ea th RSafety 

the united states commitment to humanitarian mine action

to walk the

UNITED STATES 

DEPARTMENT 

OF STATE

BUREAU OF 

POLITICAL-MILITARY 

AFFAIRS

 EDITION JUNE 2006

i n

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

BUREAU OF

POLITICAL—MILITARY AFFAIRS

6TH EDITION

JUNE 2006

to walk the earth in safety
 Introduction

 U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program

 Defi ning Humanitarian Mine Action 

SPECIAL REPORTS

Quick Reaction Demining Force

Controlling Small Arms/Light Weapons 

The Menace of MANPADS

AFRICA

 Angola

 Chad 

 Eritrea

 Liberia

 Mozambique

 São Tomé and Príncipe

 Senegal

 Sudan

ASIA

 Afghanistan

 Cambodia

 Laos

 Sri Lanka

 Vietnam

EUROPE

 Albania

 Armenia

 Azerbaijan

 Bosnia and Herzegovina

 Croatia

 Georgia

 Kazakhstan

 Serbia and Montenegro

LATIN AMERICA

 Chile

 Colombia

 Nicaragua

 Peru and Ecuador

THE MIDDLE EAST

 Iraq

 Jordan

 Lebanon

 Yemen

Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement

Humanitarian Demining Training Center

U.S. Army Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate

Mine Action Information Center

Mine Detection Dog Center for South East Europe

Regional Center for Underwater Demining

Past Recipients of U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Assistance

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History (FY 1993-2006)

Table of Contents

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Introduction

T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 1

This sixth edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety summarizes the 

accomplishments of the inter-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine 

Action Program for fiscal years  and . In a strict sense, 

it is a combined annual report for two years on what was then

and still is the world’s largest such program. But it is also a 

chapter in a real-life story that has a beginning, middle, and, 

we now know because of more than fifteen years of practical 

experience, an end.

Public safety and regional stability can be endangered by illegally traffi cked small arms and light weapons, 

abandoned ordnance, and poorly secured munitions as well as by persistent landmines left from past confl icts. 

Some countries are affected by several of these often-interrelated problems. Therefore, this edition also 

chronicles the efforts of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement to 

address the adverse effects in all these areas.

The U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program envisions assisting mine-affected countries in becoming “mine 

impact-free,” or having the indigenous national capacity to achieve such a condition with little to no further 

outside assistance. A country that is mine impact-free is one where there is no economic or humanitarian 

justifi cation for large-scale humanitarian mine clearance. 

Achieving that goal entails more than mine clearance alone. For example, one facet of the U.S. Humanitarian 

Mine Action Program described in this report is training indigenous senior and mid-level national mine action 

managers so that they may “take ownership” of their countries’ programs, run them effi ciently, and rationally 

direct resources to mine-affected areas that have an immediate impact on safety and well-being.

This edition also refl ects progress by its omissions. The previous edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, published 

in 2004, no longer included an entry for Costa Rica. This is because Costa Rica was fi nally rendered mine impactfree, thanks in large part to the United States. We are also delighted to omit Djibouti, Guatemala and Honduras 

from this edition for the same reason. Again, thanks largely to the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, 

Djibouti became the fi rst mine-affected country in all of Africa to attain mine impact-free status in January 2004. 

Honduras followed in October 2004 and Guatemala completed demining in December 2005. 

Country by country, the United States’ humanitarian mine action and small arms/light weapons abatement 

programs are helping to remove dangerous threats and enabling more people everywhere to be able “to walk 

the earth in safety.”

 Dr. John Hillen

 Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs

a message from assistant secretary john hillen
2 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

To Walk the Earth in Safety describes the United States 

commitment to help rid the world of persistent landmines, 

abandoned ordnance (AO), unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 

illicitly trafficked small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) that 

threaten civilians.

This effort supports the U.S. goal to advance sustainable development and global interests by providing a 

humanitarian response to the harmful social and economic effects generated by these munitions, and to advance 

peace and security by promoting regional stability through the use of humanitarian mine action as a confi dencebuilding measure. Accordingly, the United States helps to reduce the number of civilian landmine casualties, to 

return refugees and internally displaced persons threatened by landmines to their homes, and to enhance the 

political and economic stability of countries affected by landmines, AO, UXO and SA/LW.

A U.S. Government Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC) Subgroup on Mine Action, chaired by the National 

Security Council, with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Agency 

for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approves, 

develops, and coordinates U.S. humanitarian mine action assistance. A typical U.S. program involves assisting 

a mine-affected country to establish a mine action center (MAC) or a national demining offi ce, set up a mine 

risk education program and a demining training program, and often includes funding actual mine clearance 

operations. As the country develops its mine clearance capabilities, the PCC Subgroup periodically evaluates the 

progress of the program. When the program becomes self-sustaining, the United States relinquishes its active 

role to the host nation.

The Department of State, through its Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) in the Bureau of 

Political-Military Affairs, is the lead agency in coordinating U.S. humanitarian mine action programs worldwide. 

The mission of PM/WRA is to develop policy options, implement destruction and mitigation programs, and engage 

civil society in a synergistic effort to reduce the harmful worldwide effects generated by the indiscriminate use 

of illicit and abandoned conventional weapons of war. PM/WRA oversees day-to-day management of bilateral 

mine action assistance programs among its several responsibilities. In addition, PM/WRA encourages the 

participation of civil society in mine action through a unique public-private partnership program. To learn more 

about this program, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra/partners.

USAID promotes sustainable development by providing humanitarian services in post-confl ict situations. Its 

Bureau of Humanitarian Response, Offi ce of Transition Initiatives, bridges the gap between the emergency 

assistance and long-term development by supporting organizations and people in emergency transition in 

confl ict-prone countries. In addition, USAID’s Senator Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund helps to improve the 

mobility, health, and social integration of the disabled, including landmine survivors. Typically, USAID works 

through non-governmental organizations to develop a country’s capacity for sustainable services for amputees.

In some situations, DoD funds a humanitarian mine action program’s start-up costs, and PM/WRA provides 

subsequent funds to procure the necessary equipment, for training courses (such as for host-nation demining 

program managers), and for continued support until the program reaches the U.S. Government’s end-state. DoD’s 

mine action program includes mine risk education; MAC development; civil-military cooperation; immediate 

trauma aid for mine accident survivors; and demining training and “Train-the-Trainer” instruction.

The funding history table in To Walk the Earth in Safety on pages 49 to 53 charts all U.S.-funded humanitarian 

mine action since Fiscal Year 1993. PM/WRA-funded SA/LW destruction endeavors through the end of Fiscal 

Year 2005 are found on page 7.

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 3

Defining Humanitarian Mine Action

the three major pillars of humanitarian mine action (HMA) are: 

mine detection and clearance; mine risk education; and mine 

survivors assistance. depending on the needs of a country, the 

united states may assist with financial support in one, two, or 

all three pillars. research and development in new demining 

technologies and advocacy and diplomacy are also considered 

by some to be components of HMA. 

A Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) is the ideal initial step to determine the specifi c nature and extent of the 

effect landmines produce in a country. The LIS identifi es the broad areas within a country where mines exist 

and estimates the impact these mines have on local communities. Areas where mines do not exist are also 

recorded. Although mine clearance and mine risk education often must begin before the survey is complete, 

the LIS provides mine action authorities an important tool for long-term strategic planning. A technical survey 

is conducted to document more specifi c details on the landmine contamination. Mined areas are demarcated, 

and the number and types of mines or unexploded ordnance (UXO) found are recorded. A technical survey is 

conducted in preparation for clearance or permanent marking of minefi elds.

No single technology can be employed in all circumstances, in all terrain and weather conditions, and against 

all mine types. Metal detectors and hand-held probes are the primary tools to fi nd mines, but these two manual 

technologies are more than 60 years old. Most deminers recognize the value of mine detecting dogs (MDDs) 

and are learning how to integrate man, dog, and machine into a combined effort. MDDs can detect the chemical 

explosives in mines, and they are becoming increasingly important as their success rate increases and their 

reputation for safe and effi cient mine detection spreads. Additionally, various mechanical technologies have 

greatly assisted mine clearance efforts.

Even with advanced mine-detection methods, the precise location of the majority of landmines in the ground 

today is unknown. International law requires that those who lay mines must identify the types of landmines 

emplaced, and make maps of their locations so that they are removed at the conclusion of hostilities. Whether 

combatants in war between nation-states, or factions in a civil war, hostile parties are increasingly ignoring 

international law, and placing mines indiscriminately without marking or recording their use or emplacement. 

Even when maps and other records are available, natural events may, over time, diminish their utility. For 

example, mines tend to migrate from their original location as a result of shifting desert sands, or from heavy 

rains in tropical areas that wash away topsoil.

Clearing mines is slow, laborious, tedious, and inherently dangerous. U.S. law states: “...as a matter of policy, U.S. 

Forces shall not engage in physically detecting, lifting, or destroying landmines, unless it does so for the concurrent 

purpose of supporting a U.S. military operation; or provides such assistance as part of a military operation that 

does not involve the armed forces.” Therefore, U.S. military personnel use a “Train-the-Trainer” approach to assist 

a country to clear landmines. These personnel train an initial team of host-nation personnel in mine clearance 

techniques that include medical evacuation procedures in the event of a demining accident. In turn, this indigenous 

cadre is then able to train other indigenous groups until an adequate number of the country’s nationals are 

suffi ciently competent to independently clear mines safely and effi ciently.

Once found, mines are usually not removed from their location. They are normally left in place, marked and destroyed. 

If the terrain is suitable, specially equipped vehicles are maneuvered through the minefi eld to destroy multiple mines. 

mine detection and clearance
4 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

mine risk education

survivors assistance

Defining Humanitarian Mine Action (cont.)

For buried landmines and UXO, the United Nations standard is that the depth of clearance should not normally be 

less than 130 millimeters below the original surface level. In conjunction with mine clearance, a quality assurance 

program is used to assess the effi cacy of these operations, and MDDs are very effi cient for this process.

Teaching people how to recognize and avoid landmines, and to inform demining authorities of the presence of 

landmines, helps to reduce casualties signifi cantly. Mine risk education uses a variety of materials and media 

to convey important messages. The materials, and the manner in which the information is presented, should be 

sensitive to the cultural mores of the local population.

Mine risk education attempts to encourage people to incorporate safety procedures into their daily lives. Mine risk 

education teachers discourage children from picking up and playing with mines and UXO. Educating children to the 

dangers is often diffi cult because they are fascinated with these metal and plastic objects. However, the majority of mine 

casualties are young men. Informing adolescents and adults about the types of mines they may encounter, the injuries 

they infl ict, and teaching them the proper procedures to follow if a mine is found helps to save lives and limbs.

U.S. military personnel also conduct mine risk education during “Train-the-Trainer” humanitarian mine action 

deployments. They are fl uent in the language of each mine-affected country to which they deploy, and they 

undergo country-specifi c cultural training prior to engaging in this activity. 

The third mine action pillar is survivors assistance, an endeavor that requires a long-term commitment to both 

landmine survivors and their family members. Treating the initial injuries is not enough. For example, as children 

who are landmine survivors grow, new prosthetic limbs are required, and a lifetime of additional operations and 

related expenses is necessary. Over time, the psychological injury to a landmine survivor also becomes a factor 

in that person’s recovery and for the family members. For these reasons, mine action programs encourage a 

holistic approach to providing assistance to the survivors of landmine injuries. 

As a general rule, the Department of Defense (DoD) does not use humanitarian demining funds for survivors 

assistance, focusing its aid on the other mine action pillars instead. However, PM/WRA does support some 

survivors assistance efforts through limited grants and via the Republic of Slovenia’s International Trust Fund 

for Demining and Victims Assistance. DoD, using Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Action and other 

operations and maintenance funds, and pays for Blast Resuscitation and Victims Assistance. Additionally, the 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, 

Refugees and Migration (PRM) fund programs to alleviate the suffering of mine survivors and their families. 

USAID uses the Leahy War Victims Fund to provide long-term treatment and prosthetics to these survivors. 

PRM’s programs assist with the resettlement of refugees and internally displaced persons, many of whom are 

endangered by landmines in the course of fl ight from their homes and in their subsequent return.

The Department of Health and Human Services, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC), provides technical and fi nancial support to several non-governmental organizations and UN agencies for 

public health projects related to survivors assistance. These projects include the provision of direct support to 

survivors as well as science-based assistance in identifying new survivors and assessing their health needs.

The Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) supports 

a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Access for Landmine Survivors at the Center for 

International Rehabilitation in Chicago, Illinois. The Center strives to improve the quality and availability of 
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 5

Defining Humanitarian Mine Action (cont.)

The United States believes that the term “mine impact-free” (i.e., free 

from the humanitarian impact of landmines) denoting clearance of those landmines 

that have a humanitarian impact, is a more appropriate term and a more achievable, 

realistic goal than “mine free.” It is impossible to guarantee that every single landmine 

is cleared from an affected country or region. It is more practically feasible, costeffective, and morally defensible to clear mines that have a humanitarian impact. 

Suspected or known mined areas that pose a lesser humanitarian threat or that are 

less economically critical may be cleared later, while available funds are devoted to 

clearing other mined areas or countries where landmines and UXO continue to pose 

a grave menace.

amputee and rehabilitation services for landmine survivors by focusing on the development of “appropriate 

technology,” i.e., technology that is most suitable to the limited technical and human resources available in most 

mine-affected regions through the application of research methodologies, the development of mobility aids, and 

the creation of educational materials, all of which are designed specifi cally for mine-affected populations and 

disseminated through a network of rehabilitation service-providers in mine-affected regions.

note
6 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

In April , the U.S. Department of State established the world’s 

first and only standing Quick Reaction Demining Force that 

consists of professional Mozambican deminers working under 

the supervision of RONCO Consulting Corporation.

The Quick Reaction Demining Force (QRDF) is able to rapidly deploy worldwide, when the Offi ce of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs requests its 

services. It responds to emergency or crisis situations, such as a cessation of hostilities that results in the rapid 

return of large numbers of internally displaced persons or refugees to their homes and lands in mine-affected 

areas. When not deployed, the QRDF keeps its skills sharpened by helping to demine Mozambique’s mined areas 

at the request of Mozambique’s National Demining Institute. At the direction of the Offi ce of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement, the QRDF made its fi rst foreign deployment to Sri Lanka in April 2002 to survey and demine 

lands from which ethnic Tamil civilians had been displaced, shortly after the ceasefi re between the Government 

of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Almost simultaneously, the QRDF deployed to the Nuba Region in Sudan to support a ceasefi re between the 

Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army, in order to facilitate the safe return 

of internally displaced persons and refugees in that region. During May–August 2003, the QRDF deployed to Iraq 

where it performed invaluable service in clearing mines, cluster munitions, and other unexploded ordnance from 

heavily populated urban areas, along power lines, and in agricultural fi elds. Also, from June–August 2003, the 

QRDF returned to Sri Lanka to clear additional land needed for habitation and farming.

Ethnic Tamil villagers, displaced by fi ghting, were able to settle, build homes and safely farm again after the 

U.S. Department of State’s Quick Reaction Demining Force, manned by professional Mozambican deminers, 

cleared landmines and UXO from arable land on Sri Lanka’s Jaffna Peninsula.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Quick Reaction Demining Force
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 7

Controlling Small Arms/Light Weapons

The end of the cold war and the subsequent downsizing of a 

large number of national armies left the world with a huge 

surplus of small arms and light weapons (sa/lw), as well as surplus 

production capacity. 

