 |
MAG reduces the threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance – to create safe access to water sources, agricultural land, medical facilities and education centres – and destroys stockpiles of Small Arms and Light Weapons and ammunition. |
- Latest news and case studies from MAG DRC
- VIDEO: Stockpile – a film from the Democratic Republic of Congo
The problem
Between 1996 and 2003, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the site of the most deadly conflict since World War Two, which led to the deaths of more than 5.4 million people and left large concentrations of unexploded ordnance (UXO) scattered around the country.
While conflict across most of the country ceased in 2003, in the two Kivu provinces in the east of the country it actually intensified and continues today. The areas most affected by hostilities are those along the shifting front line between the Congolese army (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo – FARDC) and the various rebel groups that bisected the country from north to south.
However, no complete Landmine Impact Survey has ever been completed for DRC, partly on account of its massive size and the almost complete lack of basic infrastructure, which makes it difficult to have an overall view of the scale of contamination within the country.
Another by-product of the conflict is the presence of large numbers of arms and ammunition stocked in various areas of the country in deplorable conditions.
Stockpile management is practically inexistent and in recent years three stockpiles have exploded in DRC, killing or injuring large numbers of people.
Arms and ammunition are regularly diverted from official stockpiles to non-state armed groups, thereby continuing to fuel ongoing violence.
Your donation to MAG helps us to move into current and former conflict zones to clear the remnants of conflict, enabling recovery and assisting the development of affected populations.
How MAG is helping
MAG has been working in DRC since 2004.
MAG’s clearance operations in DRC decrease the risks posed by UXO and enable communities to protect themselves, whilst opening up access to fertile land and essential facilities, services and trading opportunities.
In 2010, MAG DRC cleared more than 800,000m2 of land, destroying 118,665 hazardous items, identifying 1,484 dangerous areas, and delivering 3,076 MIne Risk Education sessions benefiting 139,623 people.
On top of this, MAG is supporting the Congolese Government and armed forces (FARDC – Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo) to meet their obligations under the the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction Of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn Of Africa.
MAG receives from the FARDC and police – and destroys – any weapons or ammunition judged to be dangerous, obsolete, surplus or prohibited by the international conventions that DRC has signed up to (such as landmines under the Ottawa Convention, or cluster munitions under the Oslo process), making the country a considerably safer place.
MAG is the only non-governmental organisation in DRC accredited to undertake this sensitive work, thanks in large part to the strong working relationship which has been steadily built up with all national and military authorities over the past few years.
From 2006 to April 2011, MAG had destroyed more than 113,429 weapons and 761 tonnes of ammunition in cooperation with Congolese authorities.
MAG is also working to steadily build the capacity of three Congolese NGOs specialising in Community Liaison: Humanitas Ubangi, ECC MERU and RIAO.
RIAO and international NGO Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP – The International Committee for the Development of Peoples) have recently developed partnerships with MAG in Kasai Oriental and Bandundu provinces, working with MAG to turn cleared land into productive development projects.
With more than 200 staff and 17 teams operating in the field, MAG is the largest operator in DRC in both the Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and the Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal (CWMD) fields.
See this page for information on MAG's latest work in DRC:
Beneficiaries
MAG's focus is on bringing assistance to those most in need. We create safe access to agricultural land, water sources, medical care and education facilities – particularly in areas of high population return, or where humanitarian non-governmental organisations need to safely carry out their assistance activities.
Insecure weapons stocks are frequently found in areas heavily populated by civilians, posing significiant risks to the population in terms of accidental explosion, leakage of weapons or the targeting of the depots by armed groups in the event of a deterioration in the security situation.
Operational overview
 |
|
Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA): Seven Community Liaison teams (two of which are composed of MAG staff, and five are made up of staff from MAG’s local partner NGOs under MAG’s technical coordination); seven Multi-Task teams. Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal (CWMD): Two mobile Small Arms and Light Weapons teams; one weapons destruction team, based at the Central Logistics Base in Kinshasa. |
Find out more
- AlertNet country profile: Democratic Republic of Congo
- BBC country profile: Democratic Republic of Congo
- Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor: Democratic Republic of Congo
- Reliefweb: Democratic Republic of Congo
MAG is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Our thanks to the donors to MAG's DRC programme: Actiefonds Mijnen Ruimen (Netherlands); Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; ECHO (European Commission Humanitarian Aid); Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; UKaid (Department for International Development); United Nations Development Programme through the German Government.
June 2011
Back to top
