Thursday, September 17, 2015
After 15 years of civil war
It only took Mozambique 23 years to get rid of all the land mines leftover from the 'festivities'. Along the way over 10,000 Mozambicans became mine detectors to their detriment.
Mozambique will be declared “mine free” on Thursday, a charity dedicated to mine clearance said, ending two decades of work to rid one of the world's poorest countries of explosives left over from a civil war.Despite all the efforts of well intentioned people to make the land safe, I can't help but think the coal and gas potential was the driving force in making the elimination of mines happen so quickly.
HALO Trust said it had destroyed the last known mine on the territory of the gas- and coal-rich southern African country, which was devastated by a 15-year civil war that ended in 1992.
The British charity said it had cleared more than 171,000 land mines from 1,100 mine fields since 1993.
Mozambique’s government estimates that 10,900 Mozambicans have been killed or injured by land mines, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which cited government figures.
“The government of Mozambique will officially declare the country free of land mines today,” HALO Trust said in a statement on its web site.
A former Portuguese colony, Mozambique is still one of the world's least developed nations, but it is starting to tap huge coal and natural gas deposits with help from foreign investors.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Post a Comment