Excess stocks of these weapons (including man-portable 

air-defense systems, or MANPADS), often poorly secured 

with nothing more than a rusty padlock and vulnerable 

to theft, are a major source of arms for terrorists, 

criminals, and insurgent groups. Such stocks exacerbate 

regional instability, as black-market arms are exported to 

confl ict areas.

The United States is a global leader in combating the illicit traffi cking and destabilizing accumulation of SA/LW 

and ammunition. While acknowledging the legitimacy of the legal trade, manufacture, and ownership of arms, 

the U.S. works to improve global and national mechanisms for controlling SA/LW, counter indiscriminate SA/LW 

exports, support sanctions against violators of embargoes, enhance the security of national SA/LW stockpiles, 

and destroy excess weapons around the world.

The Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs helps to develop and implement U.S. policies regarding SA/LW. These efforts include supporting 

initiatives at the United Nations and other international organizations to address illicit transnational arms 

transfers through marking and tracing of SA/LW and strengthened controls on arms brokers. PM/WRA also 

manages a program to fi nance security improvements to SA/LW stockpiles, and to destroy excess and loosely 

secured weapons and associated munitions in countries that ask for this support.

Destruction and enhanced stockpile security programs are established at the request of the host nation 

government; interested governments must make a formal inquiry through the appropriate U.S. Embassy. An 

interagency team will make an initial assessment of the size and condition of excess SA/LW stockpiles, storage 

procedures, and associated infrastructures. After the survey, PM/WRA may establish U.S.-funded destruction 

operations within the host country, taking into account factors such as regional stability, counter-terrorism and 

force protection, and mitigation of the humanitarian impact of illicit SA/LW and abandoned ordnance. 

Additionally, through a similar process, PM/WRA and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) offer technical 

assistance on physical security and stockpile management issues to inform weapons custodians and ammunition 

technicians of U.S. standards and procedures. The U.S. Department of State and DTRA work closely with the host 

nation to develop and execute projects that meet the needs of the requesting government, are cost-effective, 

and promote regional security. Since the program’s inception in 2001 through the end of 2005, more than 800,000 

weapons, 80 million rounds of ammunition, and over 17,000 MANPADS since 2003, have been destroyed. By the end 

of 2005, PM/WRA had implemented SA/LW destruction programs in the following countries with their cooperation: 

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, 

Mozambique, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Romania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, and 

Sudan. 

This edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety includes current SA/LW programs funded wholly or in part by the 

United States through PM/WRA. For more detailed information on the comprehensive U.S. strategy on SA/LW, 

or for recent updates on all PM/WRA activities, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra. 

OFFICE OF WEAPONS REMOVAL & 

ABATEMENT SA/LW PROGRAM FUNDING

FY 2004

$3.932 Million

FY 2005

$6.941 Million
8 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

since the november  attempted shoot-down of a civilian 

airliner in kenya with the use of man-portable air-defense systems 

(manpads), the united states has redoubled its efforts to keep 

them from falling into the wrong hands. 

The U.S. Department of State estimates that since the 1970s MANPADS were employed against more than 

40 civilian aircraft, resulting in at least 24 crashes and more than 600 deaths worldwide. These attacks 

have been largely conducted in active confl ict 

zones, clearly demonstrating the threat that 

MANPADS pose to civilian aircraft. Numerous 

MANPADS attacks have occurred in Iraq since 

2003, but no such attack has yet occurred in the 

Western Hemisphere. 

MANPADS, also referred to as shoulder-fi red, 

surface-to-air weapons, are small, light, and easy 

to transport and conceal. As highlighted by the 

January 11, 2005 confi scation of a MANPADS in 

Nicaragua, the potential for terrorists to acquire MANPADS is a reality today. Estimates of global MANPADS 

production range from 750,000 to 1,000,000, with thousands outside government control. The exact quantity of 

MANPADS remaining in the global inventory is diffi cult to estimate.

The International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations, the G-8, the Wassenaar Arrangement, the 

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Asia Pacifi c Economic Cooperation, the Organization of 

American States and many other international and regional fora have recognized this threat and have encouraged 

steps to reduce the number of MANPADS that could be made available on the black market.

