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Libya, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Libya

Combating Subterranean Terror, Her Majesty Queen Noor

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Over the past 25 years, driving past Jordan Valley mine fields fenced off by barbed wire, visiting with landmine victims, or tallying the grim statistics, I have grieved for the children and adults in the Middle East routinely maimed or killed by these weapons of mass destruction in slow motion. Our region has been called the landmine heartland of the world, with an estimated 50 million mines scarring the earth from Morocco to Afghanistan. Beyond the physical and psychological torture of those who have been injured, or lost loved ones, is the further punishment of land made desolate, lost to …

The United States Central Command’S Role In The Middle East, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The U.S. CENTCOM humanitarian mine action program provides a successful interaction between US military trainers, the host country, the indigenous community and the non-governmental organizations while ridding the host country of landmines. Their train-the-trainer approach insures that there is an indigenous demining operation in place before U.S. forces exit the country.

The Journal Of Mine Action Issue 5.3 (2001), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Issue 5.3: Landmines in The Middle East Focus

Humanitarian Mine Action In Northern Iraq, Tim Carstairs

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Through sustained efforts, the Mines Advisory Group has made significant progress in the demining of war-torn Northern Iraq. Cooperation with local villagers has been a key to their success.

Mine Field Breaching In Desert Storm, Thomas Houlahan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

During the Gulf War, Iraqi troops laid over seven million mines throughout Kuwait, which resulted in a need for advanced techniques allowing American troops to quickly breach landmine-afflicted areas.

Mine Action In Egypt: The Landmine Struggle Center And Arabic Mine Action Campaign, Jenny Lange

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Egypt’s land is plagued with almost 20 million mines/UXO dating back to WWII. The government does not want to remove them without help from those who planted them. In response, the Landmine Struggle Center and Arabic Mine Action Campaign were formed to help those who are affected.

Mine Awareness Education In The Republic Of Yemen, Aisha Saeed Nalya

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Republic of Yemen is situated on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. It is a country of beautiful scenes and architecture. The Republic of Yemen has 17 million people and is growing at a rate of 3.7 percent annually.

Technology Needs: Mine Clearance In Egypt And Jordan, James Trevelyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

I visited Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon in September and October 1999 to learn about mine clearance techniques being used in the Middle East (Trevelyan 2000). This paper summarizes some of my observations and suggestions for further developments.

Landmines In Lebanon: An Historic Overview And The Current Situation, Harald Wie

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

It is estimated that 150,000 landmines of all categories are currently in Lebanon. The exact location of most of these weapons remains unknown. In addition, a large number of UXO continues to pose a serious threat to local populations, particularly in the south.

The Jordanian Humanitarian Demining Program: A Model Of Optimism And Persistence, Jose Saucedo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Detecting and removing over 300,000 estimated mines in Jordan’s 509 mine fields is a huge but not insurmountable problem. The deliberate clearing process requires courageous patience, a demonstrated quality of Jordan’s highly qualified engineer officers and soldiers. Trained and experienced deminers, outfitted with state-of-the-art protective equipment and using internationally recognized demining techniques and methodologies, form the base of the Royal Corps of Engineers Humanitarian Demining (HD) attack plan. Though many mines are unaccounted for due to erosion, flooding, and accidental detonation, Royal Corps of Engineer HD soldiers have an established perseverance that will prevail.

Landmine Impact Survey In The Republic Of Yemen, Qadeem K. Tariq

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Republic of Yemen is located in the Middle East, bordering Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the Gulf of Aden to the south and the Red Sea to the west with an area of 550,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 15 million. The country is divided into 19 administrative units, called governorates.

Landmines in Yemen were laid as a result of several separate conflicts over a period of about 30 years, starting during the 1962—1975 conflicts between the Republicans and Royalists in the north. In addition, landmines were laid during the 1963—1967 war of …

New International Standards Debut October 1, 2001, Suzanne Fiederlein

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On October 1, 2001 the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) officially released twenty-two documents that comprise the initial set of new International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). The standards replace the International Standards for Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations. The new standards represent the culmination of two years of work to revise and expand the old standards based on changes in practices, procedures and norms that emerged from the continuing operations of mine action programs around the globe.

