Mine Clearance with the Minewolf Machine in Sudan
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Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 10 Issue 1 The Journal of Mine Action Article 24 August 2006 Picking the Right Tool for the Right Task: Mine Clearance with the MineWolf Machine in Sudan Christoph Frehsee MineWolf Systems AG Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Frehsee, Christoph (2006) "Picking the Right Tool for the Right Task: Mine Clearance with the MineWolf Machine in Sudan," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 24. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol10/iss1/24 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Frehsee: Picking the Right Tool for the Right Task: Mine Clearance with the MineWolf Machine in Sudan the IMATC to become humanitarian its national regeneration plan and assign es- to build a mine-detection dog training deminers and EOD technicians respective- sential funding and personnel. facility on the grounds of the IMATC. Picking the Right Tool for the Right Task: ly, was funded by the British government’s At present, MAT Chief Technical Advisor A continued partnership with Securatec, Department for International Development in Uganda Danny Danenbergsons is assist- a German-owned commercial dog-training Mine Clearance with the MineWolf and the U.K. Ministry of Defence. MAT ing in the development of the national mine- company that operates globally, means that has been contracted through the United clearance programme and will then deploy on the supply of high-calibre and well-trained Nations Development Programme by the operations with the UPDF. It is a very delicate MDDs will soon be well-established in Machine in Department for International Development eastern Africa to move and sup- to provide the Technical Advisors to super- port a myriad of mine-action vise the Ugandans in their new role, en- programmes/agencies in coun- Sudan suring that the International Mine Action tries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Standards are maintained and the teams Somaliland and South Sudan. In 2005, Norwegian People’s Aid used the mechanical mine-clearance operate at their maximum capability. Damian Leitch, the MAT Upon completion of the course and re- Technical Advisor and head of machine MineWolf to aid in the demining process in Yei, South Sudan. patriation to Uganda, MAT was essential the MDD training facility, the in helping to shape the strategic policy for Dirk-Ridge Dog Centre, con- the deployment of these newly trained forc- trols the day-to-day running of The MineWolf system combines both the tiller and flail systems. The mine- es. The Office of the Prime Minister and PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN REMFREY the centre and occasionally assists the mine-action Technical Advisor for the the instructors from the IMATC clearance team overcame several challenges to transport the 25-ton machine UNDP have agreed to acquire the neces- during the course. Leitch provides sary life support9 and operational funding specific EOD knowledge from his for the teams to undergo refresher training experiences gained during his ca- to South Sudan. Once there, the MineWolf was used to clear over 280,000 and deploy to the field to conduct clearance reer in a British Army EOD team operations. This has by no means been an M79 submunitions. operating in countries such as Iraq, square meters (69 acres) of land, including a school complex, a planned easy feat, and with this new approach to Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and national capacity building, there is now a Macedonia. Andreas Steineberg, the heavy emphasis on the local governmental MDD TA employed by Securatec, housing complex and a teacher-training centre. infrastructure to include mine action within is responsible for the actual dog and balance 10 that the MAT team has to manage, handler training beyond the standard re- by Christoph Frehsee [ MineWolf Systems GmbH ] as there must be some close supervision to en- quired by the IMAS. sure standards are maintained while allowing Once the MDD teams are trained, MAT the command element to develop. will deploy them to countries that have udan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years The government of Uganda’s mine- a need for MDDs, and with the help of of its post-independence existence, making its internal battles action aspiration is to free the country from NGOs/commercial organisations, will put S part of Africa’s longest running conflict. The civil war has the most severe humanitarian and economic the MDDs to work, utilising them in area created a considerable problem with landmines and unexploded ord- effects of landmines and UXO by 2009. The reduction and quality assurance as part of a nance in Sudan. In general, the mines are located along communica- prioritisation of mine-action tasks will be national mine-action programme. tion and logistical lines and around towns and military facilities. In in accordance with the government’s newly 2002, the United Nations reported that landmines on key logistical ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF MINEWOLF SYSTEMS published document, “National Policy for The Future routes were a great impediment to the delivery of humanitarian aid. IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons],”11 tak- MAT has provided programmes in Consequently, much of the aid has been delivered by air at tremen- ing into consideration the government’s reha- Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of the dous cost. The involved parties have specified clearance of the road bilitation and reconstruction requirements. Congo for many years. It is now implement- network as the first priority, the second priority being access to water Nigel Howard is a former officer in the British Army where, after graduating In order to implement this policy effectively, ing mine clearance and needs assessments and the third, food security. Almost four years after setting these from the University of Sheffield (U.K.) the staff needs a great deal of cultural sensi- in Uganda and developing an MDD capa- priorities, they are still struggling with the first one. with an honours degree in civil and tivity and empathy to ensure that the right bility in Kenya. MAT aims to consolidate In 200, Norwegian People’s Aid decided to support its mine- structural engineering and French, capability is employed to maximum effect. these activities and to expand its “toolbox” action program in Yei with a mechanical mine-clearance machine he specialised in bomb disposal, Concurrently, MAT has secured ad- method of clearance. high-risk search and operational called the MineWolf. The MineWolf is a German machine that management. ditional funding from the UNDP to con- With the influx of mine-action activity combines the advantages of both the tiller and flail systems. It is duct another needs assessment, which will in Sudan and as donors are re-educated to designed as a multi-purpose toolbox to provide maximum flexibility concentrate on the two northern districts the plight of Africans living with the threat for the user, especially in the challenging environment of Sudan. As Nigel Howard, BEng (hons) of Lira and Soroti. With the desire for this of landmines and UXO, a concerted effort a result of a feasibility study in January 200, it became clear that in Operations Manager Mines Awareness Trust NA to incorporate even more districts, there to use every method available to clear land is order to support and move a 2-ton machine in South Sudan, a well- c/o SOG is a creditable drive by all involved toward needed so the people can return to their way equipped and perfectly organized team must be formed to deliver La Villiaze, St. Andrews securing more funding to make this possible of life without fear of death or injury. Without cost-effective results. The main challenges would be transportation, Guernsey, GY6 8YP so that valuable and critical information a multifaceted mine-action programme fully hard ground conditions during the dry period and dense vegetation Channel Islands / Great Britain required for a focused and efficient mine- implemented at the U.N. or national level, Tel: +44 1481 233 780 after the rainy period. Based on its experience in the Balkans, Fax: +44 1481 239 337 action plan can become a reality. Uganda will be unable to free itself from the MineWolf Systems provided NPA with a tailor-made transport and E-mail: [email protected] threat of landmines and UXO. support solution. Web site: Mine Detection Dog Programme For additional references for this article, http://www.minesawareness.org At IMATC please visit http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/10.1/ Getting There and Moving Around With the development of Uganda’s focus/howard/howard.htm/#addlrefs To achieve operational flexibility and maximum deployment, MineWolf, a mechanical mine-clearance machine, working in Yei, South Sudan. mine-action capacity, MAT has started See Endnotes, page 109 the system needs its own transport and support assets. Taking into 1 | focus | journal of mine action | 2006 | august | 10.1 Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2006 10.1 | august | 2006 | journal of mine action | focus | 19 1 Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 10, Iss. 1 [2006], Art. 24 segment structure allows the mine blast to expand through the tiller to avoid or reduce damage. Nevertheless, the tiller is designed in such a way that every 3. millimeters (1.7 inches), a chisel with a diameter of 44 millimeters hits the ground, ensuring that every piece of soil is processed.