UN and NGOs work to mitigate the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance

In a concerted effort, the United Nations and a group of leading NGOs in Iraq are stepping up their efforts to mitigate the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) scattered throughout the country. According to the United Nations Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI), landmines and UXO continue to represent a significant threat to many urban and rural communities in Iraq, while a lack of environmental control and security regarding munitions dumps could lead to massive explosions and loss of life. Jennifer Reeves, coordinator of the Mine Risk Education (MRE) programme told IRIN from Baghdad that MRE coordination and technical working group meetings, in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as other specialists in the field, were now taking place each week. "The meetings are held in both Baghdad and Basra," she said. Reeves said they were working to develop a national MRE strategy, coordinating the MRE activities of various organizations (including clearance organizations), ensuring that messages were consistent and appropriate, while at the same time gathering information about risk activities and vulnerable groups. "The intention is to move towards a targeted community-based MRE approach as rapidly as possible," she explained. Shoubo Rasheed, an assistant communications officer for UNICEF in Baghdad, told IRIN that given the increasing number of victims from UXOs, they had developed a more comprehensive strategy to deal with the issue. The strategy is based on community Mine Risk Education notably in high-risk areas, and on national capacity building for civil defence personnel in risk education. Rasheed said that initial efforts began in Baghdad and would be followed by the other provinces. The plan includes assessment of risk areas and sites followed by community-based education programmes focused on danger sites. According to Reeves, in the center and south of the country an emergency poster and leaflet campaign was being implemented using materials developed by the NGO Handicap International, UNICEF and the UK-based NGO, Mines Advisory Group (MAG). UNICEF has also produced radio and television slots warning of the dangers of UXO and mines. Meanwhile in southern Iraq, UNICEF and MAG have just completed the training of three teams that will provide MRE training to national networks such as the civil defence, schools and religious networks. At the same time they plan to provide an MRE component to children's summer activities. MAG also has an MRE programme in the north and recently started working in the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. The International Committee of the Red Cross has trained volunteers throughout the country in MRE, while the NGO Save the Children was conducting MRE activities in Basra, Reeves added. According to the UNOHCI, there were hundreds of munitions storage containers in the urban areas of Basra alone. Many Iraqis, in particular children, were accessing these storage containers to obtain propellant and brass. Additionally, as fuel becomes increasingly scarce, wooden ammunition packing cases were being broken apart, resulting in the contents being left in a more hazardous state, the report said. Casualty rates over the last six weeks have increased dramatically as a result of these ammunition stockpiles being disturbed. Baghdad is also faced with a huge problem with in excess of 100 SA 2 Missiles (the SA 2 surface-to-air missile system was designed for the defence of both fixed targets and field forces) located all over the city, in a various states of deterioration, the report added. The summary indicated that there were numerous munitions depots throughout Iraq containing massive amounts of Explosive Ordnance that would need to be made safe in the near future. In accordance with an agreement with the Emergency Mine Action Team - established in Baghdad - of the Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the UN controls mine action only in the south, as well as three northern governorates: Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Dahuk.