Mine Action successes in Afghanistan in 2009

26 Jan 2010

Mine Action successes in Afghanistan in 2009

KABUL - The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan has published details of mine action in the country last year.

Statistics from 2009 show that 280 communities across Afghanistan were declared impact free between January to December 2009.

51,743 anti-personnel mines, 1,152,738 explosive remnants of war and 746 anti-tank mines were destroyed last year.

430,989 women and girls and 655,018 men and boys received mine risk education courses across Afghanistan.

Mine Action efforts in Afghanistan have been active from 1988 and since then more than 12,000 hazardous areas have been cleared throughout the country.

Dr Haider Reza, Programme Director of the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan (MACCA) said: “The implementers of mine action have shown great perseverance in the face of the many challenges to their work and they should be proud of these results. With their work, they have served their fellow Afghans by reducing the deaths and injuries caused by mines and other explosive remnants of war and supported the rebuilding of their country.”

Mine Action in Afghanistan has a number of benchmarks to be met.

Under the 2006 Afghanistan Compact signed in London land area contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war must be reduced by 70 per cent by March 2011.

In October 2007 all known stockpiled anti-personnel landmines in Afghanistan were destroyed as stipulated by the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty and the Afghanistan Compact.

Ottawa also requires Afghanistan to clear all emplaced anti-personnel mines by 2013 as well as provision for mine risk education and assistance to mine survivors.

MACCA continues to work with the Government of Afghanistan to ensure increasing national leadership on Mine Action.

Significant progress made by the Government in the area of mine survivors over the last year includes the passing by Parliament of a National Disability Law and ongoing discussions around the UN’s Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

MACCA says these are positive actions by the Government that will help promote the inclusion of landmine survivors and all persons with disabilities in social, economic and educational opportunities.

Figures from the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan for 2009 show 481 people were killed or injured in incidents related to mines or explosive remnants of war.

322 males were injured and 93 killed and 51 females were injured and 15 killed.

By Dominic Medley, UNAMA

 

Website: Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan