Antifahrzeugmine (c) Landmine.de

Der Soldat war Teil eines Minenräumkommandos im Südgolan.

Ein hoher Offizier erklärte am Abend gegenüber Journalisten, der genaue Hintergrund des Vorfalls sei noch unklar. „Die Mine war identifiziert worden, niemand ist aus Versehen darauf getreten. Es handelt sich um eine Mine, die erst ab einem Gewicht von 150 kg aktiviert werden sollte, da das zu räumende Minenfeld zur Panzerabwehr gelegt worden war.

Der getötete Soldat trug, wie alle anderen auch, die nötige Schutzkleidung. Das Minenfeld war kartographiert, es handelte sich um Minen von ZAHAL.“(Israelische Verteidigungsstreitkräfte).

Botschaft des Staates Israel

Quelle: O2 elf Abendblatt

Antifahrzeugmine (c) Landmine.de

Israeli soldier killed during land mine clearing near Syrian border

The IDF soldier was taking part in a standard advanced training course when an old land mine exploded.

For viewing the full article please refer to Haaretz >>>

Source: Haaretz

(c) M. Dia/Handicap International

The importance of Mine Risk Education - Senegal - Handicap International

"Mines pay no heed to peace agreements"

Improving awareness about the danger of mines is vital to prevent accidents in places like Ziguinchor and the surrounding areas of Casamance, south Senegal. In the is film we meet Jean-Claude who delivers local risk education sessions as part of Handicap International's risk education team. Jean-Claude is himself a landmine victim. We also meet two more victims including Elizabeth who was abandoned by her husband after her accident and Bubacarr Bah who has set up his own small business with the help of Handicap International.

Posters, films, local awareness raising sessions and particularly radio are the most effective ways of making sure safety messages reach as many people as possible. In Casamance, Handicap International supported a weekly radio programme called 'Standing Tall', which highlighted the risks still posed by mines.

View the video >>>

Copyrigth: Handicap International

Binnenflüchtlinge in Burma/Myanmar fliehen zum Salween River. (c) Free Burma Rangers

Landmine casualties rising in Kachin, Myanmar

LAIZA, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - Former rebel fighter Lahpai Hkam has been in pain every day since a landmine destroyed his lower right leg during a battle with government soldiers 18 months ago in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State.

“The artificial leg that I was given last year doesn't fit properly and it rubs on my stump causing a lot of pain,” he said in a hospital in Laiza, the de facto capital of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has been fighting for greater autonomy from the Burmese government for the past six decades.

According to rebel Kachin surgeon Brang Sawng, such stories are common and the number of landmine injuries is on the rise.

“More than 45 soldiers who have had amputations because of landmines over the last two years urgently need prosthetics and replacements,” said Sawng. “The number one injury is caused by landmines, with both Burmese troops and Kachin soldiers mistakenly stepping on their own mines.”

While neither side has published any official figures on civilian landmine casualties, media reports and information from NGOs indicate there were at least 381 landmine casualties, including 84 deaths in 2011. However, international experts say the real number could be significantly higher.

"No armed group - neither the army nor any ethnic armed group [in Myanmar] - provides any public information on casualties, especially civilian ones. This is not unusual,” Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, a researcher with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), told IRIN.

Many observers fear a rise in civilian casualties - and prosthetics are not the only thing in short supply.

“For many of the operations we need blood transfusions, but we have no emergency blood bank or reserve so we are forced to operate without blood replacement,” the doctor Brang Sawng explained outside the recovery room of Laiza’s main military hospital.

According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), both government troops and the KIA still use landmines.

“These are weapons that will continue to maim and kill for years to come and I would be surprised if both sides are capable of mapping and following where they actually placed these mines,” said Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW’s Asia division. “The answer is for both sides to cease using anti-personal landmines.”

Off limits

The collapse of a 17-year-old ceasefire between the Burmese government and the KIA in June 2011, has left more than 80,000 displaced.

For Kachin farmers like Naw Tarong, who fled his home more than a year ago with his wife and three children, leaving behind crops and cattle, the chances of returning home soon look remote.

“We cannot return home because KIA soldiers have planted landmines around our village to keep the Burmese out, and they have warned us not to go back yet,” Naw Tarong said, adding that some of his cattle had stepped on them and been killed.

ICBL’s Moser-Puangsuwan said many civilians (mainly subsistence farmers) set off the mines while returning to their fields or foraging in the forest. “Combatants in Myanmar/Burma do not generally mark their mined areas… A deadly hazard exists.”

Currently, Myanmar has no specific policy to support landmine victims during treatment and rehabilitation, and emergency services in conflict areas are “extremely limited”, according to a 2012 Landmine Monitor report.

As of 1 October 2012, 160 countries (over 80 percent of the world’s governments) have ratified or acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty, and 111 have signed or ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Myanmar has signed up to neither.

Source: IRIN

IRAQ RATIFIES CLUSTER BOMB BAN

The Republic of Iraq has ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions, after depositing its instrument of ratification on 14 May.

Iraq’s ratification represents a landmark moment for the Convention, given the history of use in the country, and is an important development for Iraq given the high level of cluster bomb contamination remaining and its impact on communities.

Iraq’s ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions demonstrates its strong commitment to the treaty in a year that marks the 10th anniversary of devastating cluster munition strikes during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Cluster munitions were also used during the 1991 Gulf War, leaving a deadly legacy of submunition contamination in Iraq. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US and UK used nearly 13,000 cluster munitions containing an estimated 1.8 million to 2 million submunitions.


After Laos, Iraq has the second highest number of recorded cluster munition casualties in the world. Data available is incomplete but latest figures in the Cluster Munition Monitor show 3,011 recorded casualties in Iraq as of 2011. However, due to the high level of contamination, the actual number of casualties from cluster munitions since 1991 is estimated at between 5,500 and 8,000, including casualties that occurred during cluster munition strikes and those occurring years afterwards. Children are estimated to have made up one quarter of these casualties.

Iraq’s plight highlights the urgent need to address and halt the use of cluster munitions by all states, notably the well-documented, ongoing and widespread use of cluster munitions in Syria by the Syrian forces. More than 150 cluster bomb attacks in at least 119 locations across Syria have been reported in the period from August 2012 through mid-February 2013, according to CMC member organisation Human Rights Watch.

“Iraq’s ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions is a milestone for the treaty, and a victory for advocates and survivors everywhere,” said CMC member Moaffak Alkhafaji, Director of the Iraqi Alliance for Disability.

“Iraq, as one of countries most heavily affected by cluster munitions, should send a strong message to all countries that have not joined the Convention to do so now to save lives,” said CMC Member Sherko H.Rashid, Manager of Mine & UXO Impact Relief.

Cluster munitions have a high failure rate and when submunitions fail to explode on impact as designed, they become hazardous explosive “duds”—functioning like volatile, indiscriminate antipersonnel landmines.

Iraq continues to face large-scale clearance challenges posing a serious hazard to residents and slowing development efforts. In 2010, a Mines Advisory Group (MAG) survey of Dibis, an area northwest of Kirkuk, identified 20 previously unknown cluster strikes with contamination from unexploded BLU-97 and BLU-63 submunitions, highlighting the enduring legacy of these indiscriminate weapons.

Iraq signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 12 November 2009. Each country that has signed the Convention must still ratify it in order to become a State Party bound by the Convention’s provisions.

Iraq is the fifth country this year to ratify the Convention with more expected to join the global ban leading up to the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a key treaty meeting in Zambia, 9-13 September 2013. Andorra also became a State Party through accession this spring.

Iraq will formally become the 81st State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 November 2013, following the waiting period mandated by the Convention.

Source: CMC

Ausbildung der Aufklärer (c) Handicap International

Boosting Mine Risk Education for schools

Libyan children are still at risk from the dangers posed by mines, unexploded ordinance and weapons. As part of an extended programme to spread the message, the Department of Education has boosted the knowledge and skills of specialist trainers.

Fourteen ‘Master Trainers’ from different parts of the country have now been trained, by the Mine Advisory Group (MAG), to deliver Mine Risk Education (MRE) to schools using new teaching techniques and methodologies.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our Master Trainers to get in-depth training on the techniques and methodology of risk education,” MRE coordinator at the Ministry of Education, Najia Sabkha, said.

Following the training, they will now have the skills and confidence to design and develop risk education activities as stand-alone lessons or incorporate these into the school curriculum, she added.

The training was supported by the United Nations children’s fund UNICEF and MAG. It was funded by the European Union.

Source: Libya Herald

Afghanischer Minenräumer. (c) medico international

11 Afghan landmine clearers abducted

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Unidentified kidnappers have abducted 11 Afghans working in a U.N.-affiliated landmine clearing program in the east of the country, officials said Saturday.
The 11 were taken Thursday in a remote part of Nangarhar province, said Hazrat Hussain Mashreqiwal, provincial police spokesman. He did not name the abductors but said local officials and tribal elders were trying to negotiate the mine clearers' freedom.
According to the United Nations there are an estimated 10 million mines scattered throughout 150 of Afghanistan's 400 districts, a legacy of 30 years of war. Children and farmers face the most serious threats from the discarded explosive devices. On Friday three children in central Ghazni province were killed when they tried to dismantle an old bomb.
Also Saturday, a series of bombings targeted Afghanistan's intelligence and security personnel.
In a remote corner of northeastern Afghanistan a bomb killed an intelligence officer at his home, while in eastern Afghanistan a remote-controlled bomb ripped through a police vehicle killing two and injuring three other police officers, many of them seriously. A third bombing in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province wounded the district police chief.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for any of the bombings but Taliban insurgents have been targeting Afghan National Security Forces with deadly regularity. In the first four months of this year more than 400 Afghan security personnel have been killed in insurgent attacks compared with 224 in the same period last year.
For the first time in Afghanistan's 12-year war, Afghan Security Forces are taking the lead in the battle against insurgents in nearly 90 percent of the country. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, in Afghanistan for talks on a key bilateral pact, said Afghan security forces will be in the lead in 100 percent of the country by the end of the year, ahead of the withdrawal of international combat troops in 2014.
Mohammed Zahir, spokesman for Nuristan's governor, said the province's deputy intelligence chief Faiz Mohammed was killed when a bomb planted inside his home exploded. It wasn't immediately known how the bomb was detonated.
In eastern Nagarhar province, Ahmed Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said that a remote-controlled roadside bomb detonated as a police vehicle passed. People in the area chased three men who appeared to throw away a detonating device. Abdulzai said three men were arrested — one Pakistani and two Afghan nationals.
Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of allowing safe havens for insurgents on its territory. It also charges that Pakistani militants are among the foreign insurgents aiding the Taliban in its battle against government forces. Pakistan denies the allegations.

Source: Associated Press

Nachdem Taucher im südöstlichen Fahrwasser vor Heidkate zwölf britische Minen in 18 Metern Tiefe auf dem Meeresboden geortet haben, musste die übliche Strecke zwischen Nord-Ostsee-Kanal und Ostsee aus Sicherheitsgründen geändert werden. Die Route nutzen jährlich Zehntausende Schiffe, darunter auch die Fähren nach Skandinavien. "Die Gefahr lässt sich vergleichen, als ob ein Bomben-Blindgänger unter einer Autobahn läge", sagte Jürgen Kroll, Abteilungsleiter des Kampfmittelräumdienstes am Mittwoch.
Die Minen liegen unter der Wasserstraße, die aus Kiel herausführt, etwa sechs Kilometer vom Festland entfernt. Der Bereich gilt zumindest für die kommenden zwei bis drei Wochen als Sperrzone. So lange wird es vermutlich dauern, bis alle Minen entschärft und weggeschleppt sind.

Gefährliche Arbeit für die Taucher
Die Minen sind mit Magnet-oder Akustikzündern bestückt. Die eingesetzten Taucher arbeiten deshalb mit einer speziellen, nicht-magnetischen Ausrüstung. Um die Minen unschädlich zu machen, sollen zunächst die Zünder mit kleinen Ladungen abgesprengt werden. Dann würden sie weggeschleppt, sagte Jürgen Kroll NDR 1 Welle Nord. Die Minen enthalten nach seine Worten bis zu 425 Kilogramm des Sprengstoffs TNT. Sie wurden während des Krieges von britischen Bombern abgeworfen um die Kieler Bucht zu blockieren. Sie seien auch jetzt eine Bedrohung für jedes Schiff, so Kroll. "Niemand kann sagen, warum sie bisher nicht in die Luft gegangen sind und niemand kann dort ein sicheres Vorgehen annehmen."
Die Marine hatte die Sprengkörper in der Kieler Bucht entdeckt. Sie hatte die Fahrrinne auf Bitten der Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung mit einer Unterwasserdrohne überprüft. 85 Objekte sind in und nahe der Fahrrinne festgestellt worden, darunter die zwölf Minen.

Quelle: NDR

Bolivia signs the Convention at the CCM signing conference in Oslo, Norway 2008. Photo credit: Gunnar Mjaugedal/catchlight.no

BOLIVIA RATIFIES CLUSTER BOMB BAN

The Plurinational State of Bolivia has become the latest country to join the global ban on cluster munitions, after depositing its instrument of ratification on 30 April.  Bolivia will become the 82nd State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions when its ratification enters into force on 1 October 2013 in accord with the waiting period mandated by the Convention.

“Bolivia’s ratification strengthens the global stigma against this horrific weapon and brings Latin America one step closer to being the first cluster munition-free region in the world,” said Cluster Munition Coalition Campaign Manager Amy Little.


Among Latin American countries, only Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Colombia and Paraguay have signed the treaty and but need to complete a ratification process.

Bolivia participated in several meetings of the Oslo Process that created the convention, including the Dublin negotiations and was one of 94 signatory states to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008.

Bolivia is the fourth country to ratify the treaty in 2013, following the ratifications of Nauru (4 Feb), Liechtenstein (4 March) and Chad (26 March) and the first to announce their decision following discussion of the global ban at the 15-18 April Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) Intersessional Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Bolivia has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Source: Cluster Munition Coalition

Press conference regarding Swedish mine-clearance in the Germia Park

Yesterday there was a press conference about the mine-clearing cooperation between Swedish military and Kosovo Security Force which is ongoing in the Germia Park in Pristina. Ambassador Lars Wahlund and Chargé d’affaires Ingrid Johansson was there.

Kosovo Security Force has been in operation with their part of the clearing since the beginning of April. The Swedish equipment and EOD staff arrived last week.

- This project represents cooperation between Sweden and Kosovo at its best, said Chargé d’affaires Ingrid Johansson. It is a cooperation between the Swedish Armed Forces and Kosovo Security Forces where their joint expertise and mainly military know-how helps improving the living environment in peacetime for all in a very concrete way.

Part of the Germia Park will be closed for the duration of the work. In mid-June, the demining will be ready. She also emphasised that even though Swedish participation in KFOR will come to an end this fall, Sweden remains a strong partner to Kosovo. Sweden is one of the largest staff contributors to EULEX and is currently preparing a new strategy for the bilateral development cooperation, which extends to 2020.

- Swedish support to Kosovo is substantial, long-term and aims at building Kosovo’s capacity to govern itself and to advance towards the EU, said Chargé d’affaires Ingrid Johansson.

Source: Embassy of Sweden

THE INSPIRATIONAL ‘VOICES FROM LAOS’ US TOUR ENDS TODAY IN WASHINGTON DC, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR

The ‘Voices from Laos: Clearing Bombs. Protecting Lives” national speakers tour, organised by CMC member organisation Legacies of War, culminates in Washington DC today, on the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war.

The highly successful tour started in New York on 4 April – UN International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action – and has visited twelve US cities. The tour has created a space for dialogue and awareness raising about how individuals and communities are affected by the legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos, including cluster munitions, leftover from the Vietnam war-era bombings.

The tour has also served to inspire and motivate people in the US to take action to support UXO clearance efforts in Laos, champion the rights and needs of survivors, create a safer future for the people of Laos and to raise funds for the UXO sector and for Legacies of War’s invaluable work.


The stars of the tour, who have captivated audiences across the US, are Manixia Thor, an All-Women Bomb Clearance Team Leader for the Mines Advisory Group in Laos, and cluster muniton survivor and victim assistance advocate Thoummay Silampphan  who is head of the Quality of Life Association in Xieng Khoung, which serves UXO victims in Laos,  as well as being a member of Handicap International’s  Ban Advocate team. You can read more about their inspiring lives and work, and see coverage from the tour, on the Legacies of War website.

Lao PDR is the world’s most heavily cluster munition contaminated country. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor unexploded submunitions were reported to have caused at least 7,580 casualties in the period 1964–2011, and approximately 2,500 survivors of this indiscriminate weapon live in Laos today.

Laos was one of the first countries to join the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the international treaty that bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions and establishes provisions for clearance, victim assistance and international cooperation and assistance. Laos has continued to play a leadership role in the work of the Convention on Cluster Munitions as president of the convention in 2011 after hosting the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane in November 2010. This included outreach in support of the multi-year Vientiane Action Plan, which serves to guide States Parties’ implementation of the ban convention.

Each year, more people in Lao fall victim to this deadly legacy, such is the extent of the contamination there. However, a huge effort to remove this threat is underway, with help from international NGOs such as CMC members NPA, HI and MAG, as well as the national authorities. With increased support from the global community this deadly threat that impacts the lives of ordinary people in Lao PDR every day could be lifted within our lifetime.

Source: Cluster Munition Coalition

Vietnam will weitere internationale Unterstützung bei der Minenräumung erhalten. Das sagte Pham Quoc Tru, der stellvertretende der vietnamesischen Vertretungsdelegation bei der UNO und WTO auf einer Abrüstungskonferenz in Genf. Tru zufolge haben sich die vietnamesische Regierung und die Bevölkerung in den vergangenen Jahren sehr dafür eingesetzt, Minen und Blindgänger zu beseitigen, die nach dem Krieg zurückgelassen wurden. Jährlich investiert Vietnam hunderte Millionen US-Dollar für die Minenräumung. Zusätzlich hat Vietnam große Unterstützungen von Ländern, unter anderem Japan, den USA und Norwegen in diesem Bereich erhalten, sagte Tru. Auch internationale Organisationen wie beispielsweise Golden West oder Peace Trees haben Vietnam sehr geholfen. Seit der Wiedervereinigung des Landes im Jahr 1975 muss Vietnam schwere Folge des Krieges beseitigen. Etwa 800.000 Tonnen Blindgänger wurden auf einer Fläche von etwa 6,6 Millionen Hektar, also einem Fünftel der gesamten vietnamesischen Landfläche, hinterlassen. Bislang wurde nur ein kleiner Teil davon von Minen und Blindgängern befreit.

Quelle: Radio "Die Stimme Vietnams"

Armenia: After Landmine Deaths, Questions About Russian Army Base

The deaths of two children on a Russian army firing range in northwest Armenia have angered residents of nearby villages.

Mushegh Gevorgyan, 15, and Artur Mkrtchyan, 12, from the village of Vahramaberd in the Shirak region, were killed by a landmine on April 7. They had been grazing livestock on the military firing range.

Armenia and Russia are close allies, and Moscow maintains a military airfield in the capital Yerevan as well as an army base in Gyumri, Shirak’s main town, to which the firing range belongs. In 2010, the two countries agreed to extend the Russian presence at Gyumri until 2044. (See Moscow Extends Lease on Armenian Base on that deal.)

Aghvan Martirosyan, the village head in Vahramaberd, said local people regularly took their animals onto the Russian army range under a longstanding arrangement. On days when live firing was scheduled, they were warned in advance and stayed away.

“Everyone knows it’s dangerous there and that you must not touch bits of weapons or shells. Everyone has been warned about it,” he told IWPR. “But these were children – they saw pieces of aluminium around the mine, and they were gathering it up for scrap. The mine exploded as soon as they disturbed it.”

According to Martirosyan, security is lax around the firing range.

“It’s a territory of more than ten square kilometres. The land belonging to our village has a 2.3 kilometre boundary with the army base, but there are no fences or barriers, just has two signs saying the territory is dangerous and access is forbidden,” he said.

A spokesman for Russian forces in Armenia, Kirill Kiselev, insisted that security measures were adequate.

“This is a prohibited zone. They had no right to go there. Everyone is very well you can’t do that. There are signs in Russian and Armenian at the entrances points saying no entry, but they ignored that that,” he said.

After meeting Russian commanders from the base, Armenian defence minister Seyran Ohanyan called for tighter regulation.

“It’s very important that all the safety precautions are enforced on every firing range in Armenia,” he said.

The defence ministry said it would assist the two boys’ families, and help the Russians secure the firing range.

“The exclusion zone needs to be clearly demarcated,” ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said.

Opposition politicians went further, with Aram Manukyan, a member of parliament from the Armenian National Congress, questioning the responsibilities of the Russian military and their hosts.

“If the firing range belongs to the Russian military base, then who is responsible for fencing it off? Who is supposed to ensure security and erect warning signs?” he asked. “If they’re allowing people to pasture their animals there, then every time they hold military exercises, they must demine the area. This incident occurred because of indifference to these issues.”

Defence experts in Armenia said the Russians should act to ensure the tragedy was never repeated.

“There shouldn’t be mines there at all, said David Jamalyan, a member of the Yerevan State University’s strategic studies centre. “This area now needs to be fenced off so that civilians can’t stray in accidentally.”

Village head Martirosyan, however, opposed the idea of placing fences around the range, since that would leave the village short of pastureland.

The Shirak Centre, a local non-government group, backed him up.

“It’s completely wrong for this firing range to exist alongside impoverished villages who are deprived of their land. If they now decide to tighten up security and not to let farmers graze their livestock there, it won’t resolve the problem,” the centre’s head Vahan Tumasyan said.

Lilit Arakelyan is a correspondent for www.Medialab.am in Armenia.

Source: Institute für war & peace reporting

(c) DCA

A new mine risk education team is born

DCA HMA Case Study, Jonglei, South Sudan

The DCA Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) programme is steadily growing in South Sudan. Having begun operations in January 2013, the programme now has two fully accredited Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams and two Risk Education (RE) teams. A third RE team is currently being recruited. This is all thanks to a donation from the Common Humanitarian Fund administered by UNDP in South Sudan.

The most recent team to be accredited was the second RE team. But accreditation in Mine Action is no easy task!

The recruitment and training took place in Jonglei, a state that is difficult to access, especially in the rainy season, and is plagued not only by mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination, but also by consistent and fierce tribal conflict. Ensuring the tribal make-up of the team was balanced was very important, as was ensuring that both men and women were represented in the team. In some areas, women only feel comfortable speaking with other women, and man with other men. For this reason, every DCA RE team has both genders represented.

As well as ensuring gender and tribal balances, local languages must also be considered when recruiting a team, as there are over 50 local languages spoken in South Sudan. The team of four that was finally selected for training included people who spoke the following languages: Juba Arabic (a kind of pigeon Arabic), classic Arabic, Dinka, Murle, Nuer, Shilluk, Anyuak and, of course, English, the new national Language of South Sudan.

The training included all aspects of Risk Education methodology and contents. Safety messages regarding mines, UXO and guns were discussed. Good body language and communication skills were also taught and practiced, as were ways of encouraging audience participation and attention. The team learnt how to tailor their messages depending on the age and gender of their audience, their usual daily routines, their baseline knowledge and their special needs.

“When I started the training course with DCA, I did not know much about landmines or UXO, but I was keen to learn and eager to help protect my fellow people in South Sudan” explained one of the newly trained and accredited RE Assistants, Samson. “I learnt how to recognize landmines and UXO, and which areas are likely to be contaminated. I feel proud that now I will be able to teach others and maybe even save a life.”

The new team has also learnt how to use HF and VHF radios, how to draw and read sketch maps and how to use a compass and GPS.

“It was interesting to learn that North does not move,” said Tut, the youngest member of the team. “This is still something I struggle to understand, but with more practice, I hope I will get it.”

The team needs to know how to calculate compass bearings and distances, and how to draw good quality sketch maps, in order to record dangerous items reported to them, in the safest possible way.

“This was my first time using a compass and GPS and I think it is wonderful,” continued Tut. “In a week of training we have learnt many new things, things people in my village have no idea about. I feel a little bit special now.”

A medic also provided Basic Life Support (BLS) training to the team, a kind of first aid training.

Another team member, Amer, said she enjoyed the BLS training the most. “We learnt how to restart the heart if it stops beating and how to give breaths of air to the patient. We also learnt how to stop bleeding with bandages and how to treat snake bites and scorpion stings. All these skills I can use in my daily life at home, as well as in the field with the team. I am very happy I attended the training.”

Learning new skills and information was not the only challenge the team faced during the training course. The team also dealt with a torrential rain storm that battered their campsite, blew away their laundry and flooded their tents. They also found and killed three scorpions in their kitchen tent. Luckily, the first aid skills they learnt regarding scorpion stings were not needed this time!

When the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) came to accredit the team after the training, their comments were very positive. “This team has lots of energy and the Risk Education they are providing is of a very good standard. Although the team is new, they are working well together. Keep it up!” wrote the QA Officer on her form.

And so, a new team is born. The team, funded by the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF), will spend the next 6 months travelling around Jonglei state, providing tailor-made and gender specific RE to vulnerable and at risk communities, helping them to stay safe from all kinds of explosive remnants of war.

A new team, in a new country, fighting an old enemy from the past.

Source: Reliefweb

MCC Cluster Bombs

What he saw moved him to take action. We ask the Executive Director of MCC Manitoba how a poem and a petition can help stop the use of cluster bombs during warfare.

To the radio broadcast >>>

Unfortunately the mine war in Azerbaijan continues and one more Azerbaijani civilian died after explosion of landmine.

According to the information received from the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines local coordinator from Qazakh district on 15 April 2013, inhabitant of of Khanliglar village 23-year-old Adil Valiyev was exploded on landmine and died on Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The AzCBL resembles that this is the second case in the last 15 days in the same place. The first incident was on April 2 and the inhabitant of of Khanliglar village Sabir Karimov died after explosion of landmine.

In spite of the cease-fire since 1994 the mine war continues on the land of Azerbaijan.

Source: Email from Hafiz Safikhanov, Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines

BERLIN/NEW YORK/BEIRUT dpa/afp | Die Menschenrechtsorganisation „Human Rights Watch“ wirft der syrischen Luftwaffe „willkürliche, in einigen Fällen auch gezielte“ Angriffe auf Zivilisten vor. Allein seit Juli 2012 seien mehr als 4300 Zivilisten von Syriens Luftwaffe getötet worden, schrieb die Organisation in einem am Mittwoch (Ortszeit) in New York vorgestellten Bericht.
Der Bericht der „Human Rights Watch“ basiert auf Recherchen an 50 Orten im Norden Syriens, die von der Opposition beherrscht werden. Zudem seien Interviews mit mehr als 140 Augenzeugen und Opfern in anderen Teilen des Landes geführt worden.

„Die syrische Luftwaffe hat wiederholt willkürlich, in einigen Fällen auch gezielt, Luftangriffe auf Zivilisten durchgeführt“, heißt es in dem 80-seitigen Dokument. Die Angriffe stellten schwere Verstöße gegen das humanitäre Völkerrecht dar. „Personen, die solche Verletzungen mit krimineller Absicht begehen, machen sich eines Kriegsverbrechens schuldig.“
Die Recherchen von Human Rights Watch legten nahe, dass die syrischen Streitkräfte vorsätzlich unter anderem mehrere Krankenhäuser und Bäckereien angegriffen hätten. Die Schäden an Einsatzzentralen der Opposition seien bei den dokumentierten Angriffen trotz zahlreicher Ziviler Opfer gering. In einigen Fällen sei nach vorläufigen Untersuchungen kein zulässiges militärisches Ziel in der Umgebung auszumachen gewesen, schreibt „Human Rights Watch“.
Nicht genügend Schutz
Die Organisation mit Sitz in New York wirft dem syrischen Regime auch den Einsatz der weltweit umstrittenen Streumunition vor. Die Oppositionsgruppen hätten „nicht alle Möglichkeiten ausgeschöpft“, um Zivilisten zu schützen, etwa durch die Stationierung von Truppen innerhalb oder nahe dicht besiedelter Gebiete.
Medienberichten zufolge fliegt die syrische Luftwaffe seit Juli 2012 täglich Angriffe in ganz Syrien. „In einem Dorf nach dem anderen trafen wir auf Zivilisten, die voller Angst vor der Luftwaffe ihres eigenen Landes sind“, berichtete Ole Solvang, der die Ziele der Angriffe besuchte und Opfer und Augenzeugen befragte. Diese völkerrechtswidrigen Luftangriffe hätten „eine Spur von Zerstörung, Angst und Vertreibung“ hinterlassen, sagte er.
„Angesichts der stichhaltigen Beweise dafür, dass die syrische Regierung Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit begeht, appelliert „Human Rights Watch“ an Regierungen und Unternehmen, den Verkauf und die Lieferung von Waffen, Munition und Material nach Syrien unverzüglich und solange zu unterbinden, bis die syrische Regierung diese Verbrechen beendet“, erklärte die Organisation. In dem zwei Jahre andauernden Konflikt sind schätzungsweise mehr als 70 000 Menschen ums Leben gekommen.

Allein bei Kämpfen, Bombardierungen und Hinrichtungen seien in den Dörfern Al-Sanamein und Ghabagheb am Mittwoch insgesamt mindestens 45 Menschen getötet worden, erklärte die oppositionsnahe Syrische Beobachtungsstelle für Menschenrechte am Donnerstag. Al-Sanamein und Ghabagheb liegen in der Provinz Daraa. Die in London ansässige Beobachtungsstelle stützt sich auf ein Informantennetzwerk in Syrien. Die Zahl der Flüchtlinge wird inzwischen auf rund 1,3 Millionen veranschlagt.

ANDORRA BECOMES LATEST COUNTRY TO JOIN THE CONVENTION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS

Andorra has become the latest country to join the global ban on cluster munitions, after depositing its instrument of accession on 9 April.  Andorra will become the 81st State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions when its accession enters into force on 1 October 2013 in accord with the waiting period mandated by the Convention.

“As the 112th country to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Andorra’s accession strengthens the global stigma against this horrific weapon.” said Cluster Munition Coalition Campaign Manager Amy Little.

The government of Andorra approved accession to the convention on 13 June 2012. On 19 June 2012, Andorra’s Head of Government Antoni Marti Petit submitted an accession proposal to the General Council (legislative body) for consideration and approval, and it was approved by Parliament in December 2012.


Officials confirmed that domestic legislation already complies with the main obligations under the Convention, therefore it is not necessary to develop its internal regulations.

Andorra participated in regional meetings around the Oslo Process that that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, however it was not among the states, which signed the Convention prior to its August 2010 entry into force. In order to become a State Party to the Convention, therefore, Andorra underwent an “accession” process.

Andorra is the first accession to the treaty in 2013, and follows the ratifications of Nauru (4 Feb), Liechtenstein (4 March) and Chad (26 March). More countries are expected to announce their progress on joining the global ban at the upcoming Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) Intersessional Meeting being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 15-18 April 2013.

Andorra has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Source: Cluster Munition Coalition

Download of the factsheet "Status of the Destruction of Cluster Munition Stockpiles by States Parties of the Convention on Cluster Munitions", April 2013 >>>

Africa: Liberia Free of Landmines

The African Union (AU) Ambassador to Liberia, Oluwatoyin Salaja has disclosed that the West African sub-region including Liberia is landmines freed, adding that the Government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has reaffirmed its commitment to relevant treaties and instruments banning such weapons. Speaking at program marking the International Day of Mines Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action in Monrovia recently, Ambassador Salaja said AU, UNMIL, EU and the ICRC including the Liberian Government have contributed their quota to ensuring a peaceful, mine-free environment in Liberia and beyond, for the safety and security of individuals as well as for the common good of Liberians and other residents in the country and the sub-region.

Ambassador Salaja who is also a Special Representative of the Chairman of the African Union Commission called on Liberians and those within the territorial confines of Liberia to remain conscious of the dangers and deadly effects of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

He also called on Liberians to report to the government and security officials any suspicious strange metal or plastic object, buried or exposed, that they may discover as such might turn to be an Explosive Remnant of War (ERW).

"Landmines and other ERWs have been used all around the world in conflict situations by both state and non-state actors with devastating consequences, including death and loss of limbs by innocent individuals during and after these conflicts," he noted.

He said Landmines Monitor Report of 2010, 1,700km of landmines were released through clearance or survey over the past decade, and over 3.1 million mines have been removed from the ground in West Africa and around the world, adding that said statistics are worrying and require urgent action to stem the tide.

According to him, several treaties have been put into place to address issues of manufacturing, stockpiling, use and destruction of landmines and that Head of States and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) made decisions and resolutions aimed at addressing the scourge of landmines.

The AU Ambassador added that the Government of Liberia, EU, UNMIL, AU and ICRC have therefore reiterated their commitment to create advocacy to universalize the Convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on its destruction; encourage stockpile destruction, clear mined areas, encourage mine risk education, and assist victims under the Mine Ban Treaty.

For her part, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her proclamation message acknowledged that landmines and other ERWs have been used all around the world in conflict situations by both state and non-state actors with devastating consequences including death and loss of limbs by innocent individuals during and after conflicts.

Being one of the founding members of the United Nations and other international organizations, President Sirleaf said Liberia is committed to every effort exerted by the United Nations General Assembly to curtail the dangers that landmines pose to the general populace.

The Proclamation which was declared April 4, 2013 as International Mine Awareness Day and a working holiday through Liberia was read by Foreign Affairs Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan during an official program at the Ministry of National Defense at the Barclay Training Center (BTC) in Monrovia.

The 4th of April marks the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action and said day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly on 8 December 2005 and was first celebrated on 4th April 2006.

Source: All Africa

One Million Children in Iraq Impacted by Landmines and Cluster Bomblets

Nearly one million Iraqi children are affected by the presence of landmines with hundreds having been maimed or killed by exploded cluster bomblets since 1991, a UN statement acknowledged.

A statement issued by the United Nations mission to Iraq on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action calls for more progress to eliminate the threat of landmines to the people of Iraq.

“It is tragic and unacceptable that children continue to have their lives forever damaged by the presence of landmines,” stated Dr. Marzio Babille, UNICEF’s Representative to Iraq.

“With determined effort, all landmines and unexploded ordinance in Iraq can be eradicated; we call on all actors – the Government of Iraq, international community and private sector – to coordinate to permanently eliminate this threat from the lives of Iraqi children and their families.”

The most recent Iraqi child victimized is a twelve year old boy who lost one eye and both his hands from a munition that exploded when he was herding sheep near Basra in March, 2013.

Iraq continues to be one of the most contaminated countries in the world with more than 1,730 square kilometers of its lands is polluted with landmines and unexploded ordinance, affecting 1.6 million people in around 4,000 communities across the country.

Mr. Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq said that “landmines and unexploded ordinance continue to terribly affect Iraqis, restricting their access to essential services and, in the worst case, maiming and killing them”.

“Efforts must be scaled-up to heal the wounds of past wars and remove this menace, once and for all, from the lives of Iraqis,” added Kobler.

Due to a shortage of funding, the UN’s Mine Action Program will come to an end by mid-2013. As a result, the UN appeals the Government of Iraq to urgently fund humanitarian mine action activities, such as demining and mine risk education, to improve the living conditions of Iraqis affected by landmines.

On October 2012, Kurdistan’s State Demining Organization announced that 10 people killed and 40 others wounded during the year.

The southern Iraqi province of Basra considered one of the most contaminated areas in the world because of the fact that its territory used as military firewalls during the country’s wars.

It is worth to mention that an average of two Iraqis were killed or injured weekly by mines during 2009, according to international statistics.

Source: Global Research

International Day of Mine Action: Desperate need for weapons clearance and risk education to protect civilians in Syria

Since the beginning of 2012, Syria has been the only country in the world to have used anti-personnel mines. The intensive bombing of the current conflict has also left behind a trail of unexploded devices, including cluster munitions, which pose a serious and lasting threat to civilians in Syria. Today, on the International Day of Mine Action, Handicap International has condemned the use of these barbaric weapons and is calling for immediate measures to protect civilians.

Handicap International is alarmed at the current situation in Syria, which provides further distressing proof of the continued threat posed by landmines. The organisation is calling on the international community to condemn the use of these weapons in the strongest terms and to help operators in the field undertake immediate measures to protect civilians. There is a desperate need for weapons clearance and risk education in Syria, due to the widespread contamination by mines and unexploded devices.

