MAG has restarted its operations in Chad, where two mobile destruction teams will work in central, eastern and southern parts of the country to clear landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned ordnance (AO).
Working closely together with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and with Mine Risk Education (MRE) staff from the Haut Commission National de Déminage (HCND) - the National Chad Demining Office - the teams will conduct technical surveys, identify clearance requirements and carry out clearance and demarcation activities. The contamination originates mainly from fighting between the Chad National Army and various rebel groups since the end of 2005.
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Contamination from the legacy of conflict affects the safety and livelihoods of more than 280,000 Chadians. |
By removing the threat caused by landmines, UXO and AO, MAG’s work will benefit local and displaced communities, providing them with a safer living environment and improved access to their homes and agricultural lands. Beneficiaries also include Chadian HCND staff, who will develop their clearance skills and experience, as well as other emergency relief and development organisations who will obtain safer and easier access to communities in need in the region.
Mine and UXO contamination during 30 years of internal conflict and the 1973 Libyan invasion (when the first mines were laid) has been responsible for large numbers of casualties. By the end of 2007, the total number of recorded mine and UXO victims had reached 2,616 (1,142 fatalities and 1,474 injuries).
The 1999-2001 Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) identified 249 mine-affected communities in the country, covering an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers. The LIS found that mine and UXO / AO contamination directly affects the safety and livelihoods of more than 280,000 Chadians, blocking access to water, pasture and agricultural land, roads and trails.
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MAG carried out clearance and demolition activities, and technical capacity building, in Chad between 2004 and early 2007. |
In eastern Chad in particular there are large numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs), 179,000 according to UNCHR in January this year, and Sudanese refugees - 250,000 (UNHCR, March). These groups are particularly vulnerable to the UXO and AO contamination in the region as they are displaced from their home and possess limited knowledge regarding their current living environment.
MAG has already worked successfully in Chad, having carried out clearance activities and technical capacity building between 2004 and early 2007.
A project focusing on restoring access to water points in the northern provinces of Borkou and Ennedi and in the last phase of operations, the province of Tibesti, was carried out between 2004 and 2006 in partnership with the US Department of State.
The 2000/01 LIS highlighted the extent and socio-economic impact of mine and UXO contamination in northern Chad, particularly in these provinces. In this arid desert environment, access to water is key to the survival of communities. With many water points suspected of contamination by landmines and UXO, MAG conducted a technical survey of the area, clearing water point contamination and munitions caches, and also marking impacted roads and tracks in the region.
In close cooperation with both UNOPS and HCND, MAG has implemented a project to manage, train and supervise national mine clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams working in Wadi Doum and Fada in northern Chad. Over the course of the project, which ended in December 2005, MAG cleared a total of 274,904 square metres of land and destroyed 44,420 items of UXO, 691 anti-tank mines and 740 anti-personnel mines.
Links:
» More on MAG's work in Chad
» United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) website
28 May 08
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