Pakistan

Northern Pakistan. Highlighted areas indicate conflict zones.
[Map: OCHA]

The problem

The ongoing conflict between the Pakistani military and armed groups has caused widespread population displacement within the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as North West Frontier Province) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – see map.

The escalation of military activity within South Waziristan and surrounding areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has led to large numbers of civilians fleeing to the districts of Deira Ismail Khan and Tank. Approximately 260,000 internally displaced persons were registered at these two sites as of November 2009¹.

These people will be exposed to significant risk from landmines and other remnants of conflict when they return to their places of origin and attempt to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.

The Pakistani army has encountered victim-activated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and factory-made anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines in these areas, which it attributes to the Pakistani Taliban and their associated militia. Similarly, due to the heavy artillery shelling and air bombing from the military, MAG assesses that there will be other remnants of conflict in civilian areas, including villages and covering agricultural fields.

On top of this, the Government of Pakistan has acknowledged that there is a landmine problem dating back to the Soviet occupation of neighbouring Afghanistan (1979–1989), when mines were scattered by Soviet and Afghan forces from helicopters, and used by the mujahideen to protect their bases in the tribal areas.

According to the Landmine Monitor Report, there were at least 341 casualties from remnants of conflict in Pakistan in 2008, resulting in 145 deaths. Over half of the casualties were civilian. The casualty figure was an increase on 2007 and it is thought that 2009 will see further increases as a result of the ongoing conflict.

How MAG is helping

With action needing to be taken quickly to give life-saving messages to conflict-affected people, MAG began a five-month project in March this year working with Pakistani non-governmental organisation SPADO (Sustainable Peace and Development Organisation) to deliver Mine Risk Education (MRE).

MRE is a crucial way of safeguarding the wellbeing of local populations, both those already living in contaminated areas and those yet to return to their places of origin. By educating the people living, working and travelling in contaminated areas, MRE can prevent death and injury.

Such education helps people not only in the identification of landmines and other remnants of conflict, but also in methods of prevention and response: it gives at-risk communities a greater awareness of measures to be taken before travel, whilst travelling, and on arrival, as well as an understanding of what action to take on discovery of a suspect item or area.

MAG will train SPADO staff in the delivery of MRE and, following this, key community members in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA will be trained by SPADO. This will enable them to deliver MRE training within their own communities, equipping them with the tools needed to identify remnants of conflict and reduce their risk.

MAG has extensive experience of this form of intervention, having carried out very similar projects in Lebanon in 2006, Iraq throughout the last few years, in Gaza following the conflict in early 2009 and most recently in Sri Lanka following the cessation of hostilities in May 2009.

Beneficiaries

The most at-risk are those who will be returning to their homes in South Waziristan and southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where they will be exposed to large amounts of remnants of conflict and where targeted Mine Risk Education will safeguard them from this risk. MAG’s experiences in other emergency responses around the world have shown us that low-income, rural families tend to be the most vulnerable.

This project will save civilian lives, but also prepare a way for the restoration of livelihoods, which will in turn also help to recover the economic base of the communities. The number of estimated beneficiaries was around 40,000 internally displaced people and conflict-affected individuals when the project began.

SPADO will also benefit, from MAG’s training and expertise. And, based on experience in similar operational environments, it is likely that MAG will be in a position to provide MRE material and safety briefings for other Pakistani and international non-governmental organisations working in the affected regions.

¹ UNOCHA (2009) Pakistan Humanitarian Update: Issue No 4 – 27 November 2009.