Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Demichain: A New Concept Of Mechanical Demining, Rene Joeckle

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

DEMICHAIN is a new concept for mechanical demining, in which a horizontal web of heavy chains hung several metres above a surface to be cleared is dropped in a free fall and delivers a mechanical impulse over the whole surface hit by the chains. A pressure wave expands in the soil and is expected to trigger the active landmines. A description of the device is given, as well as comparisons to other demining devices. The author offers that DEMICHAIN provides numerous advantages to current mechanical-demining techniques, though it requires further testing before it can be used in real-life situations.

Endnotes Issue 11.2, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 11.2

Ddasaccident584, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The deminer was working within the Site Preparation Stage to identify the centre of the mine line and an IOE was already identified and recovered the expected mines about 15m to our side from the mine centre line which already quality up to the assigned depth (15cm) and all the mines recovered from the site were a surface mines and when the deminer trying to bring out some stones he stepped on un expected mine in the site with the heel.

Ddasaccident621, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the BOI and AMAC investigation team conclusion that the victim section leader, had found an unknown object during rest time and was tampering with it that suddenly the unknown object which probably was a UXO fuse exploded and caused left hand amputation, cut of right hand some fingers, left eye injury and left leg injuries to him.

Ddasaccident614, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the conclusion of the investigation team that the involved deminer did not properly mark the signal with the reading marker. Also he was carelessly excavating the reading point, and this caused the mine to be exploded.

Citizens For Peace Minutes 03-12-08, Linda J. Lieder

Citizens for Peace

The film “Building a World Beyond War: A Roadmap for Citizens” was viewed by the group. It is meant to inspire us to look more deeply at shared assumptions that must shift in order for us to accept differences and adopt practical, nonviolent alternatives to war. The film also presents hopeful examples of effective strategies that result in safety and security for all the world’s people. The Mission: Beyond War is a community of people from around the world who are committed to ending the use of warfare in this century. They explore, model and promote practical ways of resolving …

Bringing Peace Home: Experiences Of Graduates Of The Peace Camps Run By The Center For Peacebuilding In Sanski Most, Bosnia And Herzegovina., Becca Asaki

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper focus on the experiences of participants in a program called Peace Camp conducted by the Center for Peacebuilding in Sanki Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It, then, analyzes the camps within the context of the field of conflict resolution. The Peace Camps are week-long workshops which analyze the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the personal experiences of the participants. The camps invite Serbs, Bosniaks, Croat, Roma, and others to collectively share their experiences and be trained in conflict resolution. This paper’s analysis looks at who attends the Peace Camps and why and their experiences meeting ‘the other’ and …

Ddasaccident598, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the conclusion of investigation team that the involved deminer was excavation a signal in an area where the ground surface was hard with dense vegetation, and considering the crater created as a result of the explosion it seems that the deminer was excavating the signal about 30 cm on right side of the working lane where he was not in a stable position for excavating the signal by scraper; the excavation of this lane required to be done in next clearance lane.

Humanitarian Impact Evaluation - Battlefield Area Clearance South Lebanon (2007), Hi

Global CWD Repository

The aim of the report is to provide narrative and statistical data to demonstrate the humanitarian impact of Handicap International's Battlefield Area Clearance efforts in South Lebanon during the first 12 months of operations (December 2006 to December 2007). Handicap International has been conducting BAC in South Lebanon, since starting its operations in December 2006. During the first year of clearance, HI cleared: Private homes and gardens; private agricultural land; public land used for grazing and natural resources; public resources, such as clinics, of cluster bomb units that presented a contamination from the 2006 conflict. The clearance had a wide …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2007 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD during 2007.

Mine Action Strategy (2009-2019) - Bosnia And Herzegovina, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

On December 3rd 1997, Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Convention banning the production, use, stockpiling and transport of AP mines. The Convention also contains obligation to clear all known mined areas by March 2009. Accordingly, the Council of Ministers on 28 November 2006 made a decision to start the evaluation process of the existing Mine Action Strategy for the period 2005-2009, as well as the preparation of new strategic document for the period 2009-2019. This second document would provide the basis for an extension of the Convention deadline for total removal of mines.

In accordance with the evaluation of current …

Ddasaccident698, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

While he was marking his designated clearance lane in term of work progress, a painted stone fall down from his hand and caused for blowing off the mine.

Ddasaccident717, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Two police officers, [Victim No. 1] (33) and [Victim No.2] (34), and one member of the Novo Goražde Civil Protection, [Victim No. 3] (44), were killed in a landmine blast that happened in an unmarked minefield located 10 km away from Goražde towards Ustiprača.

Ddasaccident783, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

According to claim of team, while the acting section leader was checking a lane cleared by one of team party and wanted to fix the location of a marking stone suddenly the stone fell down to un-cleared area and hit top of a mine/UXO causing it to explode.

Ddasaccident618, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a Field Control Inadequacy because the demining group left the area without appropriately marking those areas worked and those that were still hazardous. The secondary cause is listed as a Management Control Inadequacy because it is the demining group’s senior management’s responsibility to ensure that the field managers left the task area responsibly.

