Mine awareness programme launched

A mine-awareness programme has been launched by the Angola Red Cross in two of the country's worst affected provinces, Bié and Benguela. The aim of the project, launched by the Angola Red Cross with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is to reduce casualties caused by mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO). "The second of two workshops organised under the programme was held in Bié province last week and 40 Red Cross volunteers who took part have now returned to their communities, where they will help the local population find solutions to the problems posed by mines/UXO. The workshop was also attended by ICRC staff based in Namibia and by representatives of the Mine Action Centre in Zambia, who will start up awareness-raising activities for Angolan refugees in those two countries," said an ICRC statement. Around 3,000 people have been killed or injured by mines/UXO in Angola since 1998, the organisation said. Angola's 27-year long civil war was ended by a ceasefire agreement a year ago. "Despite ongoing clearance efforts, these dangerous devices will nevertheless continue to cause problems for years to come. Some 440,000 Angolan refugees living in neighbouring Zambia, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and large numbers of internally displaced people, are now returning home, many to areas that have not yet been cleared of mines/UXO," the ICRC warned. An ICRC/Red Cross survey conducted in affected communities at the beginning of the year showed that although the population had some knowledge of how to reduce mine/UXO risks, a lot of work remained to be done. "It also made clear that the devices, in addition to claiming lives or limbs, prevent people from going about essential daily activities such as farming, gathering wood and carrying water," the ICRC said. "Since the first workshop held in March, mine-awareness volunteers have visited some 50 affected communities in Benguela province to collect information from the villagers about the location of mines/UXO. Subsequently, the Angola Red Cross and the demining organisation operating in the area were able to remove the devices," the organisation added.