disabling more than 300 JNA tanks ( particularly during defensive operations in Slavonia ) . Conversely , anti - personnel mine s deployed by the ARSK proved less effective against the HV during operations Flash and Storm in 1995 . During these operations , the HV crossed ( or bypassed ) many ARSK minefields based on information from land - based and unmanned aerial vehicle reconnaissance of the movement of ARSK patrols , civilian populations and the activation of mines by wildlife . Out of the 224 HV personnel killed in operations Flash and Storm , only 15 fatalities were caused by land mines . Similarly , out of 966 wounded in the two offensives only 92 were injured by land mines . Casualties . a total of 509 people were killed and 1 , 466 injured by land mines in 1 , 352 incidents in Croatia . There were 557 civilian casualties from land mines between 1991 and 1995 , during the war and in its immediate aftermath . Between 1996 and 1998 there were approximately 100 civilian casualties from land mines per year in Croatia , but the number gradually decreased to less than ten per year by 2010 . During the war , 57 HV troops were killed or injured by mines in 1992 . In 1995 , 169 were killed or injured ( most during operations Flash and Storm ) out of 130 , 000 HV troops involved . Seven HV engineers were killed and 18 injured by land mines during HV mine clearance operations between 1996 and 1998 . Civilian casualties include 60 deminer s killed since 1998 . Croatia has established an extensive framework to assist those injured by mines and the families of mine victims . This assistance includes emergency and ongoing medical care , physical rehabilitation , psychological and social support , employment and social - integration assistance , public awareness and access to public services . Institutions and organizations supporting mine victims include a wide range of governmental bodies and non - governmental organizations ( NGOs ) . Existing minefields . , there were of Croatian territory suspected to contain land mine s . These areas are located in 12 counties and 96 cities and municipalities . They are thought to contain approximately 90 , 000 land mines , as well as unexploded ordnance left over from the Croatian War of Independence . Areas suspected to contain land mines are marked with more than 15 , 000 warning signs . Areas thought to contain unexploded ordnance ( but no land mines ) are marked with 409 warning signs . Suspected minefields are primarily located in forests ( 62 percent ) ; the remainder are on agricultural land ( 26 percent ) , karst and shrubland ( 12 percent ) . Social and economic impacts . Land mines are a safety issue for populations living near minefields . In 2008 , an estimated 921 , 253 people in Croatia were endangered by their proximity to mined areas ( 20 . 8 percent of the population ) . Land mines are also a significant problem for development , because a substantial portion of the minefields in Croatia are on agricultural land and in forests . Some drainage channel s are consequently inaccessible for maintenance , resulting in intermittent flooding ; this is particularly severe in areas bordering Hungary . Similar problems are caused by mines laid on the banks of the Drava , Kupa and Sava rivers . The presence of land mines adversely affected post - war recovery in rural areas , reducing the amount of available agricultural land , impeding development and affecting the quality of life for people in mined areas . In addition to agriculture , the most significant economic problem caused by mines in Croatia is their impact on tourism ( especially on forested areas and hunting in areas inland from the Adriatic Sea coast ) . In 2012 , it was estimated that the economy of Croatia lost 355 million kuna ( 47 . 3 million euros ) a year from the effects of mine - suspected areas on the economy . Because of the importance of tourism to the Croatian economy , areas frequented by tourists ( or near major tourist routes ) have been given priority for demining . Other safety - related areas receiving demining priority are settlements , commercial and industrial facilities and all documented minefields . Agricultural land , infrastructure and forests are grouped in three priority categories depending on their economic significance . National parks in Croatia were also demined as top - priority areas , along with areas significant for fire protection . Theft of minefield signs is a significant problem , and is particularly pronounced in areas with concerns among the local population that the signs harm tourism . The signs are regularly replaced , sometimes with concrete or masonry structures to display them instead of metal poles . Since the 1990s , only one tourist has been injured by a land mine in Croatia . The Government of Croatia established several bodies to address the problem of land mines in Croatia ; foremost among them are the Office for Mine Action and the Croatian Mine Action Centre . The Office for Mine Action is a government agency tasked with providing expert analysis and advice on demining . The Croatian Mine Action Centre is a public - sector body tasked with planning and conducting demining surveys , accepting cleared areas , marking mine - suspected areas , quality assurance , demining research and development , and victim assistance . The work of the Croatian Mine Action Centre is supervised by the Office for Mine Action . Mine awareness and education . Croatia has implemented a mine - awareness educational programme aimed at reducing the frequency of mine - related accidents through an ongoing information campaign . The programme is conducted by the Croatian Red Cross , the Ministry of Science , Education and Sports and a number of NGOs in cooperation with the Croatian Mine Action Centre . The Croatian Mine Action Centre actively supports NGOs to develop as many programmes as possible and attract new NGOs to mine - awareness and educational activities . It maintains an accessible online database with cartographic information on the location of mine - suspected areas in Croatia . One mine - awareness campaign involving billboard advertising attracted criticism from the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian National Tourist Board ( CNTB ) because the signs were placed in tourist areas , far from any mine - suspected areas . The Ministry of Tourism and the CNTB welcomed the effort ' s humanitarian aspect , but considered the signs a potential source of unwarranted negative reaction from tourists . Tourist guidebooks of Croatia include warnings about the danger posed by mines in the country , and provide general information about their location . Demining . At the end of the Croatian War of Independence , approximately of the country was suspected of containing land mines . During the war and in its immediate aftermath , demining was performed by HV engineers supported by police and civil defence personnel . Wartime demining was focused on clearance tasks in support of military operations and the safety of the civilian population . In 1996 the Parliament of Croatia enacted the Demining Act , tasking police with its organization and the government - owned AKD Mungos company with the demining itself . By April 1998 approximately had been cleared of mines , and the initial estimate of minefield areas was reduced after inspection . By 2003 the entire territory of Croatia was reviewed , and the minefield area reduced to . Since May 1998 the Croatian Mine Action Centre has been tasked with the development of demining plans , projects , technical inspections , cleared - area handover , demining quality assurance , expert assistance and the coordination of mine - clearance activities . The demining is performed by 35 licensed companies , employing 632 demining professionals and 58 auxiliary personnel . The companies do their work with 681 metal detector s , 55 mine roller s and mine flail s , and 15 mine - detection dogs . Mine - clearing machines include locally - designed models produced by DOK - ING . Deminers typically earn € . 50 – 1 . 20 for each cleared , or €800 – 900 a month . Since 1998 , demining has been funded through the government and by donations . From 1998 to 2011 , donations amounted to €75 . 5 million ( 17 percent of the total of €450 million spent on demining during that period ) . Most donations were from foreign contributors , including NGOs and foreign governments ( among them Japan , Germany , Monaco , Luxembourg and the United States ) . The European Union was also a significant contributor during that period , providing €20 . 7 million . , the Croatian Mine Action Centre has been allocated approximately 400 million kuna ( 53 million euros ) a year for demining . An estimated further €500 million ( or more ) will be needed to remove all remaining land mines from Croatia by 2019 , the deadline for land - mine clearance set by the Ottawa Treaty . The Croatian Mine Action Centre spends approximately 500 , 000 kuna ( 66 , 600 euros ) a year to maintain minefield warning signs ( including the replacement of stolen signs ) .