Countering the proliferation of MANPADS is a paramount U.S. national security priority. At the direction of the 

White House, the U.S. Department of State, supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, leads United States’ 

international efforts on this critical issue. Within the Department of State, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

and the Bureau for International Security and Nonproliferation have responsibility in this area. 

The Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs manages the U.S. program to destroy excess, obsolete, loosely secured, or otherwise at risk MANPADS, 

and to improve the security of MANPADS stockpiles retained for legitimate defense purposes so that they do 

not fall into the hands of non-state actors.

The Offi ce of Conventional Arms Threat Reduction in the Bureau for International Security and Nonproliferation 

works to prevent transfers of MANPADS—and the technology to produce them—to undesirable end-users 

through bilateral and multilateral engagement, with an emphasis on responsible export controls. 

The U.S. Department of Defense supports international negotiations by providing expertise on the proper 

management and control of MANPADS, and by enforcing stringent physical security and accountability for 

MANPADS in U.S. possession. In 2001 the Department established the Golden Sentry program to monitor enduse sales of MANPADS through Foreign Military Sales to ensure that they are not diverted to criminal use. The 

Defense Security and Cooperation Agency administers the Golden Sentry program, and the Defense Threat 

Reduction Agency and the U.S. Army provide support.

The Menace of MANPADS

This image identifi es the main components of a 

typical MANPADS.
ANGOLA

CHAD

ERITREA

LIBERIA

MOZAMBIQUE

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE

SENEGAL

SUDAN

Africa 
10 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

africa

Angola

A decade-long war of independence in the 1960s, 

followed by nearly 30 years of civil war, left Angola 

with a severe landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) 

problem as well as excess stockpiles of small arms 

and light weapons (SA/LW). Landmines were emplaced in areas bordering 

the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of the Congo, and Namibia, 

and near roads, health clinics, other public facilities, water access points, 

and agricultural lands. Demining efforts intensifi ed soon after the 2002 

peace agreement, often in conjunction with refugee resettlement. However, 

a systematic mine and UXO clearance program is still in its initial stages. The 

Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) data collected to date refl ects 75 percent of the 

settlements in Angola. Completion of the LIS is expected in 2006.

In FY04, the United States allocated over $6 million to Angola and in FY05 

allocated over $6.8 million for mine action there. The Offi ce of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of 

Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) granted over $2,158,000 to The HALO 

Trust, $1,550,000 to Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), and $1,250,000 to Mines 

Advisory Group (MAG) for mine and UXO clearance and equipment. $750,000 

was provided to the Survey Action Center for continued support of the LIS 

and an additional $265,000 to the HALO Trust and MAG to complete LIS 

data collection in Cuando Cubango, Moxico, and Lunda Sol provinces. Also, 

PM/WRA granted $200,000 to Roots of Peace for a “demine-replant-rebuild” 

Public-Private Partnership Program encourages civil society to support 

humanitarian mine action around the world. Pictured from left to right: 

Two Angolan deminers employed by NPA escort Deborah Netland, PM/

WRA Program Manager for Angola, and Heidi and Gary Kuhn, President 

and Executive Director, respectively, of Roots of Peace, on a site visit. 

Roots of Peace, one of PM/WRA’s partner organizations, supports not only 

the demining of agricultural land, but also backs projects that enable 

farmers to replant and market their crops once again. 

Roots of Peace.

project in Huambo Province. In addition, the U.S. Agency for International 

Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund (USAID/LWVF), in conjunction with 

the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), extended $800,000 in 

landmine survivors assistance to the Angolan people. A USAID/LWVF-funded 

and VVAF-managed Rehabilitation Center provides physiotherapy, HIV 

awareness and peer education training, and counseling in social and economic 

reintegration for people with mobility-related injuries. Angola remains a 

high-priority country in the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program. In terms 

of reducing the SA/LW stocks collected from demobilized units following 

the civil war, PM/WRA provided $684,500 in destruction assistance through 

a contract with the U.S. fi rm OrdSafe. A total of 107,400 pieces of SA/LW 

were destroyed by OrdSafe, and a destruction facility was refurbished for 

future projects. 

