# Mines Advisory Group

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons.
MAG takes a humanitarian approach to landmine action. They focus on the impact of their work on local communities. This approach recognises that although the number of landmines in an area may be small, the effect on a community can be crippling. Targets are therefore determined locally, in response to liaison with affected communities, and local authorities.
MAG field operations are managed and implemented by nationals of the affected countries, with MAG expatriate staff taking a monitoring and training role. MAG provides work for many members of affected communities, with families of landmine victims taking an active role.
MAG is based in Manchester, United Kingdom, and has a sister organisation, MAG US in Washington, D.C., United States. As part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, MAG was co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

## History

MAG was formed in 1989 by Rae McGrath in response to landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXO) left by the Soviet–Afghan War. The organisation initially served as an advisory group, publishing reports about the problems in Afghanistan and Cambodia based on their assessments between 1989 and 1991. In 1992, MAG, along with other NGOs, formed the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).
By 1992, MAG began its first landmine clearance program in Iraq. Clearance programmes extended to Angola, Cambodia, and Laos by 1994. MAG continued to expand, providing services related to training and employment, emergency response, and risk education.
MAG has worked in 70 countries since 1989, destroying landmines and providing further support to communities recovering from war. MAG states 29 countries have been cleared of landmines while 63 remain contaminated.
Rosamund Pike has served as the MAG Ambassador since 2021. Princess Diana and Prince Harry have supported the organization’s efforts.
Major donors for projects include numerous national governments, foundations, and the UNDP.

## Mine action techniques
### Mine action teams (MATs)

MAG’s delivery of Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) is centred on the use of multi-skilled, highly mobile and flexible teams called MATs. These were developed by MAG in the mid-nineties in response to the varied needs of mine affected communities. Drawing on multi-skilled staff, MATs are able to quickly adapt to the many challenges presented not only by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), but also to changing environments, including weather, geographical and topographical conditions and the wider security and political climate. Drawing on many years of operational experience, MATs have proven highly successful in countries such as Iraq and Cambodia in delivering a comprehensive and flexible HMA response, with multi-skilling a central aspect of their success. Team members are trained in Community Liaison (CL), information/data gathering, survey and assessment, mapping, logistics, minefield marking, landmine clearance and ordnance disposal (EOD).

### Survey and demarcation

MAG has successfully implemented national socio-economic Landmine Impact Surveys (LIS) which have consequently been published and widely distributed to mine action operators and other relevant stakeholders. MAG conducted its first emergency survey in Afghanistan in 1989 and conducted the first ever surveys in Cambodia and northern Iraq. Between 1992 and 1997, MAG Iraq conducted one of the largest minefield demarcation programmes in the world, while in Kosovo, MAG was tasked by the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC) in October 1999 to conduct a Level 2 survey along the border area with Albania. In 1993, MAG conducted an emergency impact assessment of the landmine problem in Moxico province, Angola, which led to the establishment of a MAG clearance programme later that year.

### Mechanical

Mechanical capacities have formed an important element of MAG’s HMA toolbox for several years. Machines have been used successfully to support manual clearance operations in a number of countries, including Angola, Cambodia, Kosovo, Iraq, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. MAG uses a variety of flails, heavy plant and adapted agricultural and quarrying equipment in its programmes. Current mechanical assets include the Tempest flail, Bozena 4 flail, Armtrac 100 flail, Minecat 230 flail and Digger D-2 flail. These assets can be used for a variety of tasks, including clearance of land, area reduction, and quality assurance tasks in support of manual clearance operations.

### Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)

The hazard posed by explosive ordnance is often highly significant in post-conflict situations. A large percentage of ordnance fails to detonate as designed and poses an immediate threat to people trying to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of conflict. MAG’s EOD response in countries such as Laos includes categorisation; safe handling/moving of ordnance; and destruction of items such as grenades, mortars, shells, cluster bomb sub-munitions, small arms and light weapons and large air dropped bombs. MAG's flexible and multi-skilled approach to HMA means that it is well equipped to operate successfully in countries such as Laos and Vietnam where the explosive contamination is mainly UXO as opposed to landmines.

