Kosovo
Kosovo is a land-locked country in Southeast Europe, formerly part of Yugoslavia. It declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The terrain features high plains, rolling hills, and mountains.
HALO started work here in 1999, clearing bombs and mines, and delivering safety training.
Situation in Kosovo
In 1999, NATO air forces conducted over 10,000 combat bombing missions over Yugoslavia. They released cluster bombs on military and infrastructure targets in Kosovo. Each cluster bomb contained hundreds of bomblets, with a failure rate estimated at 20%. Tens of thousands of these unexploded items littered the ground and became buried in fields, gardens and school yards.
Yugoslavia's military had also planted minefields on Kosovo's borders. This was to prevent infiltration from Albania and Montenegro by the Kosovar Liberation Army.
HALO's work and impact in Kosovo
HALO started working in Kosovo straight after the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops in 1999.
Hundreds of thousands of returning refugees were finding their farmland, homes and gardens contaminated by explosives.
By 2025, HALO Kosovo has cleared cluster bombs and landmines from an area the size of more than 2,800 football pitches.
We employ over 100 local men and women. This creates opportunities in a country where job prospects are not always plentiful, especially for women.
We introduced childcare stipends in 2018, to support local women to come and work for HALO.
In the summer of 2024, HALO celebrated 25 years of making the people of Kosovo safe.
Other HALO programmes in Europe and Caucasus
HALO's work in Kosovo is funded by:
