DERSİM - With Ayaz and Nupelda Güloğlu losing their lives de to the explosion of military ammunition buried under ground, brought the mine issue on the agenda again. According to the data of Ministry of Interrior, 269 people lost their lives due to explosives bteween 1984 and 2009 while 5 thousand 91  people were injured. According to Mine-free Turkey Initiative, there are more than 1 million mines buried in the ground.

 

 

Ayaz (8) and Nupelda (4) Güloğlu lost their lives in Dersim Ovacık on July 15 due to a military ammuniton explosion. With the death of the brothers who died because of an explosive that had not been identified yet, the eyes turned back into mines and explosives of any kind.

 

 

According to the data of Mine- Free Turkey Initiative 138 thousand people have lost their lives or became permanently disabled due to anti-personnel landmines or war residue explosives between 2004 and 2017. Thenumber of the mines estimated to be buried in the ground is 1 million 3 thousand 943. The cities where this danger is more imminent are Ağrı, Batman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Antep, Hakkari, Hatay, Iğdır, Kars, Mardin, Siirt, Urfa, Sirnak, Dersim and Van.

 

 

 

The first time the use of mines in Turkey began in 1956. After this date, anti-personnel land mines were laid in the inner regions, especially in the border areas between 1991 and 1998.

 

 

THERE ARE MORE THAN 1 MILLION MINES

 

 

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Storage, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines, also known as the “Ottawa Convention, was opened for signature in Ottawa, Canada on 4 December 1997 and came into force on 1 March 1999. Turkey became a party to the Convention in 2003. Convention entered into force on 1 March 2004 in Turkey.

 

 

Turkey that had to destroy the 3 million mines in their stock until 2008 according to this convention, extended the process with various reasons, destroyed the mines in their stocks in 2011. Again, Turkey who committed to remove the 1 million mines until 2014, did not fullfill the commitment and asked for aditional time until 2022.

 

 

Turkey, today has 9 thousand 303 landmines in their hands for research and educational purposes. Unexploded combat equipment (UXO) as well as explosive survivors (ERW) are another important problem.