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A weapon of war? Or a tool of terrorism?
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Photo: Canadian International Demining Centre
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Since World War II, anti-personnel (AP) land mines have been a fact of
war. Unlike conventional weapons, land mines do not explode on impact but
remain in the ground until someone or something triggers an explosion by
stepping on them. Requiring as little as 5 kilograms of weight to set them
off, land mines can be equally lethal to a soldier, a farmer grazing cattle
or a child playing. And the end of a war has no impact on land mines -
once in the ground they remain deadly until removed or accidently exploded.
According to the United Nations, land mines are at least ten times more
likely to kill or injure a civilian after a conflict than a combatant during
hostilities.
Although active combat has been over for months or years in countries
like Cambodia, Angola and Bosnia, civilians are being killed and wounded
on a daily basis. Even mines laid in Libya and Europe more than fifty years
ago continue to explode today. The war in Afghanistan is not yet over,
but fighting has eased recently, paradoxically leading to an increase in
mine casualties as people become more mobile.
Throughout the world, 800 people are killed and an additional 1,200
maimed every month by land mine explosions. Those most vulnerable are usually
the very poor. Men, women and children who may be aware of the presence
of mines but who must tend livestock, gather food or collect wood, risk
their lives in previous battlegrounds.
AP land mines are designed to maim rather than kill victims. Injuries
usually include:
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lost limbs
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severe lacerations
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secondary infections as a result of the dirt, plastic, metal and clothing
driven into the body by the blast
Because mine explosions occur most frequently in rural areas of developing
countries, victims are far from medical aid and there are few resources
for treatment. The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that
proper treatment of a mine victim costs about $4,000 including hospital
stay and fitting of a prosthesis (artificial limb). Although there are
a number of organizations working to support land mine survivors, only
a small proportion of those injured receive necessary treatment.
As a result, countries with a large proportion of mine survivors are
faced with enormous social costs. An injured survivor getting around on
crutches is not only no longer able to work, but often requires the care
of another family member, reducing the family earning potential even more.
Further, the impact of mines on the population is by no means limited
to the actual victims. Because thousands of hectares of land are mined,
farming stops, transportation and communications lines are disabled, and
millions of people are forced from their homes and occupations, creating
political, economic and social upheaval.
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Map showing areas of mine concentration: Canadian
International Demining Centre
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The problem is immense: Today, it is estimated that there are well over
100 million unexploded land mines buried in at least 64 countries, with
two million more being deployed each year. An additional ten million are
manufactured annually adding to existing stockpiles of 120 million.
Part of the reason for the numbers lie in economics: it costs just $3
to $30 to manufacture a land mine. To clear each mine costs up to $1,000.
At the current rate of removal by United Nations forces (about 85,000 per
year), it will take over 1,100 years to clear mines already deployed, at
a cost of $33 billion.
| The world's land mine hot
spots |
Number of deployed mines per square
mile |
Estimated total number of land
mines |
|
Bosnia & Herzegovina
|
152
|
3,000,000
|
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Cambodia
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143
|
10,000,000
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Croatia
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137
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3,000,000
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Egypt
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60
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23,000,000
|
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Iraq
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59
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10,000,000
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Afghanistan
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40
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10,000,000
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Angola
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31
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15,000,000
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Iran
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25
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16,000,000
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Rwanda
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25
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250,000
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Source: United Nations Department
of Humanitarian Affairs.
Today, many countries continue to manufacture and export land mines:
- Argentina - Belarus - Bosnia-Herzegovina - Brazil* - Bulgaria - Burma
- Chile - China - Cuba - Czech Republic - Egypt* - Greece - Hungary* -
India - Iran - Iraq - Israel - Japan - North Korea - South Korea - Pakistan
- Peru - Poland* - Romania - Russia - Serbia - Singapore - Spain - Taiwan
- Thailand - Turkey - Ukraine - UK* - USA - Vietnam *
indicates countries which claim no current production. Source:
Mines Action Canada, June 1997
Although we don't usually think of rules when it comes to warfare, there
is in fact a general international humanitarian law which applies to all
States and includes the following two basic rules (from Protocol I added
to the Geneva Conventions in 1977): Parties to a conflict must always distinguish
between civilians and combatants. Civilians may not be directly attacked
and indiscriminate attacks and the use of indiscriminate weapons are prohibited.
It is prohibited to use weapons which cause unnecessary suffering. Therefore,
the use of weapons whose damaging effects are disproportionate to their
military purpose is prohibited.
Between 1977 and 1997 two additional international treaties (in particular
the Land mines Protocol or Protocol II of the 1980 United Nations Convention
on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons
which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate
Effects) were implemented which governed the use of land mines. Obviously
neither the international humanitarian law nor the Land mines Protocol
were effective in curtailing the use of land mines or protecting civilians.
What On Earth Would You Do?
Where would you start in trying to address the landmine crisis? Read
all options and then select your answer.
A)
B)
C)
D)
Continue...
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