April 29, 2014
UK-based 6 Alpha Associates to do clearance work in Gernam North Sea
“We’re regularly reminded, during the course of offshore wind construction, of the sheer size and scale of the UXO challenge,” said 6 Alpha managing director Simon Cooke. More at ReNews.biz.
April 22, 2014
Unexploded wartime bomb found in Nauru detention centre
An unexploded wartime bomb has been found in the section of the offshore processing centre on Nauru that detains children, pregnant women and families, raising serious questions about whether the site is safe to hold asylum seekers.
Internal emails from Nauru, obtained exclusively by Guardian Australia, reveal that after heavy rainfall last week an unexploded artillery shell was found next to the “recreation tent”, which serves as a primary school for asylum seeker children. The Guardian Australia has the full story here.
April 21, 2014
Two more maimed by UXO in North Darfur
Two North Darfur youngsters were critically injured on Monday after a grenade they found at the roadside detonated. Idris Nil Salaheldin (20) had his hand blown off, and suffered severe injuries to his neck, while Kamal Mokhtar (21) was seriously wounded throughout his body and his hand was cut off.
This is the second incident involving unexploded ordnance (UXO) in just over a week, and the fourth in Darfur in a month. Read the rest at Radio Dabanga.
April 18, 2014
Officials late to act on bomb found near Vietnamese school
Curious children spent days gathered around a 1.2 meter bomb, estimated to weigh hundreds of kilograms, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province after officials unearthed and abandoned it.
The bomb remained exposed to the elements on Thursday afternoon as authorities in the province awaited further instructions from their superiors. Read more and see photos at Thanh Nien News.
April 18, 2014
UXO injuries, deaths on the rise in Cambodia
Forty people were injured or killed by landmines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the first two months of 2014, a figure nearly twice as high as that recorded in the same period last year, a recent report from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre shows. You can read the full story at The Phnom Penh Post.
April 15, 2014
Plain of Jars Project kicks off a fundraiser to support Lao children
Photographer Jon Witsell has launched a campaign to raise $10,000 for the Lone Buffalo Foundation near the Plain of Jars. See the online fundraising site here and the project site here.
April 13, 2014
Unexploded ordnance kills three children in Darfur’s East Jebel Marra
Three children, as well as several cattle, were killed when a grenade – a suspected remnant of the almost daily Sudanese aerial bombardments of the area – exploded on Sunday in West Chazan Tenjur in Darfur’s East of Jebel Marra. There is a large military base in the area.
One of the relatives of the dead told Radio Dabanga that the bomb killed Zainab Jaqoob Adam (8), Aaron Haj Issa (11), and Tayeb Adam Yahya (14), who were herding livestock. You can read the rest at Radio Dabanga.
April 12, 2014
Australia to help Vietnam overcome UXO consequences
Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh has received pledges from Australian officials that Australia will support Vietnam to overcome the consequences of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over in Vietnam in wartime.
The pledges were made in the meetings between Vinh and his Australian hosts during his visit to Australia on April 7-12. The rest of the story is at Tuoi Tre News.
April 10, 2014
Hero Rat NGO battles landmine threat legacy of Vietnam War
The NGO APOPO that uses rats to sniff out explosives in landmines and unexploded bombs in former war zones, says it will be working with partners in Vietnam and Lao PDR to coordinate and monitor a new programme of clearance activities.
Landmines and unexploded bombs remain a problem in large areas of Vietnam and Lao PDR, posing threats to civilians and preventing land-use. Get your demining rat fix at Xperedon.com.
April 9, 2014
589 UXOs and 31 mines disarmed in Azerbaijan last month
Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) told APA that 589 UXOs, 29 antitank mines and 2 antipersonnel mines were found and disarmed during the operations.
One mine/UXO accident was recorded in March. Read more about it at APA News. More here.
April 5, 2014
Two dead from leftover ordnance in Sudan’s Kordofan
Two people have been killed by ordnance left behind in a Sudanese town where thousands of people are returning after rebel-government fighting last year, the United Nations said on Saturday.
They are the latest casualties from unexploded ordnance (UXO) in South Kordofan.
Almost three years of war in that state and Blue Nile, where insurgents and the army are also fighting, have displaced or severely affected more than one million people. Al Manar has the rest of the story
April 4, 2014
Sudan: Averting the risks of unexploded ordnance
While walking home on 5 July 2013, 14-year-old Kharsha from Zalingei, Central Darfur, picked up an object resembling a small pineapple. Arriving home, she handed it to her four-year-old brother Zakaria. Their mother, Hawaya, was preparing breakfast outside their home when she realized that her son was playing with a dangerous object. Despite her warning, he continued to fiddle with the device, which started emitting a sound. Hawaya quickly alerted other children in the area to move away, but the object exploded, injuring the entire family and leading to the death of her son two days later.
Hawaya was among several residents in Zalingei who had received risk-education training from UNAMID’s Ordnance Disposal Office (ODO). Unfortunately, while she recognized the object in young Zakaria’s hands as a threat, she was not able to intervene quickly enough to save his life. Read the rest of the story at AllAfrica.com.
April 4, 2014
When the ground isn’t safe – Playing football in the shadow of cluster bombs
Playing football in Sweden is different from playing in Laos. Not only is Sweden on the other side of the world and has it got lots of lush flat grass to play on; in Sweden Mini did not have to fear kicking the ball off the football pitch into a cluster bomb contaminated area.
Laos is the country most heavily affected by cluster munitions in the world. Between 1964 and 1973 the US dropped at least 270 million cluster bomblets. Of those, it is thought that 80 million failed to explode as they fell on the ground. The Cluster Munition Coalition has the rest of the story.
April 4, 2014
Somali women lead the way in marking this year’s International Day of Mine Awareness
This year’s International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action has been spearheaded by Somali women who joined together in an effort to raise awareness on mines and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW).
After decades of civil war, Somalia has been riddled with mines and unexploded ordnance that threaten the lives of young children and limit access to basic services and economic opportunities for much of the population. As a result, explosive contamination represents a one of the most serious impediments to the stability, security and development of Somalia. See the rest of the story at AllAfrica.com.
April 3, 2014
US provides Cambodia with underwater demining equipment
The United States on Thursday handed over underwater demining equipment to the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC)’s Underwater Demining Unit in northern Kampong Chhnang province, said a press statement from the US Embassy.
US Ambassador William E. Todd delivered the equipment, including inflatable boats, air compressors, lift bags, and other diving equipment to CMAC’s Director General Heng Ratana.
Read more from the news mavens at Xinhua.
April 3, 2014
Laos marks International Day of Mines Awareness
The Lao National Regulatory Authority for Unexploded Ordnance/Mine Action Sector (UXO-NRA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) held a joint press conference to mark the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference here in capital Vientiane, Minister to the Government Office and Chairman of the UXO-NRA Bounheuang Douangphachanh and UN Resident Coordinator Minh Pham reaffirmed their strong commitment to the eradication of mines and other remnants of war. See the rest of the story over on Xinhua.
April 3, 2014
Asian landmines: A deadly trap 40 years on
There’s a young man today living in a village close to the Vietnamese border in Laos. He has lost his right eye and has shrapnel lodged in his head, which causes him pain and fever. His family can only afford to buy paracetamol to help ease his pain.
Ped was just 11 when a cluster bomb accident claimed the lives of three of his siblings, and ruined his life as well. His family was working together in the rice fields when his 13-year-old brother Oat struck a bomb with his shovel, the explosion killing him instantly along with his sister Mai, 15, and eight-year-old brother Pui. Ped was knocked unconscious but survived. See the full story with video at The Age.