U.S.-funded humanitarian mine action (HMA) executed through the 

aforementioned non-governmental organizations has had a direct and 

positive impact on Angolan post-war reconstruction. For example, MAG’s 

clearance of the Cassongo Minefi eld near Luena in Moxico Province allowed 

Save the Children to start a rice seed replication project leading to the fi rst 

local rice production since 1998. NPA’s activities reopened the Que-Chicomba 

road, allowing access by humanitarian agencies to assist more than 50,000 

people living in the area. The HALO Trust’s demining of a bridge in Huambo 

Province enabled the Swedish Relief Agency to rebuild the crossing and 

deliver aid from the World Food Program to 20,000 families.

Angola’s nascent HMA capability is slowly growing, with the National InterSectoral Commission for Demining and Humanitarian Assistance progressing 

with a draft medium-range HMA strategy for 2006 to 2010. Although the 

LIS is not complete, available data provide an effective tool for planning at 

both strategic and operational task levels and it is now believed that the 

clearance of high impact areas should be achievable by 2010-2011. 

Demining is not an end in itself. In addition to saving lives, mine action 

projects should also enable social and economic recovery. This school, 

now under construction in Chicomba, Huila Province, sits on 33,000 

square meters of formerly mined land that NPA cleared in 2003 and 2004 

through a PM/WRA grant.

Norwegian People’s Aid.
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 11

africa

Chad

As a result of 30 years of civil war and Libyan military 

intervention, landmines and unexploded ordnance 

(UXO) affect 1,081 square kilometers of Chadian land. 

Heavy concentrations of mines surround communities 

in the north and east of the country. UXO 

found in military training areas poses a 

signifi cant problem for nomadic herders 

who must pick through munitions to 

access vital water supplies, while 

toxins leaking from UXO have poisoned 

their livestock.

In FY04, the U.S. Department of State 

and the U.S. Department of Defense 

contributed nearly $1,200,000 to 

humanitarian mine action (HMA) in 

Chad. A $350,000 contract provided 

emergency medical evacuation 

capabilities for deployed teams. 

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) 

received a $300,000 grant for a rapid 

assessment and verifi cation survey. In 

FY05, the United States allocated $100,000 to conduct a technical survey 

and spot clearance of mine- and UXO-affected areas in Chad. The U.S. 

Department of State provided $300,000 for new 4x4 vehicles to support U.S.-

funded MAG operations to clear blocked water access points and landmine/

UXO caches. The U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) provided $243,562 

to train Chadian deminers in leadership, management, information systems, 

and quality-assurance skills.

By early 2007, the Department’s Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

plans to complete clearance of all known blocked water access points. 

Job done! This particular batch of anti-vehicle mines, UXO, and AO has 

been utterly destroyed and will never again pose a danger to anyone. 

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

As an outcome of continuous mine and UXO clearance in the Fada region, 

date-palm cultivation has returned, along with normalizing access to public 

buildings, such as schools, markets, and medical facilities. According to 

the national HMA plan, by 2010 it is expected that demining of all known 

sites will be completed. In 2005 USEUCOM began to focus its mine action 

efforts on assisting the Chadian Haut Commissariat National au Déminage 

to develop a Mine Victims Assistance Program through emphasis on 

management, immediate medical care, trauma management, evacuation 

techniques and procedures, and medical care in treatment facilities. The 

$800,000 effort began in March 2006 and will be executed by U.S. Military 

Health Professionals from the Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences and Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine.

