Concerns raised over high number of people killed in old land mine explosions

Ministry of State for Disaster Management officials said Wednesday they are concerned about the high number of people killed in mine explosions every month and that they are worried about the ongoing dangers these remnants of war pose.

Marking Mine Awareness Day in Kabul, officials said between 120 and 150 Afghans die in this way each month.

“We assure the people that we are cooperating with all demining institutions and we are ready to provide any facilities that are needed,” said Mohammad Abbas Akhund, the government’s minister for disaster management.

The inspector general for the ministry of defense, who also attended Wednesday’s event, said that funding by the international community to clear mines had decreased significantly in the past few months.

“After the new government took office, foreign aid has been reduced and the capacity of demining institutions has been reduced. These institutions have been forced to limit their capacity. I think more capacity building should be done in this regard,” said Mufti Lotfollah Hakimi, Chief Inspector of the Ministry of National Defense, said.

Meanwhile, some officials representing international demining organizations said at Wednesday’s event that they were committed to cooperating with the authorities but said that solid demining plans were critical.

“Our efforts in the demining sector must be coordinated and all our work will be in coordination with the Ministry of State for Disaster Management. I thank the leadership of the ministry that they made assurances to cooperate [with us],” said Soran Adser, director of the DRC Mine Action and Humanitarian Aid Institute.

According to ministry data, 1,016 people were killed or injured last year as a result of landmine explosions in the country, most of them were children