Syria was the only country in the world to use anti-personnel mines in 2012. On 1st November 2011, a Syrian army official told the media that “Syria has undertaken measures to secure its borders, including the planting of mines”. According to the 2012 Landmine Monitor Report, mines were laid on the Turkish border near Hasanieih, Derwand, Alzouf, al-Sofan, Armana, Bkafla, Hatya, Darkosh, Salqin and Azmeirin, and the Lebanese border in al-Buni, Tall Kalakh, Kneissi, Heet and Masharih al-Qaa. The Landmine Monitor Report also pointed to the repeated use of IEDs by Syrian rebels, including Molotov cocktails and remotely-detonated devices.

The Syrian government has also made continued and widespread use of cluster munitions in recent months. More than one hundred sites have been targeted, including Lattakia, Al-Tah, Tel Rifaat, Taftanaz, Ghouta, Deir al-Assafir, Idlib and Latamneh. Cluster munitions were last reported to have been used on 28th February and 2nd March in Deir Jamal (Aleppo district) and Talbiseh (Homs district).

Since the start of the conflict in Syria, the use of mines and the presence of unexploded devices left behind by intensive bombing campaigns have resulted in extensive contamination. This puts the lives of people living in these areas at permanent risk, along with those returning home once the fighting has ended.

Handicap International runs risk education programmes to make civilians more aware of these dangers and to prevent accidents. Around 9,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan have already benefited from these sessions, to prepare them for the danger that awaits them on their eventual return to Syria.

According to Handicap International’s weapons advocacy manager, Marion Libertucci: “Due to the intensity of the violence in Syria and widespread contamination by mines and unexploded devices, there is a desperate need for weapons clearance and risk education. Our experience of mines clearance and prevention in 47 countries tells us that the threat will remain long after the conflict has ended. We don’t know the whole picture yet because we haven’t been able to visit all of the affected areas. We could find that things are even worse than we first feared. We need to take action now to limit the risk to civilians and save lives”.

Every year, at least 4,300 people worldwide fall victim to mines or unexploded devices – the equivalent of one victim every two hours. More than 70% are civilians, of whom 42% are children. Most of the hundreds of thousands of mine accident survivors around the world will need assistance for life. However, funding for victim assistance has dropped by over 30% in the last twelve months to a record low, compromising the provision of care.

Over the last 15 years, some 4,000 sq.km. of mined land has been cleared and 135 million mines destroyed. Despite this, millions of mines still contaminate more than 60 countries, some of which were planted more than 50 years ago.

Press contact

Tom Shelton, Handicap International UK Email: tom.shelton@hi-uk.org Tel: +44 (0)203 463 2377 Mob: +44 (0)7508 810 520 Interviews and photos available.

Source: Relief Web

Ratten werden als ausgebildet, um Sprengstoff zu erscnüffeln. (c) Apopo

Kapstadt Jeder Schritt kann tödlich sein. Nach Angaben der Vereinten Nationen sind in 66 Staaten noch immer große Landflächen vermint. Die genaue Zahl der weltweit verlegten Minen ist unbekannt. Nach Schätzungen wurden vor dem Landminen-Verbot von 1997 bis zu 110 Millionen Minen in mehr als 70 Ländern verlegt.

Heute, am »Internationalen Tag zur Aufklärung über Minengefahren«, erinnern die Vereinten Nationen an die Anti-Minen-Konvention. Bisher wurden 40 Millionen Minen zerstört. Die Zahl der Todesopfer fiel von 26000 im Jahr 1997 bis auf jeweils rund 4000 in den vergangenen Jahren. Das sind immer noch elf Tote pro Tag. Bei 80 Prozent der Opfer handelt es sich um Zivilisten. Laut UN müssen noch besonders in Somalia, dem Kongo, Laos, Kambodscha, dem Irak und Afghanistan viele Minen entfernt werden.
Eine Organisation, die Landminen den Kampf angesagt hat, ist Apopo. Die belgische Organisation züchtet und trainiert seit 15 Jahren Ratten für den Einsatz in Katastrophengebieten. Die Nagetiere erschnüffeln Landminen und helfen dabei, das Land wieder für die Bevölkerung nutzbar zu machen. »Die Menschen in kontaminierten Gebieten leben in ständiger Furcht um Leben und Gliedmaßen«, sagt Bina Emanvel, Sprecherin von Apopo. Besonders in ehemaligen Kriegsgebieten Afrikas und Asiens bildeten die Landminen eine Barriere für Entwicklung und wirtschaftliches Wachstum. Mancherorts sei etwa der Zugang zu Wasser und Feldern abgeschnitten.
UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon kritisierte wiederholt, dass Minen und explosive Kriegsrelikte nicht nur Leben zerstören, sondern auch die Entwicklung in den betroffenen Gebieten behindern. Seit März 1999 ist die Ottawa-Konvention zum Verbot von Landminen in Kraft. Rund 41 Millionen gelagerte Minen wurden seitdem vernichtet, die Produktion und der Handel gestoppt. Bis heute haben den Vertrag 161 Staaten ratifiziert.
Apopo hat sich auf die Minenräumung mit Hilfe von Ratten spezialisiert. Derzeit sind die »Hero Rats« (Helden-Ratten) in Angola, Mosambik, Kambodscha und Thailand unterwegs. Die Nager bringen alle wichtigen Voraussetzungen für den Einsatz mit. »Ratten haben einen der sensibelsten Geruchssinne. Wir trainieren Afrikanische Hamsterratten. Diese Art ist intelligent, relativ ruhig und gut trainierbar«, sagt Bina Emanvele. Die Tiere werden an ein Seil gebunden und über ein Minenfeld geschickt. Anders als Hunde lösen die knapp ein Kilo schweren Ratten keine Explosion aus, wenn sie eine Mine durch Kratzen und Schaben anzeigen.
Ausgebildet werden die Minenratten in Tansania. Am Campus der Universität Sokoine befinden sich ein Forschungslabor, eine Zuchtstation und das Trainingslager, in dem die Tiere unter praxisnahen Bedingungen aufwachsen. Einen Monat nach der Geburt werden die Ratten an den Geruch des Sprengstoffs TNT gewöhnt und lernen, diesen von anderen Gerüchen zu unterscheiden. Erst nach mehreren Trainingswochen im Sandkasten geht es auf das Feld. Nun üben die Tiere an entschärften Minen.
Derzeit schnüffeln 54 Ratten in Mosambik nach Landminen, die als Relikte des jahrzehntelangen Bürgerkriegs im Boden liegen. Bis heute konnte Apopo allein in Mosambik nach eigenen Angaben rund 2400 Minen und 990 Bomben entschärfen. Doch auf die »Hero Rats« und ihre Ausbilder wartet noch viel Arbeit.

Quelle: Main-Netz

Entminungsvorführung vor dem Brandenburger Tor. (c) Sascha Bachmann / SODI

Zum TV-Beitrag >>>

Quelle: ZDF

Museja Aganaiia aus Uganda verlor sein Bein an eine Landmine. (c) Till Mayer / Handicap International

Denis Kovacevic war gerade mal 14 Jahre alt, als ihm eine Mine den rechten Fuß wegriss. In Ausgabe 1.12 berichtete das Greenpeace Magazin über den Bosnier, der 1995 bei einem Minenunfall einen Fuß verlor und heute als Orthopädiemechaniker anderen Opfern hilft.

Jedes Jahr kommen laut Schätzungen der UN 4.000 Menschen durch Minen zu Tode. Anlässlich der erschreckenden Zahlen erinnern die Vereinten Nationen jährlich am 4. April an die Gefahr, die von Minen ausgeht. Der Internationale Anti-Minen-Tag soll aber auch die Erfolge im Kampf gegen die Sprengkörper vor Augen führen. 1999 trat mit der Ottawa-Konvention ein internationales Verbot des Einsatzes, der Lagerung, der Herstellung und der Weitergabe von Antipersonenminen in Kraft. Rund 40 Millionen Minen konnten bis zum heutigen Tage erfolgreich zerstört werden.

Dennoch besteht großer Nachholbedarf, besonders in krisengeplagten Ländern wie Somalia, dem Kongo, Laos, Kambodscha, dem Irak und Afghanistan. UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon sprach in seiner Rede anlässlich des Anti-Minen-Tages von „einer Aufgabe von entscheidender Wichtigkeit“.

Denis Kovacevic kann heute unbesorgt mit seinen beiden Söhnen in der Umgebung seines Hauses spielen. Das 5.500 Quadratmeter große Minenfeld in Pecigrad wurde 2011 geräumt. Ermöglicht haben das die Leser des Greenpeace Magazins. Im Jahr 2000 hatte das Greenpeace Magazin die Idee, Minenräumen als Abo-Prämie anzubieten. Der Deal: Für jedes neue Geschenkabo können unsere Leser sechs Quadratmeter eines Minenfeldes in Bosnien räumen lassen. So konnten innerhalb von zehn Jahren mehr als 120.000 Euro gesammelt und 600.000 Quadratmeter geräumt werden. 

MEIKE OSTERCHRIST

Quelle: Greenpeace Magazin

Aktion in München 2012. (c) Handicap International

Berlin, München: Heute, am internationalen Tag zur Aufklärung über die Minengefahr, unterstützen 47.670 Menschen weltweit mit einer Petition die Forderung, dass die USA endlich dem internationalen Minenverbotsabkommen beitreten. Die internationale Kampagne „Lend your leg – Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“, die in Deutschland von Handicap International und SODI umgesetzt wurde, erreichte damit einen entscheidenden Vorstoß, um die US-Regierung endlich zum Umdenken zu bewegen.
 
Bekräftigt wurde diese Forderung am heutigen Tag mit großen Aktionen am Brandenburger Tor in Berlin sowie auf dem Marienplatz in München. Erfahrene Kampfmittelräumer zeigten auf künstlichen „Minenfeldern“ ihre riskante Arbeit und machten so auf die noch immer lauernden Gefahren von Minen aufmerksam. „Wir wissen aus unserer Arbeit in vielen verminten Regionen, wie mühsam und langwierig die Aufgabe der Entminungsexperten ist und sehen mit Besorgnis, wie die Konflikte der letzten Zeit wieder vermehrt Minen und Blindgänger hinterlassen,“ sagt François De Keersmaeker, Geschäftsführer von Handicap International Deutschland.
 
Seit dem Kampagnenstart am 1. März findet die Kampagne „Lend your leg – Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“ weltweit und auch in Deutschland prominente Unterstützung. Mit einer einfachen Geste – einem hochgeschlagenen Hosenbein – zeigten hierzulande 33 Prominente, 55 PolitikerInnen aller im Bundestag vertretenen Parteien sowie zahlreiche BürgerInnen, wie wichtig es ist, dass endlich in allen Ländern Landminen und Streubomben verboten werden. Gestern kam zu den vielen Prominenten noch die belgische Prinzessin Astrid hinzu. (alle Fotos in Druckqualität auf www.zeigdeinbein.de).
 
Mit der internationalen Petition, die auch auf der deutschen Kampagnenseite www.zeigdeinbein.de unterzeichnet werden konnte, fordert die Kampagne von der US-Regierung, endlich dem Vertrag über ein Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen beizutreten. 162 Staaten haben dieses 1997 geschlossene Abkommen bereits unterzeichnet. Die Geschäfts-führerin von SODI, Sylvia Werther, betont: „Für eine Welt ohne Minen ist der Beitritt der USA zum internationalen Minenverbotsabkommen besonders entscheidend, weil die USA in ihrer Vorbildfunktion andere Staaten dazu bewegen könnten, das Abkommen zu unterzeichnen.“ Da der US-Botschafter in Berlin für eine Übernahme der gesammelten Unterschriften am heutigen Tag nicht bereit stand, wurde das Petitionsbuch in einer symbolischen Aktion übergeben.
 
Nicht nur in Deutschland wird heute der UN-Minentag begangen. In zahlreichen Ländern finden ebenfalls Veranstaltungen und Aktionen statt. So wird im UN-Hauptquartier in New York UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon – der einer der ersten Unterstützer der Kampagne war und auch „Bein zeigte“ – mit einer Videobotschaft im Rahmen der gemeinsamen Ausstellung „Für eine minenfreie Welt“ von Handicap International, SODI, medico international und vom Auswärtigen Amt auf die noch immer in bis zu 76 Ländern lauernde Minengefahr verweisen.
 
Information:
Dr. Eva Maria Fischer, Handicap International, 089/54 76 06 13, 0176/99 28 41 35
Dörte Lüneberg, Solidaritätsdienst-international, 030/9209093-17
www.handicap-international.de, www.sodi.de, www.zeigdeinbein.de

Fotos zu den Aktionen in Berlin und München finden Sie hier:
http://www.handicap-international.de/lendyourleg/presse/pressebilder/

Außenminister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) forderte am Donnerstag in Berlin aus Anlass des "Internationalen Tags der Aufklärung über Minengefahren" stärkere Bemühungen, um die Zahl dieser extrem gefährlichen Sprengkörper zu reduzieren. Die Gefahr durch diese heimtückischen Waffen müsse weiter reduziert und der Schutz der Menschen verbessert werden, sagte Westerwelle.

Deutschland trete dafür ein, dass sich weitere Staaten den internationalen Abkommen gegen Antipersonenminen und Streumunition anschließen. "Außerdem werden wir das humanitäre Minenräumen in diesem Jahr erneut mit 20 Millionen Euro unterstützen", kündigte der Außenminister an.

Nach Angaben des Auswärtigen Amtes sind Antipersonenminen und Streubomben noch Jahre nach dem Ende militärischer Konflikte eine immense Gefahr für die Zivilbevölkerung, vor allem für Kinder. Bereits 1997 habe Deutschland seine eigenen Bestände an Antipersonenminen vollständig zerstört. 2008 sei zudem der einseitige Verzicht auf Streumunition erklärt worden.

Die Bundesregierung ist laut Außenamt zugleich einer der größten Förderer des humanitären Minenräumens. Seit 1992 wurden den Angaben zufolge Projekte in 42 Ländern mit über 220 Millionen Euro unterstützt. Die EU habe in den vergangenen zehn Jahren 1,5 Milliarden Euro für diesen Zweck zur Verfügung gestellt.

dpad

Quelle: Boulevard Baden

Opfer von Landminen werden oft diskriminiert. (c) Deutsche Welle

Der 13-jährige Firoz Ali Alizada beschließt auf dem Weg zur Schule mit ein paar Freunden eine Abkürzung zu nehmen - mit beinah tödlichen Folgen. Als er auf eine Landmine tritt, wird Firoz schwer verletzt. Im Krankenhaus wird schnell klar: er kann nur überleben, wenn seine Beine abgenommen werden. Doch die Ärzte zögern die Operation hinaus. Erst als Firoz Familie ein hohes Bestechungsgeld zahlt, können die Ärzte zu der lebensrettenden Operation bewegt werden. Firoz überlebt - er zählt sich zu den Glücklichen.
Firoz Ali Alizada arbeitet heute als Campaign Manager bei der Internationalen Kampagne für das Verbot von Landminen (ICBL) in Genf, einem Netzwerk von über 1200 NGOs, die das weltweite Verbot von Landminen zum Ziel haben. Er will anderen Kindern sein Schicksal ersparen. "Ich hatte Glück. Es war wie ein Wunder, dass ich beide Beine und fast all mein Blut verloren und trotzdem überlebt habe", erzählt er im Interview mit der DW. "Im Durchschnitt werden 30 bis 60 Afghanen im Monat durch eine Landmine getötet oder verletzt. Im Vergleich zu den 1990er Jahren ist die Zahl gesunken, aber es ist immer noch die höchste in der Welt."
Kinder sind die Hauptleidtragenden

"Kein Land der Erde ist so stark minenverseucht wie Afghanistan", sagt Eva Maria Fischer, Sprecherin von Handicap International, einem gemeinnützigen Verein, der sich weltweit für Menschen mit Behinderung einsetzt. Die genaue Anzahl der Opfer sei jedoch nur schwer zu ermitteln. "Da sind die Zahlen sehr im Dunkeln, weil in Afghanistan die Erhebung nicht vollständig ist."
In Afghanistan, so Fischer, gebe es noch rund 5000 verminte Gebiete. Die Menschen, die dort leben, sind in ständiger Gefahr, von diesen Waffen getötet oder schwer verletzt zu werden. Handicap International befasst sich seit Ende der 80er Jahre vor allem mit den Opfern von afghanischen Landminen und unterstützt diese bei der Rehabilitation und Resozialisierung. Außerdem engagiert sich die Organisation für die Risikoaufklärung von Kindern.
Diese sind nämlich besonders gefährdet: Das Mine Action Coordination Center of Afghanistan (MACCA), eine Einrichtung der Vereinten Nationen, gibt an, dass etwa 60 bis 70 Prozent aller Minenopfer Jungen und Mädchen sind. Insgesamt sind laut MACCA über 400.000 Menschen in Afghanistan durch Minen so schwer verletzt worden, dass sie lebenslang behindert bleiben.
Mohammad al-Din Qani vom afghanischen Ministerium für Arbeit, Soziales, Märtyrer und Behinderte bestätigt diese Zahlen. "Unsere Angaben variieren je nach Provinz. In einigen Provinzen sind 70 Prozent der Behinderungen auf Landminenvorfällen zurückzuführen, in anderen sind es weniger. Aber auf alle Provinzen bezogen, lässt sich sagen, dass 50 bis 60 Prozent aller körperlich behinderten Menschen Opfer von Landminen sind", so der für Angelegenheiten von Menschen mit Behinderungen zuständige Vertreter des Ministeriums.
Diskriminierung gehört zum Alltag

Trotz der Rehabilitationsprogramme haben es Opfer von Landminen sehr schwer. Die afghanische Regierung bietet eine Pension von fünf bis acht Euro im Monat - zu wenig, um eine Familie zu ernähren. Arbeit finden Menschen mit Körperbehinderungen nur selten. Auch Diskriminierung gehört zu den Problemen, mit denen die Opfer täglich konfrontiert werden, weiß Firoz Ali Alizada aus persönlicher Erfahrung. "Es ist kaum vorstellbar, solange man nicht selbst als Behinderter in der afghanischen Gesellschaft gelebt hat., nicht nur aufgrund der physischen Barrieren und der Armut. Auch das Verhalten der Mitmenschen ist sehr negativ. Mir wurde in einer sehr extremen Weise untersagt, die Universität zu besuchen. Nur, weil ich behindert bin."
Für den heutigen Aktivisten war sein Ausschluss von der Universität das Schlüsselerlebnis, das ihn veranlasste, sich für die Rechte von Menschen mit körperlichen Behinderungen und für das Verbot von Landminen einzusetzen. Seine Arbeit und die anderer NGOs führten zu positiven Veränderungen, sagt er. So unterzeichnete Afghanistan im vergangenen Jahr die Konvention für die Rechte von körperlich Behinderten. Das Land habe damit einen ersten rechtlichen Rahmen geschaffen, auch wenn das Gesetz noch immer hinter den Erwartungen zurückbleibe, so Alizada.
Zu einer langfristigen Verbesserung in Afghanistan ist es noch ein weiter Weg. Noch immer sind alle Provinzen - mit Ausnahme der Provinz Daikundi in Zentralafghanistan - mit Landminen übersät. Vor allem im Süden Afghanistans konnten bisher nur wenige Fortschritte erzielt werden. Der andauernde Krieg ist dabei das größte Hindernis. Die Altlasten aus vergangenen Kämpfen werden zwar Schritt für Schritt beseitigt, aber die Taliban machen die Erfolge zunichte, denn sie legen wieder neue Minen und Sprengfallen aus.

Quelle: Deutsche Welle

The trainers in Mine Risk Education (MRE) are refugees themselves living among the refugee population in Mae La camp. (c) Mathias Eick EU/ECHO February 2013

Life-saving Mine Risk Education in Refugee Camps

As reforms progress in Myanmar and cease-fires are holding, many of the over 127,000 refugees living in 9 camps in Thailand are considering returning to their homeland. This could potentially expose them to the life-threatening danger of mines and unexploded ordinances, which pollute the former conflict areas along the Thai-Myanmar border. Handicap International, with the support of ECHO, has started a Mine Risk Education programme in all the camps to raise awareness and knowledge amongst the refugee population of the risks of mines and how to prevent people from getting injured and even killed.

The trainers in Min Risk Eductaion (MRE) are refugees themselves living among the refugee population in Mae La camp. They know the risks that refugees face when they try and cross the border to Burma/Myanmar and they pass on their knowledge to their fellow camp inhabitants.

Location: Mae La camp, Thailand

Source: ReliefWeb

Two kids hurt in mine blast near LoC

Two minor children were critically injured when a mine exploded near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. 10 year old Nazakat Ali and 7 year old Gulnaz Kousar were grazing their cattle when they found a mine and started fiddling with it near the LoC in Keri sector of Rajouri district last evening, a police officer  said here on Thursday.
 
During fiddling, the mine exploded injuring the two children,  Ali lost his foot and a hand   in the bast while the girl received multiple splinter injuries. Both the children were shifted to district hospital at Rajouri and later Ali was referred to Jammu and  admitted in government Medical Collete and hospital.

Source: Press Trust of India

Myanmar’s landmines hinder return of displaced

BANGKOK, 3 April 2013 (IRIN) - Landmines in Myanmar's southeastern Kayin and Kayah states and Bago division, and in the northern Shan and Kachin states, threaten the return of more than 450,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“There will be no active promotion of return until landmines areas are identified, openly marked and cleared,” said Maja Lazic, senior protection officer at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Myanmar.

While the exact extent of landmine pollution throughout Myanmar is unknown, the army and at least 17 non-state armed groups (NSAGs) have used antipersonnel mines in conflicts over the past 14 years, according to the Geneva-based International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Myanmar’s central government faces a number of longstanding ethnic-based insurgencies by groups demanding greater autonomy.

“Anti-personnel mines are used as terror weapons by both sides... [Some] are not marked because the combatants want to strike fear into the enemy. This results in both sides terrorizing the [civilian] population with mines,” said Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, ICBL’s research coordinator for Myanmar.

The decline of active conflict in southeastern Myanmar in the past year has led to a slight decrease in reported incidents of mine accidents, according to the ICBL and Geneva Call, a Swiss NGO that specializes in mine-risk education. But no armed group has yet officially committed to ending mine use, said Moser-Puangsuwan.

Mine clearance cannot take place until there is durable peace, say the UN and NGOs. Meanwhile, unreliable information about the location of mines continues to kill, restrict villagers’ movement and stall preparation for the return of displaced populations.

Peace process

The government has signed ceasefire agreements with five NSAGs since January 2012, but trust and collaboration between the various NSAGs and government forces - preconditions for mine removal - are still needed, according to the UNHCR Myanmar.

“The process requires agreement, cooperation and support from conflict parties,” said Lazic and Patricia Treimer, a field officer with UNHCR Myanmar.

The ceasefires have not significantly reduced the use of landmines, as NSAGs, government forces and even civilians continue to employ landmines to defend and reclaim territories and protect themselves.

A spokesperson for the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), which authored a May 2012 report on landmines in the east, said that in Kayin State “the ongoing presence of [military] troops means that even though there is a ceasefire, communities and armed groups still take defensive measures, including the planting of landmines”.

Active conflict since June 2011 in Kachin State has displaced upwards of 83,000 people from Kachin and parts of neighbouring Shan. All those displaced are at risk of landmine injuries upon their return, say aid workers.

“[Landmine] incidents have been reported in many regions of Kachin where there has been active fighting,” said Carine Jaquet, the head of the UNHCR’s Myitkyina field office.

Fighting has decreased in recent months in Kachin (with ongoing skirmishes in Shan), but “people are in danger once they attempt to return to their villages,” she added.

“Before the IDPs have a chance to return back, there has to be humanitarian mine action, a security guarantee from both sides and durable peace,” said La Rip, the coordinator of the Laiza-based Relief Action Network for IDPs and Refugees, a network of 12 NGOs providing relief to displaced persons in both government and rebel-controlled areas.

Fears of casualty spike

No mine mapping has been conducted in mine-riddled southeastern Myanmar. Signs marking mined locations are rare and local knowledge about landmines is unreliable, resulting in the frequent landmine incidents, say experts. But it can be even worse for those who have been away.

“Refugees have not had to live with mine risk concerns for many years now, so their awareness of the risks is much lower [than those who stayed],” explained Sally Thompson, executive director of The Border Consortium (TBC), an NGO consortium providing aid to Burmese refugees in Thailand.

Many cross-border routes into southeastern Myanmar are known by locals and NGOs to be contaminated with mines, according to Geneva Call.

Nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border urgently need more mine-risk education, said TBC. “People will be moving as soon as they feel armed conflict has really ended, and we expect there will be a spike in mine casualties as a result,” Moser-Pangsuwan said.

Because peace processes and mine clearance may take years, education is the most practical way of decreasing accidents, according to TBC.

Mine action plans underway

Humanitarian agencies clearing mines, including the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Danish Church Aid, have been working with the government since November 2012 on mine issues.

The first Mine Risk Working Group meeting in Myanmar was held in January in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, with UNICEF, Danish Church Aid, the Department of Social Welfare, and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

“All of the agencies are ready to begin demining activities but are waiting for the government and armed groups to reach an agreement,” said Chris Rush, senior programme officer for Geneva Call in Asia.

In addition, the Myanmar Peace Centre, a government initiative established last October, includes the Myanmar Mine Action Centre, which is currently developing removal standards.

“There is a real push to clear mines, but it is not sensible without understanding where the problem is,” said Rush.

The Myanmar government is among the 20 percent of all governments that have not signed the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Along with Syria, it is the only country whose official forces continue to plant mines, according to Moser-Puangsuwan.

“Landmines are one issue, of many issues, affecting return for the displaced. The first measure is an agreement between government and armed groups to stop laying landmines,” said Thompson.

dm/pt/rz

Source: IRIN

Tausende Menschen haben in vielen deutschen Städten gegen Waffenexporte, Bundeswehr-Einsätze und die Anschaffung von Drohnen demonstriert. Mit Plakaten, Bannern und bunten Fahnen gingen sie zum Beispiel in Stuttgart, Bremen, Hannover und München auf die Straße. Organisationen der Friedensbewegung hatten zu etwa 40 Märschen, Gottesdiensten und Mahnwachen aufgerufen. Die Zahl der Teilnehmer blieb bei nasskaltem Wetter hinter den Ostermärschen der Vorjahre zurück.

Unter dem Motto Es ist an der Zeit: Sagt Nein! protestierten 800 Menschen in Berlin gegen den Bundeswehr-Einsatz in Afghanistan. Anstelle von Schriftbannern hatten viele Teilnehmer selbstgebastelte Drohnenattrappen mitgebracht. In Stuttgart forderten Rüstungsgegner auf Plakaten, die deutsche Kampfpanzer zeigten: "Legt den Leo an die Kette". In Bremen war "Bomben gegen Terroristen treffen Zivilisten" auf einem Transparent zu lesen.

"Wir sind Stachel im Fleisch der verfehlten Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik der Bundesregierung", sagte der Geschäftsführer des Netzwerks Friedenskooperative, Manfred Stenner. Es seien auch viele kleinere Initiativen beteiligt gewesen, sagte Stenner. Es ginge darum, "die Grundskepsis in der Bevölkerung gegen Krieg und Militär" aufrechtzuerhalten.

Kritik an Bundeswehr-Werbung in Schulen

Weitere Forderungen der Ostermarschierer waren ein Verzicht auf deutsche Rüstungsexporte und auf die Anschaffung von Kampfdrohnen. Eine Absage erteilten Demonstranten den Werbungsaktionen der Bundeswehr an Schulen und Hochschulen. Die Friedensgruppen forderten auch eine friedliche Lösung der Kriege in Mali und Syrien und warnten vor einem drohenden Krieg gegen den Iran.

Für Ostersonntag und -montag sind noch mehr als 80 Veranstaltungen der Friedensbewegung angekündigt.

Ostermärsche gibt es in der Bundesrepublik seit 1960. Damals hatten Pazifisten den Atomraketen-Übungsplatz Bergen-Hohne als Ziel eines Sternmarsches ausgesucht. Die westdeutsche Friedensbewegung hat ihre Wurzeln im Protest gegen das atomare Wettrüsten während des Kalten Krieges. 1983 erlebte sie ihren Höhepunkt mit Hunderttausenden Demonstranten in Bonn, die gegen die Stationierung von amerikanischen Atomraketen protestierten.

QuellE: Die Zeit

Zeigt Bein gegen Landminen: OB Christian Ude.Foto: ho

Zum Abschluss der internationalen Kampagne „Lend Your Leg – Zeig Dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“ zeigen Regisseurin Doris Dörrie und Bürgermeister Hep Monatzeder Bein vor dem Münchner Rathaus. Die Aktion, bei der auch eine große Hose mit nur einem Bein vor dem Rathaus hängt und auf einem künstlichen „Minenfeld“ Minenräumung präsentiert wird, findet am 4. April – dem internationalen Tag zur Aufklärung über die Minengefahr – ab 12 Uhr statt .

Viele weitere Prominente wie Schauspielerin Ulrike Folkerts, die Extremkletterer Huberbuam und über 50 Politiker, darunter Oberbürgermeister Christian Ude und Grünen-Vorsitzende Claudia Roth, haben bereits Bein gezeigt und fordern mit einer Petition an die US-Regierung, dass die USA endlich dem internationalen Minenverbotsabkommen beitritt.

„Landminen sind ein perverses Produkt der Hochtechnologie: Sie bedeuten noch Jahre nach dem Ende von Konflikten eine heimtückische, tödliche Gefahr, sie zerfetzen spielende Kinder oder arbeitende Bauern, meistens jedenfalls zivile Opfer. Dieser menschenfeindliche Wahnsinn muss verboten werden,“ fordert Oberbürgermeister Christian Ude und zeigt Bein vor dem Münchner Kindl und einem bayerischen Löwen im Münchner Rathaus.

Quelle: Abendzeitung München

(c) Doris Dörrie

Mit einer einfachen Geste – einem hochgeschlagenen Hosenbein – zeigen Prominente wie Regisseurin Doris Dörrie, Schauspielerin Ulrike Folkerts, die Extremkletterer Huberbuam und über 50 PolitikerInnen Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen und fordern mit einer Petition an die USA, dass die US-Regierung endlich dem internationalen Minenverbotsabkommen beitritt. Höhepunkt der internationale Kampagne „Lend Your Leg – Zeig Dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“, die in Deutschland von Handicap International und SODI umgesetzt wird, ist der 4. April – der internationale Tag zur Aufklärung über die Minengefahr. Bei Aktionen in Berlin und München zeigen an diesem Tag ab 12 Uhr erfahrene Kampfmittelräumer auf künstlichen „Minenfeldern“ ihre riskante Arbeit. Um 13 Uhr soll vor dem Brandenburger Tor in Berlin die Petition an die US-Botschaft übergeben werden.

In den vergangenen Wochen zeigten in Deutschland und weltweit Menschen mit der einfachen Geste eines hochgeschlagenen Hosenbeins, wie wichtig es ist, dass endlich in allen Ländern Landminen und Streubomben verboten werden. Prominente sowie Politikerinnen und Politiker aus allen im Bundestag vertretenen Parteien machen mit, darunter die gesamte Führungsspitze von Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. Die Extremkletterer Huberbuam haben sich auf einem Gipfel fotografieren lassen, Regisseurin Doris Dörrie auf Reisen; neben dem Münchner Oberbürgermeister Christian Ude und Popsänger Sebastian Krumbiegel sind auch Schauspielerin Ulrike Folkerts sowie zwei ihrer Tatort-Kollegen Felix Klare und Hartmut Volle dabei. Alle Fotos der „gezeigten Beine“ werden auf der Webseite www.zeigdeinbein.de gesammelt, zudem kann dort auch die Petition an die USA unterzeichnet werden. Die Kampagne fordert damit von der US-Regierung, endlich dem Vertrag über ein Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen beizutreten. 162 Staaten haben dieses 1997 geschlossene Abkommen bereits unterzeichnet.

„Jeder Mensch, der von einer Mine verletzt oder getötet wird, ist einer zu viel. Nur wenn endlich alle Staaten dieser Welt Minen verbieten, werden wir irgendwann keine Opfer mehr zu beklagen haben“, betont Doris Dörrie, die am 4. April in München dabei sein wird. Mit den Aktionen am 4. April am Berliner Brandenburger Tor und auf dem Münchner Marienplatz erfährt die Kampagne ihren Höhepunkt. Weitere Aktionen finden am 30.3. in Rostock und Augsburg im Rahmen der Ostermärsche der Friedensbewegung sowie am 3.4 in Bremen und in Hamburg statt.
 
Die internationalen Hilfsorganisationen Handicap International und SODI kennen die Probleme durch Landminen und Streubomben aus ihren Projekten für betroffene Menschen in von Kampfmitteln verseuchten Regionen. Beide unterstützen deshalb seit vielen Jahren die internationale Kampagnenarbeit für ein Verbot dieser Waffen.

Informationen / Kontakt:
Fotos und Hintergrundinfos http://www.handicap-international.de/lendyourleg/presse/
Dr. Eva Maria Fischer, Handicap International, 089/54 76 06 13, 0176/99 28 41 35
Dörte Lüneberg, Solidaritätsdienst-international, 030/9209093-17
www.handicap-international.de , www.sodi.de

Bild: mine-ex

Klettgau -  Nachdem sich im vergangenen Jahr am 13. Mai zahlreiche Vereine und Rotary-Clubs aus der Region und der angrenzenden Schweiz zu einer weiteren „Helptour“ zugunsten der Organisation Mine-ex zur Hilfe von Minenopfern eingesetzt haben, fand nun die Scheckübergabe im Erzinger Rathaus an die Vertreter von Mine-ex statt. Der symbolische Scheckbetrag war auf 38 000 Euro ausgestellt.

Aufgrund von Spenden ist der Betrag inzwischen auf über 39 000 Euro angewachsen. Bei der „Helptour 3“ beteiligten sich folgende Klettgauer Vereine: Turnverein Erzingen, Radsportverein Concordia Klettgau, Musikverein Erzingen, katholische Frauengemeinschaft Rechberg, Landfrauen Erzingen, Bühl und Riedern und Elisabethenverein Erzingen.
Bürgermeister Volker Jungmann zeigte sich stolz angesichts dieses Engagements, zumal die Mitglieder der Vereine mit der Organisation Mine-ex sonst keinerlei Berührungen hätten. Die Begeisterung sich für eine Sache einzusetzen, die nicht direkt vor der Haustür passiert, sondern sehr weit weg und nicht greifbar ist, fand auch bei Gerhard Selmayr, Präsident von Mine-ex Deutschland, große Anerkennung. Ebenfalls aktiv setzten sich die Rotary-Clubs Waldshut-Säckingen, Schopfheim und Bonndorf und auf der Schweizer Seite Züricher Weinland, Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen-Munot, Züricher Unterland und Zurzach-Brugg für die Sammlung von Spenden ein. Peter Eichenberg, Vorsitzender Rotary-Schweiz und Präsident des Stiftungsrats Mine-ex: „Ich bin begeistert über den Einsatz einer Generation, die mit Minen und den schrecklichen Folgen bisher keine direkte Berührung hatte und sich dennoch einsetzt, um das Leben der Opfer zu verbessern.“ Konkret organisiert sich Mine-ex zur Opferhilfe in Kambodscha und in Afghanistan. Bisher wurden rund 500 000 Franken für die Hilfe in Kambodscha und über 90 000 Franken für eine neue hydraulische Presse um Prothesen-Teile in einer von Mine-ex erstellten Fabrik in Phnom Penh herzustellen.

Weitere 300 000 Franken flossen nach Afghanistan. Mine-ex setzt sich für die Ausbildung von Prothesenmachern ein und verfolgt die Ächtung und das weltweite Verbot von Personenminen. Derzeit sind in rund 70 Ländern mehr als 80 Millionen Antipersonenminen verteilt. Dies birgt eine unendliche Gefahr und Elend für Generationen, da Felder nicht mehr bestellt werden können. Leider werden bei Bürgerkriegen aufgrund der Missachtung des Völkerrechts weiterhin Personenminen eingesetzt. Um Korruption beim Verteilen der Spendengelder zu vermeiden, arbeitet Mine-ex mit dem internationalen Komitee des Roten Kreuzes (IKRK) in Genf zusammen. Das IKRK genießt Neutralität und verfügt über sehr gute Infrastrukturen in den betroffenen Ländern. Durch regelmäßige Reisen informiert sich Mine-ex vor Ort über die Erfolge und den Einsatz der Hilfsleistungen.

Quelle: Südkurier

Two Children Killed, Three Injured in Galgadud Landmine Explosion

A landmine exploded at a local Qur'anic school in Heraale town in Somalia's Galgadud region, killing two children and injuring three, Somalia's RBC Radio reported on Sunday (March 24th).
"The incident happened late yesterday evening and caused a lot of problems to the young children," said Heraale Commissioner Bashir Dahir Yussuf. "Incidences like these have recurred several times in the Heraale area because explosives are everywhere in the region, causing deaths of residents each time and explosive goes off."

