Seventy percent of mines and other explosive hazards remain uncleared in areas of Iraq ravaged by the Islamic State (ISIS) war, preventing millions of internally displaced persons from returning home, the United Nations Mine Action Service warned on Sunday.
“The presence of explosive hazards continues to act as one of the primary inhibitors for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) back to their homes,” Pehr Lodhammar, senior programme manager of UNMAS in Iraq, said in a statement.
“The scale, density, and complexity of explosive hazards is unprecedented, making Iraq one of the most contaminated countries in the world.”
As of May 12, 2019, 1.7 million of a total 5.9 million IDPs in Iraq are still yet to return home, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Our primary mandate is to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of IDPs to their homes,” said Lodhammar.
“We cannot do that when an estimated 70 percent of explosive hazards still lie underneath the rubble.”
ISIS regularly used mines and booby traps in Iraq and Syria when retreating from territory or when solidifying its foothold. Though they were declared defeated in Iraq in late 2017, the group’s deadly legacy continues to haunt locals in the form of lingering weaponry.
Rehabilitation and stabilization projects cannot begin where mines are still present, exacerbating an already severe lack of basic services and hampering the reconstruction of war-torn areas for those who still live there – making mine clearance and risk education that inform civilians on safe practice in landmine ridden areas an immediate need.
“Risk education and the clearance of explosive hazards always come together. To avoid accidents, it is crucial to teach affected communities which behaviors to adopt when encountering explosive hazards,” said Lodhammar.
Methods of risk education used by UNMAS include “the screening of TV clips, the printing of life-saving messages on taxis, date packages, water bottles and gloves as well as the use of virtual reality goggles,” according to the statement.
National and international efforts have had a particular focus on Mosul, once the capital of the Islamic State in Iraq, and Shingal, whose Yezidi population fell victim to genocide.
The UNMAS statement hailed the “significant impact” of the British government’s role in mine clearance.
International assistance in mine clearing has also come from the European Union, with a spate of recent delegation visits to Nineveh with UNMAS by ambassadors to Denmark, the European Union, and Sweden, to ensure “synchronized efforts between all relevant authorities.”
However, on-the-ground mine clearance work is predominantly carried out by Iraqis in the form of High-Risk Search, a visual, inch-by-inch clearing of territory.
“The unsung heroes here are the Iraqis. The international staff provides technical advice but the actual workers who are carrying out this highly dangerous work are Iraqis,” Lodhammar added.
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