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Somalia

MAG has been working in Somalia since 2008 removing dangerous landmines and explosive items throughout the country. As a result of many years of conflict in Somalia, there remains extensive contamination of landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and small arms and light weapons (SALW) contamination. MAG is working to reduce the impact of these dangerous items on local populations to enable the restoration of stability and security. MAG works in collaboration with the Puntland Mine Action Center (PMAC) and provides Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training to a unit of the national police.

MAG's conflict recovery program fields the following activities:

  • Working closely with the national mine action center and local authorities, MAG identifies and prioritizes UXO/SALW clearance tasks
  • A destruction team conducts technical surveys and removes dangerous items such as landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and stockpiles of SALW
  • Members of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are trained to conduct explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) in their areas of operation
  • Mine Risk Education (MRE) teams work in at-risk communities to provide people with the information needed to identify and report dangerous items and make them aware of the dangers from UXO and mines. 

MAG’s work not only addresses the threat to communities but also contributes to the broader issues of peace-building and poverty alleviation.

For five years, Fatima Farah and her family ate, slept and worked within yards of a deadly explosive item.

For five years, Fatima Farah and her family ate, slept and worked within yards of a deadly explosive item. A hand grenade was buried in a storage container outside their home, the same storage container in which they kept many of their possessions. Once MAG began operations in Somalia, Fatima was able to contact the MAG emergency hotline to request help. After receiving the call, MAG dispatched an emergency team which located and removed the grenade. Fatima expressed her thanks to MAG, by saying, "This has been an obstacle for a long time for me and my family. I am so thankful to the team for doing this work. I hope that they will continue to make Garowe a safer place for everyone now that we have some peace."

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