Yussuf called on the Somali government and its non-governmental partners to clear the region of mines left over from the 1977-1978 war between Somalia and Ethiopia.

Source: Hiiraan online

Ein längst verblichenes Danger Mines Schild warnt vor explosiven Kriegsresten, die hier möglicherweise schon seit dem Golfkrieg von 1991 liegen. (c) Xavier Bourgois / Handicap International

Handicap International reagiert mit Aufklärungskampagnen im Süden des Landes und plant, die Aufklärungsarbeit nun zunehmend auf Kleinwaffen auszuweiten.

Zwischen März 2003 und Januar 2012 wurden im Irak fast 250.000 Zivilisten getötet oder verwundet – dies entspricht täglich mehr als 75 zivilen Opfern bewaffneter Gewalt. Dabei machten Zivilisten fast 80% der registrierten Todesfälle im Irak aus. Die Anzahl der im Irak im Umlauf befindlichen Kleinwaffen ist seit einiger Zeit noch angestiegen. Diese Waffen fallen häufig in die Hände unerfahrener Zivilisten. Mehr als die Hälfte der seit 2003 bei der Zivilbevölkerung aufgetretenen Todesfälle oder Verletzungen wurden durch Kleinwaffen verursacht. „Diejenigen, die Waffen in die Hand nehmen, wissen oft nicht, wie man mit ihnen umgeht. Es passiert häufig, dass während Feierlichkeiten Schüsse in die Luft abgegeben und dabei Menschen verletzt oder sogar getötet werden", erklärt Sylvie Bouko, Expertin von Handicap International für Risiko-Sensibilisierung.

Minen und explosive Kriegsreste verschlimmern noch die Situation der Zivilbevölkerung. Man vermutet, dass der Irak nach jahrzehntelangen Konflikten das am stärksten von Minen und Blindgängern belastete Land der Erde ist. Es wird vermutlich mehrere Jahrzehnte dauern, die über 1.700 Quadratkilometer kontaminierter Gebiete zu räumen. Seit 2001 wurden mehr als 20.000 Menschen Opfer dieser Kriegsreste. Bei 80% der betroffenen Landflächen im Süden des Landes handelt es sich um landwirtschaftlich genutztes Land, das von den ärmsten Teilen der Bevölkerung bewirtschaftet wird. Diese Kleinbauern haben keine andere Möglichkeit, ihren Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen, und setzen ihr Leben aufs Spiel, wenn sie die verminten Flächen betreten.

Handicap International hat mit einer Ausweitung der Aktivitäten im Irak reagiert. Die Organisation ist hier seit 1991 aktiv, führte Minenräumungen und Aufklärungskampagnen durch und engagierte sich in der orthopädischen Versorgung der Opfer. Handicap International schult derzeit erneut irakische Mitarbeiter, um die Bevölkerung über die Risiken durch Minen und explosiver Kampfmittelrückstände aufzuklären. Ab April 2013 soll darüber hinaus Aufklärungsarbeit zu Gefahren durch Kleinwaffen geleistet werden, um die Zahl der Unfälle mit diesen Waffen zu verringern. Handicap International hofft, dass die internationale Gemeinschaft bei einer Konferenz vom 18. bis zum 28. März in New York ein weitreichendes Abkommen zur Regulierung des Handels mit Waffen abschließt.

 

Information: Dr. Eva Maria Fischer 0176/99 28 41 35
www.handicap-international.de , www.streubomben.de

Binnenflüchtlinge in Burma/Myanmar fliehen zum Salween River. (c) Free Burma Rangers

US to Offer Aid for Burma’s Landmine-Affected Areas

US Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Rick Barton is currently visiting Burma to discuss US government efforts to help communities in the country’s landmine-affected areas, the US State Department announced. It said Barton arrived last Friday and is scheduled to leave on March 24. He will meet with civil society groups, mine action experts, ethnic groups and political leaders. “These efforts aim to build trust through mine risk education programs and support to survivors of landmine incidents,” the State Department said. Most landmine-affected areas are situated in Burma’s border regions and are a result of long-running ethnic conflict.

Source: The Irrawaddy

Syria: Mounting Casualties from Cluster Munitions

More Than 150 Documented Attacks in 6 Months 

(New York, March 16, 2013) – Syrian forces’ use of cluster munitions in residential areas is causing mounting civilian casualties, Human Rights Watch said today. An initial review of available information has identified at least 119 locations across Syria where at least 156 cluster bombs have been used in the past six months.

Human Rights Watch has investigated two cluster bomb attacks in the past two weeks – in Deir Jamal, near Aleppo and Talbiseh, near Homs – that have killed 11 civilians, including 2 women and 5 children, and wounded 27 others.

“Syria is expanding its relentless use of cluster munitions, a banned weapon, and civilians are paying the price with their lives and limbs,” said Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. “The initial toll is only the beginning because cluster munitions often leave unexploded bomblets that kill and maim long afterward.”

On March 10, 2013, YouTube footage reportedly from Heish in Idlib showed a type of cluster munition remnant – the ShOAB-0.5 submunition – that is not known to have been used in the conflict before. The ShOAB-0.5 submunition is produced by the Soviet Union and is only known to be delivered by air-dropped RBK-500 cluster bombs.

Human Rights Watch has identified at least 119 locations in Syria where cluster munitions have been used in the period from August 2012 through mid-February.  Several locations have been repeatedly attacked with cluster munitions, most notably al-Za`faraneh (near Rastan), as well as Abil (near Homs), Binnish (Idlib), Deir al-`Assafeer (near Damascus), Douma (near Damascus), and Talbiseh (Homs).

This information is derived from Human Rights Watch field investigations and from preliminary analysis of over 450 videos posted to the internet by activists since August. Remnants of at least 156 distinct cluster bombs have been identified so far from the video footage. Human Rights Watch has documented government use of cluster munitions, both air-dropped and ground-delivered, but it has seen no evidence of cluster munition use by opposition rebel groups. 

For each video, or groups of videos documenting the same location, Human Rights Watch experts identified the type of cluster bomb and the type of explosive bomblets (also called submunitions) that apparently had been dropped by aircraft, including helicopters. This information provides an indication of the scale of cluster bomb use, but the data is incomplete as not all remnants are likely to have been recorded on video and the actual number of cluster bombs used in Syria is most likely much higher.

Human Rights Watch began to systematically collect and preserve the video evidence in October after initially identifying 35 strike sites attacked by at least 46 cluster munitions.  In cooperation with the Brown Moses Blog, Human Rights Watch will make the entire collection of videos, supplemented by geographic coordinates and other analysis, available in a format compatible with the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) at a future date.  This accounting will probably increase as more videos are collected and analyzed. The collection of data does not include recording casualties, but Human Rights Watch has documented numerous examples of civilian casualties from cluster munitions in Syria since mid-2012, including in October, November, and in January.

Forty percent of the 156 cluster bomb remnants have been identified as RBK-250 PTAB-2.5 cluster bombs, which are delivered by aircraft, including helicopters, and which break apart in mid-air to dispense 30 PTAB-2.5 high-explosive/anti-tank bomblets. Another type of cluster munition identified from the videos and research is the RBK-250 AO-1SCh cluster bomb, which disperses 150 AO-1SCh fragmentation bomblets. A total of 103 RBK-250 cluster bombs have been identified in the videos. In more than 50 other cases, remnants of a RBK cluster bomb were identified, such as its distinctive tail section, but there was not enough information to make an identification of the specific type.

A review of the markings on these bombs and the submunitions contained inside them, as well as a comparison with the Soviet manuals for the weapons, show that they were manufactured at Soviet state munitions factories in the 1970s and early 1980s. There is no information available on how or when Syria acquired these cluster munitions, which were made in the former Soviet Union.

In January, Human Rights Watch documented civilian casualties caused by Syrian government use of another type of cluster munition, the Egyptian-made 122mm SAKR surface-launched rocket containing dual-purpose antipersonnel/anti-materiel bomblets.  This was the first known instance of Syrian use of ground-based cluster munitions in the conflict.

On March 10, local activists uploaded video footage reportedly shot in the village of Heish in Idlib governorate showing a submunition that failed to function (explode) on impact. The video was subsequently uploaded online by Edlib News Network, a group of Idlib based activists. Human Rights Watch has identified it as a ShOAB-0.5 fragmentation submunition, a tennis-ball-shaped submunition produced by the Soviet Union that is only known to be delivered by air-dropped RBK-500 cluster bombs. The RBK-500 cluster bomb and ShOAB-0.5 submunition are not known to have been used previously in Syria.

The ShOAB-0.5 submunition is a direct copy of the BLU-26 submunition produced by the United States and used extensively in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s. Jane’s Information Group, a publishing company specializing in military topics, lists Syria as possessing RBK-250/275 and RBK-500 cluster bombs. According to international reference manuals one version of the RBK-500 cluster bomb is reported to contain a total of 565 ShOAB-0.5 submunitions. This is the fourth type of cluster munition to have been identified in the conflict.

Recent Attacks on Deir Jamal and Talbiseh
In the past two weeks, Human Rights Watch has investigated civilian casualties from two cluster bomb attacks, at locations in Homs and Aleppo governorates. Based on interviews with witnesses, analysis of videos posted online by local activists, and photographs taken at the scene, Human Rights Watch has concluded that a cluster bomb attack on Deir Jamal in Aleppo on February 28 killed 2 women and 5 children from the same family and injured a man, while another cluster bomb attack on Talbiseh in Homs on March 2 killed 4 and wounded 26 civilians, including 6 women and 7 children.

Human Rights Watch visited Deir Jamal on March 6 and 7 to investigate the air strikes, interviewing witnesses and photographing cluster bomb remnants.

A resident who lived next to a home destroyed in the attack told Human Rights Watch that he was 700 meters away from his house in the village at around 12:30 p.m. on February 28 when he saw a jet flying low that started dropping ordnance.  He heard explosions and headed toward the site of the attack, the home of his neighbors, the Dabbas family. The witness said that he helped retrieve five bodies, while two more bodies were retrieved later. Another resident told Human Rights Watch that he was one kilometer away in the village at the time and saw a jet plane dropping ordnance. He went to the Dabbas family home, where he said he saw bodies and “pieces of bodies” of two women and five children.

A community leader identified the victims as: Malak Muhamad Akil, 40; Jinan Abdul Hameed Dabbas, 22; Muhamd Ali Ahmad Dabbas, 12; Haydar Ahmad Dabbas, 10; Maryam Ahmad Dabbas, 3; Ali Hasan Dabbas, 3, and Hamzeh Hasan Dabbas, 1. In addition, Human Rights Watch identified a local man who was wounded in the attack.

Most of the 7,000 inhabitants of Deir Jamal had already left the village after extensive shelling and air strikes, leaving only about 60 civilians when Human Rights Watch visited, in addition to some opposition Free Syrian Army troops. The distance from the FSA base to the Dabbas family home is about 300 meters, while the front line is approximately 13 kilometers away.

Human Rights Watch photographed remnants of the cluster bomb that hit the Dabbas home and another bomb that fell nearby. Witnesses said that three more cluster bombs fell in the northern and eastern parts of the village. From the photographs, Human Rights Watch has identified the remnants of a RBK-250/275 cluster bomb containing AO-1SCh fragmentation bomblets. There are 150 bomblets in each of this type of cluster bomb.

On March 2, a local activist in Talbiseh recorded video footage (subsequently uploaded online by the Committee to Protect Civilians-Talbiseh) of a cluster bomb attack on his neighborhood in the northern suburbs. Human Rights Watch interviewed the activist to corroborate the video evidence. The video captures the cluster bomb strike as it happens, showing the munition break apart and scatter submunitions, including some that fail to explode and bounce toward the camera. The activist described the attack to Human Rights Watch:

 

I was walking around in Talbiseh. … My camera is always on. I never turn it off because you never know when you will use it. When I reached the square in the center of Talbiseh I heard the sound of an explosion in the air and then explosions on the ground just in front of me. I heard another explosion, but the sound came from further away.

 

I heard people screaming. I ran toward them and found out that one of the streets where the bomblets dispersed had people in it at the time. When I reached the house, I saw heavily wounded children inside. The children had been inside the house when the bomblets entered the walls and exploded. After helping out the injured we found three people killed in one of the nearby houses. They were from the same family. The bomblet exploded next to them, we saw remnants.  I was told that a fourth man was also found killed on the street. I think he was walking at the time.

 

We found several unexploded bomblets. I don’t remember the exact number. The bomblets from the two bombs dispersed over seven streets and the first three streets were the most damaged and were populated at the time. The bomblets created small holes on the ground and on walls of houses. The cluster bomb explosion that you see in the video caused several injuries and casualties. The second cluster bomb attack, 500 meters away from the first one, did not cause any civilian damage because it fell in an area with no residents.

 

In total, the cluster bomb attack on March 2 killed at least four men, all civilians according to the activist, and wounded 26 people. The activist visited the local field hospital after the attack, where he said he counted the 26 wounded civilians, including 7 children and 6 women. He said that four men injured in the attack appeared to be in critical condition with internal bleeding caused by shrapnel. “The field hospital is not equipped so the medical team could not perform surgeries and at the same time we could not evacuate the wounded because of the siege imposed by the Syrian army,” the activist said.

The four men killed as a result of the cluster bomb attack were: Abdel Rahman al-Masri, Ahmad Swaiss, Selim Mohamad Miznazi, and Mohamed Abdel al-Kafi al-Mer`I.

From video footage uploaded online by the Network of Syrian Revolution News in Talbiseh, a group of Talbiseh activists, of remnants and description by the activist, Human Rights Watch has identified the remnants of a RBK cluster bomb canister.

Unexploded submunitions and other remnants left from the cluster bomb attack pose a deadly risk to those who handle them. The witness said: “An hour after the bomb canister hit the ground part of it exploded … but didn’t cause any injuries.”

The activist said that the Free Syrian Army troops were based one kilometer away from the site of the attack.  “FSA brigades are only located around the town, which is seen as the frontline between them and the army,” he said. “They don’t have any vehicles inside the town and as you can see in the video all the people were civilians and the FSA was not present. Liwa` al Islam [an armed opposition group] is very active in Talbiseh. … Following the cluster bomb attack, tank shelling started.”

According to the activist, approximately one-third of Talbiseh residents had left the town after their homes were destroyed by shelling, but internally displaced residents from Homs had relocated to Talbiseh.  “The regime knows that Talbiseh is a populated area,” he said.  “The Syrian army now has surrounded us from all sides, making it harder to leave the town. We are stuck here.”

International Law
A majority of the world’s nations have comprehensively banned the use of cluster munitions through the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which came into force on August 1, 2010. Syria is not a party to the convention and did not participate in the 2007-2008 Oslo Process that led to the creation of the treaty, which bans cluster munitions and requires clearance of contaminated areas and assistance to victims. A total of 79 countries are party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, while another 32 have signed but not yet ratified.

Countries that have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions are obliged to promote the norms that the convention establishes against cluster munitions and to “make its best efforts to discourage states not party to this Convention from using cluster munitions,” according to Article 21(2). Fourteen states parties have condemned Syria’s use of cluster munitions, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, while non-states parties Qatar and the United States have also done so.

Human Rights Watch is a founding member of the international Cluster Munition Coalition, the civil society campaign behind the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

“All nations that have joined the treaty banning cluster bombs have a legal obligation to speak out and condemn Syria’s ever-expanding use of these indiscriminate weapons, yet too few are doing so,” Goose said. “If there was ever a time to speak out it is now. We urge all nations that care about the protection of civilians to condemn Syria’s cluster bomb assaults in the strongest possible terms.”

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on cluster munitions, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/category/topic/arms/cluster-munitions

For additional background on cluster munitions, please visit:
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/ 

For more of Human Rights Watch reporting on Syria, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/syria

Quelle: HRW press release

Schüler der Mittel- und Wirtschaftsschule Oberhaching: (v.l.) Schüler Benjamin Pavlovic, Lehrerin Alexandra Mayrhofer und Schülerin Ramona Hörmann. Foto: DV

Ganz still war es in der Aula der Oberhachinger Mittel- und Wirtschaftsschule, als der Geschäftsführer von Handicap International, Francois de Keersmaeker, zu den Aktionstagen gegen Landminen einen Vortrag hielt. Die Schüler waren erschüttert von den Einzelschicksalen der betroffenen Menschen und konnten es kaum fassen, dass heutzutage alle 30 Minuten irgendwo auf der Welt eine Landmine hochgeht und einen unschuldigen Menschen tötet oder verstümmelt.

„Es macht einen nachdenklich und auch wütend, dass es in so vielen Ländern Landminen gibt und immer noch Länder solche Waffen produzieren und verkaufen“, fand Benjamin Pavlovic (13), Schüler der Klasse 7a der Oberhachinger Mittel- und Wirtschaftsschule. Mit Unterstützung von Klassenleiterin Alexandra Mayrhofer haben die Jugendlichen der Klasse 7a die Aktionstage an der Schule auf die Beine gestellt. „Die Idee dazu hat sich bei der Klassenlektüre entwickelt“, berichtete Mayrhofer. „Die Schüler haben viel nachgefragt und wollten sich intensiver mit dem Thema beschäftigen.“

So wurde beschlossen, eine Ausstellung zu machen, die jetzt mit Hilfe von Handicap International in der Schule zu sehen ist. Außerdem riefen die Schüler dazu auf, bei der Aktion „Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“ sich für das Ottawa-Abkommen stark zu machen, das für ein Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen eintritt.

„Es ist nicht zu glauben, dass die USA das Abkommen bis jetzt nicht unterzeichnet haben. Die könnten Vorbildfunktion für andere Länder haben“, betonte Benjamin. Mitschülerin Ramona Hörmann (13) ergänzte, dass das Schicksal der Menschen zeigt, wie wichtig es ist, dass man füreinander eintritt. „Es ist toll, wie diese Leute trotz schwierigster Umstände noch ihren Lebensmut behalten.“

Mayrhofer freut sich über das Engagement der Klasse, offen für politische und sozialkritische Themen sei. „So lernen die Jugendlichen, ihre eigene Meinung zu entwickeln, in Worte zu fassen und auch anderen zu vermitteln“, erklärte sie.

Birgit Davies

Quelle: Münchener Merkur

(c) Norwegian People's Aid

SYRIA: GOVERNMENT BOMBS RAIN ON CIVILIANS

Introduction
Civilians continue to be at the receiving end of increasingly frequent indiscriminate attacks by Syrian government forces. Imprecise weapons designed for the battlefield are killing, maiming and displacing growing numbers of civilians – many of them children. Unguided air-delivered bombs, artillery, rockets, and ballistic missiles which cannot be aimed at specific targets and do not distinguish between military targets and civilian objects, and internationally banned cluster munitions are being used daily against civilian residential areas in towns and villages, in utter disregard for the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
Government forces also continue to commit other grave violations, including war crimes, notably they frequently arbitrarily detain, torture, disappear and extrajudicially execute men and boys suspected of support for armed opposition groups fighting the state or of support for political opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
In a recent two-week investigation in northern Syria Amnesty International visited 17 towns and villages in the Idlib, Jabal al-Zawiya and Jisr al-Shughour areas and Aleppo city, and carried out field investigations into indiscriminate attacks which killed more than 310 civilians (including more than 157 children and 52 women) and injured hundreds of others. The organization’s findings show that the frequency and scale of such attacks – which constitute war crimes - has increased in recent months, with disastrous consequences for the civilian population.
In all of these cases the attacks were either direct attacks on civilians or indiscriminate; all available information indicates that there were no obvious military targets or military operations or confrontations at or near the sites of the attacks at the time of the attacks. The attacks were indiscriminate as the nature of the weapons and munitions used means that they cannot be aimed at specific targets. Even giving government forces the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that they believed that there were actually military targets in the areas attacked, the routine and repeated use of inappropriate battlefield weapons in residential areas or inherently indiscriminate weapons has meant that civilians were unlawfully killed and injured and civilian objects needlessly destroyed or damaged. These and other attacks investigated in previous months show a pattern of government forces targeting towns and villages which are under the control of armed opposition groups, invariably killing and injuring civilians. And in many such cases government forces carried out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects – one of the gravest violations of international humanitarian law.
The number of civilians displaced by the conflict has skyrocketed in recent months, with several thousands of Syrians and others fleeing to other countries every day and many more moving from place to place within Syria in search of safe shelter. With Turkey having imposed strict restrictions on the entry of Syrian refugees in recent months, tens of thousands have been left stranded in dire humanitarian and health conditions in makeshift camps on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey.
FROM SHOOTING PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS TO AIR BOMBARDMENTS AND BALLISTIC MISSILES STRIKES AGAINST CIVILIANS
Syrian government forces have been targeting civilians from the outset of the protest movement which began two years ago. Indeed, such attacks were at the core of government policy in dealing with the initially peaceful protests. At first security forces and state-armed pro-government shabiha militias randomly fired live rounds into crowds of peaceful protesters, killing and injuring both demonstrators and bystanders alike.
Protestors and their supporters were hunted down, with many killed and others arrested, disappearing into the black holes of Syrian state-run prisons and detention centres where torture and other ill-treatment is rife. Hundreds have never emerged alive.
As the weeks and months passed, armed opposition groups formed to counter government repression, and the situation gradually evolved into an internal armed conflict which has spread across much of Syria. However, peaceful protesters and armed insurgents have not been the only, or even the main, targets. Rather, the authorities embarked from early on in the crisis on a policy of brutal attacks which amount to collective punishment and which appear aimed at terrorizing into submission peaceful protestors as well as members of armed opposition groups and those around them – including those whose connections to the uprising and subsequent conflict are purely circumstantial, such as residents of areas which have come to be under the control of opposition forces.
As the conflict spread, Syrian armed forces and pro-government militias carried out destructive incursions in town and villages, where they extrajudicially executed captured opposition fighters, their relatives and other civilian residents, and burned and vandalized residents’ homes and businesses.
Mainly since 2012, government forces have increasingly resorted to shelling civilian residential areas which had come under the control of opposition forces with tank rounds, mortars and artillery. As armed opposition groups gained control of more territory and drove government forces out of a growing number of towns and villages, around August 2012 government forces began resorting to air bombardments. Air strikes have since increased, and continued to be systematically directed against towns and villages under the control of armed opposition groups. Air attacks have seldom targeted opposition forces’ positions in these areas, and have often struck residential neighborhoods, killing and maiming civilians not involved in the conflict. The increased frequency of such attacks since the last quarter of 2012 has resulted in a dramatic increase in civilian deaths and injuries, and in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
The choice of munitions and the means of delivery used to bomb towns and village has been a key factor in the indiscriminate nature of such attacks. The bombs used – both the Soviet-made general purpose bombs, and the seemingly locally made “barrel bombs” (large barrels filled with explosive and metal fragments to increase lethality), and, especially since October 2012, internationally banned cluster bombs – are unguided – that is they cannot be accurately aimed at specific targets. It is thus no surprise that civilians have borne the brunt of such attacks. Since December 2012, in addition to air-delivered cluster bombs, government forces have also been using notoriously inaccurate medium-range ground-launched “Sakr” rockets containing cluster sub-munitions (as described below).
The latest and most lethal weapons deployed so far are surface-to-surface ballistic missiles which were used in February 2013 in attacks against residential districts in Aleppo city with disastrous consequences – both in terms of the large numbers of fatalities and casualties and unprecedented scale of destruction they caused.
Attacks with such missiles were first reported in December 2012, but mostly landed outside population centres. Amnesty International has not been able to conclusively identify the type of missiles used in these or other attacks, but all available information indicates that ballistic missiles were used. All the survivors and other residents interviewed by Amnesty International said that they had not seen or heard any aircraft prior to the strikes; the scale of the destruction from the three attacks documented is far greater than that caused by any air strikes previously seen in Syria. Syrian activists based in the city of Yabroud (about 80 km north of Damascus) reported seeing ballistic missiles being launched from the area shortly before twin strikes in the Aleppo districts of Tariq al-Bab and Ard al-Hamra at about 6pm on 22 February. Despite the Syrian authorities’ denial that they have used ballistic missiles, the use of such weapons has been documented.
Ballistic missile strikes destroying entire families and neighborhoods in seconds
More than 160 residents of three districts of eastern Aleppo were killed and hundreds injured, and scores of homes were destroyed in three ballistic missiles attacks on 18 and 22 February 2013. Though not the first such attacks, these were by far the most deadly and destructive.
Sabah Mairi, a 31-year-old mother of five who survived the carnage of the double strike which killed at least 117 residents of the adjoining Ard al-Hamra and Tariq al-Bab districts in the early evening of 22 February 2013, told Amnesty International about her loss: “We were at home, my family and mother and sisters. I did not hear any noise from a plane. Suddenly I lost the ground from under my feet. My children were killed, my daughters, Isra’, Amani and Aya, aged 4, 6 and 11, my husband, my mother, my 14-year-old sister Nour, and my other sister’s children, Ahmad, Abdallah and Mohammad, aged 18 months, and 3 and 4 years. They were all killed, what is left for me in this life? Only my boy survived; now he is all I have. May God help us!”
Another resident told Amnesty International that he lost his brother Hussein Khalaf, his brother’s wife Fatima, and their five children – twins Nour and Reem, 5; Asma’, 3; Iman, 10; and Mahmud, 13 – and Fatima’s brother, who had just got married: “What can I say? I have no words to describe what happened; it was a massacre. Whole families were massacred, in their homes. How can this be allowed to happen?”
Almost a month later the bodies of several of those killed in the strikes have not yet been found. Among those missing were several members of the al-Hussein (Tarzan) family. A member of the family told Amnesty International: “My cousin Zeinab al-‘Alu, 30, the wife of Jasem al-Hussein (Tarzan) and her five children were all killed and her sister-in-law Reem, Mohamed al-Hussein (Tarzan)’s wife, and her four children were also killed. She was 33 and was pregnant. The oldest of the nine children was Zeinab’s daughter, Nisrin, who was 11, and the youngest was Reem’s son, Lu’ay, not even one year old. The bodies of some of the children have not been found yet. Their home was exactly in the place where the missile struck and was pulverized. The body of a child was found in another street nearby, thrown from the force of the explosion; I am not sure if it was confirmed that it was Ibrahim, aged seven, Zeinab’s oldest son. Some of the bodies could not be identified, they were in shreds.”
On 2 March 2013, in one of Amnesty International’s visits to the area, relatives of some of those who perished in the attack were still searching for the missing ones, digging in the enormous mountains of rubble with nothing more than shovels; they had just recovered the arm of a child. One of them told Amnesty International: “The world has forgotten us. Our children get slaughtered every day and the world does nothing. Here we have lost our families and homes and everything and have received no help at all.”
Hammoudeh al-Hussein, 40, who lost his wife and five of their seven children (four daughters and a son) in the attack and who was himself injured, told Amnesty International: “I heard my daughter Amani call her little brother and then I don’t remember anything. I don’t know how long I lay under the rubble before I was pulled out. The bodies of my wife and my daughter Amani were not found until six days later. I lost my wife and five of my children. God left me two of my children and I don’t know how we can rebuild our lives. I have nothing to give to my children.”
Nearby, in the Tariq al-Bab area, where some 14 people were killed in a similar attack only minutes before the Ard al-Hamra strike, a resident pointed to a place in the rubble where she said that a family of seven were killed.
Another resident, Ayham al-Hammoud told Amnesty International: “My baby daughter, Ghazal, who was eight months old, was killed and my four-year-old son and my mother were injured. My brother lost his wife, Siham. She left behind six children, the youngest one is a baby, still breastfeeding. My cousin Ibrahim, aged 10, was also killed.”
In the Jabal Badro district of Aleppo, where the first of the three attacks occurred, in the evening of 18 February 2013, Hussein al-Saghir, a 15-year-old boy showed Amnesty International a point in the mountain of rubble, where their home used to be: “Five of my brothers were killed, Hassan, 12; Abd al-Qader, 15; the twins Mahmoud and Rabi’a, 19; Abbas, 20 and his wife (their children were saved); Ahmad, 25, and his wife Hamida and their 3 small children. The youngest child, Mohammad Ali was only 3 days old and his sisters, Warda, 18 months and Fathiya, 3 years. My brother Mahmoud was pulled from under the rubble and he survived but his wife, Amina, 20 and their two small children, Qasem, 12 months and Warda, two years, were killed. My mother was badly injured and is now in hospital in Turkey. She does not know that her sons are dead. All my extended family lived here, we had 10 houses. My uncle, Mohamed Ali, lost 27 members of his family. He has lost his mind; he doesn’t know anything anymore. He is in the countryside; everyone who survived has gone to stay with relatives or friends somewhere. Here there is only rubble left”.
It is difficult to determine the exact extent of the material loss caused by these three strikes as the task of cataloguing the material damage has not yet been carried out, as survivors of the attacks are for now focused on trying to find missing relatives, caring for the wounded and the orphans, and simply trying to survive after having lost everything. There is however no doubt about the massive scale of the destruction, with scores of homes having been completely destroyed and/or damaged beyond repair. Some houses, those closer to the point of impact of the strike, have been completely destroyed – walls and content reduced to fine dust – making it difficult to know where the houses stood before. Other houses, much further away (100 metres or more) from the strike location, also incurred serious structural damage, some beyond repair and many residents who survived the strike are now living in badly damaged and unsafe homes.
Frequent use of internationally banned cluster bombs in residential neighbourhoods
“Inas, two years; Heba, 8; Rama, 5; Nizar, 6; Taha, 11 months; Mohamed, 18 months. They were all killed; why? Why bomb children?” As he spoke to Amnesty International, these children’s relative was still trying to find out about the fate of other members of his family, including four children, who had been injured and rushed off, some of them to hospitals across the border in Turkey.
A dozen other civilians were killed and scores more injured in this multiple cluster bomb attack on a densely populated housing estate in the Masaken Hanano district of Aleppo on 1 March 2013 at about 11.30 am. Among those killed were Mahmud al-‘Asal and his 16-year-old son Iyad; 10-year-old Noura Ibrahim; and 60-year-old Adnan Kamil. Medical workers at one of the field hospitals said that three of the bodies they had received were in shreds and had not yet been identified.
When an Amnesty International delegate visited the site, two hours after the attack, she found nine Russian-made RBK bombs – one only metres from the front door of one of the buildings; three in a small garden between the buildings; one on the roof of a building; two in a small empty space between buildings; one in the middle of an alley; and one in another garden. Scores of unexploded PTAB-2.5M sub-munitions (bomblets) contained in the cluster bombs were littering the pavements, alleys and gardens between the buildings and the rooftops. Some of the lethal bomblets had penetrated through the walls of the buildings, exploding inside people’s homes, and in several places the buildings’ walls were peppered with shrapnel holes.
On the pavements and in the alleys between the buildings there were pools of blood and pieces of human flesh of the residents who were killed and injured in the attack. Some residents were fleeing the area, terrified of further strikes.
A 10-year-old girl showed Amnesty International the spot where her three-year-old brother, Ibrahim, was standing, just outside the family’s ground floor apartment, when he was struck on the head by shrapnel from one of the scores of cluster sub-munitions (bomblets) which exploded all over the housing estate.
In an apartment in one of the buildings 18-year-old Mahmoud, lay on the floor with shrapnel lacerations to his face, legs and arms. Blood was seeping through the bandages Shaking and visibly in shock, he said: “I was sitting outside my home with my friends; the little ones were playing around us. There were explosions; the children were screaming and then I don’t remember anything.” Relatives said the youth was found in pool of blood. He was taken to a field hospital, where he was given basic treatment and released. Field hospitals have few human or material resources, and have to release patients as quickly as possible because they fear attacks – hospitals have been bombed in the past year.
Amnesty International recorded the names of 60 people, more than half of them children, who were being treated in field hospitals in Aleppo city. They included seven-year-old Abdo al-Dik, who suffered deep lacerations to his abdomen and legs. His three-year-old brother Nizar was killed in the attack and another brother, aged six, was still missing several hours after the strike. Six-year-old Mustafa Ali, who had sustained shrapnel injuries to the head, neck and shoulders, did not know what had happened to the relatives he was visiting when the bombs struck. Noura, a 20-year-old woman, sustained multiple fractures to her left leg when a cluster sub-munitions exploded inside her ground-floor apartment.
Six days later, on the morning of 7 March a double cluster bomb strike on a southern district of Sarmin, a small town in the Idlib governorate, killed a 10-year-old girl, Amani al-Sheikh Ahmad, and a 25-year-old mother of two, Rania Kashtu, and injured more than 10 civilians, including several children. Residents told Amnesty International that the double air strikes happened at about 10 am.
A resident told Amnesty International: “There were so many injured, they had horrible cuts and pieces of flesh missing. Little children were screaming in so much pain; it was heartbreaking, and the medics in the field hospital didn’t know who to attend to first.” Footage of the aftermath of the bombing shows a number of unexploded AO-1 SCH fragmentation bomblets, the other type of cluster sub-munitions contained in the RBK bombs which are frequently dropped by Syrian aircraft.
In al-Najiya, a small village near the town of Jisr al-Shughour, several residents were killed and injured by cluster bombs in recent months. A 13-year-old girl, Nour Mustafa al-Keis, was killed and her three sisters, baby brother and mother were injured when cluster bombs rained on the village on 15 January 2013. Nour’s mother told Amnesty International: “I was coming back home with the children, we had been visiting our relatives here in the village, just a few streets away. It was about 1.30 pm. We were in the centre of the village when we heard a plane circling above, then it bombed but not immediately above us, but the bombs came to us, in the little street between the houses. Everything was full of smoke, I could not see anything, I could not see my children. When I found Nour she was lying face down in a pool of blood”. Nour’s mother and siblings are still suffering from multiple shrapnel injuries to their faces and bodies, and some 10 other villagers were also injured in the attack, some seriously.
In the same village, an elderly widow, Fatima Bakkour, was killed in her bed when a cluster bomblet went through the roof and exploded into her home in the afternoon of 9 February 2013. One of the volunteers who tried to rescue the woman told Amnesty International: “One of the bombs went through the roof and into Fatima’s home right above her bed. We tried to save her but the bomb had caused a huge wound by her waist and abdomen and she died almost immediately, as we were evacuating her from her home.”
In Salqeen, a town in the west of the Idlib governorate, 18 people were killed and dozens more injured, most of them children, on 18 January 2013 in a cluster bomb attack in the centre of the town. Among the victims were two 10-year-old schoolchildren, Rawan Yaser Darukh and Abd al-Rahman Aasous. Rawan was killed and her siblings and cousins were injured when a cluster bomblet exploded as they were playing outside the family’s grocery store. Abd al-Rahman’s parents told Amnesty International that the boy had been playing in the street downstairs from their apartment when the explosions happened: “Neighbours rescued him and brought him upstairs but he was already dead; he had gushing wounds to the head”. The strikes took place just after Friday prayer, with cluster bomblets exploding all along a main street lined with shops. Amnesty International counted more than 20 locations where cluster bomblets exploded and interviewed a dozen of people injured in the attack, most of them children. A fruit seller who was also injured in the strike told Amnesty International: “My neighbour Saad Rashid Aktaa and I were coming back from Friday prayers and we had almost arrived at my fruit stall when the explosion happened. Sa’ad was killed. He left behind five children who are now orphans. I was injured by shrapnel in the legs”.
The first recorded use of cluster bombs by Syrian government forces was in the Jabal Chahchaboun area of Hama Province on 10 July 2012. Since October 2012 cluster bombs have been used with increasingly frequently all over the country. The cluster bombs and rockets used by Syrian government forces are unguided, that is they cannot be aimed at specific targets; they disperse large numbers of bomblets (cluster sub-munitions) over large areas - a radius of hundreds of metres. A high percentage of these bomblets do not explode on impact and leave a deadly legacy for the civilian population as they may explode at any time if picked up or accidentally touched – they effectively become anti-personnel mines. It is because of these characteristics that cluster bombs are internationally banned.
Unexploded cluster bombs – a deadly legacy
Shafiq Hatem Sheikh Yassin, an 18-year-old first year agriculture student was killed in the courtyard of his home when he picked up a cluster sub-munition which had landed unexploded just before 1pm 24 February 2013 in Mar’aand, a small village in the countryside around Jisr al-Shughur. His mother told Amnesty International: “When the cluster bomb fell into the courtyard we were all there; we did not know what it was and that it could explode. We went out and Shafiq remained in the courtyard and he picked it up (the bomblet) and it exploded and killed him. Why throw such bombs which kill innocent people in their homes?”
A neighbour of the family showed Amnesty International three unexploded PTAB-2.5M sub-munitions in her shed, in a precarious and unsteady location, with the firewood. She said her children had collected them from the many that lay scattered around after the cluster bomb attack on the village and brought them home, not realizing how dangerous they are. After their neighbour Shafiq was killed by the same kind of bomblets, the family realized the danger lurking in their home and wanted to be rid of the deadly bomblets.
Mousa Ramadan Hassoun, a 16-year-old 10th grade student from Darkoush, a village between Jisr al-Shughour and the Turkish border, was killed on 20 February 2013 when he picked up one of the unexploded cluster bomblets which had been fired into the outskirts of the village. One of his cousins who was also injured in the explosion, told Amnesty International: “Me and Mousa and our 12-year-old cousin were grazing the sheep half a way up the hill and we found some objects - shaped like cylinders, a bit bigger than cups of coffees, each with a white ribbon attached to it. There were lots of them. We picked up one each but then me and my little cousin put them down and left them there. Mousa put the one he picked up in his pocket, on the right pocket of his jacket. He walked maybe 200-300 metres and it exploded in this pocket. His right arm was cut off and his abdomen was cut open. He died immediately. I was injured in the legs from the explosion but our little cousin was saved because he was further away.”
The cluster bomblets which killed Mousa Ramadan Hassoun and injured his cousin were
of a different type kind from those used in the other attacks mentioned in this report. They are smaller and darker, each with a white ribbon attached to it, and belong to the family of Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM). They are delivered by 122 mm rockets which are launched from BM-21 multiple launchers, usually mounted on trucks and notoriously inaccurate. The remains of the rockets seen by Amnesty International in Darkoush were branded with the logo of the Egyptian “Sakr” factory (a subsidiary of the Egyptian state-owned Arab Organization for Industrialization). According to the specifications, these rockets carry 72 to 98 cluster sub-munitions and can be launched by single, quadruple and multi-tube launchers, including the conventional BM-21 multiple launcher. These cluster-submunition rockets have been used by the Syrian army since at least December 2012. In February 2013 government forces began deploying yet another type of cluster bombs, larger and containing a greater number of cluster sub-munitions.
On 26 February 2013 residents of Darkoush showed Amnesty International the remains of several 122 mm “Sakr” rockets which had struck in and around the village in previous days and weeks, littering the areas with cluster sub-munitions. They said that dozens of unexploded bomblets had been cleared from the areas inside the village by local fighters and volunteers, but were concerned that the fields around the village were more difficult to clear because the bomblets get hidden in the tall grass, where they pose a particular threat for shepherds and farmers.
INDISCRIMINATE AIR BOMBARDMENTS – A DAILY OCCURRENCE
“When the village was being shelled, last summer, we would try to stay in the most inner room on the ground floor of the house, because it was safer. Then the air bombardment began and really there was nothing I could do to keep the children safe. So we left and came here, but the situation is so bad here that I don’t know what is worse – to stay here in this bad situation of to go back and die in my home”. A resident of Kafr Rouma, a village in the south of the Idlib governorate, now sheltering in one of the IDP camps along the Turkish border.
“First we went to hide in the old Roman caves in the countryside and then we even dug caves in the village next to the houses, but the bombardments are so fierce, they flatten whole houses, even sturdy houses, so the caves don’t afford much protection. And we can’t keep the children in the caves all the time and often you don’t hear the plane before the bombardments and there is no time to escape. What can I do to keep my children safe?” A resident of Haas village, in Jabal al-Zawiya.
In the town of Salqeen, in the west of Idlib governorate, more than 20 residents were killed as a result of an air strike which destroyed four small houses and several apartments on both sides of a narrow street in the Bazaar district on 1 October 2012. Among those killed were Ghassan Droubi, 14; Mohammad Hassan Ramadan, 13; Mohamed Kayali, 15; Abu Ibrahim Sinnu and his 15-year-old son Mustafa; Siham Naddu, in her mid 50s, her 14-year-old son, her granddaughters Masha’il and Fatima, aged 8 and 4, her grandsons Abdallah and Mohamed, aged 10 and 6, and her relative Fatima Khalilu, a mother of seven.
Hassan Mohammad al-Dha’if, aged two, and his four-year-old sister Aya were killed while playing outside their home in the village of Haas, in Jabal al-Zawiya, on 14 February 2013. The children’s aunt told Amnesty International: “There is no safety anywhere. It was lunchtime and the children were playing outside, between the houses, when two missiles from a plane struck our relatives’ houses on the other side of the street. My daughter and my niece were both injured and my cousin and I were also injured.”
A few streets away a week later, on 21 February, at around the same time, 12-year-old Bitoul Abd al-Hamid al-Farhat was killed in yet another air strike which also injured her mother, her seven-year-old sister and her three brothers, aged 18 months to nine years.
A baby boy, Ahmad Ibrahim Tweish, and his four sisters – Sarah, 6, Amira, 9 and twins Rama and Rim, 12, were among some 20 civilians, most of them children, who were killed in a single air bombardment in Maaret al-Na’aman on 6 November 2012. Ibrahim Tweish, the children’s father told Amnesty International: “It was about 3.30 or 3.45 pm and I was in the street near the house when the bomb struck. It was as if the world collapsed around me. My five children were killed and my wife seriously injured, and our next door neighbours were all killed; most of them were women and children, one of them a newborn baby girl, and her grandmother who was disabled and could not walk. It was a massacre, bodies were torn to shreds. Three of the bodies have not yet been found.”
The indiscriminate nature of the air strikes being launched daily against towns and villages makes it impossible for the civilian population to take protective measures – short of leaving the country.
DISREGARD FOR INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW (THE LAWS OF WAR)
The Syrian government has repeatedly denied that its forces carry out indiscriminate attacks or deliberately target civilian residential areas, and has often stated that its forces only target armed insurgents. Such assertions are flatly contradicted by the reality on the ground. The cases contained in this report and hundreds of other cases investigated by Amnesty International in previous months, and the many attacks witnessed by the organization’s delegate on the ground, are evidence that indiscriminate attacks and direct attacks on civilians and civilians objects are widespread as well as systematic and have been consistently increasing over the past year.
Where armed confrontations do occur in populated residential areas, the warring parties must take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians. They must take precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects under their control against the effects of attacks by the adversary, including by avoiding - to the maximum extent feasible - locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas. International humanitarian law also expressly prohibits tactics such as using “human shields” to prevent an attack on military targets. However, failure by one side to separate its fighters from civilians and civilian objects does not relieve its opponent of its obligation under IHL to direct attacks only at combatants and military objectives and to take all necessary precautions in attack to spare civilians and civilian objects.
All over Syria both government forces and armed opposition groups are present and often operate in civilian residential areas. A fundamental rule of international humanitarian law is that all parties to a conflict – in this case Syrian government forces and opposition fighters (members of the FSA and other armed opposition groups, regardless of whether or not they are affiliated to the FSA) – must at all times distinguish between civilians (and civilian objects) and combatants (and military objectives). Attacks may only be directed against combatants and military objectives. In case of doubt, individuals and objects should be presumed to be civilian (and immune from attack).
Intentional attacks directed against civilians not taking part in hostilities, indiscriminate attacks (which do not distinguish between civilian and military targets), and disproportionate attacks (which may be expected to cause incidental harm to civilians that would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated) are prohibited and constitute war crimes. These rules apply equally to all parties to armed conflicts (whether government forces or non-state armed groups) at all times without exception.
When parties are fighting in the vicinity of civilians they must choose appropriate means and methods of attack. This requirement rules out the use of certain types of weapons and tactics. The use of means and methods of combat that cannot be directed at a specific military objective may result in indiscriminate attacks and is prohibited. The widespread use by Syrian government forces of battlefield weapons that have a wide impact radius and/or wide margin of error, or cannot be directed at specific targets, as well as their use of internationally banned cluster bombs, in populated residential areas has resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties. Attacks - such as those documented in this report - which government forces carry out knowing that they will cause massive civilian casualties and destruction of civilian objects, flagrantly violate the prohibition of indiscriminate attack and constitute war crimes. Shelling and bombardments of residential areas in which there are no opposition fighters or military objectives constitute direct attacks on civilians and are war crimes.
Opposition fighters, while mostly fighting with short-range light weapons, have at times also used imprecise mortars or inherently indiscriminate rockets in populated residential areas, putting civilians at risk and in contravention of the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks.
The fact that one of the parties to a conflict is systematically violating the rules of IHL does not in any way excuse the commission of similar violations by other parties. In this regard, Amnesty International reiterates its warning to all Syrian armed opposition groups and their leadership that, as they seek to procure or manufacture longer-range weapons, they should be fully aware that the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks applies equally to them. Any use of artillery, mortars, and unguided rockets in populated residential areas violates this prohibition and may constitute a war crime for which they will be held accountable.
ARBITRARY ARRESTS, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES, TORTURE AND EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS CONTINUE – ALEPPO’S ‘RIVER OF DEATH’
Young men and boys in Aleppo are continuing to be subjected to enforced disappearances after being detained by government forces. Many have been missing for months; for some there is no news of their fate and whereabouts while for others families have managed to unofficially obtain some information – usually by paying corrupt security officials or thanks to contacts in the security forces.
Bodies of those who had disappeared in the custody of the various Syrian security agencies have regularly been found dumped in public places, often handcuffed behind their backs, with torture marks, and with gunshot wounds, most often to the head. In a previous visit to Aleppo in August 2012 Amnesty International documented several cases of young men and boys who had been arrested in the streets or at their homes, extrajudicially executed and their bodies then dumped in public places, often around the headquarters of the notorious Air Force Intelligence, which has proven track record of such practices.
In the past two months a new and disturbing pattern has emerged: bodies of men and boys who had disappeared in previous days or weeks are being washed up in Aleppo’s Kweik River, most with their hands tied behind their backs and shot in the back of the head, apparently at close range. Some also have marks which suggest they were tortured before death.
The first incident occurred on 29 January 2013, when 82 bodies appeared in a stretch of the river in a part of the district of Bustan al-Qasr under the control of armed opposition groups, having floated there from an area under the control of government forces a few hundred metres upstream.
Since then, more than 90 other bodies have been recovered from the same spot in the river – all having floated there from the government controlled area upstream. They mostly appeared in small numbers until 10 March, when 23 bodies were found, followed by another 10 the following day.
On 3 March an Amnesty International delegate examined one of the bodies which had just been recovered from the river. On the face something had been written with a blue marker but had been partially erased by the water and mud (the body was floating face-down when it was found); on the forehead was written “Assad” and on the left cheek “Surya” (Syria); the writing on the right check and the chin could not be deciphered.
The victim, Ahmad Ali Salah Hamwi, was only identified two days later, together with the body of his 12-year-old son, Hassan, which had been recovered from the river the following day, with three other bodies.
Most bodies are buried without being identified as there are is no functioning morgue or electricity to keep the bodies refrigerated. Local volunteers keep photographs of the bodies found in the river in a small office in the area, where families whose relatives are missing can go and look at the photos.
Among the bodies found on 29 January was a 15-year-old boy, ‘Abd al-Majid Reem Batsh and his 38-year-old uncle Majid Nunu. One of their relatives told Amnesty International: “’Abd al-Majid lived with his grandmother because his parents are working in Libya. On Sunday (27 January) he went with his uncle Majid [to the government-controlled areas] to register the birth of Majid’s new baby. They never returned home and on Tuesday (29 January) their bodies were found in the river. The boy had torture marks on his face and had been shot in the heart; his uncle had been shot in the head”.
The body of another child, believed to be nine-year-old Mahmoud Abd al-Bari, was found in the river on 10 March 2013, together with 22 other bodies – the largest number of bodies found in a single day since 29 January.
Among those whose bodies were found in the river since 29 January was Mohammad Shaaban Mustafa, a 47-year-old railway worker. On the morning of 13 February he left his home in Bustan al-Qasr and went to work in the Baghdad Station area (under government control), as he did every day, but never returned home. His body washed up on the river the following morning with a large gunshot wound in the head.
The bodies are first sighted at a point very close to the government-controlled area but it is too dangerous to try to recover them from there because the area is exposed to government sniper fire. Instead local volunteers wait for the bodies to float another 300 metres or so downstream where they can be recovered more safely.
An Amnesty International delegate visited the area when bodies were recovered and examined the bodies and the sites where the bodies are first sighted and where they area recovered. The organization has received the names of more than 60 men and boys whose bodies were recovered from the river and has spoken to relatives of a number of victims. Most do not want to testify publicly or even to have their names or the names of their deceased relatives mentioned for fear of possible repercussions for themselves and their relatives who live or work in government controlled areas.
The victims who were identified either lived in, or had strong ties to, areas controlled by armed opposition groups, but went missing in government-controlled areas or while going to/returning from government-controlled areas. Many, according to their families, were not involved in politics or in the opposition activities and may have been targeted simply because they lived or spent time in opposition-controlled areas – a factor which may have been interpreted by government forces as evidence that the victims belong to or support the armed opposition groups which control parts of the city.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations, as well as several UN mechanisms have repeatedly documented crimes against humanity, war crimes and other grave violations of international humanitarian law committed by Syrian government forces. The victims have been mostly civilians not involved in the conflict as well as members of the armed opposition.
This briefing provides fresh evidence that such crimes under international law are widespread as well as systematic, and are being perpetrated on an ever increasing scale and as part of state policy. These crimes appear aimed at terrorizing and collectively punishing communities living in areas under the control of armed opposition groups – who are seemingly suspected of supporting the armed opposition for the mere reason that they have remained living in these areas when these were taken over by one or other of the armed opposition groups operating in the country.
To the Syrian authorities
Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Syrian authorities to:
end to indiscriminate attacks against civilian areas. The increase in the scope and scale of indiscriminate attacks and direct attacks on civilians by government forces in recent months is yet more evidence of the Syrian government’s contempt for international law, and demonstrates just how urgent the need is for decisive international action by the international community to curb the spiraling violations which are being committed daily with utter impunity;
end arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions and make clear to all government forces and militias that such violations will not be tolerated;
provide full co-operation and unimpeded access to the independent international Commission of Inquiry to investigate all alleged crimes under international law and violations and abuses of international human rights law;
allow international human rights monitors and humanitarian agencies prompt and unfettered access to Syria.
To the UN Security Council
As a first and urgent step, Amnesty International is calling on the UN Security Council to:
refer the situation in Syria to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Such a step would make clear to all sides that those who order or carry out war crimes and crimes against humanity will be held accountable for their actions;
immediately impose an arms embargo on Syria with the aim of stopping the flow of weapons to the Syrian government, and establish an effective mechanism to monitor compliance;
demand prompt and unfettered access to Syria for the UN independent international Commission of Inquiry, humanitarian and human rights organizations and international journalists;
implement an asset freeze against President Bashar al-Assad and his senior associates who may be involved in ordering or perpetrating crimes under international law.
To all Governments
Amnesty International is calling on all governments to:
accept a shared responsibility to investigate and prosecute crimes against humanity and other crimes under international law committed in Syria or anywhere in the world. In particular, seek to exercise universal jurisdiction over these crimes before national courts in fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty;
as part of this shared responsibility, establish joint international investigation and prosecution teams to investigate crimes under international law committed in Syria to improve the effectiveness of investigation, improve the chances of arrest and co-ordinate prosecutions.

