AFRICA - Nairobi UN Conference ONU on the tragedy of land mines. It costs a little more than 3 dollars to kill. Angola may still have as many as 6 million mines

Monday, 29 November 2004

Rome (Fides Service)- Antipersonnel mines are a major problem in Africa and elsewhere but in recent years some progress has been made in efforts to reduce the threat which these insidious weapons represent for civilians. This emerged from an international land mine conference “A World Without Mines” opened yesterday in Nairobi, capital of Kenya organised by the United Nations with the purpose of taking stock of the struggle to eliminate land mines, 5 years on from the signing of a Convention in Ottawa banning land mines.
“It is estimated that there are still close to 200 million mines held by various states. I appeal to those states that are still not parties to join the convention and to destroy those landmine stockpiles", Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, said as he opened the Conference. The US, China and Russia are among 40 countries that have not signed the treaty, known as the Ottawa Convention, which came into force five years ago. So far the Convention has been ratified by 143 countries since 1999.
The African countries with the most mines are Angola, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Angola is considered one of the world’s most mined countries. Precise figures on the number of land mines still on the territory are not available. However international de-mining companies estimate that Angola has between 1 and 6 million antipersonnel mines, left over from the war of independence with Portugal (1961-74) and a series of civil wars (1975-2002). If the figure is 6 million, this would mean 1 mine for every two Angolans, since the country has a population of about 11 million. Civil wars caused the death of one million people, vast destruction and left behind unexploded weapons which continue to kill and mutilate. The most affect province is Bie, where the fighting was concentrated. Humanitarian organisations also engage in de-mining in Angola. It is estimated that it takes two men a whole day’s work to de-mine 200 square metres.
Ethiopia is 10th on the list of mined countries. It is estimated that there are at least one million unexploded mines and bombs left by the fierce border war 1999 to 2000, in which at least 100,000 people were killed. Today 29 November, at the Conference Ethiopia vowed to dismantle its own stockpile of land mines and became the 144th country to sign up the treaty.
“In Mozambique mines are a problem in some interior regions, but compared with years ago, progress has been made” sources in Maputo, capital of Mozambique told Fides. “The areas still marked as mined zones are less than 10 years ago and people are no longer killed or mutilated by land mines. Companies charged with de-mining the areas continue their activity although it will be a few years before the country can be declared mine-free” the sources concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 29/11/2004 righe 49 parole 552)


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