afrol News, 14 January - Following years of conflict and instability, the government in Bissau wants to get rid of all landmines in the country; including those held by the military forces and those left over in Guinea-Bissau's soil, still damaging civilians.

The government of Guinea-Bissau however has indicated it needs help to become the first post-conflict country in Africa free of the danger of landmines and unexploded ordnance, which currently still claim lives and disrupt economic and social development.

President Henrique Rosa, who heads the transition government, recently appealed to development partners to support 11 landmine projects budgeted at US$ 2.4 million. The UN development agency UNDP is now seeking to assist President Rosa in realising these projects.

According to UNDP, "the projects cover landmine risk education, an impact survey, mine and ordnance clearance, and rehabilitation for accident survivors and assistance to resume their lives, get education and training, and find jobs."

The humanitarian mine action plan seeks to eliminate the impact of landmines in Bissau, the capital, by 2005 and in the rest of the country by 2006, according to the UN agency.

César de Carvalho, Director of the Mine Action Coordination Centre (CAAMI), strongly supports President Rosa's initiative. He told UNDP he is confident that "Guinea-Bissau is on track to becoming Africa's first mine-free country."

The landmines are leftover from a civil conflict in the small West African country, one of the world's poorest, during 1998 and 1999, and from the war for liberation from colonial rule that ended in 1974. Mines killed or maimed more than 30 people in the past year, and they deny people access to farm fields, roads, wells and other places.

UNDP and the UN Office of Project Services support a project to help CAAMI, established in 2001, to coordinate activities to get rid of landmines and help those injured. Leadership and guidance come from the National Humanitarian Mine Steering Council, co-chaired by José Sanhá, Secretary of State for Ex-combatants, and Albéric Kacou, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative.

Two national civil society organisations - HUMAID (Humanitarian Aid), operating since mid-2000, and LUTCAM (Lutamos Todos Contra As Minas), set up last year - carry out mine clearance, UNDP reports from Bissau.

These two local organisations had rid close to 566,000 square metres of 2,550 landmines and 15,000 pieces of ordnance by the end of November. They are currently focusing mainly on agricultural areas.

Mr Kacou hailed the efforts as "a showcase of accumulated best practices and lessons learnt," with rigorous enforcement of international mine action standards, according to UNDP.

The UN agency's representative emphasises that training has relied heavily on South-South cooperation through various exchange programmes with Mozambican counterparts and has included many women de-miners, thus keeping full-time international technical assistance to a minimum, he noted.

- Given the necessary resources, we could be two short years away from eradicating the risk of mines and helping to establish a regional centre of excellence, he said.

© afrol News

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