Source: Amnesty International

Bei eisigen Temperaturen überraschten rund 20 Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten die Passanten am Münchner Stachus mit einem Flashmob zum Auftakt der Kampagne "Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen". © Xu Li (vox sola photography)

Am 1. März vor 14 Jahren trat der Ottawa-Vertrag über ein Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen in Kraft: das richtige Datum für die Eröffnung der weltweiten Kampagne „Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“! Um den Kampagnenzeitraum öffentlichkeitswirksam einzuläuten, hatte sich das Team von Handicap International gemeinsam mit einer Gruppe sehr engagierter Ehrenamtlicher einen Flashmob (Smartmob) überlegt, der zum Nachdenken anregt. Über Facebook fanden sich viele Mitstreiter, die trotz der Kälte Lust hatten, daran teilzunehmen.

Die Idee: Das aus Krimiserien bekannte Motiv eines Leichenumrisses wurde auf die Pflastersteine des Karlsplatzes gesprüht – direkt am Eingang zur Shoppingmeile in der Innenstadt. Der durchaus verstörende Anblick des Leichenumrisses wurde – in Anlehnung an das Kampagnenmotiv – durch ein fehlendes Bein  noch verstärkt. Nachdem über Lautsprecher ein lauter Knall ertönte, warfen sich die rund 20 Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten auf den Boden – und dabei auf oder neben die Leichenumrisse. Sie blieben einige kalte Sekunden lang liegen, verschwanden dann nach einer halben Minute wieder und hinterließen "Danger Mines" Warnschilder. Leider waren für einen Freitag verhältnismäßig wenige shoppinglustige Passanten unterwegs, was natürlich an den eisigen Temperaturen lag. Doch die, die da waren, staunten nicht schlecht!

Die Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten strömten direkt im Anschluss an den Flashmob aus. Sie versuchten erfolgreich, möglichst viele Unterzeichner für die Petition für einen Beitritt der USA zum Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen zu gewinnen und gleichzeitig möglichst viele „Zeig dein Bein“ Fotos vor der eigens dafür hergerichteten Fotokulisse zu machen. Der Anblick der Leichenumrisse und der zurückgelassenen "Danger Mines" Schilder war sehr beeindruckend und lockte den ganzen Nachmittag über immer wieder interessierte Passanten an, auch als der Flashmob selbst längst vorbei war.

In Anbetracht der eisigen Kälte war die Aktion ein großartiger Erfolg. Sie machte Lust auf den weiteren Kampagnenzeitraum! Bei der Aktion entstanden viele beindruckende Fotos, die Sie hier >>> anschauen können. Wir bedanken uns bei Xu Li (vox sola photography), der die tollen Bilder aufgenommen hat: Über Facebook erfuhr er von unserer Veranstaltung und kam einfach spontan vorbei!

Mehr Infos und Bilder von gezeigten Beinen unter:

www.zeigdeinbein.de >>>

Quelle: Handicap International >>>

Misrata war eine Hochburg des Widerstands gegen das frühere libysche Regime. Auf dem Weg, Blindgänger zu sichten, kommt ein Mitarbeiter von Handicap International an zerstörten Panzern vorbei. (c) Till Mayer www.tillmayer.de / Handicap International

Zum Audio-Beitrag >>>

Von Peter Steffe

Die Revolution gegen Diktator Gaddafi hat Libyen schwer gezeichnet. Zwischen den Trümmern und auf den Äckern liegen Tausende hochgefährliche Blindgänger. In mühevoller Kleinstarbeit versuchen Sprengstoffexperten, die Minen zu entschärfen. Bis die Gefahr beseitigt ist, werden Jahre vergehen.

Abdulatif, einer der lokalen Mitarbeiter von Handicap International, testet die Funkverbindung. Mit insgesamt vier Fahrzeugen ist das Team von Ian Ford, einem ehemaligen Soldaten der britischen Armee und Sprengstoffexperten, nach Dafnya, einem kleinen Vorort von Misrata, unterwegs:

"In Dafnya gab es heftige Gefechte zwischen Gaddafis Truppen und den Revolutionären. Speziell hier in der Region, erzählt Ian Ford, haben wir sehr, sehr viel zu tun. Von zehn Berichten über gefundene Blindgänger rund um Misrata sind mindestens sechs aus der Gegend um Dafnya…Noch immer will ich wissen. Ja, noch immer, sagt der 43 jährige Brite. Viele Raketen wurden hier von beiden Seiten abgefeuert. Wenn wir uns hier beispielsweise die Pfosten der Straßenlampen ansehen, die sind übersät mit Einschusslöchern. Das zeigt, wie verbissen hier gekämpft wurde …"

Nach rund 15 Minuten Fahrt, vorbei an durchlöcherten Straßenlaternen und Hinweisschildern biegt Abdulatif links ab. Es geht von der Hauptstraße runter auf einen Feldweg. Ian Ford hat ständig sein GPS-Gerät im Blick. Es zeigt ihm an, wie weit es noch bis zum Fundort des Blindgängers ist. Was ihn dort erwartet, kennt er nur von Fotos:

"Ich habe mir die Bilder und Informationen über den Blindgänger angesehen. Soweit ich das beurteilen kann, könnte es eine Panzerfaustgranate sei, die irgendwo abgefeuert wurde und dann auf einem Feld gelandet ist. Noch zweihundert Meter, dann dürften wir da sein, da, über den Hügel noch und dann an dem schwarzen Bewässerungsrohr vorbei, erklärt Ian Ford seinem Fahrer."

Minen im Acker
Den Fund des Blindgängers hat ein Bauer gemeldet, die Informationen, wo sich genau die Stelle befindet, an die Experten von Handicap International weiter gegeben. Bevor allerdings die Sprengstoffspezialisten losfahren, um den Blindgänger unschädlich zu machen, geht ein Erkundungsteam raus. Es werden weitere Informationen gesammelt, Fotos von der Fundstelle gemacht und das nicht explodierte Geschoss markiert. Dann sind die Waffenexperten an der Reihe:

"Hier jetzt noch 160 Meter. Ich denke, wir stellen den Wagen ab und dann schauen wir uns das Teil mal näher an."

Zu Fuß geht's zu einer riesigen Pfütze. Der Blindgänger, tatsächlich die Granate einer Panzerfaust, ist kaum zu erkennen. Sie liegt im Wasser, am Rand eines Ackers. An entschärfen und abtransportieren des knapp 20 Zentimeter langen Geschosses ist nicht zu denken, es wäre zu gefährlich. Ian Ford entscheidet sich, die Granate vor Ort zu sprengen. Rund um den Blindgänger herum werden Sandsäcke platziert. Danach schöpft der 43 jährige Brite aus dem so entstandenen Trichter mit einer Schüssel das Wasser ab, bis die Granate freiliegt. Vorsichtig befestigt er dann Semtex, einen Plastiksprengstoff, an dem Geschoss. In der Zwischenzeit haben die Anderen von Ian Fords Team sich aufgemacht, die Umgebung abzusichern. Eine Straße, die in unmittelbarer Nähe des Fundortes der Granate vorbei führt, muss gesperrt werden. Per Funk bekommen sie Anweisungen:

"Abdulatif, ihr könnt die Straße sperren. Wenn ihr soweit seid, meldet euch …Ja machen wir, da ist noch ein Wagen unterwegs …"

Währenddessen steckt der Sprengstoffexperte von Handicap International noch eine Zündpatrone in den Plastiksprengstoff und befestigt daran einen Zünddraht. In rund 100 Metern Entfernung testet Ian Ford dann den Zündmechanismus:

"Hier, wenn die grüne Lampe leuchtet, das bedeutet, alles ist in Ordnung. Siehst Du, sie brennt. Dann wird noch Spannung aufgebaut, über diesen Knopf hier löse ich die Explosion aus und jage das Geschoss in die Luft."

Dann ist es soweit. Per Funk kommt die Meldung: - die Straße ist frei und abgesperrt:

"Alles klar. Fertig für die Sprengung … Alle bleiben auf ihrer Position, ich schau mir das mal an."

Von der Panzerfaustgranate ist nichts mehr übrig, es kann keine Gefahr mehr von ihr ausgehen. Wäre der Blindgänger normal hochgegangen, niemand im Umkreis von mehreren Metern hätte die Explosion überlebt. Auch der Bauer, der die Granate auf seinem Grundstück entdeckt hatte, schaut sich den Ort der Sprengung an:

"Ich habe neulich beim Pflügen schon mal so einen Blindgänger gefunden und die Experten hier angerufen, die das Teil dann mitgenommen haben. Na klar sorge ich mich um meine Kinder, wenn Sie so eine Granate finden und damit spielen würden, keine Frage, auch für andere Kinder ist das gefährlich, erzählt der 29-Jährige."

Dann stellt sich allerdings heraus, dass er die gesprengte Panzerfaustgranate ursprünglich auf einem seiner Felder gefunden, einfach aufgehoben und dann Richtung Pfütze geworfen hat, wo sie glücklicherweise nicht explodiert ist. Für den Missionschef von Handicap International in Misrata, Paul Mc Coullough ist dieses gefährliche Verhalten nicht neu:

"Wenn die Leute ihre Felder bestellen und etwas finden, dann bewegen sie den Blindgänger meist an den Rand und machen danach weiter. Das beunruhigt uns sehr, zumal wir immer wieder darauf hinweisen, genau das nicht zu tun. Unglücklicherweise machen sie, was sie meinen, machen zu müssen, damit ihr Leben weiter geht."

Die Beseitigung der scharfen Munition dürfte Jahre dauern
Wie viele Blindgänger im Großraum Misrata noch auf Feldern, Wiesen und entlang von Wegen verstreut herumliegen, weiß niemand so genau. Es dürften Tausende sein. Munition, die von den Kriegsparteien 2011 verschossen wurde, aber nicht explodiert ist. Diese gefährlichen Überreste der Revolte gegen Gaddafi zu bergen und unschädlich zu machen wird wohl noch Jahre dauern. Ob man sie restlos beseitigen können wird ist fraglich. Das bedeutet allerdings höchste Lebensgefahr, vor allem für Kinder. Sie können nicht unterscheiden zwischen ungefährlichem Kriegsschrott und scharfer Munition. So erging es dem 11- jährigen Ibrahim. Der kleine Junge steht am Stadtrand von Misrata im Hof seines Vaters und zeigt mir die Stelle, wo im Mai 2011 eine Granate, abgeschossen von Gaddafis Truppen, eingeschlagen ist. Direkt im Hühnerstall. Er hat damals draußen gespielt, erzählt Ibrahims Vater:

"Wir waren zu Hause, haben draußen das Granatfeuer gehört. Wann mein Sohn hier in den Hof gekommen ist, weiß ich nicht mehr. Wir haben dann was laut explodieren hören. Plötzlich kommt er ins Haus, er blutete fürchterlich und schrie nach seiner Mutter."

Ibrahim stand offenbar nur zwei Meter von der explodierenden Granate entfernt. Er wird lebensgefährlich verletzt, kommt mit schwersten Splitter- und Brandwunden ins Krankenhaus. Durch die Explosion hat der 11- Jährige einen Teil seines Fußes verloren. In der Hand hält der kleine Junge ein Plastikdöschen, darin einige Granatsplitter, die ihm die Ärzte damals bei Operationen entfernt haben. Noch viel mehr dieser kleinen Metallteile stecken nach wie vor in seinem Körper. Ibrahim ist traumatisiert. Das Erlebte von damals hat sich in seine Seele gebrannt. Er redet nicht viel, mit Fremden schon gar nicht. Um zu vermeiden, dass noch mehr Kinder durch solche Granaten verletzt werden, setzt Handicap International in Misrata auf Aufklärung. Das Programm nennt sich Risk-Education.

Bombenkunde in der Schule
Neun Uhr, Unterrichtsbeginn in einer Grundschule. Neun- bis dreizehnjährige Jungs sitzen oder stehen dicht gedrängt im Chemiesaal. Khaled von Handicap International hat seinen Laptop aufgeklappt und präsentiert per Videobeamer alle Arten von Waffen, die von den Truppen Gaddafis, aber auch den Revolutionsmilizen während der mehrmonatigen Belagerung Misratas im Gefecht verwendet wurden. In einer Multimedia Show zeigt Khaled den Schülern auch Munition, die von den Kriegsparteien verschossen wurde. Seine Warnung an die Schüler: Nichts aufheben, nichts anfassen, auch wenn ihr neugierig seid und wissen wollt, was für ein Gegenstand das ist, sagt er. Im Frage-Antwort-Spiel will Kahled von den Jungs wissen: Ist das hier gefährlich oder nicht gefährlich?
"Gefährlich", rufen die Schüler im Chor:
Nach rund 45 Minuten ist der Unterricht vorbei, die Schüler erzählen, was sie gelernt haben:

"Ich habe heute gelernt, von solchen Waffen die Finger wegzulassen."
"Ich werde das meinen Geschwistern und Eltern weiter sagen. Wenn ich was finde, dann rufen wir die Leute von Handicap International an."
"Das Zeug ist gefährlich, das nehme ich heute mit."
"Ich habe in der Wohnung von meinem Bruder eine Panzerfaustgranate gefunden. Wir haben eine Miliz angerufen. Die hat dann die Granate abgeholt."
"Ich wusste schon einiges von dem, was er uns erzählt hat. Wenn ich mal eine Granate oder so finde, dann werde ich sofort meine Eltern verständigen und die werden dann diese Organisation anrufen."

Der Direktor der Schule, der auch den Unterricht über Waffen und Blindgänger verfolgt hat, sieht diese Aufklärungsarbeit inzwischen als einen wichtigen Baustein der Schulerziehung:

"Wir wissen, die Kinder haben nach dem Krieg eine schlimme Zeit gehabt. Sie träumen teilweise noch immer von dem Erlebten. Wir sind dankbar, dass sich Handicap International um diese Kinder kümmert. Die Jungs und Mädchen nehmen diese Informationen aus dem Unterricht mit nach Hause und erzählen es ihren Familien. Eines ist klar, hier geht es ja um Leben oder Tod."

Chris Woodburne von Handicap International leitet das Projekt "Risk-Education" in Misrata. Der Südafrikaner ist hinsichtlich der Akzeptanz des Projekts in der Bevölkerung überrascht:

"Wir haben hier nur positive Rückmeldungen von den Menschen hier, wir gehen raus mit unseren Teams, sind direkt vor Ort, haben eine Hotline, die angerufen werden kann, wenn ein Blindgänger gefunden wird. Unsere Sprengstoffexperten kümmern sich dann darum. Man unterstützt uns hier schon sehr bei unserer Arbeit."

Ungezählte Schusswaffen
Ein weiteres Gefahrenpotenzial in Libyen sind Schusswaffen. Wie viele im ganzen Land, seit Ende des Aufstandes gegen Gaddafi, noch immer im Umlauf sind, ist unklar. Internationale Schätzungen gehen von bis zu einer Million aus. Obwohl die libysche Regierung seit Ende des Konflikts, im Herbst 2011, versucht, diese Waffen aus dem Verkehr zu ziehen, um so die Sicherheit für die Bevölkerung zu verbessern, ist die Gefahr nach wie vor immens hoch. In Abu Selim, einem der Stadtviertel der libyschen Hauptstadt Tripolis, befindet sich eines von zwei Notfallkrankenhäusern. In dem 500 Betten Hospital werden Patienten mit Schussverletzungen behandelt. In der Inneren Abteilung liegt Hussein Hassan. Ein 24- jähriger Libyer, der Ende Dezember rund 20 Kilometer südlich von Tripolis am frühen Abend angeschossen und schwer verletzt wurde:

"Es war draußen vor der Stadt. Zwei maskierte Typen mit Maschinenpistolen haben uns angehalten, sie wollten offenbar unseren Wagen klauen. Mein Kumpel ist abgehauen, dann haben sie angefangen auf uns zu schießen. Mich haben mehrere Kugeln getroffen - eine in den Bauch, zwei ins Bein. Wir hatten nichts mit denen zu tun. Wir kannten die nicht."

Hussein und sein Freund hatten vor, nur etwas einzukaufen. Wir wollten Spielzeug für meine Neffen besorgen, erzählt er, dann fielen wie aus dem Nichts die Schüsse. Zwei Operationen und mehrere Wochen Krankenhausaufenthalt hat der 24- Jährige bereits hinter sich. In einigen Wochen muss er sich erneut operieren lassen, am Magen. Obwohl die Polizei ihn und seinen Freund befragt hat, von den Tätern gibt es bislang keine Spur.

"Nein, die Polizei hat mit uns gesprochen, aber gefasst haben sie niemand."

"Wir brauchen noch viel mehr Sicherheit"
Einen Stock tiefer, in der Abteilung für Brustverletzungen wird ebenfalls ein junger Mann medizinisch versorgt. Auch auf ihn wurde geschossen, mitten in Tripolis:

"Wir sind zu einem Streit gerufen worden, haben uns darum gekümmert. Nachdem das Problem gelöst war, bin ich zu meinem Wagen zurück. Dann fielen Schüsse; eine Kugel hat mich im Rücken getroffen"

Milad Areby ist Mitglied einer Miliz, die in der libyschen Hauptstadt ihren postrevolutionären Dienst an Checkpoints versieht, für Ruhe und Ordnung sorgt. Der 19-Jährige wird künstlich beatmet. Eine Operation stehe ihm allerdings noch bevor, sagt er. Er hatte offenbar Glück im Unglück: gleich bei seiner Einlieferung ins Krankenhaus konnten ihm die Ärzte Teile der Kugel entfernen und Entwarnung geben. Aus neurologischer Sicht werden wohl keine Einschränkungen zurückbleiben. Was ihn allerdings wütend macht, sagt Milad, ist die mangelnde Sicherheit. Noch immer sind zu viele Waffen im Umlauf, obwohl das Tragen in der Öffentlichkeit inzwischen verboten ist:

"Wir brauchen noch viel, viel mehr Sicherheit. Es ist einfach nicht genug. Erst wenn die Waffen von der Straße sind, kann es keine Probleme mehr geben. Mit der jetzigen Sicherheit bin ich nicht einverstanden."

Abdul Hany Turky ist leitender Internist und Spezialist für Thoraxverletzungen im Abu Selim-Krankenhaus. Immer wieder, so erklärt er, werden Menschen mit schwersten Schussverletzungen eingeliefert, die auch von unsachgemäßem Umgang mit Waffen herrühren:

"Eines der Opfer im Januar war eine junge Frau, die sich selbst angeschossen hat. Sie hat mit der Waffe herumgespielt oder wollte sie einfach nur reinigen, keine Ahnung. Zwei Kugeln haben ihre Leber und ihre Lunge getroffen. Sie kam erst sehr spät ins Krankenhaus. Unglücklicherweise konnten wir ihr nicht mehr helfen."

Die Zahl der Schießereien sinkt
Dennoch, so der Mediziner, sei die Zahl der Verletzten durch Schießereien oder Unfällen mit Waffen deutlich zurückgegangen. Im vergangenen Jahr habe man 85 Prozent weniger Fälle registriert, betont auch Krankenhausdirektor Ahmed Harram:

"Neulich hatten wir alle Ärzte während des Geburtstages des Propheten in Alarmbereitschaft, weil zu befürchten war, dass viele Verletzte mit Verbrennungen oder Schussverletzungen eingeliefert würden. Passiert ist nichts. Wir haben schon beobachtet, dass besonders die Verletzungen durch Waffen extrem zurückgegangen sind."

Nach Beobachtungen von Handicap International, deren Experten auch in der libyschen Hauptstadt präsent sind, hat sich die Zahl der Verletzten durch Schusswaffen im Großraum Tripolis 2012 keineswegs verringert, so Projektmanagerin Catty Smith:

"Wenn wir auf unsere Erhebungen schauen, müssen wir feststellen, dass allein im Januar 2012 160 Menschen in diesen beiden Krankenhäusern mit Schussverletzungen behandelt wurden. Im Februar war es etwas niedriger. In den darauffolgenden Monaten allerdings ging die Zahl deutlich nach oben und blieb bis zum Jahresende hoch."

Krankenhausärzte behandeln über 1.700 Schussverletzungen
Über 1.700 Menschen mit zum Teil schwersten Schussverletzungen wurden in den beiden Krankenhäusern in Tripolis im vergangenen Jahr behandelt. Die Dunkelziffer derer, die in ganz Libyen angeschossen wurden, dürfte weitaus höher liegen. Nicht immer wurden oder werden die Verletzten gemeldet. Und auch nicht diejenigen, die getroffen wurden, die dann allerdings ihren schweren Verletzungen erlegen sind. Selbst die Vereinten Nationen haben darüber keine verlässlichen Zahlen. Es wird zwar einiges von der libyschen Regierung unternommen; es ist jedoch noch immer nicht genug, so Catty Smith:

"Handicap International hat immer wieder drauf hingewiesen und wir wollten vom libyschen Innenministerium auch wissen, was man gedenkt zu tun. Beispielsweise eine Waffenamnestie, wie im November vergangenen Jahres, als in Banghazi und Tripolis Tausende Waffen eingesammelt wurden. Das war zwar nur ein kleiner Teil der Waffen, die im Umlauf sind, aber es ist ein Anfang, damit sich die Menschen in Libyen wieder sicherer fühlen können."

Im libyschen Nationalkongress suchen Politiker nach einer Lösung. Man diskutiert derzeit über eine Gesetzesinitiative, mit der sich die allgemeine Sicherheitslage verbessert lässt. Geplant ist offenbar die Einführung von einer Art Waffenschein. Mithilfe einer solchen Regelung hofft man, zumindest mittel- und langfristig, einen Großteil der Waffen, die noch immer in Libyen im Umlauf sind, erfassen und deren tödlichen Gebrauch so unterbinden zu können.

