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Unguarded ordnance on display in Misrata. |
MAG is appealing for funds to allow us to expand operations to assist and save lives in Misrata.
As our teams continue to clear dangerous areas and secure ammunition supply points (ASPs) around Benghazi and Ajdabiya, they are also preparing to assist in Misrata where the need is clearly acute.
Misrata |
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View Misrata in a larger map |
We recently conducted a four-day assessment mission in the country's third biggest city, with findings confirming that the humanitarian impact of the intense bombardment will be huge.
The city centre, once an area home to tens of thousands of people, is deserted. Most buildings have been damaged or completely destroyed.
"All must be checked for unexploded ordnance (UXO), including unexploded cluster munitions, before the city’s inhabitants can safely return home," said MAG's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialist Fred Gras.
"The presence of UXO and cluster munitions is extensive. Both anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines have been used to protect and reinforce military positions near the front line.
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A cluster submunition found near a kindergarten. |
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Tripoli Street in Misrata. |
"It is likely that some buildings are booby-trapped; equipment for booby-trapping was found during the assessment and anecdotal evidence suggests this has been used.
"Conclusive evidence of cluster munition use was found at three sites, and the probability of finding additional contamination in other currently inaccessible areas of the city is very high."
If you'd like to help MAG's work in Libya and throughout the world please Donate here.
At every intersection, roundabout and checkpoint, collections of ordnance are on display, unguarded and wholly accessible to soldiers and civilians alike.
Approximately 60 per cent of the gathered munitions are UXO, and a further 20 per cent are unused. A wide variety of explosive weapons have been identified in these informal stockpiles, including numerous cluster munitions, air-to-surface rockets and one instance of a 500kg aircraft bomb.
A sample visit to one ASP identified 40 bunkers, all of which have been targeted by air strikes at least once. Large quantities of munitions and pieces of explosive are scattered around the site, making the area extremely unsafe.
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This brand new hospital on Tripoli Street had never been used. [All photos: MAG Libya] |
Some bunkers have been looted by both Government and opposition forces. The blend, category and quantity of munitions remaining is extensive and includes missiles, aircraft bombs, shells and rockets.
MAG is appealing for funds to allow it to expand operations to further assist and save lives. Deployment of rapid response EOD, Battle Area Clearance and Mine Clearance teams is essential and urgently needed.
Our experience of past conflicts in both Lebanon and Gaza has shown that, as soon as a ceasefire is announced, displaced civilians start to return home. MAG’s operations will enable them to do this in safety.
The problem
Ongoing heavy fighting on the ground between forces of the Libyan NTC and those loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, together with NATO-led air strikes in support of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, continue to impact the daily lives of Libyan civilians.
Libya has also amassed extensive stockpiles of conventional weapons, which are located in Ammunition Storage Points that, since the conflict began, are poorly secured and have in many cases been breached.
A direct consequence of this development is the proliferation of Abandoned Explosive Ordnance (AXO), which poses a severe danger from accidental detonation or discharge.
As the conflict continues, contamination will increase from UXO, particularly
in strategically important towns and cities where the fighting is most intense. Recent reports have highlighted use of cluster munitions by Gaddafi forces, together with mine-laying in strategic positions.
How can MAG continue to reduce the risk?
MAG is actively seeking funds to expand its essential and lifesaving operations, including:
• The continued removal and safe disposal of Abandoned Explosive Ordnance and UXO;
• Further emergency Physical Security and Stockpile Management activities, securing more damaged ASPs and weapons stockpiles;
• EOD spot tasks and clearance work, leading teams of national staff, providing training to an international standard in safe identification, removal and destruction of ordnance;
• Increasing the capacity of opposition forces to safely and appropriately manage stockpiles and the disposal of AXO;
• Coordinating with agencies delivering risk reduction education to at-risk communities and other humanitarian actors on the ground.
If you'd like to help MAG's work in Libya and throughout the world please Donate here.
MAG thanks the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State for its funding of the two teams of EOD experts in eastern Libya.
1 June 2011
See also:
- LIBYA: MAG receives funding to secure weapons stockpiles and destroy UXO (10 May 2011)
- LIBYA: MAG steps up operations (27 April 2011)
- LIBYA: MAG is now operational (14 April 2011)
- LIBYA: MAG responds to the emergency (7 April 2011)
- Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement [external link]
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