### Mine detection dogs (MDDs)

MAG has used MDDs in support of its manual and mechanical clearance operations in a number of its programmes, including, northern Iraq, Cambodia and Lebanon. MAG technical staff have extensive experience of managing dog teams and/or integrating MDDs with manual and mechanical clearance operations. In particular, MDDs have proven a highly effective Quality Assurance tool for verification of manual/mechanical clearance sites. Rather than develop its own potentially expensive MDD capacity MAG works with local and international partners, such as CMAC in Cambodia and NPA in Lebanon who have existing dog capacities, to provide the required services.

### Mine risk education (MRE)

MAG has developed the concept of MRE as a form of public health education. MRE offers people knowledge and alternatives for living and working safely in mine/UXO contaminated areas. MRE comprises a number of components that can be adapted to the needs of the target audience. Considerations include: the degree of impact of mines and UXO; economic pressures on affected communities; age; gender; culture; previous exposure to MRE messages; and the resources available to disseminate messages, such as local media, radio, television broadcasts and national networks such as schools, ministries and other institutions.

### Community liaison (CL)

MAG pioneered the use of CL to ensure continual linkage with affected communities throughout the process of programme design, implementation and measurement of impact. This inclusive and community focused approach enables a relevant response whilst at the same time fostering high levels of community involvement. MAG’s CL Advisors also interact with relevant agencies, local authorities, HMA coordination bodies and other key stakeholders. CL consists of three main elements:
* Information/data gathering—to prioritise action according to need and impact and to allow for effective task planning
* Information sharing, networking, and ongoing contact with all stakeholders—to ensure that negotiation and planning occur regularly, to periodically review programme effectiveness, and to provide information about mine clearance activities
* Evaluation and impact monitoring—to measure the success of activities, and determine how the programme has impacted on the lives of the local community and what changes have resulted. This learning process enables MAG to improve/refine its approaches and activities at community, national and international levels

### SALW

A protracted series of armed conflicts have resulted in the presence of large numbers of SALW in unsafe conditions in many post-conflict countries; and this constitutes a constant risk not only to life and limb for the local population but also to the current peaceful transition process in the country. MAG removes and destroys unsecured and abandoned SALW caches and by doing so removes the threat posed by unsecured SALW. MAG conducts nationwide surveys of arms deposits and warehouses, puts in place specialist equipment and training of national staff to carry out the cache destruction activities, and provides advice for the safe storage and control of remaining items. MAG first became involved in the destruction of SALW by providing technical support to demobilisation programmes in Angola and Cambodia during the 1990s. More recently, the scale of the problem has become more apparent in the course of MAG's mine and UXO clearance activities in countries such as Iraq, Sudan and DRC and items have been removed or destroyed which are outside the limited scope of the Mine Ban Treaty but which qualify for SALW status and contribute to humanitarian impacts and the proliferation of conflict.

### Local capacity development

As part of its mission to build local HMA capacities, MAG employs local technical and administrative staff wherever possible. In many of the countries it operates, including Angola, Cambodia and Iraq, MAG employs ex-combatants. A facet of this work contributes to the vital demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants into post-conflict society. Stable employment with MAG allows ex-combatants and their families to adapt, economically and socially, to a productive, civilian life.

## Current operations
### Angola

MAG has worked in Angola since 1994 to address the aftermath of the Angolan Civil War. It reports destroying more than 4,000 landmines and unexploded bombs and 30,000 small arms ammunition in 2023.

### Azerbaijan

MAG has worked in Azerbaijan 2000-2001 and 2021-present, addressing landmines from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

### Bosnia and Herzegovina

MAG has been clearing landmines from the Bosnian War since 2017. It reports destroying more than 3,000 landmines and unexploded bombs in 2023.

### Burkina Faso

MAG works to reduce illegal arms trafficking.

### Cambodia

MAG has been operational in Cambodia since 1992 due to the Cambodian Civil War and Cambodian genocide. It reports destroying more than 4,000 landmines and unexploded bombs in 2023.

### Caribbean

MAG has been working to reduce illegal arms trafficking since 2022.

### Chad

Since 2004, MAG has worked to clear Northern Chad from the aftermath of the Chadian-Libyan War. It reports destroying more than 700 small arms and light weapons and 20,000 small arms ammunition in 2023.

