Mechanical Demining: from 1942 to the Present

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 12 Issue 2 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 24 March 2008 Mechanical Demining: From 1942 to the Present Pehr Lodhammar Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) 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 Lodhammar, Pehr (2008) "Mechanical Demining: From 1942 to the Present," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 12 : Iss. 2 , Article 24. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol12/iss2/24 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]. Lodhammar: Mechanical Demining: From 1942 to the Present have completed clearance obligations—12 may meet the obliga- vey informed the five-year strategic plan (2008–2012) written to tion, and at least 14 will request an extension to meet it. Mozambique guide the implementation of mine-action activities during the is included in the list of those needing an extension.3 extension. According to Mozambique’s projections, on average, Mechanical Demining: From 1942 Mozambique has made earnest efforts to support mine- an estimated US$5.9 million is needed every year for more than action activities—demining has been integrated into govern- six years in order to meet the Convention obligations.9 to the Present ment plans to reduce poverty as a cross-cutting priority. This Efforts undertaken to release cleared land to communities measure clearly shows its commitment to demining and to the have had positive socioeconomic consequences. Communities Ottawa Convention. and their inhabitants are the ultimate beneficiaries of land re- Although demining machines have been in existence since 1942, they were not used in The challenge remains: With a myriad of priority areas to lease. In areas still considered affected, the presence of land- be funded, resources are limited. Clearance itself relies heavily mines and UXO has a major negative impact on communities. the field of mine action until about the early 1990s. Demining machines were initially only on industrialized world technology and funding. Paradoxically, Completing mine clearance would clearly benefit the commu- it costs as little as US$3 to produce a landmine yet as much as nities by allowing the citizens to work on their land, and would used by the military. With the growing number of casualties stemming from landmines, $1,000 to remove it once it has been emplanted.4 Mozambique therefore contribute toward the reduction of poverty. has benefited from financial and technical support from the do- It is time to look into the problems that most States Parties especially among civilians, it became necessary to employ machines for humanitarian nor community; however, due to the country’s low level of eco- have encountered along the 10 years of the treaty’s existence. nomic development, Mozambique’s needs always exceed the Collective analysis of each state’s challenges and shortcomings purposes. From the first demining machine constructed in early 1942 to the present, resources available. will help provide appropriate data to support reaching the goals It is vital to mention that the Convention has played a very the Convention was ultimately set to achieve. For countries like tremendous improvements have been made. important role in limiting the proliferation of anti-personnel Mozambique, the extension must be granted and coordinated, mines; however, actual mine clearance is an essential compo- and donor support should follow to enable the implementation by Pehr Lodhammar [ Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining ] nent of the solution to the global problem.5 of the national strategic program. Contrary to what was expected, the flow of funds from States bear the primary responsibility in designing and im- donors for clearance activities has declined year after year. In plementing strategies, plans and programs for mine action with- he first demining machine is believed to have been de- the case of Mozambique, different international nongovern- in their borders. However, many States Parties like Mozambique veloped by Major Abraham du Toit, a South African mental organizations have left the country or are in the process are still in need of assistance. The United Nations Development soldier and engineer. In early 1942, he was sent to of phasing out their activities. This situation is of great concern Programme, other international organizations, nongovern- TEngland to refine a demining machine prototype he had because landmine-affected States Parties are faced with insuffi- mental organizations and governments able to do so should play constructed in South Africa. cient funding to continue demining activities and, thereby, ful- a vital role by mainstreaming mine action into their activities Before leaving for England, du Toit discussed his ideas fill their Ottawa Convention deadlines. in mine-affected countries. In addition, local capacity building with Captain Norman Berry, a British mechanical engi- should be at the center of every effort to ensure sustainability of neer. Berry conducted his own unofficial experiments with What is the Next Step? mine action in these countries. flails in Libya before providing the results to another Brit- Article 6 of the Ottawa Convention states that each State The challenge is great, but there is an equally great oppor- ish officer at an army workshop in Egypt. This collabora- Party has the right to seek and receive assistance for the fulfill- tunity to attain the goals of the Convention through coherent, tion resulted in the development of the Matilda Scorpion, ment of its Convention obligations and to request assistance in coordinated and collective action. a Matilda tank fitted with a rotor mounted on two arms the implementation of its national mine-action plan.6 States also See Endnotes, page 112 at the front. The rotor carried 24 flails and was driven at have the responsibility to make an effort to meet the Conven- 100 revolutions per minute by a 105-horsepower Ford V8 tion deadlines. Although the government of Mozambique has engine. A second engine was fitted with an armored box been increasing its funding to mine action, mine clearance has mounted on the right side of the tank. This box included proven costly, and external funding is crucial for Mozambique space for a crew member, who operated the flail. to reach its final goal. A number of these vehicles were produced and became It is clear that the failure to meet the deadline means that operational in October 1942 when they were used in the Mozambique, and many other countries, will need more re- Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October to 5 November sources. Mine action must compete for the same resources as 1942). Although the clearance speed was slow, the Scorpion other problems, namely poverty, endemic diseases, and the ef- operators were able to conceal the machines from German fects of high oil and food prices. This battle of priorities puts im- soldiers because of the huge dust cloud they formed; how- mense pressure on donors and States Parties, and mine action is ever, the dust cloud also blinded and affected the breath- likely to lose the tug of war for funding. ing of the drivers, so crews had to wear gas masks in order As Olivier Vodoz, then-President of the International Com- to breathe. The revolving drum and chains on a Matilda Scorpion flail tank. 17 April 1942. th mittee of the Red Cross, mentioned on his statement to the 8 The first flails were not as successful as expected. They PHOTO COURTESY OF IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM Meeting of the States Parties7 in Jordan in 2007, “Every day were unreliable, with frequent breakdowns. Problems were Maria Isabel Macedo dos Santos joined the Department for Studies also encountered with the heat and dust, a problem encoun- during which the Convention‘s deadline is not met is a day in Planning and Information in Mozambique’s Instituto Nacional de could only move at very low speeds; however, the Crab was which civilians are put at risk. The Mine Ban Convention will be Desminagem in 2003. In 2004 she participated in the first UNDP tered with flails today. The first Matilda Scorpion was fol- used during and after the D-Day landings and allowed the judged on the basis of States Parties’ capacity to manage clear- Senior Mine Action Manager’s Course at James Madison University. lowed by several similar machines such as the Mark II, III, Allied Forces to advance through the German minefields. ance deadlines in a way which maintains the credibility of the From 1994 to 1996, dos Santos worked for the United Nations High IV and V versions of the Scorpion. Version V was mounted Up to the end of the 1980s, demining machines were Commissioner for Refugees in Maputo as a Protection Assistant. She Convention and creates maximum pressure for completion be- on the Sherman tank. only used by the military. In the early 1990s, however, the holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Monroe College in fore the deadline or within a realistic well-planned and ade- New York, and a Master of Arts from St. John’s University in New York. Other flails that followed included the Matilda Baron need for demining machines for humanitarian purposes quately funded extension period.”8 and the Sherman Crab. The Crab ran on the tank’s main was recognized, and the machines were introduced into At this juncture, it is necessary to look at different countries, Maria Isabel Macedo dos Santos engine, had 43 flail hammers and included a rotor for countries such as Afghanistan and Angola.

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