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Ddasaccident161, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim said that he did not find anything at the first marker, and then failed to find anything at the second marker with his prodder. He called his partner to check with the detector again and the reading was confirmed. He then started excavating with his "trowel" when the mine exploded. He estimated that the mine was buried to a depth of 4cm, but did not see it prior to the explosion.

Ddasaccident022, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred during the manual clearance phase. Victim No.1 was clearing a lane and pulled a trip wire with his detector head, so initiating an OZM-4. The detonation "blew off both upper and lower limbs" and he suffered fragment wounds to his head and chest, killing him instantly. Victim No.2 was hit in the shoulder by a fragment.

Biosensor Applications, Henrik Westander

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The biosensor, or artificial dog nose, which identifies mines has now a new and civilian owner, Biosensor Applications Sweden AB, based in Orebro. The company has considerably strengthened its financial resources, currently by 5 million US dollars, and intends to raise further capital on the stock exchange.

And They Killed No Enemy: Taiwan's Landmines, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines are a remarkably wonderful little invention...from a military view. Since their systematic introduction to warfare doctrine in the spring of 1862 in the American Civil War, they have been used to deter, route, terrorize and harass opposing forces. Though their moral foundation has been in question since the beginning, little serious thought has been given to the effect of these perfect little soldiers on non-combatants--until recently. Our dark history provides numerous examples of the post-conflict madness inflicted by landmines and the other hubris of war on communities at peace. Rarely, however, do we find a case where landmines planted …

Common Circle For Human Rights, Vol.3, No.4 (October-December [1998]), M. Lichtman

Common Circle for Human Rights (1997-2000)

No abstract provided.

Data Standardization, Thomas Powell

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As the international community has placed increasing emphasis on efforts to identify, classify, neutralize, or remove landmines or other unexploded ordnance (UXO), the need to communicate information concerning the location, description, and hazards associated with these munitions has become apparent. Numerous database structures have been created to store information about the various munitions. However, different organizations, countries, or individuals have adopted their own unique data definitions and database structures, and these differences could affect the kinds of information available through these sources.

Profile Of Intersos Activity In Humanitarian Demining, Salvatore Camboni, Steffano Calabrett

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

InterSOS is an Italian-based Humanitarian Non-profit Organization working in emergency aid in several countries of the world in cF1048ritical situations, such as Bosnia, Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia and Albania, in collaboration with specialized UN Agencies, the European Union and the Italian Government.

Aim And Objectives Of The Landmine Victims Data Collection, A. Aziz Ahmadzai

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The 20 years of war in Afghanistan, beside other legacies, has left over 850 square kilometers of land and approximately 1,500 villages contaminated with landmines. Although official figures are not available, it is estimated that more than 400,000 people have either been killed or maimed by these perilous weapons. The majority of the over 400,000 victims are civilians, many of whom are women and children. Despite these facts, no proper and reliable data on the landmine victims in Afghanistan has yet been collected by any agency or organization. The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), with its mandate to conduct landmine-related …

The Impact Of The Washington 2010 Conference, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In late May, Washington D.C. played host to selected international dignitaries who gathered together to devise a global strategy for dealing with unexploded landmines. Great strides were made in world-wide coordination efforts. Many of these agreements were informal, some were regionally based (e.g., an African Demining sidebar session), and some were functionally oriented (e.g., a Victim Assistance sidebar session). But the exciting thing was that even in the midst of a gathering that had to pay extreme heed to international political sensitivities, it--like Copenhagen and Ottawa--became the forum and stimulus for real and discernible progress.