Quelle: Deutschlandfunk

Nheya Madzokere aus Afrika räumt die explosiven Überbleibsel - es ist sein bisher schwierigster Einsatz.

Von Steve Przybilla

Er trägt sich in die Blutgruppenliste ein. So beginnt seine Schicht. "Ich schätze, das macht uns zu besten Freunden", sagt Nheya Madzokere, 42, zu einem seiner simbabwischen Kollegen und Landsmänner. Beide haben A positiv. Noch schnell einen Schluck Kaffee, dann streift sich der Landminenräumer die Splitterschutzweste über und klappt das Visier herunter. Ein neuer Arbeitstag in der Todeszone.

Mit ruhiger Hand bewegt Madzokere einen Metalldetektor über den Boden. Das hochgewachsene Gras haben die Kollegen schon mit der Heckenschere entfernt. Nun liegt es an ihm, das matschige Erdreich zu prüfen. "Diese Personenminen sinken in den Schlamm richtig tief ein", sagt Madzokere, während er sich Stück für Stück vortastet. Er meint die SB-33, eine Anti-Personen-Mine italienischer Bauart. Sie ist überall auf den Falklandinseln zu finden.
Rund 20.000 Landminen werden auf der Inselgruppe vermutet, die 400 Kilometer vor Argentinien liegt, als Überseegebiet aber zu Großbritannien gehört. Nachdem die Argentinier die Falklands 1982 besetzt hatten, schlugen die Briten zurück - und gewannen den Konflikt nach nur wenigen Wochen. Geblieben sind die explosiven Hinterlassenschaften der Besatzungsarmee bis heute.

Am Montag entscheiden die Bewohner, ob ihre Heimat britisches Überseegebiet bleiben soll. Allerdings sind die meisten Einwohner britischstämmig. Bei einer Umfrage in den achtziger Jahren hatten mehr als 90 Prozent der Bevölkerung für den Status eines autonomen britischen Überseegebiets gestimmt.
Damit Spaziergänger und Touristen den Minen nicht zum Opfer fallen, sind die Felder, in denen sie liegen, weiträumig mit Stacheldrahtzäunen abgesperrt. "Danger Mines" ist darauf zu lesen. Ein anderes Schild zeigt eine gezeichnete Person mit abgesprengtem Fuß. Vor diesem Schicksal haben auch die ausgebildeten Minenräumer Angst. Nahezu jeder von ihnen kennt einen Freund, der schon einmal ein Körperteil verloren hat. "Ich denke immer daran, und das muss auch so sein", sagt Madzokere und kämpft so gegen seine Angst. "Sobald die Konzentration nachlässt, wird es gefährlich."

"Die Familie ist stolz - und macht sich ständig Sorgen"

Fünf Arbeiter sind an diesem Tag in "Minefield 95" zugange. Die meisten von ihnen graben sich mit einer kleinen, löffelähnlichen Schaufel Stück für Stück voran. Seitlich piksen sie behutsam in die Erde. Das Stochern hat System: Sticht man direkt von oben auf eine Landmine, wird sie ausgelöst.

"Ich mache den Job, um andere vor der Gefahr zu schützen", sagt Madzokere, der seit acht Jahren Minen räumt. Zuletzt führte ihn seine Tätigkeit nach Afghanistan, Mosambik, Ägypten und in seine Heimat Simbabwe. Manchmal sieht er seine Kinder und seine Frau monatelang nicht. "Die Familie ist stolz auf mich, macht sich aber auch ständig Sorgen. Für meine Frau ist es fast so, als wäre sie mit einem Soldaten verheiratet, der in den Krieg zieht."

Die Arbeit verlangt ihm vor allem Geduld ab. Immer wieder muss er die Suche wegen starker Regenschauer unterbrechen. Schwere Fahrzeuge wie etwa Minenräummaschinen können die Einsatzkräfte auf den Falklands nicht einsetzen, weil sie im durchnässten Boden sofort versinken würden. Auch Spürhunde können die Minenräumer nicht mit auf die Suche nehmen, denn bei starken Windböen sind die Hunde nicht dazu fähig, den Sprengstoff zu riechen.

80 Prozent Arbeitslosigkeit - lieber einen gefährlichen Job als keinen

"Ich war schon an vielen Orten", sagt Madzokere, "aber auf diesem Terrain zu arbeiten, ist am schwierigsten." Haben Madzokere und seine Kollegen eine Mine entdeckt, markieren sie die Fundstelle zunächst mit einem roten Dreieck. Da Entschärfungsversuche zu gefährlich wären, werden alle gefunden Objekte einmal pro Woche kontrolliert gesprengt. Das Team zündet Sprengladungen neben den Minen, so dass diese mit in die Luft gehen.

Ihren Job haben die Simbabwer in nur wenigen Wochen gelernt. Ein Großteil der Ausbildung habe sich auf medizinische Erstversorgung bezogen, sagt Madzokere. Dass die Minenräumer fast immer aus Afrika stammen, führen ihre Arbeitgeber auf eine simple Tatsache zurück: "In ihrer Heimat werden sie mit den Problemen, die diese Technik verursacht, täglich konfrontiert", sagt Guy Marot, der das Abtragen der Minen vor Ort im Auftrag der britischen Regierung überwacht und die Einsatzkräfte koordiniert.

Doch in Ländern wie Simbabwe fehlt es auch an Alternativen. 80 Prozent der Bevölkerung sind arbeitslos, und viele Menschen nehmen lieber einen gefährlichen Job an als gar keinen.

Verdienst: Ein paar Dollar am Tag

Eine Festanstellung hat Nheya Madzokere bis heute nicht. Die Minenräumer werden von ihrem Auftraggeber - in diesem Fall dem britischen Kampfmittelbeseitiger Bactec - je nach Bedarf gebucht. Wie viel das Unternehmen zahlt, verrät es nicht. Die Minenräumer verdienten aber dreimal so viel wie bei jedem anderen Job in der Heimat, erklärt Marot. Legt man den Weltentwicklungsbericht der Vereinten Nationen zugrunde, dürften das trotzdem nur wenige Dollar pro Tag sein.

"Was ich verdiene, schicke ich meiner Familie", sagt Madzokere, der sie nach eigenen Angaben damit gut ernähren kann. Zumindest aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht gilt sein Arbeitsplatz als sicher: Weltweit liegen nach Schätzungen der Vereinten Nationen noch immer über 100 Millionen Antipersonenminen im Boden. Zwar haben inzwischen 161 Staaten die Ottawa-Konvention unterzeichnet, die diese Waffen verbietet, doch Räumungen kosten viel Zeit und Geld.
Auf den Falklandinseln sind 20 bis 30 Jahre veranschlagt. Es könnte auch schneller gehen, doch die Politiker haben sich bewusst für ein langsames Vorgehen entschieden. "Die britische Regierung soll lieber den Ländern helfen, die verminte Flächen dringend für ihre Landwirtschaft brauchen", sagt Mike Summers, Abgeordneter der Falklandinseln.

Für Nehya Madzokere bedeutet das, dass sein Auftrag im März vorerst endet. Wohin ihn der nächste Einsatz verschlägt, weiß der Muslim noch nicht. "Inschallah", sagt er.

Quelle: Spiegel-online

A HALO manual deminer working in Khtsaberd, Hadrut Region. Photo: www.halotrust.org

Landmines: Karabakh’s deadly legacy of war decreasing, but still a fact of life

Gurgen Arustamian, a carpenter in Hadrut, tells with irony about the day his life was changed by a landmine.

“I fought on the frontline for two years and was not even scratched,” he says, laughing, as if yet amazed that he survived the bloody fighting of 1991-94. “Then, eventually I was blown apart in peace time.”

In 1997, at that time 26-year-old Arustamian with his 10 year old brother were collecting wood not far from the town of Hadrut (in the southern province of the same name). Arustamian was walking ahead of his brother . . .

“I only remember that I was in pain and shock, but was yelling to my brother ‘Freeze! Stay where you are!’,” Arustamian recalls. “He wanted to come to me but I kept telling him to stay away. Then I crawled back to him and then guided him on how to reach the road and call for help”.

The unlucky war veteran had stepped on a land mine the locals call “frog” because when you step on it, it jumps up before exploding.

The “frog” damage caused Arustamian’s to lose his leg below the knee. He says he was “lucky”, considering that that same year landmine incidents killed several people.

For 18 years – since the ceasefire – Karabakhis haven’t heard the sounds of exploding missiles, but the occasional blasts from landmines is a reminder that the remains of war are a present and deadly danger.

Mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) continue to cause disabilities and human and animal casualties almost every month in Karabakh – one of the most heavily mined areas in all the former Soviet Union. Sappers say that despite the mines and UXO were laid in the earth many years ago, they are still as good as new and will still be deadly 50 years from now.

Mines were laid through the duration of the war by both Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. Many areas were mined by one side, then when that area was taken by the enemy, that side mined it, too. Some areas were taken and re-taken several times, with more mines laid each time.

According to different estimations by international organization, the number of landmines left after the fighting ceased ranged from 50,000-100,000 – enough to take out more than half of Karabakh’s population. Added to that number were thousands (estimated) of UXO – bombs that had landed without exploding, yet remaining “live” and likely to explode if struck.

Apart from death and injury, landmines led to large patches of fertile land becoming unsafe for farming. At one point, as much as 30 percent of farmland was unusable because of mine fields. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that Karabakh has lost up to $10 million per year in potential revenue because farmlands were unsafe for cultivation.

The official statistic says 74 civilians were killed by mines and 270 were injured since 1994. But there is no exact number of people injured or killed by landmines, since there was no record kept of civilian landmine casualties during the war itself, as well as no complete information available until 2000, when HALO Trust, a UK based demining agency, started its work in Karabakh. This year four citizens were injured in land mine explosions, including two children – one by cluster bomb and one by UXO. One farmer was injured when his tractor ran over an anti-tank mine. One person was injured by anti-personnel mine.

(Through 1995-96 HALO Trust conducted an 18-month long program in Karabakh that established a mine clearance capacity for the local authorities. In 2000 it returned for the ongoing de-mining.)

Twelve years of clearing

HALO Trust, the world’s largest humanitarian de-mining organization is the only agency that conducts minefield surveys and clearance in Karabakh. The cleared areas are handed over and are now being used by farmers. Suspected areas are marked with signs “Danger! Mines!”.

Since 2000, HALO Trust has cleared about 10,700 mines, in addition to 43,000 explosive devises and cluster bombs. Cluster bombs are listed internationally as a prohibited weapon and Azerbaijan claims it did not use such bombs in the war. But according to a HALO Trust statement “evidence found on the ground speaks to the contrary -- the Azeri forces had significant air capability, which involved the use of cluster munition bombing”.

Over the past 12 years, HALO has cleared a territory of about 27 square miles from mines, and 126 square miles from cluster bombs, which is nearly 90 percent of all minefields and 75 percent of areas affected by cluster bombs.

So far this year sappers of HALO Trust have found 183 cluster bombs in addition to 125 mines and 555 UXO.

Major Arthur Arushanian lost his left foot when he stepped on a land mine last year while on patrol along the southern border.

Now, the reserve major, who served, as he proudly says, “20 years, six months and 19 days”, is becoming a high school math teacher.

“I graduated from university, but the war started and I never had a chance to do civilian work . Now it is the right time,” says 41-year old Arushanian, father of three. He says that in his curriculum he will certainly include lessons on landmine danger.

More people are injured by UXO than by mines, and more than half of all victims are children.

Lyuda Grigorian, director of the secondary school in Nor Maragha village (Mardakert) says each year HALO Trust staff provide lessons for the school children throughout Karabakh and teaches them what to do if they see unexploded ordnance.

“This year the children in our school got books (that teach about land mine danger) and also HALO Trust provided the schools with posters with the images of mines, cluster bombs and other kind of ordnance,” says Grigorian, whose school is attended by 71 students.

Grigorian recalls the last time a mine exploded in their village.

“Two years ago the villages wanted to build a pool for fish farming. During the digging, a land mine exploded. Several people got wounded, luckily no fatal injuries.”

HALO NK currently has 140 employees, 120 of which are sappers; all are from Karabakh. A sapper makes around $365 a month – about $120 more than the average national salary. All of them undergo “Mine Risk Education Program” training which lasts several weeks. Besides de-mining, HALO conducts mapping and marking of the areas.

“The HALO Trust’s work is hard to overestimate,” says Arkadi Zakarian, a 40-year old Karabakh war veteran and HALO Trust supervisor. “These territories should be cleared of mines once and forever. Our people go to the fields, our children play there. Accidents happen all the time.”

Zakarian was 19, when Azerbaijan began shelling Stepanakert by “Alazan”, the modified “anti-grad” jet missiles. Weapons used against the civilian population included also military jet missile launchers BM-21 Grad, which supposedly had been internationally banned for use against civilian settlements.

Zakarian joined the “freedom fighters” in 1991 (the Army of Nagorno Karabakh was formed later) which launched offensives to regain control of Karabakh. Zakarian stayed three years at the front line, was wounded several times and spent several months in hospital.

He joined HALO Trust in 2001 and says he would work as long as he can, despite the danger he and his colleagues face every day.

“If you do everything right, the risk is low, but it always exists. During the years I’ve worked, no sapper died, though several got injured. Every day when I go to work, my family wishes me good luck. And when I am late they worry and start calling me,” says Zakarian, a father of two daughters.

Zakarian’s work as a supervisor is to check the cleared area after it is cleaned by the sapper and by the team leader. All of them wear shields and enforced waistcoats – the outfit, Zakarian says, saved many lives.

Tragedy mixed with surprise

Being a sapper cost Stepanakert citizen David Simonian serious neck wounds, but also due to the work, Simonian accidentally became the owner of unique artifacts, some of them dating to the Stone Age.

Simonian, now a taxi driver, keeps a collection in his home, which he proudly shows to guests or tourists – ancient arrowheads and spearheads, stone knives, obsidian arrowheads, in all 350 pieces, found across Karabakh.

Simonian found the first arrowhead soon after he joined HALO Trust in 2003.

“I was at the so called ‘Norashen-5’ field. The mine detector beeped, I thought it was a mine. But then, looked closely and realized it was a small piece of iron. I took it from the ground and saw it was an arrowhead,” says Simonian, 35.

Since then Simonian has found many arrowheads and his collection quickly grew. As Simonian was told by scientists from Armenia‘s Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, a bronze blade in his collection is unique for its kind in Armenia. Some of the exhibits go back to the Stone Age and others are of Scythian, Arab, Mongolian origin.

Simonian worked in HALO Trust until December 2005, when he was wounded in the Mardakert province. A landmine exploded and nearly took his head off. He was in a coma for a week, and emerged from it from a serious neck injury. When he recovered, he got a $4,500 insurance payment from HALO, but realized he would never again be a sapper.

Simonian, himself a historian, says he decided to become a sapper to financially secure his family. Before joining HALO Trust he was working in the Museum of History in Stepanakert, but the salary was only $66. At HALO, his salary was $175, “good money for that time”, he says.

Before the blast, Simonian neutralized more than 250 mines.

“History shows that as soon as man learned to kill, he started to make deadly weapons. The consequences of war are as terrible as the war itself,” says Simonian.

His collection of ancient weapons, and a scarred neck are Simonian’s personal history with weaponry. They also remind him that a war that ceased 18 years ago continues to cause fatal blows. Such echoes of war will continue in Karabakh for years to come.

HALO Trust NK is funded by the United States Agency for International Development ($1 million) and the REECE Foundation (a UK private foundation, $300,000). In 2011 the organization’s budget for Karabakh was cut by $400,000, resulting in 60 staff layoffs.

HALO says it is looking for additional funding and estimates that if at least current funding levels are maintained, all de-mining work in Karabakh can be finished within 5-6 years.

Source: Armenianow.com

Protest over border landmine blast

The Thai army has sent a letter of protest to Cambodia over the landmine explosion that seriously injured three Thai rangers inside Thai territory in Surin province on Tuesday.

The 2nd Army's Suranaree Task Force on Thursday submitted the protest letter to the Cambodian army via the Thai-Cambodian Township Border Committee (TBC).

“We believe the landmine was recently planted. It was not a leftover mine," army deputy spokesman Winthai Suwaree said.

“This is an automatic procedure for such an incident, to write a protest letter and notify Cambodia,” he said.

An inspection of the area after the explosion revealed another 11 Vietnamese TMN1 landmines, which are commonly used by the Cambodian military, an army source said. They were spread out in an oval shape, linked in sets of three. Fortunately only one of them had exploded.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of violating the Ottawa landmine ban treaty, which both countries signed, following Tuesday’s blast. The treaty bans signatory states from using and stockpiling landmines.

The three wounded men were part of a 16-member ranger patrol near Ta Kwai Temple in Phanom Dong Rak district. The explosion blew off one man's right foot, and the two others sustained shrapnel wounds.

The rangers took the usual route up to a cliff that provides them with a clear view of Cambodian troops. The Cambodian military did not want Thai troops to reach that location, so had buried mines around the area, an army source said on Wednesday.

The unit usually patrolled the route regularly,  but had ceased patrols for a short time. They had resumed patrols on Tuesday.   

The source said the landmines seemed to have been planted recently. The area had already been cleared of all old landmines after the fighting around Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai Hindu temples in early 2011 when the Thai-Cambodian border dispute flared into violence.

Another army souirce said a joint survey in the demilitarised zone around the Preah Vihear temple to pave the way for the clearing of landmines has not yet started. The Thai-Cambodian Joint Working Group (JWG) has to first sign an agreement on landmine clearance.

Source: Bangkok Post

Bamako (dpa) - Deutschland unterstützt das westafrikanische Krisenland Mali bei der Entschärfung von Landminen. Die Bundesregierung schenkte dem malischen Ministerium für Inneres und Zivilschutz am Dienstag Ausrüstung im Wert von 143 000 Dollar (110 000 Euro). Dazu gehörten neben kugelsicheren Westen auch Minendetektoren. «Mit dieser Spende möchte Deutschland Malis Übergangsregierung dabei unterstützen, die Rückkehr zur demokratischen und verfassungsmäßigen Ordnung auf sichere Weise zu organisieren», sagte der deutsche Botschafter Günter Overfeld in der Hauptstadt Bamako. Er fügte hinzu, dass Deutschland seit 2012 bereits 69 Millionen Dollar (90 Millionen Euro) gespendet habe, um Mali zu helfen.

Quelle: europeonline-magazine.eu

(c) UNICEF/Mali

Mali: Two-Thirds of Victims of Left-Over Munitions in Mali Are Children

Bamako/Geneva — UNICEF is warning of a rising threat to communities in Central and Northern Mali from ammunition and explosive devices. Since April 2012, 60 victims of explosive remnants of war have been reported , with children making up two thirds of the total. The level of risk is likely to further increase when displaced families start returning home to areas that have seen the worst of the conflict.

Last December, UNICEF estimated that at least 100,000 children and parents were exposed to the dangers of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Northern Mali. This estimate was made before the military intervention, which has involved air strikes and ground operations since January. Approximately 200,000 children from conflict-affected areas in Central and Northern Mali are at risk of injury or death due to explosive remnants of war (ERW), according to UNICEF.

"Children were playing with a device in my courtyard. I thought there was no risk. I threw it on a stone and it exploded", said 19 year-old Amadou, a UXO survivor from Mopti who lost the finger on his left hand. "When I woke up, there was blood everywhere. My two brothers, 4 and 16, were injured. My niece died. She was only 18 months-old. I feel sad and guilty."

"The danger is now at every corner in communities from Central and Northern Mali where heavy fighting took place," said Françoise Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Mali. "Explosions can happen anywhere and anytime -- when children are on their way to school or when a woman goes to the market. Our teams on the ground report charred remains of war vehicles and a lot of abandoned ammunition."

"A mother will not bring her children to the health centre if she believes the surroundings are contaminated with UXOs. A teacher will not go back to school if the courtyard is full of abandoned ammunition", Ms. Ackermans added.

In order to better protect civilians from the explosive threat, UNICEF-supported partners have held public events over the past five months in schools, markets and workplaces that have raised the awareness of an estimated 27,000 people.

"We are not always with adults", said 13 year-old Adidiatou after attending a session. "If children don't know, they may pick up a grenade or another explosive thing as if it was a toy. They may not realize it can hurt. If children don't participate to these information activities, it's a pity."

National and Community based radio stations have also been used to disseminate life-saving messages in five languages, while the agency has also produced posters and other material using Malian artists.

Preliminary field reports for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) suggest that large quantities of explosive remnants of war (ERW) -- including unexploded and abandoned ammunition such as artillery shells, mortars, rockets, grenades, bullets and aircraft bombs -- have been left behind in the aftermath of air attacks and ground operations. The highest concentration of ERWs is likely to be found in areas where heavy fighting took place such as in Diabaly, Douentza, Konna and Gao.

"It is clear that Mali is impacted by the presence of landmines and explosive ordnance", said Gareth Edwin Francis, UNMAS Operations Officer. "The United Nations has a duty to address this through the swift deployment of survey and Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in order to ensure safe access for all actors and, importantly, to respond to the needs of the Malian population. As one of several steps to this end, UNMAS is currently planning the imminent deployment of a team to Konna in Central Mali. More will follow."

In 2013, UNICEF and its partners are planning to step up mine-risk education activities and radio sensitization campaigns, especially in Northern regions in order to raise the awareness of about 400,000 people in conflict affected areas.

Source: Allafrica.com

In der Nacht zu Sonntag ist ein etwa 600 Quadratmeter großes Zelt abgebrannt, in dem sich eine Reinigungsanlage befand, teilte die Polizei mit. Details könnten aus ermittlungstaktischen Gründen nicht genannt werden, sagte ein Sprecher.

In der Firma im Gewerbegebiet der Stadt werden Artilleriegeschosse und Raketen unschädlich gemacht. Auch die Bundeswehr lässt bei dem Unternehmen einen Großteil ihrer Streumunition vernichten. Angaben zur Schadenshöhe lagen zunächst nicht vor.

Quelle: Berliner Morgenpost

Giles Duley weiß noch genau, wie blau der Himmel war, wie normal dieser Himmel aussah. Und er erinnert sich an die Äste der Bäume, in denen Stofffetzen hingen. Fetzen seiner eigenen Kleidung. 'Dann blickte ich auf meinen linken Arm', sagt Duley. 'Er rauchte. Und es fehlte etwas. Ich wollte mich aufrichten, konnte es aber nicht, und dachte nur: Ich bin gelähmt.' Manche Menschen, die eine schwere Explosion überleben, erinnern sich danach an nichts. Giles Duley erinnert sich an alles: An das Klicken der Sprengvorrichtung. An die unglaubliche Hitze. An das Gefühl, zu schweben. An den Aufprall auf schlammigem Boden, und den Schock, der ihm den Atem aus der Lunge quetschte, als wäre er in Eiswasser gefallen.

Wenn man Giles Duley heute trifft, fällt vor allem auf, wie gelassen hier jemand über ein Ereignis berichtet, dass ihn beide Beine, einen Arm und beinahe das Leben kostete. Seine Befürchtung, gelähmt zu sein, hat sich nicht bewahrheitet. Ohne Gehhilfe kommt er zum Gespräch in einem kleinen Süd-Londoner Café nahe seiner Wohnung in Clapham. Aber an seinem Humpeln und an der eher funktionellen als schönen Armprothese, die er seine 'fist of fury' nennt, ist die Schwere seiner Verletzungen deutlich abzulesen.

Im Plauderton erzählt Duley, wie er im Januar 2011 in die afghanische Provinz Kandahar reiste, um über zivile Opfer des Konflikts westlicher Truppen mit den Taliban zu berichten. Dieses Ziel verfolgt er seit Jahren mit seinen Fotoreihen: Menschen zu zeigen, die unter unmenschlichen Bedingungen leben. 'Aber während ich in Afghanistan war, begann ich, mich auch für den Alltag der dort stationierten amerikanischen Soldaten zu interessieren', sagt er. 'Ich habe bei meiner Arbeit als Fotograf in Krisengebieten viele Soldaten kennen gelernt. Ich hasse das, was sie tun. Aber die meisten von ihnen sind ganz sympathische Typen. Der Krieg hat auch auf sie eine unauslöschliche Wirkung.'

Er war also zu einem amerikanischen Vorposten in Kandahar gefahren, unweit des Dorfes, aus dem der Talibanführer Mullah Omar stammt. Jeden Morgen hörte man den Ruf des Muezzins aus der Moschee, in der Mullah Omar früher gebetet hatte. Bei einer Patrouille zu einem verlassenen Taliban-Stützpunkt trat Duley auf eine Mine. Die Explosion riss ihm beide Unterschenkel und den linken Arm ab. Ohne die Aderpresse, die einer der Soldaten ihm sofort anlegte, wäre er binnen Minuten verblutet. 'Ein Sergeant steckte mir eine Zigarette in den Mund', erzählt er. 'Ich fragte, werde ich sterben? Er antwortete: Wirst Du nicht. Und ich dachte: Was soll er auch sagen? Dann kamen die Blackhawk-Helikopter über den Horizont und warfen gelbe Rauchbomben, um den Landeplatz zu tarnen. Es war wie in einem Vietnam-Film.'

Die erste Assoziation - eine Filmszene. Wir sind so konditioniert, dass Bilder noch in den extremsten Situationen unsere Wahrnehmung prägen. Giles Duley ist sich dieses erstaunlichen Einflusses einer spezifischen Bildsprache auf das westliche Auge, geformt von Hollywoodästhetik und Internet-Bilderflut, zutiefst bewusst. Vor allem, weil die Menschen, die er fotografiert, ob in Süd-Sudan, Indien oder Angola, oft nicht mal wissen, was ein Foto ist: 'Ihr Leben findet in einem völlig anderen Kontext statt als unseres, da sind eben auch die visuellen Referenzen andere.'

Aber seit seiner Verwundung gibt es einen wichtigeren Berührungspunkt als eine gemeinsame Bildsprache. 'Wenn du Fotos von Kranken, Versehrten, Menschen in Not machst und dich nicht ein bisschen wie ein Aasgeier dabei fühlst, dann stimmt irgendetwas nicht mit dir', sagt Giles Duley. 'Meine Amputationen geben mir sicher keine größere Berechtigung, solche Bilder zu machen, als früher. Ich musste auch nicht auf eine Mine treten, um zu wissen, dass Tretminen nichts Gutes sind. Aber ich glaube, die Menschen, die ich aufnehme, fühlen jetzt eine größere Verbundenheit mit mir - das macht alles leichter.'

Fotografen sind oft kamerascheu. Auch Giles Duley wollte nie im Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit stehen. Dass es nun durch seine spektakuläre Verletzung anders gekommen ist, hat an seiner Berufseinstellung nicht viel geändert: 'Ich liebe die Fotografie, weil sie dir Gelegenheit verschafft, dich einer Gruppe anzuschließen - ob das nun eine Band ist, oder eine Bande ukrainischer Straßenkinder. Man hat eine Rolle.'

Die Landminenexplosion war nicht das erste Trauma, das die Biografie des 41-Jährigen entscheidend prägte. Die Laufbahn des gebürtigen Londoners als Fotograf begann, als er mit 18 in den USA einen Autounfall hatte, der seine Beine stark beschädigte und seine Hoffnungen auf eine American-Football-Karriere zunichte machte. Im Krankenhaus las er ein Buch über Fotografie. Es faszinierte ihn. Sobald er wieder laufen konnte, besorgte er sich eine Ausrüstung, und schon ein Jahr später bekam er erste Aufträge als Mode- und Musikfotograf. Er liebte diesen Job, arbeitete für Rolling Stone, für Vogue und GQ. 'Ich traf wunderschöne Frauen, flog um die Welt, ging zu tollen Partys. Der Traum jedes Jungen!'

Aber im Laufe der Zeit wurden die Leute, die er fotografierte, für ihn immer uninteressanter. Es gab immer mehr PR-Typen und einstündige Zeitfenster für die Foto-Sessions. Irgendwann hatte er keine Lust mehr: 'Was das Fass zum überlaufen brachte, war ein Termin mit einer Big-Brother-Teilnehmerin. Es gab Streit darüber, ob sie Oben-Ohne-Fotos machen sollte oder nicht. Als ich die Kamera frustriert auf ein Bett warf, titschte sie von der Matratze aus dem Fenster auf die Straße. Das war für mich ein Zeichen.'

Er verabschiedete sich erst einmal von der Fotografie und wurde Pfleger eines jungen Mannes mit Autismus. Das sei befriedigend gewesen, sagt Duley, weil man sofort die Ergebnisse der eigenen Arbeit sah. Aber der junge Mann, Nick, brachte sich ständig schwere Verletzungen bei; es war die einzige Möglichkeit für ihn, mit dem ständigen Gefühl der Isolierung umzugehen. 'Ich begann, diese Verletzungen fotografisch zu dokumentieren. Um dem Sozialdienst zu zeigen, dass Nick noch mehr Unterstützung brauchte. Und um seine Geschichte zu erzählen.'

Giles Duley wiederholt das im Laufe des Gesprächs immer wieder: Sein Ziel sei es, die Geschichten derer erzählen, die es selbst nicht können oder keine Öffentlichkeit haben. Obwohl er seit 2007 vor allem in Krisengebieten arbeitet, sieht er sich nicht als Kriegsfotograf: 'Ich beschäftige mich eher mit den Folgen von Krieg', sagt er. 'Es macht mich wütend, wenn etwas passiert, in Gaza oder Mali, und dann sind plötzlich 500 Fotografen da, machen Bilder, und rasen zum nächsten Schauplatz.' Eine machohafte Paparazzi-Mentalität, mit der er nichts zu tun haben möchte.

Nachdem er mit der Bilderreihe über Nick wieder zur Fotografie zurückgefunden hatte, reiste Duley 2007, angeregt von einem Freund, der bei der UN arbeitete, auf eigene Rechnung nach Angola, um dort die Arbeit von Minen-Räumungsteams zu dokumentieren. Zurück in England erwies es sich als sehr schwierig, diese Fotos zu veröffentlichen. Der Redakteur eines Magazins meinte: 'Ich habe gehört, dass sie Schweine zum Aufspüren von Minen benutzten. Hast Du nicht ein schönes Bild von einem Schwein? Damit können die Leser sich glaube ich besser identifizieren als mit den Leuten da unten.' Duley begann am Wert seiner Arbeit zu zweifeln.

Ein Wendepunkt kam 2009, beim Besuch eines Lagers in Bangladesch, in dem Flüchtlinge aus der burmesischen Minderheit der Rohingya unter unsäglichen Umständen lebten: 'Da war ein Junge mit einer Augenentzündung, die sein Gesicht hatte anschwellen lassen', erzählt Duley. 'Antibiotika hätten ihn geheilt. Aber die Rohingya hatten keine Versorgung, weil sie nicht als Flüchtlinge anerkannt werden. Die Entzündung war lebensgefährlich.' Die Leute drängten sich um ihn, als sei er ein Retter: 'Ich bat den Dorfältesten, ihnen zu erklären, dass ich kein Arzt sei, dass ich nicht helfen könne. Er antwortete: Das wissen sie. Sie wollen nur, das jemand der Welt zeigt, wie wir hier leben.' Giles Duleys eindringliche Porträts der Rohingya wurden 2010 für einen Amnesty-International-Medienpreis nominiert. Ein Jahr später reiste er nach Afghanistan.

An dem Tag, der alles verändert, ist er schon morgens nervös: 'Wir gehen raus, um das Lager zu untersuchen. Sechs Amerikaner, sechs Afghanen und ich.' In einer breit gestaffelten Reihe stapfen sie über das matschige Feld. Er sei 'nicht besonders mutig', beteuert Duley. 'Ich war schon vorher in Situationen gewesen, in denen es plötzlich einen Gewaltausbruch gab. Aber das passierte spontan. An diesem Tag waren wir lebende Zielscheiben. Man wusste, dass die Taliban jederzeit anfangen könnten, zu schießen.'

Als sie bei dem Lager ankommen, ist alles ruhig. Nach langer Diskussion geht der jüngste afghanische Soldat widerwillig mit einem Metalldetektor in das Lager, um es nach Minen abzusuchen. Duley wendet sich einem der Amerikaner zu, er will um eine Zigarette bitten. Im nächsten Moment fliegt er durch die Luft. 'Ich habe ein Foto von einem Soldaten, der gegen die Lehmumgrenzung des Lagers tritt', sagt Duley. 'Er steht nur ein winziges Stück von der Stelle entfernt, an der ich zwei Minuten später auf die Mine trat. Ich habe es mir immer wieder angeschaut. Man sieht nichts.'

Nach ein paar Tagen in Kandahar wurde er zurück nach England geflogen. Mittlerweile hat er mehr als 30 Operationen hinter sich. Der Gleichgewichtssinn ist gestört, weil die Explosion sein Innenohr schädigte. Und da er auch keine Füße mehr hat, ist er bei der Balance nun ganz auf die Augen angewiesen: 'Meine Freundin findet es noch immer sehr lustig, dass sie mir nur ein Handtuch über den Kopf werfen muss, und ich falle sofort um.'

Trotz dieser starken Beeinträchtigung habe er immer gewusst, dass er wieder arbeiten würde: 'Anscheinend war das erste, was ich zu meiner Schwester sagte, als ich sie wiedersah: Ich bin noch immer Fotograf. Ich kann mich daran nicht erinnern, zu der Zeit stand ich unter Schmerzmitteln. Aber die Identität als Fotograf war und ist mir wichtig.' Doch zu seiner Identität gehört nun eben die Versehrung durch die Mine. Er wollte immer zeigen, was der Krieg Menschen antun kann. Jetzt, so sagt er, tue er das eben nicht mehr nur mit seinen Fotos, sondern auch mit seinem Körper. Irgendwann richtete er die Kamera auf sich selbst. Das so entstandene Bild zeigt ihn auf einem Sockel in schwarzem T-Shirt und schwarzen Shorts, aus denen die Amputationsstümpfe hervorlugen. Duley nennt es 'meine griechische Statue'.

Ende 2012 kehrte er nach Afghanistan zurück, um das Projekt in Angriff zu nehmen, das ihn 2011 ursprünglich dorthin geführt hatte. Die Bilder, die er in einem Lazarett für verwundete Zivilisten machte, sind frei von jedem Kitsch. Aber sie zeugen von grenzenloser Empathie. 'Ich will auf keinen Fall als behinderter Fotograf in Erinnerung bleiben', sagt Giles Duley. 'Sondern einfach als ein guter Fotograf.'

Quelle: SZ-Magazin, Jetzt.de

Ulrike Folkerts. (c) Alexander Kluge (SWR)

Ein kurzer Moment verändert das Leben der zwölfjährigen Ana aus Mosambik für immer: Auf dem Weg zum Brunnen tritt sie auf eine Mine, ihr rechtes Bein muss amputiert werden. Das junge Mädchen teilt ihr Schicksal mit hunderttausenden Menschen weltweit. Die internationale Kampagne „Lend Your Leg − Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“ macht vom 1. März bis 4. April 2013 auf die immer noch aktuelle Bedrohung durch Landminen und Streubomben aufmerksam – und zeigt dabei auch, wie eine Welt ohne Minen und Streubomben erreicht werden kann. In Deutschland wird die Kampagne, die bereits 2012 stattfand und ein beachtlicher Erfolg war, wieder von Handicap International und SODI durchgeführt. Wie schon im vergangenen Jahr unterstützen deutsche Prominente wie Doris Dörrie und Ulrike Folkerts, Politikerinnen und Politiker sowie internationale Persönlichkeiten wie UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon die Aktion mit einer symbolischen Geste: einem hochgeschlagenen Hosenbein.
Bereits vor 15 Jahren hat die Internationale Kampagne gegen Landminen (ICBL), zu der Handicap International und SODI gehören, entscheidend dazu beigetragen, dass der Ottawa-Vertrag über ein Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen erreicht wurde und dafür den Friedensnobelpreis erhalten. Am 1. März vor 14 Jahren trat der Vertrag in Kraft –  aber bis heute fehlen wichtige Unterschriften aus Ländern wie Russland, China und den USA. Die US-Regierung steht laut offiziellen Aussagen kurz vor einer Entscheidung über den Beitritt zum Minenverbot. Bis es endlich so weit ist, wird die Landminenkampagne weiter darauf drängen. Mit einer Petition an die US-amerikanische Regierung kann man ab 1. März auf der Kampagnenseite www.zeigdeinbein.de dieser Forderung Nachdruck verleihen.
„Zum Glück sind sich die meisten Menschen der Welt einig darüber, dass Minen verboten gehören.“, betont Schauspielerin Ulrike Folkerts. „Es ist höchste Zeit, dass dies endlich auch für Länder wie die USA gilt!“
Die Kampagne „Zeig dein Bein für eine Welt ohne Minen“ fordert nicht nur Prominente, sondern alle Menschen in Deutschland dazu auf, mit dem einfachen Symbol eines hochgeschlagen Hosenbeins ein Zeichen gegen Landminen und Streubomben zu setzen. Fotos, die diese Geste dokumentieren, können ab dem 1. März auf der Kampagnenseite www.zeigdeinbein.de hochgeladen werden. Höhepunkt ist der UN-Tag zur Aufklärung über die Minengefahr am 4. April, unter anderem mit großen Veranstaltungen in München und Berlin.
Eine Welt ohne Minen und Streubomben muss keine Illusion sein: Seit der Vertrag über ein Verbot von Anti-Personen-Minen in Kraft getreten ist, wurde viel erreicht. So wird sich das früher stark verminte Land Mosambik im nächsten Jahr voraussichtlich als minenfrei erklären können. Zu solchen Fortschritten tragen Organisationen wie Handicap International und SODI mit ihren Programmen in zahlreichen verminten Regionen bei.
Information:
Dr. Eva Maria Fischer, Handicap International, 089/54 76 06 13, 0176/99 28 41 35
Dörte Lüneberg, Solidaritätsdienst-international, 030-920909317
Kampagnenseite www.zeigdeinbein.de mit Bildmaterial (noch im Aufbau bis 1.3.)
www.handicap-international.de, www.sodi.de

Unexploded shells such as this one pose a serious risk to children in conflict and post-conflict areas. (c) Asian Football Development Project

Promoting mine risk education in Jordan

The Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) and streetfootballworld network member Spirit of Soccer are teaming up to launch a mine risk education (MRE) football programme for Syrian children at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.

