Azerbaijan has cleared 305,383.7 hectares of mines and other explosive hazards since November 2020, while 441 people have been killed or injured in mine incidents during that period.
The updated figures were released by the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency, or ANAMA, on September 29, Vesti Baku reported.
Demining teams have found and neutralized 265,376 mines and other explosive munitions: 43,833 anti-personnel mines, 24,213 anti-tank mines and 197,330 items of unexploded ordnance.
Mine Incidents Kill 73 and Injure 368
ANAMA said 276 mine-related incidents have been recorded since November 10, 2020. Seventy-three people were killed and 368 suffered injuries of varying severity.
The agency estimates that 11,667 square kilometers in the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions may be contaminated by mines and other explosive remnants of war. Azerbaijan estimates that more than 1 million mines were planted in those areas.
Clearance work is complicated by mixed minefields, difficult terrain, unexploded munitions and booby traps. ANAMA also says minefield records provided by Armenia are about 25% accurate. Yerevan has previously rejected Baku’s allegations that the information it supplied was insufficient.
Clearance Determines the Pace of Return
According to United Nations figures cited by APA, 25.9% of the estimated contaminated land had been released for safe use by September 2026. That work helped enable the return of about 40,300 former internally displaced people and the restoration of some economic and social infrastructure.
ANAMA says stable international financing, modern detection systems, drones, remote sensing and specialist training could accelerate the work. The agency has not set a date for completing the nationwide clearance effort.