### Iraq

MAG has been conducting Humanitarian Mine Action in the heavily mine-affected north of the country since 1992, and since the most recent conflict efforts have concentrated on delivering vital services in northern and central areas of the country. This work significantly reduces the threat to both resident and transient populations, and has supported wider rehabilitation and socio-economic development initiatives. Up to date, MAG has cleared more than one and a half million landmines and items of UXO, freeing several million square metres of land for use by the local population. MAG's Iraq programme has recently also launched a dedicated project to safely remove and destroy small arms and light weapons, acting to support peace keeping initiatives which aim for long-term stability in Iraq.
Currently, MAG Iraq has more than 750 national staff working in the programme. This capacity consists of 18 Mine Action Teams, which provide a highly responsive and mobile multi-skilled clearance capacity, trained to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS); 10 Community Liaison teams; 2 midi-flail machines and operating teams; and 4 MDD teams. And despite security constraints, MAG remains operational in the North and parts of the centre and continues to implement operations. The programme works with local and regional partners in unstable parts of Iraq to reduce the threat posed by remnants of conflict to vulnerable high-risk communities.

#### Partnerships and coordination

MAG works with the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) located in Baghdad, the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Authority (IKMAA) and the General Directorate of Mine Action (GDMA) in the North. MAG also coordinates with UN agencies, local and regional government authorities and other organisations involved in humanitarian, rehabilitation and reconstruction initiatives throughout Iraq. As part of its commitment to national capacity building, MAG has been working in partnership with the Kurdish Ministries of Education and Health to develop a sustainable and independent Mine Risk Education (MRE) delivery capacity in Northern Iraq.

### Laos

MAG's Laotian programme began in 1994 with the establishment of the first internationally supported UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) clearance operation in the country. MAG currently works in XiangKhouang and Khammouane provinces, operating 11 UXO clearance teams (including two all-female teams) and 9 Community Liaison teams. The programme has 211 national staff, of which 35% are female.
MAG continued to pursue an integrated UXO action approach, which was subsequently developed and adopted nationally in 1996 with the creation of the Lao government’s national UXO organisation, UXO Lao. MAG has the distinction of having handed over to UXO Lao, two effective and efficient operations in the provinces of Xieng Khouang and Saravan. Since 2000, MAG has continued to support the activities of UXO Lao, providing operational and technical advice to these provincial operations and MAG is also now providing technical assistance to UXO Lao in a third province: Khammouane. Recent sector reform has enabled international NGOs and Government of Lao (GoL) provincial authorities to ask MAG to assist with clearance linked to specific development projects in XiangKhouang and Khammouane, especially in areas where UXO Lao is unable to respond. In addition, MAG has piloted the use of UXO detection dogs and Village Assisted Clearance (VAC) to improve productivity and impact.
In 2007 MAG Lao located and destroyed 6,460 items of UXO, 3,257,638 square metres of land was cleared for agriculture, drainage canals, electricity pylons, water wells, school gardens, roads (to provide access to markets) and for a project to promote tourism at the historic Plain of Jars. From January to June 2008, MAG Lao destroyed 3,537 items of UXO.
The work of MAG teams in Laos is the focus of the 2007 documentary movie Bomb Harvest. Additionally, MAG teams were featured in the 2017 documentary feature film Blood Road, winning a Shorty Award for social good with partnering with MAG and their demining efforts.

#### Community Liaison

Almost 15 percent of field staff are members of Community Liaison teams, devoted to ensuring that communities are consulted and involved throughout the whole UXO clearance process. The information gained through Community Liaison ensures that UXO clearance is directly linked with poverty alleviation.