Demining Technologies, Qadeem K. Tariq

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Humanitarian mine clearance is a new phenomenon in the world. Therefore, well-coordinated and concrete steps need to be taken at international levels to address this issue. The Humanitarian mine-clearance technology has evolved at organizational, regional, and national levels in various parts of the world. However, at the international level, very little has been done so far to learn from these individual but practical lessons. The current effort s to develop humanitarian mine-clearance technology is either not coordinated or is poorly coordinated with field-level requirements. Efforts are required to organize the humanitarian mine-clearance technology at the international level and to develop …

The Future Of Humanitarian Demining, Andy Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At present, humanitarian demining in most affected areas begins with a United Nations(UN)-led emergency response, which is controlled by ex-pats, who usually have a military background and who are largely paid for by "ear-marked" donations from UN countries. Those donations sometimes take the form of staff and goods. At the same time, as the UN arrives (and sometimes before), the specialist charitably-funded clearance groups, which are funded by an individual government's aid budget or by trusts and donor charities, tend to move into the area. The HALO Trust makes a point of, whenever possible, being in dangerous areas first. The …

Myths, Mines, And Ground Clearance, Andy Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The following article deals with some common misconceptions about deminers, demining, and demining equipment. It is not an academic paper, but it is rather a discussion prompt. Some of the points are old enough to appear bearded to the field men--sorry about that--but newcomers still need to hear them. A few are contentious. To some extent, I am playing devil's advocate although all of the points raised in this article have arisen during my field work. I believe that they deserve an airing, and I would be interested to hear any well-reasoned, contrary opinions, or any words of support.

Strengthening Humanitarian Demining And Related Activities Through The Emphasis On Comparative Advantages, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

One of the foundations of contemporary economic systems is that expertise can create value. Based on this notion, it follows that economic efficiency results if every person does what he or she does best. Preferences, competencies, and resource capacity in the world of economics and trade drive these choices. In humanitarian pursuits, the trade aspects are less clear, and the financial aspects are less relevant, but the efficiencies gained from applying limited resources to a global crisis are still clear and relevant.

Review Of "Women In New Religions: In Search Of Community, Sexuality, And Spiritual Power" By E. Puttick, Wendy E. Chmielewski

Library Staff Works

No abstract provided.

Ddasaccident162, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim stated that he was prodding to a depth of about 8cm and did not feel the mine before it exploded. He said that normally when the ground was very wet they stopped operations because it was not comfortable to lie down. He maintained that he had been lying on his plastic sheet but was still getting wet and the ground conditions were not safe to work in.

Ddasaccident004, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 09.15 three deminers were injured when a mine detonated while being handled outside the mined area. Victim No.1 suffered severe hand and minor foot injuries. Victim No.2 suffered minor body and eye injures, and a hearing loss. Victim No.3 suffered a minor facial injury. The injured were taken by road (the report says that it would have taken too long to get official clearance for air evacuation) to Maputo Central hospital by 10:15. Victim No.1 was flown to Zimbabwe at an unspecified time for “follow-up treatment”.

Ddasaccident047, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Technical Advisor heard the explosion and drove towards it. He saw the Survey Officer come out of the bush with the victim over on his shoulders. The victim had lost his left foot. The Technical Advisor administered first aid while the Survey Officer tried to make radio contact with the group's Kuito office. He did not succeed so used a Motorola Handheld radio to speak to another NGO's demining operation in Cunhinga. The team then drove towards Cunhinga and were met by a vehicle from the other group carrying their paramedic. Together with the paramedic the team drove to …

Snapshots From Jerusalem, Ellen Weiss

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article is about the author's visit to Jerusalem during her sabbatical. She discusses the history of as well as the modern ethnic tensions in the city and what this means for daily life there. Weiss also explores both the Israeli and Arab elements of the city, and provides cases in which both groups are coming together to work and live together peacefully.

Monitoring Elections In El Salvador And Nicaragua, Jack Spence

New England Journal of Public Policy

I observed the February 1990 elections in Nicaragua as a member of both the Latin American Studies Association observation team and that of Hemisphere Initiatives, a group with which I have worked. In El Salvador I headed the Hemisphere Initiatives team. I visited Nicaragua five times during the electoral period, and for El Salvador, for once my academic calendar coincided with Salvadoran history. A sabbatical in the last academic year allowed me to be there during the electoral period.

