2 Lakhs cleared out of 15 lakhs
Ethiopian team here to study de-mininigs exercise

Close to 200,000 mines of an estimated 1.5 million in the minefields of the North and East have been de-fused an Ethiopian delegation visiting Sri Lanka from July 20 to 29 said.

Chief of the delegation and  Director of the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO), Tecklewolde Mengesha told ‘The Island’ the delegation had a lot to learn from the Sri Lankan programme... “particularly  from its mine risk education and awareness aspect.

“One of the positive elements in mine clearance taking place in the Northern Peninsular of  Sri Lanka,” he said was that international standards and procedures are followed  in the de-mining exercise.

NSCMA has steadfastly held that all land mines would be cleared by  2006. “However the rapidity of mine clearance  that  is taking place in the North and East of the country will enable the country to  reach its  target much earlier, the chief of the delegation pointed out. 

Drawing similarities between the situations of the two countries, Mengesha  pointed out that  the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 1998 and 1999 had wounded and killed an estimated 100,000.  According to an Ethiopian Land Mine impact survey released in March, land mines threaten the lives of two million people in the country. Over the past two years 16,000 people had been injured in explosions 1,295 were killed.

In Sri Lanka however since 1995 there have been  200  deaths and 1,000 injuries. The numbers have  decreased this year to around five to ten per month the NSCMA said.

The Ethiopian delegation arrived in Sri Lanka sponsored by UNICEF and UNDP. (DJ)