Three Bosnian children died when they strayed into a minefield on April 10, 2000. The death of these innocent children reminded the world that Bosnia and Herzegovina still suffered from a war that had ended almost five years earlier. Approximately 18,000 known minefields remained after the war, and the United States gave significant humanitarian demining assistance. Key successes included the establishment of a central Mine Action Center (MAC) in Sarajevo to coordinate all activities, including the MACs in the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the training of Bosnians to continue their own demining efforts, and the establishment of non-government humanitarian demining organizations. This assistance enabled the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to conduct full-scale humanitarian demining operations, but the scale of the problem called for continued international assistance and constant reminders to everyone in Bosnia ... especially the children.
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