### Lebanon

MAG began its HMA activities in Southern Lebanon in 2000 and now employs 80 national staff members on new and existing projects. Following the 2006 ceasefire, this figure rose to around 360 nationally recruited employees. In 2003, MAG Lebanon completed a national Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), which was carried out in conjunction with the National Demining Office (NDO). Another team also conducted a technical survey into suspected contaminated areas along the 'Blue Line'. During the conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces from mid-July to mid-August 2006, there was a dramatic change in the mine/unexploded ordnance (UXO) situation. The fighting and artillery bombardments were heaviest in southern Lebanon, and as a result, an estimated 915,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) fled this area and scattered throughout communities further north. Over 200,000 refugees left the country entirely. Roads and communities in southern Lebanon were littered with UXO thus making movement throughout South Lebanon both difficult and dangerous. Immediately prior to the conflict situation MAG deployed 4 MATs and 1 Mechanical team who went operational in June 2006. The flexibility of this MAT team meant that immediately after the cessation of violence MAG had a team on the ground responding to the most immediate threats. Since the immediate post-conflict phase, MAG has steadily worked on 'battle area clearance' (BAC), which concentrates on removing cluster submunitions and UXO.
From the end of 2006 conflict, MAG Lebanon's capacity grew to 22 Mine Action Teams (MATs), 5 Mechanical Teams, 2 Mine Dog Detection teams, 3 Community Liaison Teams (responsible for gathering information from the community on remnants of conflict), 1 Technical Survey Team, 1 Reconnaissance Team (responsible for surveying battle areas), and 1 Quality Control/ Quality Assurance Team (responsible for training and monitoring operations quality). Since the end of the 2006 conflict, MAG has cleared more than 9.8 million square metres of land, destroyed almost 21 000 remnants of conflict, cleared 294 dangerous areas, and assisted 450,000 people at risk from death or injury from remnants of conflict. The scope of activities carried out by MAG Lebanon's programme includes rapid survey and demarcation of landmine and UXO contaminated areas, clearance of priority routes and land, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) tasks. Alongside this, integration of MAG Lebanon's activities with those of the NDO (National Demining Office) and other organizations operating in the region remains a priority.
MAG has positive working relationships with key organisations such as the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre South Lebanon (MACC SL) and The Lebanese Red Cross.

### Mali

MAG is delivering Risk Education messages to internally displaced people, returnees and resident populations in northern Mali.

### Myanmar

MAG began work in Kayah state, Myanmar in 2014, giving lifesaving Mine Risk Education (MRE) to communities dependent for their livelihoods on land that is riddled with mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from decades of internal conflict.

### Somalia

Funded by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, U.S. Department of State, MAG began its current operations in Somalia in May 2008 with a project to clear conventional weapons and stockpiles in conflict-affected areas in the Puntland region. Work is centred in the administrative capital of the region, Garowe, where a unit of the local police force is receiving Explosive Ordnance Disposal training – covering munitions recognition, the safe handling of explosive ordnance, conducting safe demolitions, first aid and communications. Once the training is complete, MAG will support and advise the team as they carry out operations around Puntland.
Following an accident in July 2008, concerning some children who were playing with a 106mm high explosive anti-tank round that exploded on a school football field (three died and six were injured), MAG held meetings with the elders of the town, made appeals for information, gave Mine Risk Education (MRE) on the local radio and collected other items reported by the community. It is anticipated that further small arms and light weapons (SALW) and UXO clearance of the country is required to remove these threats, to prevent further accidents and to ensure safe access and use of the land.

#### Partnerships and coordination

MAG carries out activities in Somalia in close coordination with the PMAC. MAG has also established a good relationship with UNDP Somalia who provide support to MAG’s current operation in Puntland. MAG is also working in cooperation with Geneva Call.

### Sri Lanka

MAG began emergency MRE, survey and demarcation activities in the Vanni region of northern Sri Lanka in February 2002. The aim of the MAG teams were to address the outstanding problems of landmine and UXO contamination apparent following the ceasefire (Memorandum of Understanding) between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Through deploying Mine Risk Education (MRE), survey and demarcation assets in Northern Sri Lanka, MAG teams sought to protect those most affected by the conflict which had plagued the region since 1983. Later in 2002, clearance assets, including manual, mechanical and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were introduced to the programme structure.
In August 2003, MAG expanded into the eastern district of Batticaloa, where it remains, providing vital conflict recovery assistance. In May 2005, as a result of the December tsunami, MAG established a landmine and UXO response in Ampara district. MAG's capacity in Sri Lanka in its three project locations has grown to include five CL/MRE teams, three emergency EOD teams, nine technical survey/demining teams, one minefield marking/fencing team, two general survey teams specifically tasked to support NGOs and local authorities undertaking development projects, one Battle Area Clearance (BAC) team and two MATs. In addition, MAG runs two Mechanical Support Units utilising Bozena mini flails.
Since the start of operations in 2002, MAG has cleared 15,500,000 square metres through manual, mechanical, and Battle Area Clearance (BAC) techniques.
In 2006 the security situation worsened between the Government and the TRO, forcing MAG to scale down its operations within Sri Lanka significantly, but restarted in September 2007 when MAG undertook tasking in Trincomalee district, responding to support the Ministry of Resettlements in their resettlement plans. All MAG assets returned to Batticola in October 2007 and since then MAG has concentrated on tasks only in the Batticaloa district due to a lack of access to the Northern region. At present, MAG fields one Community Liaison team, three Manual Mine Clearance Teams, and two Mechanical Ground Preparation Teams—each deploying a 'Bozena 4' mini flails.
MAG has already begun survey in an area of Mannar District in the north where the population had to leave quickly in late 2007 during fighting in the area. Five villages were surveyed in April 2009, and the area has been declared safe for the families to return. MAG now plans to expand its activities in the north throughout the remainder of the year in support of the initiative to return 80 per cent of IDPs back to their home areas by the end of 2009.
Mine Action in Sri Lanka is coordinated through the National Steering Committee for Mine Action (NSCMA) which is supported though by UNDP. MAG works in coordination with the NSCMA and also through district Mine Action Committees, where communication with all stakeholders allows contaminated areas to be prioritised for clearance and district work plans to be produced.

