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Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 4 Issue 2 The Journal of Mine Action Article 27 June 2000 Mines Advisory Group CISR JOURNAL 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 JOURNAL, CISR (2000) "Mines Advisory Group," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 4 : Iss. 2 , Article 27. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol4/iss2/27 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]. JOURNAL: Mines Advisory Group work in Saravane Province, southern provinces, and Mine Action Teams in MAG is also considering other requests The Mines Advisory Group LAO PDR. Most of the work involves five. 2000 sees four teams beginning for assistance in Africa and the Middle (MAG), U.K. Registered UXO contamination resulting from the operations in Preah Vi hear province. East, in South Asia and in South Charity No.1 020441, started bombardment of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. America. In 2000, MAG is handing over control of in 1992. MAG's programs Namibia the majority of its national staff to UXO integrate mine/UXO survey, In 1998, MAG conducted a preliminary LAO. assessment and general survey of the Contact Information demarcation and clearance UXO problem facing the population of Mines Advisory Group with awareness-raising Angola northern Namibia. MAG is hoping to 45-47 Newton Street activities to reduce MAG has established an evaluation The Moxico Province program had help develop a program to tackle this Manchester, M11 FT U.K. process in order to incorporate lessons landmine risks to affected been running since 1994. At its peak, it problem. Tel: +44-161-236-4311 learned to better serve land mine employed 15 mine-clearance, mine Fax: +44-161-236-6244 populations. MAG's affected people and their communities. awareness and mine-action teams, Southern Sudan E-mail: [email protected] integrated approach prides Recent strategic plans include new MAC's work provides bmeflts to its staffand the !om/ consisting of 325 local staff in three In partnership with OSIL and several Website: www.mag.org.uk development partnerships and an conununily in additio11 to the removal ofmines and itself on working with locations. Instability and fighting led to UXO from tbeir land. The wages that tbe staffearn development NGOs, MAG undertook a increased emphasis on training in the conflict-affected the program being suspended in working for MAC willusrudly go to support a11 six-week capacity building initiative in field. MAG also deploys, where communities to identify mid 1998. Since then, MAG has fielded extended fomily. This monry promous the uonomic 1998, and is planning follow up in 2000, appropriate, its emergency reaction </forts oftht broader community. Ms. Sengmanee four active Mine Action Teams in with further capacity building and and address their most team and a rapid assessment team, l'hoto c/o MAG Cunene Province and plans to restart training in management, technical and EOD Technician Lao PDR. pressing needs. which has seen recent work in the West the program in Luana, Moxico Province data gathering/mine awareness Bank and in southern Sudan. in the second half of 2000. There are has cleared some one-half million disciplines. Ms. Sengmanee was the first Through close liaison with the currently two operational mine action landmines and items of ordnance. With female technician in MAG's new communities, MAG can focus its Current Programs teams to respond to the immediate around 650 trained local staff, MAG is Vietnam program in Saravane Province, Lao work on the priority areas that the needs of mine-affected communities in one of the region's largest employers. PDR. She is from the district ofTa MAG's project is fielding one demining communities have identified. By Kosovo the region. MAG currently fields 17 Mine Action Oi, on the former Ho Chi Minh Trail, team of 25 civilian deminers. The initial training and employing people MAG entered Kosovo in June 1999, Teams and has built up a where MAG opened an operations project site is 120 hectares around a from mine-affected countries, MAG initially deploying a Khmer Mine comprehensive mine field database base in 1998. Northern Iraq heavily mine- and ordnance is transferring technical and Action Team while training some 60 which has been made available to Since the program began in 1992, MAG contaminated former fire-base in Qio management skills to local citizens Kosovans in mine action tasks. MAG is other agencies operating in the area. "The people ofTa Oi are ver'y poor Linh district, Quang Tri province. Phase who can sustain this work. UNMACC's lead agency in the Mitrovica Since 1998, EOD operations have been and they need more land to farm. two of the project, later in 2000, will region. In 2000, MAG is fielding three scaled down as the bulk of surface A lot of land contains unexploded Mine Action Teams concentrate on see the introduction of mechanical teams and the"minecat" 230 mini-flail. lying ordnance was destroyed. ordnance that remains from the tackling urgent tasks, such as means to assist with the clearance. MAG plans to add further appropriate bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. providing safe access to water, mechanical assistance. In addition to its Cambodia The people are afraid when they paths and land for housing, own mine awareness program, MAG is West Bank MAG's program, which began in 1992, are winding in the rice fields. I want farming and the development of conducting a Child to Child awareness MAG is to conduct a short assessment now employs nearly 400 Cambodian to destroy all the UXO in this social services. Where applicable, program funded by UNICEF. and clearance operation in a mined civilians, including 48 amputees and 46 district to help my people live these teams will also survey and area near Bethlehem. women deminers. MAG's effective safely." mark wider areas of dangerous LAOPDR ground for clearance. The information gathering network MAG started work in Xieng Khouang Azerbaijan community liaison staff undertakes collated 70 percent of the accidents Province in 1994. Since 1996, MAG has A MAG "Training and Supervisory information gathering and reported to the national Mine Incident been working with UXO LAO, the Team" is conducting an eight-month community awareness work; a Database. In 1998, a new operation national coordinating body for all UXO training program with UNOPS for the medic and driver support them. began in Kompong Speu Province clearance activities. MAG has over 200 local demining capacity, Relief MAG is creating, through its mine where four mine action teams were male and female nationals trained and Azerbaijan. Forty-five deminers are action teams, greater flexibility, deployed. Since the onset, improved deployed. Along with direct public being trained to tackle the mine and more multi-skilling and more political stability in 1999 has increased education work, their community UXO problem, initially in the Fizuli responsiveness to the broad the return of refugees and lOPs into awareness programs have the integral region. impact of landmines. MAG will also former KR areas, MAG has responded role in the identification and tasking of propose other clearance aids, such to emergencies in Samlot District near clearance teams. In 1998, MAG started as dogs and machines, vegetation Pail in, and in Kompong Speu province In April 2000, the British Ministry of and brush cutters and mini-flail to minimize risk of accident. MAG fields Clearing soil from a Romanian Mai-75 mui-persomul Defense donated 11 vehicles to MAG machines, in order to better serve data gathering, community liaison and mint, Moxico Province, Angola. for use in its mine action projects. the people and their communities. Pho10 du MAC mine awareness teams in seven Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2000 1 • 94 . • 95. .