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July 27 - August 3,2003 |
An Unending Somali Massacre
Innocent children remain the primary victims of decades-old and new landmines
By Alberto Lunati
Originally Published: 2003-06-08
Mines are a mainstay in Somalia. Imagine, not even those planted by the Italians, back at the time of the colonial wars, have been defused yet. And children, who barely recognize the modern models, hit them with stones. You can easily imagine the results."
Valmara 69, Type 72, M-14, pmn, Sb-33, are just a handful of models in the over 3.5 million antipersonnel mines sowed all over Somalia.
This tragedy has been going on for decades and the wound is reopened every time someone triggers yet another bloody civil war in those underdeveloped zones. North to South and East to West, Somalia - at war with itself almost continuously for the past 30 years - is practically one frightful minefield.
We talked with Omar Mohamed, director of Toronto's Somali Demining Action Group, a Non-Governmental Organization engaged in mine-clearing programs in central and southern Somalia, about the problem.
What's the situation like in Somalia?
"It's tragic, although the media often ignores it altogether. For instance, the latest reports, endorsed by several U.S. humanitarian organizations, are very clear. From 1994 to 1995 alone, in fact, no fewer than 1,082 people lost a leg or an arm due to stepping on a mine. According to the Mogadishu hospital, 75 percent of them were children. In addition, 450 people died over the same period. Let me assure you, people keep dying. Moreover, mine-clearing procedures take a very long time."
How come?
"Placing a mine takes just a moment, and production costs are very low. Mine clearing, however, is something else. An antipersonnel mine comes for US$8 on average. Deactivating that mine, on the other hand, comes close to $5,000. An estimate, based on current rates, for clearing Afghanistan, for instance, shows that it would take more or less 4,300 years."
What about medical attention?
"Statistics can give us a good idea of the situation. On average, a child - or even an adult - disabled by a mine must wait 10 years for a prosthetic. This is testified by a report from Handicap International. Moreover, the conditions of anarchy in Somalia, which has been lacking a government for 20 years now, mean that many victims cannot reach a hospital and die along the way."
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