Citizens For Peace Minutes 02-12-08, Linda J. Lieder

Citizens for Peace

Kathy led the group in a short meditation. She asked that we: “Accept ourselves in the present moment, just the way we are. Then we can experience that flame of love within us. Then we are able to extend love and blessings to others. Celebrate what makes us unique. Embrace all of it. Honor yourself. Do not judge yourself. Through awareness we will do things differently, if need be. Let go of the past. Feel your heart expanding. Let go of that which does not serve you. As you inhale, think: I accept myself completely. As you exhale, think: I …

Gender In Mine Action: The Tajikistan Experience, Shahrinisso Davlyatova

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article discusses the involvement of Tajik women in educating those in their communities about the threats of landmines and unexploded ordnance. It also highlights why there is an increased danger from landmines and unexploded ordnance for women and children.

Unsung Hero: Noimany Pialeuxay, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Noimany Pialeuxay, the first woman driver to be hired by MAG Lao PDR, has worked with her all-female unexploded ordnance clearance team to clear landmines in remote areas of Laos. Her story has been an inspiration to many other women who wish to join the demining effort.

News Briefs, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

News Briefs

Humanitarian Impact Evaluation: Battlefield Area Clearance In South Lebanon, Aneeza Pasha

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Handicap International sent battlefield-area clearance teams to South Lebanon to help clear the land of unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war. This article is a report of the impact on the civilian population due to the conflict and the impact of the cleanup efforts by HI. It aims to provide narrative and statistical data to demonstrate the humanitarian impact of Handicap International’s BAC efforts in South Lebanon from December 2006 to December 2007.

Gender Issue: An Example From Lao Pdr, Jo Durham

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article begins with a brief overview of the literature that helped frame a gender assessment MAG undertook and put gender into perspective within the broader development discourse, helping to identify where there are important linkages between gender and mine action. Following this summary, which highlights the centrality of gender in poverty-eradication efforts, an overview of the assessment (including methods and key findings) is provided

Will Oslo Be The Next Ottawa? The Cluster-Munitions Debate, Jeff Abramson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

More than a decade has passed since the monumental Ottawa Mine Ban Convention was opened for signature in December 1997. Now, with the adoption of the text of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in May 2008, the global community is closer than ever to an international agreement prohibiting the use of cluster munitions. A review of the key issues underpinning the debate on cluster munitions follows.

Connecting The Dots: The Ottawa Convention And The Ccm, Ken Rutherford, Nerina Čevra, Tracey Begley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions have refined the victim-assistance concepts found in the Ottawa Convention by defining victim assistance and clarifying VA obligations in the CCM. As the authors note, States Parties recognize that change can only be created through the people who implement it.

Gis Technology Helps Rid Southeast Asia Of Landmines And Uxo, Carla Wheeler

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Southeast Asia remains one of the most heavily mined regions in the world. Cambodia, which has a 2009 deadline for the Ottawa Convention, has requested a deadline extension because it will be impossible to meet its clearance obligations by then. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority is being aided by software from ESRI, which is used to create databases, maps and charts to record the location of mines and unexploded ordnance. This information is used to more effectively locate and demine contaminated areas. As Cambodia’s population increases, it is becoming more critical to clear the land of mines.

Gender In Community Consultations, Hilde Vandeskog Wallacher

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmine removal within Cambodia has been an important, unsolved problem for many years. This article focuses on mine-action strategies for gender mainstreaming in the community consultations carried out in rural, mine-affected areas in Cambodia.

Reaching The Right People: Gender And Mine Action, Melissa Sabatier, Reuben Mccarthy

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Statistics suggest that males suffer anywhere between 75 and 95 percentof all mine- and unexploded ordnance-related accidents; however, mines and UXO also have a negative effect on community development, which directly affects female populations. As a result, governmental and nongovernmental organizations are increasing the involvement of women in mine-clearance practices as well as mine-risk education programs. More specifically, countries are beginning to understand the value and importance of “gender mainstreaming” in mine-action processes.

Gendered Structures Of Mine Action, Marie Nilsson, Virginie Rozes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

To examine the relevance of gender in the mine-action sector, the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines conducted a global survey and in-depth interviews. The author presents the findings of this research and its implications.

Unsung Hero: Nelson Castillo, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Weapon Contamination Manual: Reducing The Impact Of Explosive Remnants Of War And Landmines Through Field Activities, Book Review

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The International Committee of the Red Cross—which has had an important role in the global effort to eradicate and ease the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war—released its Weapon Contamination Manual: Reducing the Impact of Explosive Remnants of War and Landmines Through Field Activities in August 2007. It consists of three parts, or “books,” and is designed to serve as the institutional reference for ICRC field operations, as well as provide guidance to others working in an environment impacted by the presence of landmines and ERW.

Unexploded Ordnance Cleanup Costs: Implications Of Alternative Protocols, Book Review

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Unexploded ordnance contamination on American soil? Yes, it’s true. After the closing of several United States’ military bases due to downsizing, it became apparent that unrecovered UXO remained on these properties where personnel were trained to use various weapons. To prevent unwanted accidents, the military must now remove the undetonated bombs, grenades, rockets and other explosives tested on these bases before transferring or selling the land to civilians.