Landmine-awareness workshop opens

The United Nations has warned of the dangers of landmines in Ethiopia, ahead of a high-level workshop aiming to highlight the risks these "brutal weapons" pose. Bjorn Ljungqvist, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Ethiopia, stressed the devastating consequences suffered by families whose members have been involved in landmine accidents. The five-day conference, convened by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining opened on Monday in Mekele, the capital of Tigray National Regional State. "Ethiopia continues to suffer from extensive landmine and unexploded ordnance contamination," Ljungqvist said. "Many of the mines and minefields are near populated areas, and inflict casualties on both people and livestock. Mines pose dangers to resident populations, internally displaced persons and humanitarian relief efforts." "That is why MRE [mine risk education] workshops such as this one are so important to help us protect communities in the mine-affected regions of Ethiopia, and prevent more children and their families from being maimed or killed by these brutal weapons," he added. The conference is being attended by representatives of the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO), the Office for Rehabilitation and Social Affairs (ORSA) of Tigray State, the Disaster Prevention and Food Security Board of Afar State; and the indigenous NGO Rehabilitation and Development Organisation. UNICEF is facilitating the proceedings through its government counterparts, EMAO and ORSA. Meanwhile, EMAO is seeking US $19 million from the international community over the next three years to help expedite its mine-clearance efforts. The funding is needed to support victims of landmine blasts, and to implement an MRE programme for 500,000 people. EMAO is also seeking two more manual mine-clearance companies, and funds for three specialised dog teams, seven rapid response teams and mechanised flailing machines. Ethiopia is one of the world's 10 most heavily mined countries - a legacy of successive conflicts that have ravaged the Horn of Africa over the last 70 years. The country contains about 2 million landmines, some dating back to the Italian invasion of 1935. The government estimates it will take another 20 years to clear them.