Death, Disability, Displaced Persons and Development: The Case of Landmines in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Humanitarian demining is increasingly being justified on economic development grounds. Although Bosnia's war ended long ago, an estimated one million landmines remain. This paper takes a critical look at how landmines are affecting development prospects for Bosnia and Herzegovina. It considers the ongoing costs of mine accidents, population displacement and loss of use of land caused by landmines, and concludes that landmines are not among the most serious impediments to national economic development. Simply put, this economy faces other, more pressing problems. Donors should not see demining as the answer to a country's development problems.