### South Sudan

MAG has been operational in South Sudan since 1998. At present, MAG has teams carrying out landmine clearance, bomb disposal and destruction of abandoned small arms and light weapons (SALW). MAG also have Community Liaison/Mine Risk Educational teams delivering important messages to settled populations, the internally displaced and returnees living in contaminated areas.

### Vietnam

As the largest non-military clearance organisation operating in Vietnam, MAG plays a key role in reducing the risk and impact of mines/UXO on the local population, and also in facilitating community level post-clearance development and resettlement. MAG first began operating in Quảng Trị Province, central Vietnam, in 1999- encompassing the former DMZ (Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone), which divided Vietnam and witnessed the majority of flighting and bombing during the 1960s and 1970s. In early 2003, MAG's operations were expanded to the adjacent province of Quảng Bình.
Most of MAG's work is mobile explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations, whereby teams systematically work through every village in a commune, clearing all known items of UXO and suspect items. From 1999 to the end of July 2008, MAG achieved the following outputs in Quảng Trị and Quảng Bình provinces:
* Teams cleared 6,708,715 square metres of land using manual electronic and visual search techniques, removing 22,573 items of UXO and 2,040 mines.
* Teams also visited 181,125 houses, performing 24,931 EOD tasks and removing 110,663 items of UXO and 439 mines.
Since November 2007, Community Liaison teams have conducted 324 community/partner meetings, visiting 255 villages, conducting 7,253 house to house surveys and documenting 962 mine/UXO reports.
MAG's work is closely linked to the development plans of the provinces, districts and communities in which it operates. The teams have cleared areas for a wide range of development activities and also respond to emergency EOD requests. MAG's current operational capacity in Vietnam consists of 5 MATs in Quảng Trị Province and 4 MATs in Quảng Bình Province and 4 recently introduced Community Liaison teams. In addition, MAG provides technical assistance and quality assurance to mine action projects in Thừa Thiên–Huế and Quảng Ngãi provinces.
MAG Vietnam also respond to emergency EOD requests. Humanitatian mine action is also linked to the development plans of the provinces, districts and communities. MAG Vietnam is committed to forming partnerships with government authorities at both national and local level, NGOs, and other agencies. To date, all projects have been either in partnership with the local authorities or with development organisations. MAG is a regular participant in the Landmine Working Group, a group of NGOs, UN agencies and other organisations concerned with the mine/UXO issue in Vietnam. In addition to this, MAG has developed working partnerships with poverty reduction agencies such as CHF-partners in rural development in order to link MAG Vietnam's clearance work to the Millennium Goal of poverty reduction. These partnerships ensure that land and villages cleared by MAG is used in the most productive and sustainable way, while meeting the needs of the local population.

## Past operations

MAG previously had programmes, needs assessments, and/or support projects in countries including: Afghanistan, Belarus, Botswana, Burundi, Colombia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Iran, Jordan, Kashmir, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, and Zambia.

## Assessments

Assessments have been carried out in the following countries:
* Bosnia Herzegovina
* Colombia
* Congo-Brazzaville
* Eritrea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kashmir
* Namibia
* Senegal
* Taiwan
* Zambia