I should say by way of comparison with Fred Gamst's presentation about Ethiopia that Nicaragua and El Salvador are ethnically and …

Ddasaccident250, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Two dogs were run over the accident site and both signalled positively. The victim started searching with a detector where they had indicated and he got a reading. He marked the spot and started to prod in a "prone" position. As he approached the second marker he paused to remove the loosened earth with his hands. [It is not clear whether he raised himself up to do this.] As he removed the soil a device exploded, amputating his thumb and two fingers on his right hand. The victim stood up after the accident.

Ddasaccident249, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that he detected a reading and put his helmet on to prod. He could find nothing but the detector still signalled so he prodded again and found a fragment. The detector still signalled and he was prodding for the third time when the mine detonated at 08:15. He received "minor injuries", his visor was damaged and his bayonet lost. The victim walked unaided to the safe area.

Ddasaccident048, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 11:25 The victim initiated a PPM-2 mine and was blown backwards onto his detector. At 11:26 the victim was given first aid and was conscious. He had suffered "facial injury and lacerations to right hand". One minute later he was moved to the administration area where he was treated for "injuries to right hand, right knee" and his face was bandaged. The victim was evacuated by Land Rover at 11:40 and arrived at Huambo Hospital at 12:30. On arrival the escort was presented with a list of medical supplies to buy.

Ddasaccident017, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At the time of the accident the victim had just changed roles with his partner so it is not sure which of them failed to locate the mine. He was about 15 metres from the pylon when at 11:57 there was a detonation. The victim's leg was torn off at "boot level". After the accident and a positive identification of the victim, the medic gave first aid. At 12:11 the victim was taken to Maputo Central Hospital, arriving at 13:30.

Ddasaccident163, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Signed by an expatriate specialist and dated 5th September 1998, the report stated that demining had started at the site on 10th June 1998 and fourteen Type 69s and two PMNs had been recovered. The victim had worked for 40 minutes on the morning of the accident and in that time had cleared 4m and located and excavated four metal fragments. He was prodding to investigate another signal from his "Ebinger 420H" when at 07:50 he detonated a PMN.

Ddasaccident248, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim got a detector reading and marked it, then put on his helmet and started to prod. He struck the fuse of a grenade with his bayonet and heard a "fuse detonation sound" [click of a delay mechanism arming] so was scared. He stood up.

Ddasaccident247, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators reported that the victim was working normally and looking for tripwires. He found a tripwire and wanted to find whether it was connected to a mine "so he pulled it with his hand and the mine went off". He received injuries to his right armpit, both thighs and suffered hearing loss in his left ear.

Ddasaccident211, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident report did not give details of what happened in the incident, but from other documents (including the statement of the victim's partner who was not available to be interviewed by the investigators during their site visit) it seems that the deminers started work at 06:10 and at 06:40 the victim took over clearance. The exchange of duty took place close to the accident site, possibly because the marking system was inadequate and the victim's partner had to explain where he had finished work. The metal contamination along the verge caused by litter was such that the deminers found …

Ddasaccident246, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators decided that the victim was exposing a detector reading and found several tin-cans. He continued prodding but became tired so changed hands and prodded with his left hand. A mine detonated at 10:00. The victim suffered minor right-hand injury and dust in his eyes. He was treated on site and taken to the ICRC hospital in Kandahar.

Trends. The Omagh Bombing: Ireland And The Psychology Of Walls, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the psychological aspect of walls in relation to peace efforts in Northern Ireland.

Ddasaccident245, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the day of the accident the victim was working in a bushy area when at 09:00 he pulled a bush out of the way. In doing so he pulled a tripwire and initiated a POMZ. He suffered hand and chest injuries, and hearing loss. The victim was treated at the site, then taken to the ICRC hospital in Ghazni for treatment.