In collaboration with UNHCR, the Jordan Football Association (JFA), the Arab Mine Action Consultancy Company (AMACC) and the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PMWRA), the initiative aims to reduce the number of child fatalities and injuries through land mines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).

Reaching 3,500 children
The project kicked off with preparatory workshops to train youth coaches, with the goal of reaching up to 3,500 children over the next four months. The workshops addressed how football can be used to deliver in-depth mine risk education.

“We look forward to working together with our partners to begin the next phase of the project thereby benefitting all Syrian refugee children in northern Jordan,” said Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, FIFA's vice president and chairman of the AFDP – who signed a long-term collaboration agreement with streetfootballworld in 2012 to strengthen the field of social development through football in Asia.

Knowledge and commitment
Spirit of Soccer has been delivering mine risk education messages to young people in conflict and post-conflict zones since 1996, equipping 220,000 children across seven different countries with the skills necessary to avoid injury by land mines.

“Knowledge, commitment, communication and the will to succeed will be crucial elements in delivering this programme," said Scotty Lee, founder and director of Spirit of Soccer.'"Each partner and our graduate coaches have demonstrated these qualities. I'm confident, together, we will deliver a first rate programme for our at-risk children in the Middle East."

Source: sportanddev.org

Landmine blast leaves two dead in Bolan district

QUETTA: Two people lost their lives in a landmine explosion in Balochistan’s Bolan district on Tuesday, said security officials.

According to details, the incident took place in Haft Wali area of Bolan district. Four local tribesmen were passing thorough a farming field when one of them accidentally touched a landmine, said officials. Two tribesmen died on the spot due to heavy explosion, they added.

Security officials cordoned off the area after the incident and initiated an investigation.

No group has so far claimed responsibility of the incident.

Bolan is considered a sensitive area where incidents of landmine explosions had happened in the past as well.

Source: Dawn.com Pakistan

Scratch and sniff

Rats: Scratch and sniff landmine detection

Meet the giant Africa rats with a remarkable skill, which allows them to safely clear large areas filled with deadly landmines.

When the first of Apopo’s furry and four-legged HeroRats were released into a landmine-ridden field of Mozambique, there was understandable skepticism among the various government officials in attendance.

“In Mozambique we eat rats,” joked Alberto Augusto, the director of Mozambique’s national demining institute, “so it was very strange to see them working and demining. We were thinking to grill them.”

But as the gigantic rodents (bigger than New York City sewer rats) stuffed into tiny harnesses began to sweep back and forth on ropes between their human handlers, stopping every so often to scratch and point out a landmine, it didn’t take long for the crowd to be convinced.

“These are not normal rats,” Augusto declared. “They are very special rats.”

The HeroRats are officially known as Mine Detection Rats (MDRs), specially trained by Apopo, a Belgian NGO that researches, develops and implements detection rat technology for humanitarian purposes like demining.

Landmines continue to be one of the world’s most dangerous weapons, especially in post-conflict countries. Scattered across 78 countries, these weapons of war can remain buried beneath the surface for decades, and their deadly nature does not diminish over time. According to The International Committee of the Red Cross, more than 800 people are killed and 1,200 maimed by landmines every single month - most of them children, women, and elderly.

The sleepy African coastal nation of Mozambique remains one of the most heavily mined countries in Africa. Tens of thousands of landmines were laid during the struggle for independence between 1964-1975 and the civil war that followed for nearly two decades. With no maps of mined territories, Augusto says working to clear the entire country is a “major challenge.”

Yet since Apopo’s rats launched into action in 2006, they’ve successfully cleared more than 6 million square meters of Mozambique’s countryside, uncovering 2,406 landmines, 992 bombs, and 13,025 small arms and ammunitions.

“They are doing a great job,” Augusto says, and with their help he believes Mozambique can be mine free in less than 20 years.

‘Smart, yet dumb’

Removing mines is actually the easiest part of de-mining. The hardest part is finding out where they are.

Over the past two decades, hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into research to improve landmine detection and save lives.

According to Apopo’s CEO Christophe Cox, when the organisation began researching the use of rat technology in the early 90s, dozens of universities were working on new demining technologies like thermal image processing, laser detectors, and so-called Nuclear Quadropole Resonance, a chemical analysis technique.

“We’ve been the only new technology that’s made it to the field out of those hundreds and hundreds of efforts,” claims Cox. 

The problem with introducing new technologies is that there is no one size fits all approach, says Guy Rhodes of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, who has acted as a consultant for organisations in several countries. Specifically, it is very difficult to develop one technology that can deal with the mines of different type, age and scattered in environments that can range from sandy deserts to dense jungles.

“There were big hopes in demining technology” he says. “But there are so many variables that while there may be advancement in one element, there are still major limitations in others.”

Currently, there are myriad ways to detect landmines, including manual techniques – for example, humans with metal detectors and prodders or specially trained detection dogs - and enormous mechanical vehicles like the US State Department’s ‘Hedgehog,’ essentially a modified John Deere tractor with an armored cab and a side-mounted attachment arm for demining tools.

Source: BBC

(c) John Rodsted für SODI

Die Organisation beseitigt bereits seit 1998 in Vietnam und seit 2009 auch in Laos gefährliche Kriegsreste und führt Entwicklungsprojekte zur Armutsbekämpfung durch.

Anouphon Chanthasone war noch nicht einmal geboren, als der Zweite Indochinakrieg begann, dennoch ist er von klein an mit den Folgen dieses Krieges konfrontiert. Seine Eltern haben ein kleines Stück Land, auf dem sie Reis anpflanzen. Ähnlich wie seine sieben Geschwister musste Anouphon Chanthasone schon als Kind auf dem Reisfeld seiner Eltern helfen. Nicht selten kam er dabei in Kontakt mit den gefährlichen Streubomben, die dort noch immer verborgen liegen. Man kann von Glück sagen, dass er und seine Familie dabei nicht selbst Opfer eines Blindgängers wurden.

Rund zwei Millionen Tonnen Bomben warf die USA von 1964 bis 1973 über Laos ab. Dies ist vergleichbar mit einem Bombenangriff alle acht Minuten, 24 Stunden am Tag über einen Zeitraum von neun Jahren. Noch heute liegen rund 30 Prozent der abgeworfenen Bomben als Blindgänger im ganzen Land verteilt. Auch in Vietnam sind noch immer 21 Prozent der Landesfläche mit Landminen, Streumunition und anderen Blindgängern verseucht und somit eine Gefahr für die Menschen. Fast täglich ereignen sich in Vietnam und Laos Unfälle mit Blindgängern, die nicht selten tödlich enden. Betroffen sind häufig Kleinbauern bei der Feldarbeit oder Kinder, die ahnungslos auf Feldern und Wegen spielen.

Bereits in jungen Jahren hatte Anouphon Chanthasone ein tragisches Erlebnis, das sein Leben veränderte. Als Kind verlor er seinen Freund durch einen Blindgänger. Dieser wollte fischen gehen und so suchte er im Boden nach Regenwürmern. Plötzlich explodierte ein Blindgänger und verletzte seinen Freund tödlich. Für Anouphon Chanthasone war dies der Auslöser für einen besonderen Berufswunsch. Er wolle später selbst einmal als Bomben-Räumer arbeiten, um so die Menschen in seinem Dorf vor dem gleichen Schicksal zu bewahren. Heute ist er einer von 120 »Helden für Entwicklung« im laotischen Räumteam von SODI und sehr stolz auf seine Arbeit.

Erlebnisse wie diese teilen viele Menschen in Vietnam und Laos, so auch der 45-jährige Tran Van Nam aus der vietnamesischen Provinz Nghe An. Ähnlich wie Anouphon Chanthasone verlor auch er einige seiner Freunde durch einen Unfall mit einem Blindgänger. Diese Erinnerung macht ihn noch heute sehr betroffen. Neben diesem schrecklichen Erlebnis ist das, was diese beiden Männer eint, vor allem ihr Beruf. Herr Tran Van Nam arbeitet seit drei Jahren in einem der SODI-Mobilteams in Vietnam. Beide Männer sind »Helden für Entwicklung« und befreien Tag für Tag in Vietnam und Laos systematisch Dörfer, Felder und Wege von Landminen und Streumunition. Wo vorher nicht explodierte Kriegsreste das Leben der Menschen bedrohten, werden Dörfer, Felder und Wege für die Menschen wieder gefahrlos nutzbar gemacht. Neben den Räumarbeiten ist aber auch die Aufklärung über die Gefahren dieser gefährlichen Kriegshinterlassenschaften ein wichtiger Bestandteil der Arbeit der »Helden für Entwicklung«. Denn die Aufklärung der Bevölkerung – insbesondere der Kinder – trägt erheblich zur Reduzierung von Unfällen bei. In Vietnam und Laos gibt es viele Flächen, die wegen der hohen Belastung mit Blindgängern nicht genutzt werden können, obwohl es einen dringenden Bedarf für diese Flächen für die Landwirtschaft und Ansiedlung gibt. In manchen Gegenden haben Eltern Angst, ihre Kinder draußen spielen zu lassen, weil es dort noch so viele explosive Blindgänger gibt. Aus der Not heraus, ihren Lebensunterhalt zu sichern, bewirtschaften jedoch viele Kleinbauern unter größter Gefahr Reisfelder und Ackerland, die mit Blindgängern belastet sind, weil es nicht ausreichend »sicheres« Land gibt.

Täglich sind Anouphon Chanthasone und sein vietnamesischer Kollege Tran Van Nam mit den anderen Heldinnen und Helden für Entwicklung auf den Feldern und Flächen Vietnams und Laos' unterwegs. Die Gefahr und die damit verbundene Angst sind auch für sie allgegenwärtig. Auch wenn die SODI-Teams sehr erfahren und gut ausgebildet sind, ist die Anspannung manchmal groß, vor allem, wenn sie auf bisher unbekannte Munitions- oder Zündertypen treffen. Die Frau von Herrn Van Nam ist stets besorgt, weil sein Job sehr gefährlich ist, doch er entgegnet ihr stets, dass seine »Arbeit wichtig sei, für eine bessere Zukunft für die Menschen in Vietnam«. Wenn Herr Van Nam über seine Arbeit spricht, wird er nachdenklich: »Niemand aus der Bevölkerung wollte, dass es einen Krieg gibt, aber nun müssen wir mit den Folgen des Krieges klar kommen. Der Krieg ist schon seit so langer Zeit vorüber, aber die Menschen leiden noch immer unter den Folgen, insbesondere dort, wo das Land mit Blindgängern verseucht ist.«

Die Arbeit von SODI endet jedoch nicht nach der Räumung. In den geräumten Gebieten und gemeinsam mit Partnern vor Ort werden Entwicklungsprojekte umgesetzt, die die Lebensumstände der Menschen verbessern. So wurde 2012 in einem gemeinsamen Projekt von SODI und der laotischen Gemeinde im Distrikt Khamkeut, in dem Anouphon Chanthasone arbeitet, ein Wasserversorgungssystem für 116 Familien im Dorf Nadeua installiert. Zuvor gab es dort nur einen einzigen Brunnen, der lediglich in der Regenzeit Wasser führt. Im Nachbardorf Khouan Chanh wurde zudem eine Schule für die etwa 160 Schulkinder des Dorfes gebaut und eingerichtet. Im vietnamesischen Distrikt Hai Lang in der Provinz Quang Tri fördert SODI gemeinsam mit seinen Partnern vor Ort den Bau eines Gemeindegesundheitszentrums. Zwei Ärzte, vier Krankenschwestern und zwei Hebammen werden in dem neuen Gesundheitszentrum arbeiten und somit die Gesundheitsversorgung von vier umliegenden Gemeinden sichern.

Wie hart die Arbeit des jungen Anouphon Chanthasones und seines vietnamesischen Kollegen Tran Van Nam auch sein mag, sie wissen, dass sie sehr wichtig ist. Der mahnende Apell, den Anouphon Chanthasone als junger Mensch, der noch nicht einmal geboren war, als der Krieg begann, aber heute immer noch mit seinen Folgen leben und diese bekämpfen muss, wirkt eindringlich: »Unschuldige Menschen leiden noch immer unter den gefährlichen Kriegsresten. Die Menschen in der Welt sollten sich selbst davon überzeugen, welchen Schaden Streumunition und andere Blindgänger anrichten, um wirklich zu verstehen, dass jede weitere Produktion und der Gebrauch von Streumunition noch mehr unschuldige Menschen töten.«

Die Arbeit der »Helden für Entwicklung« und die Entwicklungsprojekte werden vom Auswärtigen Amt und vom Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung gefördert sowie durch Spenden finanziert.

Bitte unterstützen Sie die Arbeit der »Helden für Entwicklung« und die Entwicklungsprojekte.
Kennwort: Helden für Entwicklung
Solidaritätsdienstinternational e.V. (SODI)
Kontonummer: 10 20 100
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
BLZ: 100 205 00
www.sodi.de

Quelle: Neues Deutschland

UNMAS: Building mine awareness in South Sudan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCPM8cGq39U >>>

UN Mine Risk Education in South Sudan.

UNMAS: http://www.unmas.org 

(c) NPA

Israelische Kampfflugzeuge bombardieren im Sommer 2006 den Libanon - auch mit Millionen Streubomben. Bis heute töten und verletzen hunderttausende Blindgänger unschuldige Zivilisten. Adham Najdi ist querschnittsgelähmt. Er war 19, als ihn eine liegengebliebene Streubombe schwer verletzte.
"Unser Haus und alle Nachbarhäuser wurden während des Krieges zerstört", berichtet er. "Ich half meinem Großvater den Schutt nach den Angriffen wegzuräumen. Plötzlich gab es eine Explosion. Ich wurde durch die Luft geschleudert und habe das Bewusstsein verloren. Als ich im Krankenhaus aufwachte, konnte ich nicht mehr laufen."

Verbot wird umgangen
Noch immer werden die tödlichen Reste des Krieges geräumt. Seit fünf Jahren wird Streumunition international geächtet, doch deutsche Rüstungskonzerne machen weiter damit Geschäfte. Zum Beispiel das Wehrtechnik-Unternehmen Junghans Microtec. Die Firma aus dem Schwarzwald bietet verschiedene Zünder an, die auch für Streubomben verwendet werden können.

Letztes Jahr warb Junghans Microtec auf seiner Webseite mit dem Doppelzünder DM 163. Ein Zünder, der auch mit Bombletmunition eingesetzt werden kann, das heißt für Streumunition. Diesen Zünder bietet Junghans Microtec nicht mehr übers Internet an, dafür ein anderes Modell: den Zeitzünder DM52A2. Der sei, so heißt es unter anderem, für Nebel- und Leuchtgeschosse entwickelt worden.

Doch in der aktuellen Ausgabe des Handbuches für Waffen "Jane's Ammunition Handbook" wird dieser Zünder auch für den Einsatz mit Cargo-Munition beschrieben, was für Streumunition steht.

Junghans Microtec sieht sich im Recht
Auf unsere Anfrage räumt Junghans Microtec ein, dass gegen die Beschreibung im Waffenhandbuch Janes nichts einzuwenden sei. Dieser Zeitzünder sei auch für Streumunition verwendbar. Doch das Unternehmen verweist auf die strikten Kontroll- und Exportbeschränkungen der Bundesregierung, durch die sichergestellt werde, dass "bei einer beabsichtigten Lieferung an Länder, die dem Oslo-Abkommen nicht beigetreten sind, […] eine Lieferung solcher Zünder nur an aus Sicht der Bundesregierung vertrauenswürdige Staaten in Betracht kommt."

Auch die Firma Rheinmetall Denel Munition, kurz RDM, eine Tochterfirma des deutschen Rüstungskonzerns Rheinmetall mit Sitz in Südafrika, bietet laut Fachinformationsquellen Streumunition an.

"RDM produziert aktuell noch Streumunition vom Typ M2001. Das steht zumindest im aktuellen Militärhandbuch Jane’s vom August 2011", sagt Ove Dullum, Militärexperte des Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. "Das wäre dann ein Verstoß gegen das Oslo Abkommen zum Verbot von Streumunition."

Auch Rheinmetall streitet ab
Rheinmetall dagegen bestreitet, Streubomben herzustellen. In einer Stellungnahme des Unternehmens heißt es: "Streumunition ist in der Oslo-Konvention in Artikel 2 definiert. Diese Munition oder Komponenten, die zur Herstellung derartiger Munition verwendet werden, gehören nicht zu den Produkten, die von Rheinmetall, deren Tochtergesellschaften oder Beteiligungen entwickelt, produziert, zusammengebaut, gewartet oder geliefert werden."

Im Südlibanon werden sieben Jahre nach dem Krieg immer noch Streubomben-Blindgänger geräumt. Die Menschen hoffen hier eines Tages wieder sicher leben zu können.
Quelle: 3sat

(c) Foto anner, OVB

Neuer Themenschwerpunkt sind heuer Streubomben in Laos. Heiko May von der Organisation "Handicap International" erzählte den Schülern der Klasse 5b kürzlich, wie gefährlich Streubomben sind und wie Menschen mit Behinderung in Laos leben. Das Projekt richtet sich an alle vierten und fünften Klassen. Außerdem gibt es noch ein zweites Projekt für die siebte Jahrgangsstufe, in dem die Schüler zusätzlich über Waffen und ihre Gefahren aufgeklärt werden.

Quelle: OVB online

An orange tree farmed in Agbara mine cleared areas. (c) Somiland Sun

Somaliland: History of Mine laying

By: Halo Trust
Somalilandsun - During colonial times, the region was the British Somaliland Protectorate. It did not join a united Somalia until 1960. British Somaliland became independent on 26th June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and Italian Somaliland's independence came four days later, whereupon the two entities immediately merged on 1st July 1960 as the Somali Republic.
Between 1981 and 1991, the Somali National Movement (SNM), a rebel army of mostly northern Somali followers, waged an armed insurrection against the regime of Mohamed Said Barre and his Somali National Army (SNA). This period saw the indiscriminate use of landmines against the civilian population, their homes and farmlands.
In 1991, after the collapse of the central government in Somalia, the people of Somaliland declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes six of the eighteen administrative regions of Somalia.
The majority of the landmine problem in Somaliland comes as a result of over 18 years of warfare. Most of the minefields were laid during 1979 - 1988 war between Somalia and Ethiopia (known as the Ogoden war) and later during Somalia civil war in 1988-1991 that led to Somaliland's de-facto independence. It's believed that some additional minefields were laid during the more recent conflict over border disputes between Somaliland and Puntland.
In general, minefields in Somaliland fall into one of the following groups.
Border defence. Laid in the 1970's by the Somalia National Army (SNA) consisting of anti-personnel (AP) and anti-tank (AT) mines to prevent mechanized assault by Ethiopia during and immediately after the Ogaden war.
Border defence. Laid in the 1980's by the SNA (mostly AP) to prevent incursions by the Somaliland National Movement (SNM) and other rebel groups operating from Ethiopia - and later laid in the disputed areas in Somaliland and Puntland border.
Base defence. Perimeter minefields laid in the 1980's by the SNA around military positions on or near the border (AP & AT) to protect against attacks.
Routes. Laid by the SNM on roads and tracks used by the SNA in order to disrupt logistics.
And to a lesser extent
Routes. Laid by the SNA on tracks running towards Ethiopia to prevent refugee exodus.
Factional/Clan. Sporadic mining based around land or blood-feud disputes.
The most recent use of landmines in Somaliland took place between 1994 and 1995 when militias opposed to the regime of Somaliland President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal and loyalist forces fought fierce battles in Hargeisa (the capital) and areas south and east of Hargeisa.
In 2009 the Somaliland House of Representatives approved legislation banning the use of anti-personnel (AP) mines.
The Problem
The urban centres of Somaliland, in particular the capital Hargeisa, were heavily mined with mines laid around refugee camps, private houses and airports.
Large perimeter anti-tank and anti-personnel minebelts, were established surrounding military camps; minefields were created along the border with Ethiopia; roads, paths, bridges and water storage areas were mined, as were areas surrounding smaller military positions. Many of these areas remain uncleared and therefore unused due to the threat of mines and all remain a serious and real threat to the local population.
The majority of mines found in Somaliland are plastic-bodied minimum metal mines. This combined with rocky, laterized, metal contaminated ground and inconsistent depths at which the mines were laid, makes detection of mines difficult.
The war between Ethiopia and Somalia left behind large amounts of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Somaliland, with thousands of items of UXO littering Hargeisa and other regional centres. The existence of mines and UXO in Somaliland threatens the lives and livelihoods of both sedentary and nomadic populations.
HALO teams have come across evidence of explosives having been harvested from mines, (in particular anti-tank mines), and explosive ordnance, for illegal re-sale or re-use. Explosive harvesting is potentially harmful to country-wide and regional security and stability.
The Solution
HALO continues to state that the only way to remove the impact that mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have on a population in as short a timeframe as possible is through large scale mineclearance operations.
HALO currently operates from two locations in Somaliland. The programme headquarters is based in Hargeisa that provides support to HALO operations in the west of the country. In 2010 HALO opened a new location in Burao ahead of the programme expansion to the east of the country.
HALO's programme in Somaliland was established in 1999 and employs over 610 national staff members. HALO operates 63 mine action teams in Somaliland slit between 51 manual clearance teams, two battle area clearance (BAC) teams, five survey / explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams, three mechanical teams and two mine risk education (MRE) teams. This capacity is deployed across all six regions of Somaliland from Awdal region in the north-west to the regions of Sool and Sanaag in the east.
More recently, HALO has been conducting a re-assessment to identify the remaining mine problem and the assets required to clear the remaining minefields in a realistic timeframe, to take Somaliland towards a 'mine-impact-free' state.
In support of this, HALO is speeding up demining operations in Somaliland by expanding its manual and mechanical capacity and continues trialling new equipment and procedures that have the potential to dramatically improve clearance rates, reducing the amount of time required for HALO to remain in Somaliland. As an example, with the introduction of new detectors, many of the difficulties faced by Somaliland's laterized soil have been overcome in recent years allowing for great increases in productivity over previous manual clearance techniques.
As of October 2012, HALO has cleared over 800 hectares of mined land and over 20,000 hectares of former battlefield areas which has been returned to local communities. During this process, over 235,000 explosive items (landmines and ammunition) have been destroyed from 320 minefields and battle areas. Cleared land, that has been put to immediate productive use either for grazing or agriculture, access to water reservoirs, markets, neighbouring communities and village/town expansion has had a significant impact on communities and their livelihoods.
Besides conducting clearance for humanitarian benefits, HALO is also addressing the problem of explosive security. A Weapons and Ammunition Disposal (WAD) program has been established to work with both the police and the military to assist in the safe storage of ammunition and rehabilitation of weapon armouries.
Requirement for continued clearance
There remains a clear requirement for continued support of humanitarian mineclearance operations to avoid casualties, and so that the population of Somaliland is no longer impacted by the threat of mines and ERW.
HALO estimates that another 5 years of mineclearance are required to declare this region mine-impact-free. As of October 2012, there are 280 confirmed hazardous areas that require further clearance in Somaliland. Some 11 square kilometres are contaminated by landmines and a further 15 square kilometres are contaminated by Explosive Remnants of War other than landmines. The vast majority of the remaining minefields in Somaliland are roads (222 hazardous areas) which block rural communities' access to markets and infrastructure. Other minefields principally block agricultural and grazing land - two activities that currently form the backbone of Somaliland's economy.
HALO Somaliland is supported by the United States Department of State Office of Weapons Removal & Abatement (PM/WRA), and the Governments of Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium. In the past, HALO Somaliland was also funded by the United Kingdom (DFID), Canada and The Julia Burke Foundation.
HALO Somaliland is currently looking to further increase the number of donors and therefore increase the clearance capacity to deal with the remaining threat. Further expansion of the programme will ensure faster clearance of the minefields and a further expansion of the programme, particularly in the east of the country.
Source: Somaliland Sun

GOOD START OF THE YEAR TO STOP EXPLOSIVE INVESTMENTS

Switzerland and Netherlands ban investments in cluster munition production

From 1 January 2013 legislation banning forms of investments in cluster munitions came into effect in Switzerland and the Netherlands.

The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) welcomes the steps taken by the Dutch and Swiss governments, both States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

With this new legislation, the Netherlands and Switzerland join a growing number of states in outlawing financial support for production of these banned weapons. These acts speak to the ‘preventative nature’ of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and should be applauded” says Amy Little, from the Cluster Munition Coalition.”


In the Netherlands, the Dutch Market Abuse (Financial Supervision Act) Decree was changed to include an obligation to “prevent any Dutch financial institution to directly support any national or foreign enterprise which produces, sells or distributes cluster munitions.” The legislation includes a prohibition on providing loans, acquiring or offering a financial instrument that has been issued by a company engaging in the production, selling, or distribution of cluster munitions, and acquiring non-marketable holdings in the capital of such a company.

“Although the legislation contains some loopholes that we have argued against, we consider this a great step forward and expect financial institutions to take their responsibility and ban all investments in producers of these weapons from now on”, says Roos Boer, from CMC member organization IKV Pax Christi  in the Netherlands.

In Switzerland, on January 1, the revised Federal Law on War Material came into force, which includes a prohibition on direct and indirect investments in the development, manufacturing or acquisition of prohibited “war material”, including cluster munitions. The legislation means that it is forbidden to directly offer credits, loans and donations or comparable financial benefits in this regard. Indirect investments are forbidden “if the intention is to bypass the prohibition on direct financing”.

“We believe the wording of the Swiss legislation could be even stronger, however the fact that Switzerland has banned the financing of cluster munitions is significant, especially given its role as a global financial hub. We expect financial institutions to respond accordingly and responsibly, and to fully disinvest from cluster munition producers”, said Petra Schroeter, from CMC member organisation Handicap International in Switzerland.

On January 8, Swiss bank UBS issued a statement declaring, “we have decided that we will not provide credit facilities, capital market transactions as well as buying and holding equity and/or bonds (including derivatives) of companies that are involved in the development, production or purchase of these controversial weapons”.

Full disinvestment from cluster munition producers by UBS would be an extremely positive  outcome of this legislation. In the 2012 report “Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions; a shared responsibility”, authored by IKV Pax Christi (the Netherlands) and FairFin (Belgium) UBS was found to have investments in 4 companies identified as cluster munition producers.

Through its ‘Stop Explosive Investments‘ campaign, the CMC and its members will continue to monitor worldwide investments in cluster munition producers by financial institutions worldwide, including UBS. The CMC calls on all governments to include a prohibition on investment in cluster munitions in their national legislation, to implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Certain forms of investment in cluster munitions are now banned in 7 states including Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. Another 21 states have made interpretive statements that indicate that they consider investments in cluster munitions to be prohibited by article 1.(1).c of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Read more on the the CMC’s ‘Stop Explosive Investments‘ campaign

Source: CMC

Die internationalen Großbanken sehen sich immer wieder dem Vorwurf ausgesetzt, wenig gesellschaftlich Sinnvolles zu erbringen und stattdessen zahlreiche schädliche Aktivitäten aus grenzenloser Profitgier zu entfalten, von der Verursachung von Finanzkrisen bis hin zur Finanzierung bedenklicher und unethischer Geschäfte.


BE: Herr Küchenmeister, welches Ziel hat sich "Andere-Banken.de" bzw. "Facing-Finance.org" gesetzt? Was ist der Hintergrund dieser Initiativen?

Küchenmeister: Facing-Finance will Investoren sensibilisieren, nicht von Menschenrechtsverletzung, Umweltzerstörung und Korruption zu profitieren, darunter Kinderarbeit, Geschäfte mit geächteten Waffen usw. Es geht uns nicht nur um institutionelle Investoren, sondern wir möchten auch Privatkunden sensibilisieren. „Was macht meine Bank mit meinem Geld?“ Was er von seiner Bank nicht erfährt, soll der Kunde von uns erfahren, d.h. wir möchten hier mehr Transparenz schaffen. Facing-Finance.org ist ein internationaler Zusammenschluss, der auch von der EU-Kommission gefördert wird. Andere-Banken.de ist in Deutschland ein Ad-hoc-Bündnis, fokussiert auf die Deutsche Bank, weil diese Bank sehr häufig in schädliche Geschäfte involviert ist.


BE: Warum steht die Deutsche Bank besonders im Fokus der Kritik? Hat die Deutsche Bank mehr auf dem Kerbholz als andere Großbanken?

Küchenmeister: Die Deutsche Bank hat in den letzten Jahren an die 20 Selbstverpflichtungen zum Thema Umwelt- und Menschenrechtsschutz unterzeichnet wie z.B. den UN Global Compact oder die UN Principles for Responsible Investment. Auf die Finanzierungspraxis der Bank haben sich diese Erklärungen bisher jedoch kaum ausgewirkt. Sie unterhält Geschäftsbeziehungen diversen kontroversen Unternehmen, die gegen internationale Normen und Standards verstoßen. Wir haben das in unserer gerade erschienenen Studie DIRTY PROFITS ausführlich dokumentiert. Dazu gehören z.B. der Bergbauriese Rio Tinto oder diverse Hersteller von Atomwaffen oder Streumunition.


BE: Wie wurde auf Kritik in der Hauptversammlung reagiert?

Küchenmeister: Seitens der Bank wurde gebetsmühlenartig wiederholt, dass man da und dort herausgegangen sei, dass man die Angelegenheit überprüfe, alles sehr unverbindlich. Wir hatten den Eindruck, dass die Aktionäre zuletzt stärker interessiert waren als zuvor, womit das Geld verdient wird, und auch die Zahl derer, die sich dafür interessiert, deutlich gestiegen ist. Auch seitens institutioneller Aktionäre kam Kritik in der letzten Hauptversammlung auf, etwa dass auch soziale Verantwortung wahrgenommen und auf gewisse Themen geachtet werden müsse. Viele andere Banken in Deutschland legen sich bereits Selbstverpflichtung auf und gehen aus gewissen Geschäften heraus. Man kann schon einen gewissen Einfluss auf eine Bank ausüben, denn auch die Deutsche Bank reagiert empfindlich auf schlechte Presse.


BE: Wie bewerten Sie die Ära Ackermann unter Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten?

Küchenmeister: Wir können sagen, dass es im Zeitraum, den wir untersucht haben, immer so war, dass die Bank, wenn wir auf eine Verfehlung hingewiesen hat, gesagt hat, man werde sich das anschauen, aber dann ist nie etwas passiert oder nur in sehr unzureichendem Maße. Unter Ackermann wurde keine Transparenz zugelassen, wir konnten etwa nie überprüfen, ob sich die Deutsche Bank wirklich aus den von uns kritisierten Geschäften zurückzog. Wir geben unsere Informationen an Agenturen weiter, die für uns die Finanzbeziehungen problematischer Unternehmen zur Deutschen Bank untersuchen. Die Deutsche Bank hat z.B. im Gegensatz z.B. zur Commerzbank nie eine klare Policy kommuniziert.


BE: Wie sehen Sie Ackermanns Nachfolger?

Küchenmeister: Natürlich muss man den Nachfolgern Zeit geben, die Versäumnisse unter Ackermann aufzuholen. Dennoch drängt sich der Eindruck auf, dass sich bislang nicht viel geändert hat, bzw. die Probleme noch nicht gelöst sind. Ich denke da an die Skandale um die Manipulation des Interbankenzinses Libor, der Verkauf fragwürdiger Zins-Produkte an Kommunen in Europa oder die Klagen wegen der Hypotheken-Papiere in den USA. Hier trägt Anshu Jain zumindest Mitverantwortung. Nur der Kirch-Prozess und die Vorwürfe in Bezug auf Steuer-Betrügereien mit Emissionszertifikaten tun das wohl nicht, belasten aber natürlich auch die Bank, die ja immer das Vorzeigeinstitut sein möchte. Da sollte man das Beste erwarten. Aber genau das Gegenteil passiert.


BE: Was schlagen Sie konkret vor, damit der Finanzsektor wieder mehr gesellschaftlich sinnvolle Aufgabe wahrnimmt?

Küchenmeister: Leider gibt es immer noch zu wenig nachhaltig orientierte Banken, die gesellschaftlich sinnvolle Projekte fördern oder ganz grundsätzlich Menschenrechts- und Umweltstandards wirklich einhalten. Der Finanzsektor kann aber in erheblichem Maße zu gesellschaftlich sinnvollen Dingen beitragen, indem er gesellschaftlich schädliche Dinge einfach nicht mehr finanziert. D.h. eine Bank muss genau prüfen, welche Folgen z.B. die Unterstützung von Großprojekten hat, sei es ein Großstaudamm oder ein Bergbauprojekt. Die Deutsche Bank war etwa Hauptfinancier des spanischen Munitionsherstellers, der Gaddafi mit Streumunition versorgt hat. Generell müssen die Banken mehr Verantwortung übernehmen und die Kosten der Krisen mittragen, wenn sie diese verursacht haben. Im Bankenbereich besteht im Vergleich zum Fondsbereich noch ein großer Nachholbedarf bei ethischem Handeln, etwa was die Kreditvergabe betrifft. Die Banken fragen die (industriellen) Kunden meist gar nicht, was sie mit dem geliehenen Geld vorhaben. Das muss sich ändern!

BE: Herr Küchenmeister, danke für das Interview

(das Interview führte Christoph Rohrmoser)
Links:
http://www.facing-finance.org/de/
http://www.andere-banken.de/

Quelle: Börse Express

Egypt denies making 'cluster bombs' for Syria

Military official says Egypt will not be used as a 'hat rack' for accusations that contradict the country's known stance against the ongoing brutality in Syria

Egypt has quashed a report by Human Rights Watch, claiming that Syria's Al-Assad regime forces had allegedly used cluster bombs against the civilian citizens which were made by an Egyptian company called Sakr Factory for Development Industries.
Major-General Dr. Mahmoud Khalaf, an advisor at Nasser Higher Military Academy, told the Al-Ahram Arabic news website: "It is an easy matter to launch media accusations against Egypt and defame it, but to provide evidence is another issue. Egypt is a main target for many foes in the region, but will never be the 'hat rack' for talking about this kind of internationally band bombs."

Khalaf stressed that Egypt is committed to the international conventions and does not produce nor manufacture this kind of unlawful weapon.

"I'm really surprised about these accusations while Egypt has a declared stance to help the Syrian people and the Syrian revolution against the embattled President Bashar Al-Assad.

"Egypt openly hosts and supports the Syrians opposition, so how can it be accused of supporting this brutal regime? Egypt was the first nation that made initiatives to resolve the conflict. We would be contradicting ourselves."

Syrian forces are using notoriously indiscriminate rockets that contain explosive submunitions.

Evidence indicates that Syrian forces used BM-21 Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers to deliver cluster munitions in attacks near the city of Idlib in December 2012 and in Latamneh, a town northwest of Hama, on January 3, 2013, Human Rights Watch claimed on Sunday.

According to the human rights watchdog, these are the first known instances of Syrian use of ground-based cluster munitions.

No information is available on how or when Syria acquired these cluster munitions, which were made in Egypt. Human Rights Watch and others have previously reported use of air-dropped cluster bombs.

Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch, said: "Syria is escalating and expanding its use of cluster munitions, despite international condemnation of its embrace of this banned weapon.

"It is now resorting to a notoriously indiscriminate type of cluster munition that gravely threatens civilian populations."

Based on interviews with witnesses, analysis of approximately a dozen videos posted online by local activists, and photographs taken by an international journalist, Human Rights Watch has concluded that since at least early December Syrian forces have used BM-21 Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers to deliver 122mm cluster munition rockets containing submunitions of the DPICM-type (dual purpose improved conventional munition).

The attack using these cluster munitions on January 3 on the Syrian town of Latamneh killed at least one civilian and wounded 15 others. Another civilian was killed by an unexploded submunition left from the attack.

A fighter for the armed opposition group the Free Syrian Army was also killed on December 5 after handling an unexploded submunition left from an attack two days prior on the village of Banin in Jabal al-Zaweya.

Quelle: Ahram Online

Syria: Army Using New Type of Cluster Munition

Rocket Attacks and Explosive Remnants Cause Civilian Casualties

(Washington, DC) – Syrian forces are using notoriously indiscriminate rockets that contain explosive submunitions. Evidence indicates that Syrian forces used BM-21 Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers to deliver cluster munitions in attacks near the city of Idlib in December 2012 and in Latamneh, a town northwest of Hama, on January 3, 2013.

These are the first known instances of Syrian use of ground-based cluster munitions. No information is available on how or when Syria acquired these cluster munitions, which were made in Egypt. Human Rights Watch and others have previously reported use of air-dropped cluster bombs. The Syrian government should immediately cease all use of cluster munitions, which have been comprehensively banned by 111 nations through an international treaty.

“Syria is escalating and expanding its use of cluster munitions, despite international condemnation of its embrace of this banned weapon,” said Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. “It is now resorting to a notoriously indiscriminate type of cluster munition that gravely threatens civilian populations.”

Based on interviews with witnesses, analysis of approximately a dozen videos posted online by local activists, and photographs taken by an international journalist, Human Rights Watch has concluded that since at least early December Syrian forces have used BM-21 Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers to deliver 122mm cluster munition rockets containing submunitions of the DPICM-type (dual purpose improved conventional munition).

The attack using these cluster munitions on January 3 on Latamneh killed one civilian man and wounded 15 people, including women and children, while another civilian man was killed by an unexploded submunition left from the attack. Another man, a fighter for the armed opposition group the Free Syrian Army, was killed on December 5 after handling an unexploded submunition left from an attack two days earlier on the village of Banin in Jabal al-Zaweya.

The Soviet-made BM-21 multi-barrel rocket launcher is a truck-mounted system capable of firing 40 rockets nearly simultaneously. The rockets have a range from 4 to 40 kilometers and are notorious for their inability to be accurately targeted due to their lack of a guidance system. The inaccuracy of these rockets exacerbates the danger from the wide area effect of the submunitions they contain. Fired in groups, the rockets can inflict large-scale civilian casualties when used in residential areas, Human Rights Watch said.

The 122mm cluster munition rockets bear the markings of the Egyptian state-owned Arab Organization for Industrialization and an Egyptian company called Sakr Factory for Development Industries. The DPICM submunitions contained in the rockets are designed for both antipersonnel and antivehicle purposes. Each DPICM submunition is the size of a D cell battery and has a distinctive white ribbon. It is not known if the 122mm rockets are SAKR-18 or SAKR-36 variants, which contain 72 and 98 submunitions respectively.

These are the first recorded uses of the 122mm rockets containing DPICM submunitions in the Syrian conflict. In October and November, Human Rights Watch documented a country-wide increase in the use of Soviet-made RBK-250/275 AO-1SCh and RBK-250 PTAB-2.5 cluster bombs delivered by Syrian aircraft.

The LatamnehAttack
A resident of Latamneh described to Human Rights Watch the cluster munition strike on January 3 on his town, located northwest of Hama city:

Around 4 p.m., four rockets hit in Latamneh. It was raining a lot that day. It stopped and this was when we heard a very loud sound and then a big explosion. After that we heard a series of smaller explosions. The four rockets fell in different areas: three fell in the fields and the other one on the street between residential buildings.

One that exploded on the street next to a residential building caused a lot of damage. It killed two men and wounded 15 [including] women and children. Some were walking on the street at the time and others were in their house. Salah Mohammed Husain al Kharouf (around 45 years old) … was in his car driving when the bomblets exploded. He died instantly.

The resident told Human Rights Watch that al Kharouf was not a combatant. The resident said and graphic video footage shows that a 30-year-old man named Ala` Othman Zain, also identified as a civilian, was killed after the strike when he picked up a submunition that exploded in his hands. Video footage apparently shot in a local medical facility on the day of the strike shows a dead man with his right hand blown off and wounded civilians receiving treatment, including a baby, a young girl, boys, women, and men. One video shows a severe fragmentation wound on the baby’s right arm. Local residents said the people who were severely wounded were taken to Turkey for treatment, where they remain.

The resident visited one of the attack sites and told Human Rights Watch that he saw “bomblets spread out around 200 meters” including 20 unexploded submunitions. He took video footage that shows the remnants of a rocket and 10 explosive submunitions and said, “We took [the rocket and unexploded submunitions] with us back home. After we finished filming them we placed them in a bag and threw them away in the fields. They all exploded. It was the safest way to destroy them.”

The resident said that the Syrian Army has not been in Latamneh, but that the Free Syrian Army has been present since mid-December. The resident said that the town has been attacked by Syrian government planes and helicopters, but that the attack on January 3 was different because, “This was the first time this kind of rocket is used on us.” He said that the rockets were not dropped from an airplane: “There was no airplane that day. It was very foggy even after the rain stopped. The rocket came from the direction of Hama airport, located 40 km away from our town.”

Another resident told Human Rights Watch that Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in Latamneh told him that FSA fighters near Hama airport had informed them that the rockets were launched from the vicinity of the airport on January 3.

Another local resident described the January 3 attack to Human Rights Watch:

I heard a big explosion followed by smaller ones. It was still very cloudy but the rain stopped. After the explosions stopped I went to see what happened. The buildings that were hit were 200 meters away from the office. When I arrived I saw wounded people everywhere and small bombs covering the streets. The damage caused to the buildings was minimal. I saw a lot of unexploded bomblets. I don’t remember how many but more than 10.

The bomblets killed two men: one died instantly while he was in his car and the other one died an hour later when a bomblet exploded in his hands while he was trying to throw it far away from the yard of his house. His hand was amputated by the explosion. His name is Ala` Nasser Othman. The wounded [I saw] included seven children, five women and three men.
The resident said there was no FSA vehicle, office, or gathering near or at the buildings hit in the attack. He said that at the time of the cluster munition attack, clashes between the FSA and the Syrian army were taking place at the village of Bamourk, seven kilometers away.

Other videos uploaded to YouTube show remnants of the rocket and submunitions apparently used at Latamneh, including one video of a field pockmarked by small craters with several unexploded submunitions visible and another video showing unexploded submunitions in a residential area.

The December Attacks Near Idlib
On December 12, an international journalist visited an uninhabited forested area outside the village of Banin in Jabal al-Zaweya, where she photographed cluster munition remnants and the remnants of ground-launched rockets used in an attack on December 5. A local FSA representative informed the journalist that while no one was injured or killed during the cluster munition attack, an FSA member named Ahmed Mohamed Khalifa was killed on December 5 when he carried an unexploded submunition to his car. The damaged vehicle was still at the location of the incident when the journalist visited, with fragments of an exploded cluster submunition lodged in it. Khalifa was collecting unexploded submunitions with his brother to prevent civilians from handling them.

A number of videos filmed by local activists and uploaded to YouTube during December show remnants of the same type of ground-launched cluster munitions from locations within 20 kilometers of Idlib in Jabal al-Zaweya, including the towns of Sarja, Maa’rdebsa, Ma’arzaf, and Saraqib.

Video footage shows people handling remnants of the 122mm rockets and unexploded DPICM submunitions, an extremely dangerous activity. The design of the fuze system in this type of submunition makes it very sensitive and submunitions that fail to explode on initial impact are liable to detonate if disturbed. The first Latamneh resident interviewed by Human Rights Watch said, “We distributed documents explaining to people not to touch the bomblets if they find one. We also reiterated this message during prayer time in mosques.”

More than 15 governments have condemned Syria’s use of cluster munitions, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

A majority of the world’s nations have comprehensively banned the use of cluster munitions through the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which came into force on August 1, 2010. Syria is not a party to the convention and did not participate in the 2007-2008 Oslo Process that led to the creation of the treaty, which bans cluster munitions and requires clearance of contaminated areas and assistance to victims. A total of 77 states are party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, while another 34 have signed but not yet ratified.

Human Rights Watch is a founding member of the international Cluster Munition Coalition, the civil society campaign behind the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Source: HRW

Quelle: orf.at

Der kugelförmige und etwa zwei Meter große Körper sprengt versteckte Landminen durch die Berührung des Bodens. Angetrieben wird das Gerät vom Wind, der die Kugel dank ihrer speziellen Konstruktion von alleine in Bewegung setzt.

Als Inspiration diente dem Designer ein selbst gebautes Spielzeug aus seiner Kindheit in Afghanistan.

Quelle: shortnews.de

Minenwarnschild in Kambodscha. (c) Handicap International

Die entmilitarisierte Zone wird in fünf Bereiche eingeteilt und unter den beiden Ländern aufgeteilt. Die Räumung soll nach Angaben des thailändischen Supreme Commander Tanasak Patimapragorn bis April kommenden Jahres abgeschlossen werden. Bei den Grenzstreitigkeiten der letzten Jahre hatten Soldaten aus Thailand und Kambodscha in der heftig umstrittenen Region am Tempel Preah Vihear Minen gelegt.

Quelle: Der Farang

Streubombe Typ AO 1 sch. aus russischer Produktion. (c) Handicap International

Eingesetzt werden laut dem Bericht Streumunition des in Russland hergestellten Typs RBK-250.

Brüssel - Zwei Journalisten des Blattes befanden sich auf dem Weg in die Kleinstadt Marea, als Kampfflugzeuge dort die Munition über bewohntem Gebiet abwarfen. Auch setzt das Regime weiterhin Raketen des Typs Scud ein. 'Ich kann bestätigen, dass wir den Abschuss von Scud-Raketen festgestellt haben', sagte Nato-Generalsekretär Anders Fogh Rasmussen am Freitag in Brüssel auf die Frage, ob auch in den vergangenen Tagen diese Raketen eingesetzt worden seien. 'Wir bedauern das sehr. Ich betrachte das als Taten eines verzweifelten Regimes, das sich dem Zusammenbruch nähert. Bei der Scud handelt es sich um eine Mittelstreckenrakete sowjetischer Bauart mit einem Sprengkopf von bis zu 1000 Kilogramm; sie kann auch mit Chemiewaffen-Gefechtsköpfen bestückt werden.SZ

Quelle: Süddeutsche Zeitung

What is the expiration date of a landmine?

The cluster bomb in the former living room of 60's rock band Manfred Mann just outside London no longer carries as deadly a cargo. It's been converted into a cabinet and now only contains a few bottles of whiskey. Landmines of all varieties and nations line the bookshelves alongside instruction manuals on how they can be safely removed from the ground and defuzed. Most of the manuals were written by the current owner of the 400 year-old home, our host, Colin King. Outside Colin’s house, in his multiple toolshed-turned-workshops are boxes and shelves piled high with defuzed mines and surrogates of ordnance he has made here on site. These replicas, used for mines risk education and clearance training are nearly impossible to tell from the real thing with the naked eye.

King not only “wrote the book” on landmine and unexploded ordnance removal, he updates it every year as the author of Jane’s Mines and EOD Operational Guide. In the early 1990’s, before Princess Diana brought the landmine issue into to the public consciousness, Colin was was leading the first team to train Afghan deminers in northern Afghanistan at the birth of the humanitarian demining movement that ultimately led to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaign to ban landmines. The landmine ban treaty was signed 15 years ago this week. The ban has resulted in a precipitous drop in landmine victims over the last ten years due to countries no longer using the devices (Syria being the only exception in 2012), effective mines risk education programs and landmine and UXO clearance projects having removed threats from communities around the world.

But what of the landmines that are still in the ground? Some of them have been lying in wait for decades. Will they remain a threat for generations after the ban? King, with support from the US Department of State has been lifting 30-year-old landmines and cutting them open to learn more about their lifecycle with the ultimate goal of smarter, cheaper, prioritized clearance.

What he has found he likens to the degradation of an old car. “You can maybe start an old, abandoned car and drive it, but the brakes may fail” he said “it’s more dangerous now in this state than it was before. Soon, though, other parts will fail and the car will be useless and no longer a threat to anyone. The same thing applies to, say anti-tank mines where the fuze may become more sensitive than before posing a greater threat to deminers and the local community. It's lost its brakes.  Eventually , though, like the car that will no longer start, the mine degrades beyond the point of being dangerous to anyone. Deminers need to know this kind of information.”

Colin’s slideshow on the topic demonstrates the kind of attention to detail a man who defuzes live bombs with his bare hands would require in order to survive in this industry for over two decades. How long does it take a landmine to rust in wet climates? How long until the expanding explosive in hot, dry climates breaks the shell around it and rendering the device inert? How much faster does the acidity in the soil move the process along? Over time, landmines break down and their appearance changes greatly.

As the world moves beyond landmines, funding for the removal of existing mines is becoming increasingly scarce. Colin’s work will ultimately help prioritize future efforts to remove the most pressing threats to communities in former war zones and direct resources to people in the greatest danger.

Source: Reuters Alert Net

Ratten sind erfolgreiche Minensucher (c) Apopo

Die geräumte Provinz ist doppelt so groß wie Belgien.

20 Jahre nach dem Bürgerkrieg sind einige Landesteile von Mosambik endlich frei von Landminen. Die Minenräumung erfolgte durch die regierungsunabhängige Organisation Apopo aus Belgien und Tansania. Dabei unterstützte die Universität von Antwerpen die Ausbildung von Ratten als Minensucher. Da Ratten über einen ausgezeichneten Geruchssinn verfügen, sind sie bei der Suche nach Sprengstoffen sehr erfolgreich.
Apopo fand in der Provinz Gaza in Mosambik 2.400 Landminen, rund 1.000 Bombenblindgänger und etwa 13.000 Stück Munition - Kugeln, Granaten usw. Bisher konnte sich in dieser Provinz, die etwa doppelt so groß ist, wie Belgien, niemand sicher fühlen. Jäger, Holz suchende Frauen, spielende Kinder und auch die Viehhirten mussten immer damit rechnen, dass eine Landmine auf ihrem Weg lag. Es gab Tote und unzählige Verletzte, denen Körperteile angerissen wurden.

Christophe Cox von Apopo sagte dazu gegenüber der VRT-Nachrichtenredaktion, dass jetzt die Sicherheit wieder einkehren kann: "Doch die Arbeit in Mosambik ist noch nicht zu Ende. Noch etwa die Hälfte des Landes muss geräumt werden. Laut internationalen Anti-Minenverträgen soll das bis 2014 gewährleistet sein."

Die letzten entdeckten Landminen in der Provinz Gaza in Mosambik wurden in diesen Tagen im Rahmen einer kleinen Feuer zur Explosion gebracht. 20 Jahre nach dem Bürgerkrieg in Mosambik ist diese Region für die dort lebenden Menschen wieder sicher geworden.

Quelle: Flanderninfo

Durch die Explosion einer Landmine sind in Afghanistan zehn Mädchen getötet und zwei weitere verletzt worden. Die Kinder im Alter von neun bis elf Jahren starben am Montag beim Sammeln von Brennholz in der östlichen Provinz Nanagahar, wie der Bezirkschef von Tschaparhar, Mohammed Sedik Daulazai, sagte. Eine von ihnen habe zufällig mit einer Axt auf die Mine geschlagen.

Die Landmine stamme noch aus den Zeiten des sowjetischen Afghanistan-Feldzugs in den 1980er Jahren, sagte Daulazai. Seit dem Rückzug der Sowjettruppen 1989 wurden in Afghanistan nach UN-Angaben fast 700.000 Minen und 15 Millionen weitere Explosivkörper zerstört. Trotz der internationalen Bemühungen um eine Säuberung gilt Afghanistan weiter als eines der am stärksten von Minen verseuchten Länder weltweit. (AFP)

Quelle: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Dies beinhaltet u.a. 227mm M30-Raketen, die durch M270 MLRS-/GMLRS- oder HIMARS-Systeme abgeschossen werden. Diese wurden in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, nach Jordanien und Singapur exportiert.[1] Die Verwendung dieser Waffensysteme ist gemäß dem Übereinkommen über Streumunition verboten.

[1] Sipri (2012) – Global transfers of major conventional weapons sorted by supplier (exporter), 2011.

Quelle: Facing Finance

Moderne Streumunition. (c) Stuart Freedman/Handicap International

Bill to ratify cluster bombs treaty deeply flawed, critics say

House needs to make changes after bill passes Senate: Liberal senator

OTTAWA — Controversial legislation that will commit Canada to an international treaty banning deadly cluster munitions is flawed and puts members of Canada’s military in a “horrific moral and ethical dilemma” former army general Senator Roméo Dallaire said Thursday.

Bill S-10 passed unchanged through the Conservative-controlled Senate Wednesday but Dallaire and other critics say the legislation is compromised and against the spirit of the treaty that Canada helped negotiate and signed four years ago this month.

At issue is a clause that will allow Canadian forces on joint operations commanded by foreign forces to use clusters if commanders are from a country that has not signed the treaty.

Because Canada’s major allies — notably France and the United Kingdom — have ratified the treaty with a pledge not to use clusters in any circumstances, the clause insisted upon by the federal government is included to effectively protect Canadian troops from prosecution during joint military operations with the United States.

The U.S. refuses to sign the treaty which, once ratified, is binding under international law.

Cluster weapons, the deadlier, more versatile cousin of landmines, can be dropped by aircraft or fired from the ground. They scatter small coloured bomblets that have a high failure rate on impact but remain deadly. The majority of cluster victims are civilians — mostly children.

Canada has neither produced nor used cluster munitions.

Dallaire, who with fellow Senator Elizabeth Hubley had attempted to get amendments to the bill, said its passage unchanged is “a great disappointment.

“We have not met the spirit of the convention,” he said. “We are protecting our people legally, and that’s no doubt important, but it doesn’t protect against the ethical and moral dilemma of using them and seeing the horrific impact once you’ve used them.”

Dallaire had attempted to persuade Conservative senators to get around the so-called interoperability issue by introducing an opt-out clause for Canadians under foreign command.

“Caveats for the rules of engagement are used all the time when nations send troops to be part of UN forces,” he said.

Dallaire’s last-ditch effort at an amendment that would have allowed Canadians to attempt to persuade their foreign commanders not to use the weapons was also defeated.

“That would at least show we have a moral position,” he said. “You can’t order them but you can try to influence.”

During hearings at the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee, numerous Canadian and international expert witnesses urged the federal government to amend the legislation.

The bill now goes for debate to the House of Commons.

“The vote in the Senate means that Canada could have the weakest legislation in the world unless MPs are willing to make some much needed amendments,” said Paul Hannon, executive director of the group Mines Action Canada. “As a country that has never used or produced cluster munitions, Canada can and should have the best legislation in the world.”

Hubley echoed Dallaire and Hannon’s criticism.

“The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a powerful international treaty that has the potential to save thousands of innocent lives,” she said. “There is no doubt that cluster munitions cause horrendous human suffering and should be forever banned. Bill S-10 leaves the door open for Canadians to help others to use the weapons while on a combined military operation. I can only hope that the House of Commons takes the time to further consider this bill and make the necessary changes to ensure that Canadian Forces will never be involved with the use of these indiscriminate weapons.”

Source: Ottawa Citizen

Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate.

Nobel laureate urges U.S. to join landmine treaty

Nobel Peace Laureate and anti-landmine campaigner Jody Williams called on the United States on Monday to join a worldwide pact banning the weapons and leave Russia and China among the few world powers who still reject it.

Williams, who in 1991 launched the grassroots drive which brought the Mine Ban Treaty into existence six years later, was speaking at a news conference before a week-long meeting of the 160 signatory countries to discuss how to improve the accord.

"Since (Barack) Obama has been re-elected as president, we are hoping that the United States will now put in writing what it is doing in practice," said Williams, noting that no U.S. landmines had been produced or deployed since the early 1990s.

"If it is doing it already, why not ratify the treaty?" asked Williams, a U.S. citizen who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work as head of the Geneva-based International Campaign to Band Landmines (ICBL).

This week's gathering at the United Nations European headquarters is formally a 15-year review of the pact which bans the production, deployment and export of landmines and provides for helping victims.

It obliges signatory states to destroy stock piles and clear mines on their territory, even if deployed by other countries during conflicts, and offers them financial support for this costly and often dangerous effort.

Since 122 states joined the accord when it was opened for signatures in 1997 in Ottawa, nearly 40 more have come in, including three over the past 12 years, taking the total to 160, or more than four fifths of U.N. members.

Poland is due to announce its ratification during the week-long meeting, a development that brings all members of the 27-nation European Union as well as the entire NATO alliance, apart from the United States, under the treaty umbrella.

When explaining past decisions to stay outside the pact, Washington has said it could not meet its national defense needs or security commitments to allies if it signed.

The Obama administration has indicated that it is reviewing its position and has sent an observer delegation to this week's meeting. U.S. officials say their country has already taken a strong lead in addressing humanitarian issues linked to mines.

They say the United States is the largest single contributor to funds for helping victims of the weapon, a fact confirmed by the ICBL, and has contributed over $2 billion in aid across 90 countries for the destruction of conventional weapons.

But there has been no sign from Russia or China that they may be reconsidering their stance. Both say they need the weapon to protect long land borders.

The ICBL says only India, Myanmar, Pakistan and South Korea -- all with sensitive frontiers -- are known to be actively producing mines, which were killing or injuring 12 people a day worldwide on average during 2011.

Last week the ICBL's annual Landmine Monitor said that this year only Syria had deployed the weapons, laying them along its borders with Lebanon and Turkey as it battles insurgents seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

Source: Reuters

Streubombe Typ AO 1 sch. aus russischer Produktion. (c) Handicap International

Der Zwischenfall habe sich am Sonntag in der Ortschaft Deir al Assafir ereignet, hieß es am Dienstag. Streubomben fügten Zivilisten "verheerenden Schaden" zu und "sollten von keinem, irgendwo zu irgendeiner Zeit benutzt werden", sagte HRW-Expertin Mary Wareham.

Die syrische Luftwaffe bombardierte unterdessen eine Fabrik im Norden des Landes. Dabei wurden nach Angaben von Aktivisten zahlreiche Menschen getötet. Die Syrische Beobachtungsstelle für Menschenrechte und die Örtlichen Koordinationskomitees teilten am Dienstag mit, die Fabrik, in der Olivenöl hergestellt wird, liege westlich der Stadt Idlib.

Bei dem Angriff wurden nach Angaben der Komitees mindestens 20 Menschen getötet und viele weitere verletzt. Die Beobachtungsstelle sprach von Toten und Verletzten im zweistelligen Bereich. Beide Gruppen beziehen ihre Informationen von Aktivisten vor Ort.

Die syrische Regierung von Präsident Baschar al Assad hat in den vergangenen Monaten zahlreiche Luftangriffe gegen die Rebellen geflogen, vor allem in den Provinzen Idlib und Deir el Sur sowie Vororten der Hauptstadt Damaskus. Seit Beginn des Aufstands gegen das Assad-Regime im März 2011 kostete die Gewalt nach Angaben von Aktivisten mehr als 40.000 Menschen das Leben.

Quelle: Rheinische Post, rp-online

(c) 2002 Andreas Zierhut für »One Step Beyond – Wiederbegegnung mit der Mine«

Die Ausstellung zeigt aktuelle und historische Fotos aus von Minen und Blindgängern belasteten Ländern wie Vietnam, Laos, Kosovo, Uganda, Libyen und Afghanistan. Ein simuliertes Minenfeld führt den Besuchern die Gefahren von Landminen eindrücklich vor Augen. Das "Angolanische Roulette" zeigt, wie Kinder in Angola vor den Gefahren von Landminen gewarnt werden.

Kunstobjekte, die in den vergangenen zwanzig Jahren in öffentlichen Kampagnen in Deutschland eingesetzt wurden, regen zum Perspektivenwechsel ein. Ausführliche Hintergrundinformationen geben den Besuchern die Möglichkeit, sich ein eigenes Urteil zu bilden und selbst aktiv zu werden.

Die Ausstellung befindet sich bis zum 21.12.2012 im Lichthof des Auswärtigen Amtes, Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin und ist täglich von 9:00 bis 18:00 Uhr geöffnet. Es ist geplant, Anfang 2013 die Ausstellung auch in den Vereinten Nationen in Genf und in New York zu zeigen.

Weitere Informationen:

Handout zur Ausstellung >>>, Hintergundinformationen pdf-Version >>>, Flashanimation >>>, Dokumentation der Eröffnung >>>

Auswärtiges Amt >>>, Handicap International >>>, medico international >>> und SODI - Solidaritätsdienst-international >>>

(c) Landmine Monitor 2012

Im heute veröffentlichten Landminenbericht "Landmine Monitor 2012" stellt die internationale Kampagne für das Verbot von Landminen die aktuellen Fakten zur Umsetzung der Ottawa-Konvention vor. Die 1997 in Ottawa geschlossene Konvention verbietet Einsatz, Lagerung, Produktion und Weitergabe von Anti-Personen-Minen. Handicap International ist vor allem aufgrund der international 30-prozentigen Mittelkürzungen in der Opferhilfe besorgt; obwohl noch immer alle zwei Stunden ein Opfer von Landminen und explosiven Kampfmittelrückständen zu beklagen ist. Vom 3. bis 7. Dezember 2012 treffen sich die Vertragsstaaten der Ottawa-Konvention in Genf.

Im Jahr 2011 wurden 4.286 neue Opfer von Landminen und Blindgängern registriert, wobei die Dunkelziffer hier erfahrungsgemäß hoch ist. Über 40% der Opfer sind Kinder. Schätzungen zufolge gibt es insgesamt mehr als 500.000 Überlebende von Landminenunfällen, die auf lebenslange Hilfe angewiesen sind. Die von den Vertragsstaaten bereitgestellten finanziellen Mittel werden den schwerwiegenden Herausforderungen jedoch nicht gerecht: 2011 wurden die finanziellen Hilfsmittel für Opfer international um nahezu ein Drittel gekürzt und befinden sich nun auf ihrem niedrigsten Stand seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen im Landminen-Bericht 2007. Insgesamt gaben die Staaten nur 23 Mio. Euro aus, um die 500.000 Überlebenden sowie ihre Familien und ihr Umfeld zu unterstützen. Die deutsche Regierung gehörte jedoch auch dieses Jahr wieder zu den weltweit größten Förderern humanitärer Projekte für betroffene Länder einschließlich der Opferhilfe. Mit einer Ausstellung, die heute Abend in Berlin eröffnet werden wird, machen Handicap International, medico international und SODI gemeinsam mit dem Auswärtigen Amt auf die Aktualität der Landminenproblematik, aber auch auf die großen Leistungen der vor 20 Jahre gegründeten Landminenkampagne aufmerksam, ohne die der Ottawa-Vertrag nicht zustande gekommen wäre.

Noch immer sind laut Landmine Monitor bis zu 78 Länder und Hoheitsgebiete von Landminen und Kampfmittelrückständen verseucht. Davon sind 59 Staaten sowie sechs Gebiete stärker betroffen und 13 weitere Staaten melden entweder eine vermutete oder restliche Kontamination. In einigen Ländern ist der Anteil der Kinder an den Minenopfern besorgniserregend hoch. Kenia, Uganda und der Jemen, wo der Anteil bei 90% liegt, sind die traurigen Spitzenreiter, dicht gefolgt von Libyen und Afghanistan (über 60%) sowie von Laos (58%). Seitdem die Ottawa-Konvention 1999 in Kraft getreten ist, sind jedes Jahr mehr als 1.000 Kinder diesen Waffen zum Opfer gefallen. "Ihre Bedürfnisse sind größer als die der Erwachsenen", mahnt der 22-jährige Afghane Rahmatullah Merzavee, der im Alter von neun Jahren bei der Explosion einer Landmine beide Beine verloren hat. "Wegen ihres Wachstums müssen ihre Prothesen regelmäßig angepasst werden, die Behandlung ist langwierig und kostspielig und es besteht in großem Maße die Gefahr, dass sie vom Bildungssystem ausgeschlossen werden." Rahmatullah gehört zu der von Handicap International geförderten Gruppe "Ban Advocates" - einem Zusammenschluss von Überlebenden aus Minen- und Blindgängerexplosionen, die sich für die weltweite Kampagne stark machen.

Die Vertragsstaaten der Ottawa-Konvention kommen vom 3. bis 7. Dezember in Genf zu ihrer 12. Konferenz zusammen. Dies ist der geeignete Anlass, um die anwesenden Regierungen an ihre Verantwortung zu erinnern und an sie zu appellieren, ihre Verpflichtungen in vollem Umfang zu erfüllen. Auch Handicap International wird auf der Konferenz vertreten sein. Die Organisation ist Gründungsmitglied der Internationalen Landminenkampagne und als Hilfsorganisation für Menschen mit Behinderung derzeit in 63 Ländern aktiv, von denen 40 mit Landminen und Kampfmittelrückständen verseucht sind. Handicap International führt u.a. Minenräumungen, Aufklärung über die Gefahr von Minen, orthopädische Versorgung und Opferhilfsprogramme durch.

Originaltext: Handicap International Digitale Pressemappe: http://www.presseportal.de/pm/16206
Pressemappe via RSS : http://www.presseportal.de/rss/pm_16206.rss2

Pressekontakt: Information: Dr. Eva Maria Fischer 089/54 76 06 13, 0176/99 28 41 35 www.handicap-international.de, www.streubomben.de

Zum Video >>>

Two Azerbaijani soldiers hit landmine

Hafiz Heydarov

APA reports that the incident was recorded on the contact line of Azerbaijani-Armenian troops in direction of Goranboy region.
 
Soldiers of Azerbaijani Army, 19-year-old Jamil Veysal Mammadov and 19-year-old Chingizkhan Sevgikhan Jarrasov hit landmines. The two soldiers were hospitalized in serious state. Both soldiers’ one leg was amputated.
 
Deputy chief of the Defense Ministry’s press service Teymur Abdullayev confirmed the fact to APA.
 
Mammadov was drafted from Shusha region, Jarrasov from Gusar.
 
It is the third similar incident occurred on the frontline in the recent days. One more our soldier hit a landmine on the frontline in direction of Khojavand a few days ago.

Source: APA

Gemeinsam mit den Kambodschanischen Frauen für Frieden und Entwicklung (CWPD) realisiert SODI ein ländliches Entwicklungsprojekt im Distrikt Angkor Chey in der Provinz Kampot. (c) SODI

John Rodsted travels the world to find and photograph images of cluster bombs. In eastern Cambodia he doesn't have to travel far to find the dangerous legacy of unexploded bombs.

Listen at the source: ABC National Radio >>>

Dogs are used to detect mines at the border of Chile and Peru. (c) NPA

Latin-American demining mission nearing completion

Dogs and deminers have completed more than half the task on the border between Peru and Chile.

Author: Tine Johansen

To date the Norwegian People’s Aid team has found 110 anti-personnel mines and two anti-tank mines in the vicinity of the Quebrada de Escritos ravine, where landmines were washed out on the shore following heavy floods earlier this year. Weekly detonations of findings are conducted every Saturday at the end of the working week.

24 days after starting the clearance operation in the northern and southern parts of the designated area, 10,948 m2 have been cleared using Mine Detection Dogs, and an additional 32,540 m2 have been cleared by manual demining teams. By this date 28,320 m2 of the designated area was mechanically prepared by machine Bozena 5.

Operation on the central part of the task, which due to its high float measuring up to one meter is expected to be the most laborious and critical part of the operation, began this week.

The operation is estimated to conclude on Dec. 17.

Source: Norwegian People's Aid

Sierra Leone's amputee footballers

Their wounds are a painful reminder of the country's bitter civil war, but it hasn't brought down their sporting spirit.

Freetown, Sierra Leone - Sunday is football day in Freetown, when the golden sand at Aberdeen beach becomes a temporary pitch in what has become a ritual for many young limbless men over the years.

The matches are competitive and physical, despite the players challenging for the ball with only one leg while using crutches to balance themselves.

The football is highly skilled and requires immense agility and strength. The goalkeeper blocking the shots has only one arm.

This is Sierra Leone's amputee football league. The game is a legacy of the civil war that terrorised the country of six million people for 10 years, mercifully ending in 2002. Each of the players has his own horror story of war and how he lost a limb.

The Revolutionary United Front rebel-led conflict was able to take hold and spread its evil course through the West African country as a consequence of a failure of democracy, weak governance and a weak state. The rebels routinely hacked off people's arms and legs to keep opponents in line.

Now, as Sierra Leone goes to the polls on Saturday, these amputee footballers are hoping the process will be peaceful, and that the country does not slide back into violence.

The election is a reminder of their painful past and what is at stake for the nation, they say.

Painful past and football

The disabled teams on the beach are from the Sierra Leone Flying Stars Amputee Football Club. The captain, Mohammed Lappia, 26, comes from Kenema in the east of the country.

Lappia recalls the day his life changed when he was out in the bush with his father and he stepped on a land mine.

"The land mine blew off my foot. A fragment of it killed my father. I was lying in the bush for two weeks without treatment,” Lappia remembers. “My leg started to go rotten, I eventually got taken to hospital but I lost my leg."

Amputee football has played a huge part in his life, he says. It has given him and his teammates a focus and purpose in life.

When he had two legs, Lappia always favoured kicking with his right foot. Now with only the left one, he has transformed it to master this version of the sport.

He jokes about his players getting together to purchase pairs of boots: one for a left-footed amputee and the other for a player with only a right leg.

The camaraderie and humour found around most football teams is even stronger among this group. A number of players confessed that playing on this team was the only time they really felt at ease.

Amputee Football was started in Sierra Leone 12 years ago by the Single Leg Amputee Sports Association. The association - and the game - have received a good deal of exposure, sending teams to England, Brazil, Turkey, Russia and Liberia.

Last year, however, there was a parting of ways as Lappia and his teammates broke away to form the Flying Eagles.

In amputee football, the only player with two legs is the goalkeeper, but he can have only one arm. The club's shot-stopper is Mohammed Camarra, who also happened to take part in the 2012 Paralympics, running in the 100 metres.

Camarra, like thousands of others in the country, lost his arm through amputation by rebel forces.

"They placed my arm on to a large stick. I was aware of a rebel approaching from behind. He raised his cutlass and chopped through my arm,” Camarra grimly recalls. “I could see blood. I could see the hand fighting and the fingers playing."

Amputation as a message

Amputation was used by the rebels to send a message to opponents that they could act with impunity and would go to any lengths. Thousands of people are estimated to have had their limbs cut off.

"It was about creating fear. They wanted to get the whole Sierra Leone public down on its knees and fear that they could be in danger of having their limbs chopped off," says Professor Osman Bah, a programme officer for NGO Leonard Cheshire Disability International.

Working with disabled people, Bah - who contracted polio as a child - also suffered during the war, fleeing from the rebels through a combination of cycling, hobbling and being carried to neighbouring Guinea.

His organisation was part of lobby effort that resulted in the Disability Act being passed in the Sierra Leone's parliament last year.

The act includes the creation of a national commission on disability to collect information about discrimination and abuse of disabled people's rights, and then hold offenders to account.

The Campaign for Good Governance, which is monitoring the presidential elections on Saturday, says the poll preparation is going well.

It has been greatly assisted by biometric voter registration to reduce duplication and vote-rigging, the organisation says. But it acknowledges in the past, there have been problems.

Ten years have passed since the end of the civil war, but one can still sense nervousness regarding the country's political stability.

As the sun begins to set over the Atlantic Ocean at Aberdeen beach, Lappia and his teammate Ahmadou Kamara share their concerns about the election. 

"I just sit down and feel so angry about the government," says Kamara.

“I think about my parents (who were killed by the rebels). The politicians could flee the situation. My parents were just poor farmers, they couldn't leave. We are disabled because of the political situation."

Lappia, who dreams of studying law and politics, thinks about the past and how it is tied to the current elections.

"When I think about the political situation, I feel sad,” Lappia says. “I am praying to God that at the time of the upcoming elections everyone is peaceful, and that whoever wins the result is accepted peacefully. We are the legacy of the war and we don't need another one."

