In the village of Bndazian, even a simple activity like going to the local football stadium could be fraught with danger.
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A MAG deminer working near the Bndazian football stadium. [Photo: MAG Iraq] |
Located in the Choman district of Erbil Governorate, Bndazian is one of the areas of Iraq most contaminated by Remnants of Conflict1.
The football stadium, one kilometre outside the centre, is surrounded by three minefields dating from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
“The minefields were laid by Saddam Hussain's regime against the Iranian military during the war,” said Mustafa Hamed, a government official working in Bndazian. “But those minefields have caused many deaths and injures to the villagers and to other local people from Choman.”
The three minefields were identified by MAG late last year as a priority for clearance, due to their proximity to the stadium and the threat they posed to the community. A Community Liaison team then delivered Mine Risk Education to vulnerable people in the area and distributed specially designed posters, billboards and leaflets.
"Every time I come to the stadium to watch the local teams
playing soccer, I carefully read all warning signs on MAG's billboards.
I was taught to do so when I was in school, so I can live safely in
the contaminated areas which surround me"
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In January, a Mine Action Team – supported by the Belgium government – was deployed to Bndazian to undertake clearance operations on one of the minefields.
To date, MAG has cleared 8,760 square metres of contaminated land and has removed and safely destroyed 45 anti-personnel landmines and 845 other Remnants of Conflict.
Your donation to MAG helps us to move into current and former conflict zones so that communities can continue to rebuild their lives and secure their livelihoods.
"We all thank MAG for its lifesaving work in our village," said resident Mustafa
Hamed. "After the completion of this minefield, we will be able
to start growing grain fruit and vegetables. Villagers will also use
this land for grazing."
A second minefield in Bndazian, covering 73,557 square metres, has also been demarcated. "It is in our plan for 2009 to clear this minefield once we complete clearance operations in the first minefield," said Fkry Aziz, Field Operations Manager at MAG's operations base in Diyana.
1 Information provided by the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Authority and the Landmine Impact Survey.
Images from MAG's programme in Iraq:
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. Photos: Sean Sutton / MAG.
Links:
- MAG Iraq microsite – more about MAG's work in the country
- Why does MAG work in Iraq?
- Donate to MAG online - more than 90 per cent of MAG's income is spent directly on clearance programmes
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19 June 09
