US donates $6.1 million for mine action

As part of the US government’s ongoing humanitarian assistance programme for Afghanistan, the US Ambassador to Pakistan, William Milam, on Friday presented the United Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA) with an assistance package worth US $6.1 million. “While everybody knows that we, the United States, have our differences with the ruling powers of Afghanistan, we have never forgotten, nor will we ever forget, I think, the long-suffering people of Afghanistan,” the ambassador told reporters at a ceremony in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Commenting on the US package, which includes 83 vehicles and ambulances valued at US $3.3 million, as well as a cash donation of US $2.8 million, MAPA programme manager Dan Kelly told IRIN: “From one donor this is a very significant pledge. In total, we are looking at about US $6 million for one year, which is about a quarter of the requirement for the whole programme.” Asked how long it would take to clear all the mines in Afghanistan, Kelly said there were 740 million square metres of suspected mined areas in Afghanistan, with 350 million square metres being-high priority land, such as farm, agricultural and village areas that refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) had to go back to. “Based on current capacities on the ground, if we can keep the funding for the current capability for the next seven or 10 years we can clear all the high priority areas,” he added. Since 1993, the US government has provided MAPA with over US $25 million and, according to Milam, “Afghanistan is certainly one of the most serious, if not the most serious impacted countries because of land mines.” He added: “Our attempt here is to prevent any more victims from being impacted by land mines.” Praising MAPA’s track record, UN Deputy Coordinator for Afghanistan Antonio Donini said that over the past 11 years the agency had succeeded in clearing 550 million square metres, destroying 1.6 million explosive devices and training seven million civilians in mine awareness. “Laying mines, dropping bombs, sending mortars takes seconds, but clearing mines is a painstakingly slow operation, and of course a very dangerous one,” Donini said. Despite the programme’s success, however, there remain another 740 million square metres that need to be cleared, and funding remains a concern. “Last year, due to funding shortfalls, MAPA had to cut back operations during the fall. Now we’re back up to speed and we hope that this year cutbacks can be avoided,” he added. Meanwhile, commenting on Thursday’s return of a three-man US humanitarian assessment delegation to Afghanistan, Ambassador Milam dismissed claims that this mission and the MAPA contribution represented a change in US policy. “There is no change in our humanitarian policy towards Afghanistan, nor in any of our other policies,” he said. The assessment mission was the first visit by US government officials to Afghanistan since Washington launched missile attacks in 1998 against suspected guerrilla camps of Saudi terrorist Usama bin Ladin, wanted in connection with the bombings of two US embassies in East Africa that year. After over two decades of war, Afghanistan remains severely affected by land mines and unexploded ordnance, which claim on average about 150 victims per month, down from 300 just two years ago. Since 1989, MAPA has become one of the largest, most efficient and most cost-effective mine action programmes in the world, with an estimated work force of 4,800 personnel undertaking a wide range of activities, including mine-awareness education, technical training and mine-clearance operations.