Source: Al Jazeera

Binnenflüchtlinge in Burma/Myanmar fliehen zum Salween River. (c) Free Burma Ranger

A step closer to demining in Myanmar

Myanmar is one of the countries in the world most heavily contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnances and has the 5th highest landmine casualty figure. Consequently, the Danish Refugee Council is planning to expand its current humanitarian intervention by providing Mine Risk Education in war-torn Kachin.

Communities in Kachin have recently experienced renewed outbreaks of violence leading to the displacement of 75,000 people. Landmine contamination further exacerbates the threats posed to people’s lives and livelihoods. According to the latest Landmine Monitor report, Myanmar is one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world and has the 5th highest landmine casualty figure. Consequently, Myanmar has been declared an Emergency Mine Risk Education priority.

A first step towards starting demining activities was taken in November, when DRC/DDG was invited by the Chief Minister of Kachin State to conduct a Mine Risk Education and Mine Action workshop to senior management of all 14 Kachin State Departments.

“Reaching key policy and governance administrators is paramount to address the threats posed to local communities by the extensive landmine contamination in Kachin,” says Jimmy Roodt, DDG Operations Manager.

The two-day workshop outlined an ambitious agenda to develop a Mine Risk Education plan for Kachin and to discuss a Mine Action Programme. DRC will present a final outcome report to the Ministry of Social Welfare in Naypyidaw and the Chief Minister of Kachin State. After the workshop Jimmy Roodt is optimistic about the outcome.

“Participants showed great enthusiasm throughout our discussions. The commitment  to reducing the number of lives lost due to landmines and to creating a safer environment for local communities was very high,” he says.

For DRC and affected communities, Mine Risk Education has become a priority. With DDG’s technical expertise, MRE activities help adults and especially children living with the threat of landmines to become more aware and better educated about mine safe behavior. MRE gives people at risk information and tools to take care of their own safety and saves lives as a result. DRC is working on integrating MRE and eventually demining activities into its existing projects in Kachin. Current activities include shelter, NFI, protection monitoring and individual protection assistance in camps.

“While DRC is currently focused on providing urgently needed assistance to camp populations in Kachin, starting demining activities in Myanmar will be an important step towards securing durable solutions for IDPs and local communities and ultimately enabling IDPs to return to their homes,” says DRC Country Representative in Myanmar, Sabine Linzbichler.

DRC expects to gain official accreditation to commence mine action activities in Myanmar in the near future. Mine Risk Education operations are expected to begin in December 2012.

Source: Reuters Alert Net

(c) Jan-Hendrik Mautsch/Handicap International

(München.) Während der ersten Tage des 9. Asiatisch-Europäischen Treffens in Laos haben einige der zahlreichen Opfer von Streubomben in dem südostasiatischen Land die Gelegenheit ergriffen, hohe europäische Repräsentanten zu treffen, darunter auch Außenminister Guido Westerwelle. Wie Handicap International heute berichtet, erzählte der 21-jährige Phongsavath Manithong, der an seinem 16. Geburtstag durch einen Blindgänger aus Streubomben beide Hände und sein Augenlicht verloren hat, dem deutschen Außenminister von seinem Unfall. Er berichtete dem Minister von seinem Engagement für ein weltweites Verbot von Streubomben und für die Unterstützung der Betroffenen.

Phongsavath hat sich mit anderen Überlebenden von Unfällen mit Blindgängern, in der internationalen Gruppe "Ban Advocates" zusammengeschlossen, die von Handicap International koordiniert wird. Laos gehört zu den Ländern, die am meisten unter den Auswirkungen von Streubomben leiden. Allein 260 Millionen Munitionen aus Streubomben wurden von den USA im Vietnamkrieg über dem Land abgeworfen. Handicap International engagiert sich seit vielen Jahren in Laos, unterstützt Streubombenopfer und andere Menschen mit Behinderung und ist auch in der Räumung der gefährlichen Blindgänger aktiv.

"Wir begrüßen es, dass der Außenminister bei seinem Besuch im Streubombenmuseum der laotischen Hauptstadt erneut finanzielle Unterstützung aus Deutschland für die Räumung der Blindgänger in Laos zugesagt hat", betont Eva Maria Fischer, Kampagnensprecherin von Handicap International. sch

Quelle: kobinet

Mohammad Ibrahim. (c) Norwegian People´s Aid

NPA site supervisor killed in cluster munition accident in Lebanon

One of Norwegian People Aid’s staff was killed in an accident in Lebanon Friday. “This is a tragic accident and we are now working to clarify the causes and assist the family of the deceased,” says Liv Tørres, Secretary General at at Norwegian People's Aid (NPA).

“NPA extends its condolences to Mohammad Ibrahim’s family and friends. Our thoughts are with them in these hard times”, Tørres says.

NPA site supervisor Mohammad Ibrahim died from injuries he suffered during the preparation for the demolition of a cluster munitions found that day. On this site alone, almost 900 cluster munitions were found by the team that Mohammad was supervising since clearance started, and that were destroyed by him.

“The safety of all our employees is our highest priority and we devote considerable resources to training and preparedness. Accidents as this one unfortunately show that it is impossible to safeguard completely against the dangers of clearance of cluster munitions”, says Per Nergaard, Director of Civil Protection and Emergency Planning at Norwegian People's Aid.                                            

Mohamad Ibrahim was treated by Norwegian People's Aid first aid personnel at the scene of the accident and then transported to a local hospital, where he later died of the injuries he had suffered.  Lebanon Mine Action Centre was preparing to provide air transport by LAF helicopter but unfortunately Mohammad Ibrahim, who was in critical condition passed away before.

Lebanon Mine Action Center is conducting the investigation into the causes of the accident together with Norwegian People's Aid Lebanon.

Source: Norwegian People´s Aid

Benefizkonzert. (c) Handicap International

Schüler aus Berlin komponieren ein Musikstück >>>

Schüler aus Halle verfassen einen Radiobeitrag und eine Kunstaktion >>>

Schüler aus München laufen unter dem Motto „Kinder rennen für Kinder“ >>>

Moderne Streumunition. (c) Stuart Freedman/Handicap International

Istanbul (dpa) -  Die in London ansässige Organisation Syrischer Menschenrechtsbeobachter berichtete, ein Junge aus der Ortchaft Sarakib sei sehr schwer verletzt worden. Die anderen Kinder seien außer Lebensgefahr. Eine unabhängige Überprüfung dieser Angaben, die von der Organisation mit Fotos untermauert wurden, war nicht möglich.

Die Vereinten Nationen gehen derzeit Hinweisen nach, wonach die syrische Luftwaffe in ihrem Kampf gegen die Rebellen auch Streumunition einsetzt, die von vielen Staaten geächtet wird. Zu den Staaten, die Streumunition produzieren, gehören unter anderem die USA und Russland. Russland ist der wichtigste Waffenlieferant des syrischen Regimes.

Quelle: Greenpeace Magazin

Streubombe Typ AO 1 sch. aus russischer Produktion. (c) Handicap International

Eine Verwendung dieser Munition wäre "eine eklatante Verletzung des humanitären Völkerrechts", die er "auf das Schärfste" verurteile, sagte Westerwelle nach einem Treffen mit dem UN-Flüchtlingskommissar António Guterres in Berlin. Westerwelle forderte die Führung in Damaskus erneut zu einem Ende der Gewalt auf.

Quelle: Die Welt

MAG Sri Lanka's all-female Mine Action Team pictured in Devapuram, Mannar. (c) Sean Sutton/MAG

The women clearing Sri Lanka's mines

By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Puthukudiyiruppu, north-eastern Sri Lanka

When Sri Lanka's long civil came to an end in 2009, the town of Puthukudiyiruppu was left with a grim legacy. Landmines and other unexploded devices lie behind every tree, in every ditch, in houses, churches and temples.

Many were randomly scattered by Tamil Tiger rebels in the final months before their defeat. Both the rebels and the army made extensive use of Pakistani-made P4 mines, which can take the foot off someone unfortunate enough to step on them.

But now efforts are under way to rid the country of this scourge once and for all.

At sunrise 12 women deminers laugh and joke as they prepare for work.

They are one of three teams of women, and five of men, employed by the UK-based Mines Advisory Group (MAG) - one of several demining charities working to rid Sri Lanka of unexploded weaponry left over from 26 years of war.

"So many people died, so many children, husbands, whole families," recalls one of the women, 38-year-old Jayakanathan Valarmadhy. Like her colleagues she is Tamil and from the north, and endured the war.

Visors and body armour
"Many people lost hands or legs. I saw many like that. I helped in the hospitals, gave blood, we did whatever we could to help."

In 1998 the war took the life of Valarmadhy's husband. Now, through her job with its specialist training, she is helping eliminate any danger to displaced people resettling here.

Clad, like her, in protective visors and body armour we watch her tackle eight mines strewn around an outside toilet.

The land has first been raked by big excavator machines which have exposed the mines on or near the surface - but the next work has to be manual.

Valarmadhy inches forward, using small tools to clear a strip 1m (40in) wide, digging down to 6in - the accepted safety depth - to ensure there are no mines between herself and the nearest visible mine.

In half an hour she gets to the mine and a male supervisor lifts it out and takes it off for later detonation.

The team must do the same for each mine. It is slow, painstaking work. Although demining in Sri Lanka is progressing well, finishing the job will take another eight years, officials say.

Valarmadhy, as a widow with parents and three teenage boys to look after, loves this work although she admits many in her village are bewildered.

"They ask us questions, they insult us a lot," she says with some amusement. "'How can you do this work which is for men? How can a woman do that?' But people should know that we work here so they can resettle in these areas all the sooner."

Biagio di Salvo, MAG's technical field manager, says this area is especially badly affected.

Dangerous territory
"The contamination of mines is more high and so we have to check accurately all the area around houses, around well, around toilet, around big tree - around all that area that can have some importance during a fighting scenario," he says. "We find mines even in the cemetery."

At a separate site across the town the Sri Lankan Army's Humanitarian Demining Unit gathers unexploded weapons extracted by NGOs and its own big demining operation.

Brig Dhanajith Karunaratne, who oversees it, points to mines, artillery shells, mortars and a whole barrel of TNT.

But we are still surrounded by untouched, dangerous territory, cordoned off with skull-and-crossbones signs. He believes this was a rebel ammunition and arms distribution point - the army has come only recently to this place.

Then it is time to detonate a pile of them - work which only the military does. We crouch behind sandbags some way off and hear the resounding thud.

The brigadier says it is vital to keep educating people about landmines as civilians have suffered more than 120 landmine-related accidents since 2009. In a recent tragedy two boys died when they picked up a landmine at Kalpitiya on the west coast, on the fringes of the former war zone.

'Everything is broken'
"People go to the confirmed hazardous areas for various other interests, especially for collecting scrap metal and so on. So without knowledge they bring the fuses and meddle with it and then create the accidents.

"But... we have increased the number of mine risk education lessons given to civilians with support of the UN children's fund [Unicef]. With that this amount has drastically come down," he says.

At dusk we see smoke rising by the roadside in Puthukudiyiruppu. P Thanabalasingham and his relatives have a small bonfire going.

It is demining that has released their home for habitation. But Thanabalasingham is dejected at the state of the house.

"You can't repair this. Everything is broken. We need to destroy it and build a new one," he says.

"It's sad. They say they are giving us some temporary houses so we'll need to stay in them and rebuild this one."

A massive task of rebuilding and resettling remains for him and his family.

The demining is just a starting point - but a vital starting point, as Jayakanathan Sindhuya, another of the deminers, told us.

She comes from Jaffna and was spared the worst of the war. But she still has a sense of mission.

"One day the country will be free of landmines," she says. "Meanwhile we want to take these people and resettle them and make their lives better."

Source: BBC

Streubombe Typ AO 1 sch. aus russischer Produktion. (c) Handicap International

Die französische Regierung hat der syrischen Führung vorgeworfen, international geächtete Streubomben im Kampf gegen Regierungsgegner einzusetzen. In den vergangenen Monaten sei "eine neue Stufe der Gewalt" erreicht worden, indem zuletzt "Streubomben" eingesetzt worden seien, sagte Frankreichs Außenminister Laurent Fabius am Mittwoch in Paris. Der Minister äußerte sich bei einer Konferenz mit Vertretern von zivilen Komitees, die so genannte befreite Zonen im Norden Syriens verwalten.

Quelle: Die Welt

Weiterführende Informationen unter streubomben.de >>>

Nach Angaben der chilenischen Regierung haben internationale Experten einer norwegischen Organisation mit den Arbeiten begonnen. Nach zwei Monaten sollen alle Sprengsätze geräumt sein. Heftige Regenfälle hatten früher im Jahr dazu geführt, dass zwei Landminen auf eine Fernstraße nahe der Grenze zu Peru geschwemmt wurden. Wegen der Explosionsgefahr wurden vorübergehend mehrere Grenzübergänge geschlossen.

Die Minen stammen aus der Zeit des chilenischen Diktators Augusto Pinochet. Sie wurden in den 1970er Jahren gelegt. Das Verhältnis zwischen Chile und Peru gilt als angespannt - beide Länder streiten über den Verlauf ihrer gemeinsamen Grenze.

Quelle: DRadio

Moderne Streumunition. (c) Stuart Freedman/Handicap International

Damaskus - Die syrische Führung hat den Einsatz der geächteten Streubomben gegen Rebellen bestritten. Entsprechende Vorwürfe der Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch seien unwahr, erklärte die Armeeführung am Montag im staatlichen Fernsehen. Die syrische Armee habe die Waffen weder eingesetzt noch besitze sie Streumunition.

Streubomben explodieren noch in der Luft und setzen dabei zahlreiche kleine Sprengsätze frei. Wegen der verheerenden Wirkung und weil sie große Gebiete über Jahre hinaus durch Blindgänger verseuchen, sind Streubomben international geächtet. Human Rights Watch hatte am Sonntag berichtet, die syrische Armee setze Bomben russischen Typs ein. Russland ist wie auch die USA, Syrien und China der Konvention gegen Streubomben nicht beigetreten.

Zur Untermauerung ihrer Vorwürfe hatte Human Rights Watch Videos gezeigt, auf denen kleine Streubomben auf dem Boden eines Hauses gezeigt worden waren. Der Gruppe zufolge stammen die Aufnahmen aus Al-Bab, nordöstlich der besonders heftig umkämpften Stadt Aleppo.

Russlands Außenminister Sergej Lawrow nannte den Bericht der Menschenrechtsgruppe zwar unbestätigt, räumte aber ein, die Munition könne aus Beständen des ehemaligen Warschauer Paktes stammen. Die Region sei voll mit Waffen, die Syrien und anderen Ländern dort in großer Menge geliefert worden seien. (APA/Reuters)

Quelle: Der Standard

(c) Norwegian People´s Aid

Beirut/Amman (Reuters) - Der an die Türkei grenzende Nordwesten Syriens gerät immer stärker ins Zentrum des Bürgerkrieges.

Rebellen umzingelten nach Darstellung von Oppositionellen am Wochenende einen Stützpunkt bei Urum al-Sughra und schossen ein Kampfflugzeug der Luftwaffe ab. Machthaber Baschar al-Assad greift einer Menschenrechtsgruppe zufolge im Kampf um die Macht auch auf die völkerrechtlich geächtete Streumunition zurück, die verheerende Schäden anrichten kann. Assad ließ zugleich den Streit mit der Türkei eskalieren und sperrte den syrischen Luftraum für Flugzeuge des Nachbarlandes. Die Türkei reagierte am Sonntag mit dem selben Schritt.

Durch die Belagerung des Stützpunktes bei Urum al-Sughra saßen der Opposition zufolge Hunderte syrische Soldaten in der Falle. Ein Versuch, die Garnison freizukämpfen, sei gescheitert. Die Rebellen hätten eine zur Rettung in Marsch gesetzte gepanzerte Kolonne angegriffen und gestoppt, erklärte ein Vertreter der Opposition. Einen zur Unterstützung der Regierungstruppen eingesetzten Kampfjet hätten die Assad-Gegner abgeschossen.

Nach eigener Darstellung haben die Rebellen die Kontrolle über das landwirtschaftlich geprägte Gebiet ausgeweitet. Mehrere Städte seien in ihrer Gewalt. Die Aufständischen hätten zudem Geländegewinne westlich der Provinzhauptstadt Idlib erzielt.

Ebenfalls im Nordwesten Syriens liegt Marat al-Nunam, das die Rebellen vergangene Woche einnahmen. Im Kampf um die Stadt, durch welche die Autobahn zwischen den Metropolen Damaskus und Aleppo führt, sollen die Regierungstruppen auch Streubomben eingesetzt haben. Flugzeuge und Hubschrauber der Regierung hätten diese Bomben vor allem bei Gefechten um die Schnellstraße abgeworfen, berichtete die Organisation Human Rights Watch. Auch andere Ziele seien mit der aus Russland gelieferten Munition bombardiert worden, die Hunderte kleine Sprengsätze abfeuert.

"Syriens Missachtung seiner Zivilbevölkerung tritt bei den Luftangriffen offen zutage, bei denen tödliche Streumunition über Wohngebieten abgeworfen wird", erklärte die in New York ansässige Organisation. Sie hatte Assad den Einsatz dieser Waffen bereits im Juli und August vorgeworfen.

Die Munition ist wegen ihrer verheerenden Wirkung in mehr als 100 Ländern verboten und durch das Völkerrecht geächtet. Weil die kleinen Bomben oft nicht sofort explodieren, stellen die Blindgänger auch nach den Kämpfen vor allem für spielende Kinder eine Gefahr dar. Der Konvention gegen die Streumunition, die 2010 rechtskräftig wurde, sind Syrien, Russland, China und die USA nicht beigetreten.

ASSAD VERSCHÄRFT STREIT MIT DER TÜRKEI

Weil wegen der Kämpfe im Nordwesten Syriens immer wieder Orte in der Türkei ins Feuer geraten, verschlechtert sich das Verhältnis der einst verbündeten Nachbarländer zusehends. Türkische Soldaten haben etwa Ziele in Syrien angegriffen. Am Samstag sperrte Syrien seinen Luftraum für türkische Flugzeuge. Nur wenige Tage nach der erzwungenen Landung einer aus Moskau kommenden syrischen Maschine in Istanbul bezeichnete die Regierung in Damaskus den Schritt als Vergeltungsmaßnahme. Die Türkei verbot syrischen Maschinen ihrerseits den Überflug.

Die Türkei hatte den Vorwurf erhoben, in der Maschine werde militärisches Gerät für Syrien transportiert. Sie werde im Verdachtsfall jederzeit syrische Maschinen zur Landung zu zwingen.

Bundesaußenminister Guido Westerwelle stellte sich im Streit über die mutmaßlichen Waffentransporte hinter die Türkei. "Nach internationalem Recht muss die Türkei es nicht dulden, dass über ihren Luftraum Waffen oder rüstungsrelevante Güter nach Syrien transportiert werden", sagte er nach einem Treffen mit seinem türkischen Kollegen Ahmed Davutoglu.

Quelle: Reuters

(c) Norwegian People´s Aid

Syria: New Evidence Military Dropped Cluster Bombs

New evidence has emerged that the Syrian air force has used cluster munitions in recent days, Human Rights Watch said today. Many of the strikes were near the main highway that runs through Ma`arat al-Nu`man, the site of a major confrontation between government and rebel forces this week.

Videos posted online by Syrian activists on October 9-12 showed cluster munition remnants reportedly in or near the towns of Tamane`a, Taftanaz, al-Tah, and Ma`arat al-Nu`man, in the Northern governorate of Idlib, Eastern Bouwayda and al-Salloumiyyeh in Homs governorate, Tel Rifaat in Aleppo governorate, the countryside in Lattakia governorate, and Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. The cluster bomb canisters and submunitions shown in the videos all show damage and wear patterns produced by being mounted on and dropped from an aircraft. Residents from Taftanaz and Tamane`a confirmed in interviews with Human Rights Watch that helicopters dropped cluster munitions on or near their towns on October 9. Human Rights Watch does not yet have any information on casualties caused by the recent cluster munition strikes.

“Syria’s disregard for its civilian population is all too evident in its air campaign, which now apparently includes dropping these deadly cluster bombs into populated areas,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. “Cluster bombs have been comprehensively banned by most nations, and Syria should immediately stop all use of these indiscriminate weapons that continue to kill and maim for years.”

Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned by the risks posed by the unexploded submunitions to the civilian population, as men and even children can be seen in the videos handling the unexploded submunitions in life-threatening ways.

At least 18 videos have been posted on YouTube by Syrian activists showing the aftermath of the cluster munition strikes in recent days. They are the latest in a continuous stream of videos showing ongoing fighting, and the Human Rights Watch interviews with residents of two of the affected towns corroborate the use of cluster munitions. Eliot Higgins, who blogs on military hardware and tactics used in Syria under the pseudonym “Brown Moses,” compiled a list of the videos showing cluster munition remnants in Syria’s various governorates. Human Rights Watch reached residents in Taftanaz and Tamane`a who confirmed the strikes on their town, but has not been able to reach residents in the other towns featured in the online videos.

Human Rights Watch has confirmed that the remnants shown in the videos are RBK-250 series cluster bomb canisters and AO-1SCh fragmentation bomblets. Jane’s Information Group, a publishing company specializing in military topics, lists Syria as possessing RBK-250/275 and RBK-500 cluster bombs. These cluster bombs and explosive submunitions are Soviet-made, but there is no information available on how or when Syria acquired them.

In July, Human Rights Watch identified an RBK-250 series cluster bomb canister and AO-1SCh bomblets, apparently found in Jabal Shahshabu, Hama province, from a video. Video footage posted in August from Talbiseh in Homs governorate and from Abu Kamal in Deir al-Zor governorate also show cluster munition remnants. The August cluster munition strike on Abu Kamal appears to have involved a different type of submunition, the PTAB 2.5M, which is an anti-tank bomblet.

A resident of Taftanaz told Human Rights Watch that Syrian forces had been attacking the town for the past six weeks and that on October 9 a helicopter “dropped a [bomb] and as it fell it broke into half and released smaller [bomblets]. I heard one [initial] explosion. But after the submunitions were released I heard several [further] explosions.” The strike hit a field of olive trees south of Taftanaz, two to three kilometers from the airport. There were apparently no casualties. The resident said he saw around 30 unexploded bomblets when he went to the site.

Source: Eurasia Review

Thailand: Separatists Target Teachers in Renewed Violence

Insurgent Attacks on Civilians Spread Fear in Southern Provinces

Armed separatist groups in Thailand’s southern border provinces have renewed attacks on teachers and schools in a campaign of terror that has heightened fear among the population, Human Rights Watch said today.

On October 1, 2012, separatist insurgents shot dead a teacher, Komsan Chomyong, from Ban Bor Ngor elementary school who was traveling through an insurgent-controlled area in Ra Ngae district, Narathiwat province. On September 24, alleged insurgents detonated a bomb at the entrance of Batu Mitrapap 66 School in Bacho district of Narathiwat, where a meeting of school directors was being held, wounding directors Kordir Laemaenae and Ma Durama. On August 9, alleged insurgents detonated a bomb inside Ban Gawa School in Narathiwat’s Su Ngai Padi district in an apparent attack on a school protection unit from the 4809th Border Patrol Police; no one was injured.

“The separatist insurgents in southern Thailand have renewed their attacks on teachers and government schools, which they view as symbols of the Thai Buddhist state,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “But it is an attack on both basic decency and international law to kill and maim those educating children, and it threatens children’s safety and education.”

Human Rights Watch said that attacks on teachers in the provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat have become a frequent occurrence since the outbreak of violence in January 2004 by separatist insurgents in the predominantly ethnic Malay Muslim region. The Pejuang Kemerdekaan Patani (Patani Independence Fighters) insurgents in the loose network of BRN-Coordinate (National Revolution Front-Coordinate) have ambushed teachers while traveling to and from their schools, and killed them in their classrooms and lodgings. Komsan Chomyong was the 152th teacher killed by separatist groups in the past eight years. Insurgents have reportedly torched more than 300 government-run schools during the same period.

Students have frequently been killed and wounded in insurgent attacks targeting security personnel assigned to provide safe passage to and from school, or protecting the school grounds. For example, two students from Romklao School were injured by shrapnel when their school bus was hit by an explosion in Narathiwat’s Yi Ngor district on September 27. Police believed that insurgents detonated the bomb as a military vehicle escorting the school bus passed by. On September 10, 8-year-old Muhammadsafik Lateh stepped on a landmine while walking through bushes off the road in Narathiwat’s Ra Ngae district. The explosion severed his left leg. A suspect who was arrested reportedly confessed that he planted the landmine and others against security units patrolling Tanyongmas-Dusongyor Road.

“Separatist groups use these attacks to demonstrate their power and discredit Thai authorities, but it is ordinary people and their children who are suffering,” Adams said. “These attacks on schools seem to be part of a larger campaign by insurgents to use violence and terror to drive Buddhist Thais out of the southern provinces and keep local Muslims under their control."

Escalating Attacks on Civilians
Insurgents have recently stepped up attacks on civilians, causing widespread fear in both the Thai Buddhist and Malay Muslim populations. At least 30 people, including a 7-year-old girl, were wounded when two 40 mm rounds were fired from a M79 grenade launcher into a local fair in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on September 29. On September 21, insurgents opened fire on a gold shop in the market of Pattani’s Sai Buri district and then detonated a car bomb when police and security forces arrived at the scene, killing six people and wounding at least 50 others, and damaging several shop-houses, cars, and motorcycles. The insurgents repeated their deadly tactic of using an initial attack to lure security forces, rescue officials, and onlookers to the scene before launching a secondary attack with motorcycle bombs or car bombs.

Some recent insurgent attacks appear designed primarily to spread terror among the population. For example, on August 29, insurgents in Yala’s Bannang Sata district shot and beheaded Tuanda-o Tuansulong while he drove to Muang district. According to a police investigation, Tuanda-o was driving alone in a pickup truck when a group of insurgents stopped his car. They shot him in the head, decapitated him, and threw his head on the roadside, before setting his body and the pickup on fire.

Thai army security operations have weakened the Pejuang Kemerdekaan Patani insurgents, but they maintain a presence in hundreds of ethnic Malay Muslim villages in the southern border provinces. During the course of the armed conflict since 2004, insurgents have killed more than 4,000 people, mostly civilians. Targeting civilians for attack violates international humanitarian law applicable in the region. Some insurgent cells have merged with underground cartels involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human trafficking across the Thai-Malaysian border, adding to the thriving criminality in the region.

The Pejuang Kemerdekaan Patani insurgents assert that they are fighting to liberate their homeland from the occupation of Buddhist Thais. They continue to use landmines as “area-denial” weapons against Buddhist Thais who own rubber and fruit plantations, as well as the Malay Muslims working in those places.

On September 6 in Narathiwat’s Ra Ngae district, Jiraporn Ratanawong stepped on a landmine while working in her rubber plantation, which severed her left foot. Rubber plantation worker Maena Latae had her left leg blown off by a landmine in Narathiwat’s Muang district on September 1. Thailand’s insurgent groups are prohibited under international humanitarian law from carrying out attacks, such as with antipersonnel landmines, that cannot discriminate between combatants and civilians.Additionally, Thailand is a party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which comprehensively bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of antipersonnel mines.

Daily violence and a climate of fear have seriously disrupted the lives of ordinary people. Many Thai Buddhists and Malay Muslims are now closing businesses and stopping work every week on Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, after insurgent groups issued an order to do so in September.

Both separatist insurgents and the Thai security forces have violated international humanitarian law, the laws of war, in the southern border provinces. Insurgents have claimed that the civilians attacked were part of the Thai Buddhist state that is a party to the armed conflict, but the laws of war allow no such justification for attacks on civilians. Radical interpretations of Islamic law that would permit attacks on civilians in certain circumstances are also contrary to the laws of war. International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits reprisal attacks against civilians and captured combatants, summary execution of civilians or captured combatants, mutilation or other mistreatment of the dead, and attacks directed at civilian facilities, which are frequent tactics of insurgents.

Thai security forces and pro-government militias have been implicated in torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings against suspected insurgents or alleged supporters among the Malay Muslim community. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on September 5 announced that special attention would be given to improving the situation in the southern border provinces. However, on September 11, the government extended for three months the existing state of emergency in the south, the 30th extension since 2005 of a draconian law that has facilitated security force abuses. Human Rights Watch reiterated its call for credible and impartial investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in the region.

“Prime Minister Yingluck needs to ensure that Thai security forces protect public safety with full respect for human rights and due process of law,” Adams said. “Shielding abusive security personnel from prosecution will only intensify the cycle of reprisals and violence.”

Source: Human Rights Watch

Die australische Delegation unterzeichnet das internationale Abkommen über das Verbot von Streubomben in Oslo, 2008. (c) Gunnar Mjaugedal/catchlight.no

AUSTRALIA RATIFIES CLUSTER BOMB BAN

 Australia has become State Party 77 to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), having deposited its instrument of ratification on 8 October. Australia will formally become a State Party on 1 April 2013, after the waiting period mandated by the Convention.

While the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) welcomes Australia as the newest State Party to the Convention, the network regrets that the Australian government recently passed seriously flawed legislation to enforce the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Amy Little, Campaign Manager for the CMC said: “We hope and expect that Australia will live up to both the letter and spirit of the comprehensive ban convention, despite the loopholes in its weak national legislation. Our campaigners all over the world will be watching closely to make sure it does everything in its power to ensure cluster bombs are never used again.”

Mette Sofie Elisessen from Cluster Munition Coalition Australia said: “Other countries that are also allies of the US and members of NATO have passed stronger legislation that upholds the intention of the treaty while also providing for military interoperability. It was entirely possible for Australia to do the same, and yet the government has indicated with this legislation that it chooses to put US military interests ahead of humanitarian needs. It is an embarrassing situation for Australia. We wish we could say  that we trust Australia to never actually allow the stockpiling of foreign owned cluster bombs on Australian soil.”

Australia participated extensively in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions and signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions at the Oslo signing conference, 3 December 2008.

According to the Cluster Munition Monitor, Australia has never used or exported cluster munitions and has never had an operational stockpile.

Source: Cluster Munition Coalition

Japan to dispose of its cluster bombs by 2015

The Japanese government has decided to completely rid itself of its cluster bombs by early 2015. This target puts it more than three years earlier than original deadline given by the international community, putting it ahead of both Germany and France.

In the Convention of Cluster Munitions, also known as the Oslo Process, 19 of the signatory countries were required to dispose of their stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive that scatters bomblets in an area, within eight years after the convention is ratified, which happened in August of 2010. Some of the countries have fallen behind their schedule due to the need to ship the bombs to other countries or contractors for disposal or lacking the funds to do so. Japan’s plan to dispose of the bombs earlier than its 2018 deadline will be seen as a huge boost to the international community’s efforts to completely eliminate banned weapons. It also puts them ahead of Germany, which plans to complete the process by late 2015. France has not yet announced its deadline.

According to Japanese government agencies, the country posses an amount of cluster bombs equivalent to around two million bomblets. It has already processed and disposed of a small portion of its stockpile in Hokkaido in 2011. Japan will ship the remaining cluster bombs to disposal facilities in Norway and Germany starting mid-2013 and hopes to complete the process by February 2015.

Source: The Japan Daily Press

A MAG landmine awareness session in Morobo, South Sudan: the most important lesson these schoolchildren will receive.

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Laotischen Kinder nutzen eine Bombenhülle als Spielzeug. (c) T. West/Handicap International

LAOS: FREEING THE COUNTRY OF LANDMINES & ERW

TEAMS CLEAR 600 LANDMINES AND MUNITIONS CLEARED SINCE JULY

Since July, Handicap International has destroyed 600 mines and explosive munitions left from war in southern Laos. The goal? To free the Savannakhet province of the deadly weapons that still pollute the area, and prevent innocent civilians from living in peace.
To do this work, staff are broken into three teams. One compiles a detailed map of the contaminated areas. A second team destroys the identified munitions. A third group then reaches out to people to ensure they know how dangerous the unexploded ordnance is, how to spot them, and then to avoid them and alert the team to clear it. Below, an example of a recent day in the field:
As the sun rises over the base camp in Nong, a small village in southeastern Laos, Handicap International's teams prepare for a long day head.
The mapping team has been working in this province for a year, and begins each day by estimating the number of sub-munitions and explosive remnants of war that are still scattered around near-by villages and fields.
They arrive in the first village and greet the village chief. The villagers, who were told of their arrival the day before, start to gather. Handicap International's mappers then inspect each house and question the families about the presence of suspicious objects in the surrounding area. These teams are able to cover several kilometers a day, recording the GPS coordinates of explosive remnants of war, before mapping the contaminated areas as accurately as possible.   
Meanwhile, a team of deminers prepares the explosives they'll use to destroy unexploded munitions. They travel to the villages that have already been searched, or they respond to a request from the surrounding communities– from someone who believes they have found an old munition.
A security perimeter is established, and a radio announcement is made to warn the population that the team is about to begin. The munitions, which are taken to a site located a safe distance from the inhabited areas, are linked to explosives and remotely detonated by the teams, causing a large explosion.
The head of the team of mappers takes this opportunity to explain the activities of the mobile demining team to the villagers and underlines Handicap International's commitment to eliminating the sub-munitions and explosive remnants of war they have identified.
The two teams then return to camp, tired after a long day's work. Some of them retire to bed early before they start another long day tomorrow, while others gather around the campfire to rehash the day's highlights.
Handicap International's last team then picks up where the others have left off by educating villagers about the risks mines and other left-behind munitions pose. This evening, they show an educational film in the village center. The movie highlights the dangers that unexploded munitions pose, and explains the steps to take to avoid accidents: do not approach or touch the suspect object, mark the area in question and warn the head of the village.
The camp fire splutters out and all is quiet at last. Within a few hours, normal activity will resume. From dawn to nightfall, day after day, Handicap International's teams take it in turns to bring the threat posed by these weapons to an end.

Source: Handicap International USA

Obama: No More Delays. Join the Mine Ban Treaty Now!

Target: President Obama
Sponsored by: Handicap International US
Landmines cannot distinguish between a soldier and an innocent civilian. They do not know the difference between an adult and a child. Over ninety percent of victims are civilians. With landmines impacting communities in more than 80 countries and territories, the danger is very real.

U.S. citizens, landmine survivors and campaigners from every corner of the globe have been calling on the U.S. to join the Mine Ban Treaty for 20 years. In 2009, President Obama launched a review of U.S. landmine policy to determine whether the U.S. will join the treaty. To date, no decision has been announced.

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In Brief: Somalia joins the mine ban club

JOHANNESBURG, 4 October 2012 (IRIN) - Somalia has become the 160th state member of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. It is the last of the sub-Saharan African countries to commit to the treaty.

With its membership, which took effect on 1 October, Somalia has agreed “to never, under any circumstances, use, produce or transfer anti-personnel mines, to assist the landmine survivors, to destroy its existing stockpile of mines within the next four years, and to demine its territory within 10 [years],” the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention Implementation Support Unit said in a statement.

Somalia has endured decades of civil war. The September 2012 Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor said “Surveys in Bakol, Bay, and Hiraan regions in south central Somalia have revealed that, of the 718 communities in total, approximately one in 10 contained mined areas.”

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) director Kasia Derlicka told IRIN, “We want to see Somalia report on how many stockpiled mines it has, and that it begins destroying them as soon as possible. We also need increased coordination between those already working to clear the land.”

Myanmar officials said in July they were considering banning anti-personnel mines. China, Egypt, India, Israel, Russia and the US are among the states not party to the treaty.

Source: IRIN

Hello everyone!

Things are starting to get interesting here in Canada. The Senate Committee
on Foreign Affairs is starting their hearings on our terrible draft CCM
legislation (Bill S-10) tomorrow starting at 4:15pm Eastern time.

In general, the hearings will be held on Wednesdays at 4:15pm and Thursdays
at 10:30am Eastern time.

First to speak will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, representatives from
the Department of Foreign Affairs and a representative from the Department
of Justice. We still do not know who has been approved as civil society
witnesses unfortunately.

You should be able to watch the proceedings online live or taped. Just
click on the movie camera icon beside the meeting listing here:
http://bit.ly/QAoJqW.

With the hearings getting started, we will probably need your help again
with some actions. Stay tuned for your chance to help us tell Canada to
#fixthebill but until then make sure you've signed and shared the petition
http://bit.ly/fixthebillca or http://bit.ly/changerleprojetdeloi.

Thanks so much for all your support so far!

Take care,

Erin

Erin Hunt
Program Officer
Mines Action Canada

Quelle: Email