Efficient Level 2 Surveys Using Mechanical Detonators: Returning More Land, Creating More Wealth, Saving More Lives, Daniel Wolf, Steven Barmazel

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The biggest problem facing demining enterprises is this: productivity of individual deminers is so low that total labor costs per unit of land cleared remain exorbitant—despite minuscule wages in mine-affected countries. Clearing agricultural land in developing countries typically costs many times the land’s expected mine-free annual revenues. Most remediation is uneconomic for public and private parties alike, and funding is never enough.

U.S. Humanitarian Demining In The Middle East, Stacy L. Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United States seeks to relieve human suffering caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) while promoting U.S. foreign policy interests. U.S. objectives are to reduce civilian casualties, create conditions for the safe return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes and reinforce an affected country’s stability. The U.S. seeks to accomplish these objectives by helping to establish and support sustainable indigenous mine action capabilities in mine-affected nations where appropriate. Since fiscal year 1993, the United States has committed almost $500 million (U.S.) to global mine action initiatives, including research and development and survivor assistance. Nearly $90 million (U.S.) …

Non-State Actors And Their Significance, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Non-State Actors must be involved in any considerations about reducing the use of landmines, a mission which the Non-State Actors Working Group has set out to accomplish

What The Dog’S Nose Knows, Ian Mclean

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mine clearance is an ongoing process that is both tedious and expensive. Mine detection dogs are one tool in the toolbox. These dogs are far from fool-proof, yet they are constantly making strides in assisting demining efforts worldwide.

Global Focus On Landmines In Afghanistan, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Even though it has one of the longest running mine clearance programs, Afghanistan is still believed to be one of the most severely mine-affected countries in the world. The Mine Action Program in Afghanistan (MAPA), a United Nations-supported entity, is one of the largest and most successful national programs in the world and one almost exclusively run by the Afghans themselves with fewer than a dozen or so of the 5,000-person workforce being non-nationals.

Cost Effectiveness Of The Ethiopian And Eritrean Demining Programs, Michael Litzelman, Wayne Perry

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Long after anti-personnel landmines (AP) were planted to gain military advantage in battle, they continue to destroy lives by killing and maiming civilians and livestock, inhibiting productivity and preventing economies from developing in poor, third world countries. Landmines contribute to political instability in regions vital to the United States. The U. S. Department of State claims that there are approximately 85 to 200 million mines in 63 countries, producing approximately 15,000 casualties per year, an average of 70 people per day, or 500 people every week, most of them innocent civilians (DOS 1994). Of these, an estimated 9,500 people are …

Response To Bob Keeley’S Letter To The Journal Of Mine Action, Daniel Wolf, Steven Barmazel

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

We appreciate Bob being "picky" in examining our article on applying a public-health approach to demining. The lives at stake in demining are worth the extra care. As it happens, we generally agree with his views.

First, let’s do get our terminology straight. Thanks, Bob, for the lesson in British diction. We had hoped that placing the modifier mechanical before detonator would make our intentions clear. That it did not, we apologize to our readers. More substantive issues await us.

As Bob rightly points out, our ideas are not new. The public-health/cost-benefit approach predates the birth of everyone reading these …

Egypt, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Egypt

Kuwait, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Kuwait

Lebanon, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Lebanon/p>

Yemen, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Yemen

The Journal Of Mine Action Issue 5.2 (2001), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines in Central and South America

Colombia: 35 Years And Still Struggling, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The civil wars in Colombia have caused the deaths and disappearances of many innocent victims. Guerillas, insurgent groups and paramilitaries are all fighting to find peace, yet peace seems far away.

Landmines:A Deadly Reminder Of Chile’S Military Past, Louise Egan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Although the fighting is long over, a number of anti-personnel landmines still remain in Chile, posing a threat to civilians even today. With casualties increasing, the people are calling on the government to take action.

Victim Assistance In Central America: A Regional Effort, Juan Carlos Ruan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The OAS facilitates victim assistance efforts by connecting the victim to appropriate medical resources. As the OAS program continues its programs in the countries of

Uxo In Panama, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With no party assuming responsibility for thousands of acres of UXO-infested land, the fate of Panama’s ex-United States artillery ranges remains unresolved. The grueling task of transforming the unusable land falls to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal community leaving the tainted ground waiting for release.

The Southern African Development Community’S Technical Advisors Course, Salomon Schreuder, Kevin Bolton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With funding and support from South African and international groups, the SADC teams up with IMEESA to improve deminers’ management and technology skills.