Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Landmines In Croatia Pose Threat To Incoming Refugees, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After Hungary formally closed its border with Serbia on 15 September 2015, refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East, Central Asia and Northern Africa have turned next to Croatia as a gateway to reach countries such as Sweden and Germany. The influx of refugees traversing the areas near the Croatia-Serbia border has raised concerns that refugees will encounter residual landmine contamination in Croatia as they make their way to Slovenia and Hungary. The contamination dates back to the four-year conflict which followed the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995. The Croatian Mine Action Centre (CROMAC) estimates that …

Effectiveness Of Gis In Mine Action, Hansie Heymans, Arie Claassens

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

According to a survey conducted by Geometric Solutions, Ltd., the usage of a geographic information system (GIS) stands to benefit the mine action community within the context of strategic planning and operational decision-making. Furthermore, web-based GIS can provide mobile spatial data for operations and lead to an overall improvement of mine action operations.

Humanitarian Mine Action In Afghanistan: A History, Ian Mansfield

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After a decade of Soviet occupation in Afghanistan and the resulting internal conflict, the removal of explosive remnants of war (ERW) became a complicated issue. Systematic clearance of ERW was difficult to establish due to the volatile security situation and an inability to regulate clearance work. However, due to collaboration between the United Nations and Afghan nongovernmental organizations, mine clearance operations were successfully established in Afghanistan in the 1990s.

Vietnam 40 Years After The War, Sean Sutton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sean Sutton, photographer and international communications manager for MAG (Mines Advisory Group), provides a photographic essay of MAG's clearance work in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces, Vietnam.

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 19.1 (2015), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Focus on Vietnam

Feature: Cultural and Environmental Issues in Demining

Notes from the Field

Research and Development

Post-Clearance Inspection: How Much Is Enough?, Russell Gasser

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Post-clearance inspection serves to check contamination of land on a per square meter basis. Although inspection does little in the way of explaining the quality of the work done in demining operations, it can be important in providing an incentive for deminers to produce higher quality work.

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 19.2 (2015), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Focus on Colombia | Risk Education | Notes from the Field | Research and Development

The Democratic Republic Of The Congo’S National Landmines Contamination Survey, Pascal Simon, Kevin Thoma

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The absence of accurate data on the scope and location of landmine contamination negatively affected more than a decade of mine action activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This article discusses the 2013 National Landmines Contamination Survey and its results.

Observations On Cluster Strike Patterns In Laos, Roly Evans

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Cluster strike footprints are being surveyed and subsequently cleared in Laos. Little information is available regarding the nature of cluster munition strike patterns. If more evidence from different types of strike footprints is collected, analyzed and distributed, operators will be better prepared for future survey and clearance tasks

The Quang Tri Integrated Survey And Clearance Project, Jonathon Guthrie, Portia Stratton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Surveys estimate that as much as 83 percent of land in Quang Tri province in Central Vietnam is contaminated by explosive remnants of war. Recent advances in information management and operational methodology have significantly reduced this figure. This article looks at a coordinated response currently being implemented in Quang Tri province in collaboration between MAG (Mines Advisory Group) and Norwegian People's Aid, and the key factors involved in successfully facilitating this process

Quality Management In Vietnam: Building A National Iso 9001 System, Russell Gasser

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Vietnam’s pilot quality management (QM) project in Ha Tinh province has proven successful in its implementation of the international QM standard ISO 9001. The next step for GICHD and partners will be to support Vietnam in establishing ISO 9001 QM on a national scale.

Protecting The Environment: Mine Clearance In Skallingen, Denmark, Martin Jebens

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Denmark has long been affected by landmines. Environmental factors such as landscape, wildlife and endangered species make mine clearance difficult. However, through environmental legislation and mine clearance, Denmark has reestablished areas in Skallingen for use.

Female Demining Teams In Tajikistan, Julieta Nikolova

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In addition to contributing to the safe release of landmine-contaminated land in Tajikistan, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has pushed norms and traditions by incorporating an all-female demining team into its operations. Less than a year ago, imagining an all-female demining team operating in a country with strictly-defined gender roles was difficult.

Peacetrees' Eod Program In Vietnam, Claire Yunker

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

PeaceTrees Vietnam has explosive ordnance disposal programs in Dakrong and Huong Hoa, the two westernmost districts of Quang Tri province bordering Laos. Huong Hoa was the scene of the Battle of Keh Sanh in 1968. These mountainous districts lack sufficient infrastructure and are afflicted by extreme poverty. The districts include a large number of ethnic minorities who have no written language, do not speak Vietnamese and suffer injuries from unexploded ordnance at a higher rate than the ethnic Vietnamese in the region. The war severely impacted the two districts, and about 80 percent of the territory is considered contaminated.

Clearance At Cultural Heritage Sites, Lindsay Aldrich, Suzanne Fiederlein, Jessica Rosati

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The most mine- and unexploded ordnance (UXO)-contaminated countries in the world have long histories of conflict, as well as histories rich with extensive archeological and cultural records. It is not uncommon for known historical sites to be littered with mines and UXO, especially in regions with hundreds and even thousands of years of rich cultural heritage, such as Central and Southeast Asia and the Caucuses. This presents an added challenge to project teams tasked with clearing and safeguarding the land while also preserving the integrity of cultural heritage sites.

Impact Of Flooding On Mine Action In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Croatia, And Serbia, Milan Bajic, Tamara Ivelja, Emina Hadzic, Haris Balta, Goran Skelac, Zoran Grujic

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Devastating floods swept through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia in May 2014. The destructiveness of the floods, landslides and sediment torrents on minefields resulted in significant environmental and security issues. These three countries’ mine action centers launched a joint project cofunded by the Republic of Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to develop effective and efficient methods and technologies that might improve the situation. Their research seeks to provide reliable assessments of the flood damage to minefields and generate accurate implications for potential hazardous areas.

Forces Generated By The Free Fall Of Demichain, Christian Baras, Bernard Gautier, Robert Goepfert, Jean-Pierre Hancy, Rene Joeckle

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The free fall of an array of heavy chains (360 kg/sq m) generates extensive pressure in the depth of the ground. These pressures have been measured and compared to the threshold pressures that trigger anti-personnel landmines. When dropped from moderate heights (1 m), chains can generate enough pressure to set off active landmines buried 20 cm, provided that the area of their pressure plates is larger than a few square centimeters.

Do No Harm In Mine Action: Why The Environment Matters, Ursin Hoffman, Pascal Rapillard

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Explosive remnants of war negatively impact the environment and some clearance methods used by mine action organizations can potentially lead to environmental degradation. Mine action organizations need to consider the negative impact potential of their operations and adopt mitigation measures to ensure they do no harm.