This collection of anti-vehicle mines, artillery shells, and other UXO, 

cleared by Chadian deminers with the support of the U.S. Humanitarian 

Mine Action Program, is ready for demolition.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

UXO and caches of abandoned ordnance (AO), not just persistent landmines 

continue to kill and maim people in Chad who inadvertently encounter them, 

or who attempt to recycle the metal out of fi nancial need. This unexploded 

mortar round and other lethal remnants of war pose a threat to anyone who 

tampers with this heap of scrap metal observed during a recent PM/WRADoD Program Management Assessment Visit to Chad. PM/WRA continues to 

support UXO, abandoned ordnance (AO), and landmine clearance in Chad.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

A mine risk education poster that 

likens some of the typical landmines 

and other remnants of war found 

in Chad to the sting of a deadly 

scorpion. In those parts of the world 

where literacy levels are low, it is 

important that mine risk education 

incorporate images that convey the 

necessary message.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement.
12 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

africa

Three decades of civil strife, and the confl ict with 

Ethiopia in 1998–2000, left Eritrea with a severe 

landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem, 

particularly near or in populated areas, farmlands, 

water sources, and along its northern border. Since FY94, the U.S. has given 

$17,718,000 in humanitarian mine action assistance to Eritrea including 

$1,452,000 in FY04 and $2,800,000 in FY05 to clear the way for reconstruction 

and the return of internally displaced persons.

In order to develop a host-nation capability, PM/WRA continues to fund a 

Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)/Deminer Trainer and a Senior Dog 

Trainer who have trained 80 Eritrean deminers and 18 mine detecting dogs 

(MDDs), respectively. PM/WRA also provides spare parts, equipment, and 

supplies to enable the Eritrean Demining Organization (EDO) and RONCO 

Consulting Corporation, a PM/WRA contractor that has worked in Eritrea 

since 2001, to conduct operations in the fi eld. In addition, PM/WRA has 

improved EDO’s mine clearance capabilities by training and certifying UXO 

disposal staff, adding six MDDs to the original 12, and integrating the three 

Eritrean manual demining teams with MDD teams. Finally, PM/WRA funds a 

Mine Risk Education (MRE) project that has established an institutional MRE 

capacity at the EDO, and an MRE training capacity at the National Training 

Center.

Having cleared more than 4 million square meters of land with U.S. 

assistance (1.7 million square meters in 2004, and 2,563,453 square meters 

in 2005), Eritrea is close to possessing its own demining capacity. In 2005, 

During their fi rst fi eld visit in 2002, representatives of the Mine Action 

Support Group (MASG), then chaired by Belgium, observe an Eritrean 

Demining Agency forward aid station at a minefi eld in the Temporary 

Security Zone. Twenty-fi ve donor nations, including the United States, 

which assumed the chair of the MASG in January 2006, participate in the 

MASG to coordinate their respective bilateral mine action assistance to 

affected countries.

John Stevens, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

The U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program provides comprehensive 

assistance tailored to a mine-affected country’s needs and expressed 

desires, including the development of infrastructure to fully support 

indigenous capacity. U.S. assistance to Eritrea has included the 

provision of professional training for its mine action managers and 

demining personnel, personal protective equipment, mine detecting 

gear, four-wheel drive vehicles, mine detecting dogs, kennels, food and 

medicine to properly care for the dogs, medical training and supplies, 

and even buildings. This is the National Demining Headquarters in 

Keren that Eritrean workers built in 2000 using local materials purchased 

with $165,714 in U.S. funds.

RONCO Consulting Corporation.

An Eritrean deminer carefully probes for a persistent landmine, found 

by an MDD, in the Temporary Security Zone. Note the metal detector 

that lays beside him to his left. After he has cleared the small section of 

ground immediately ahead of him, he will extend the clearance lane by 

an increment, and then use the metal detector to sweep another small 

patch of ground ahead. His supervisor will follow to sweep the same 

lane with a metal detector to ensure that every landmine and piece of 

metal that could generate a “false positive” to a metal detector has, 

indeed, been removed. PM/WRA provided this deminer’s metal detector, 

personal protective equipment, and other gear.

Matt Murphy, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

PM/WRA’s assistance also enabled Eritrea to clear over 10,000 items of UXO. 

The United States continued to be the largest mine action donor to Eritrea 

in 2004 and 2005. It expanded its MRE efforts there, provided new demining 

equipment and vehicles, and enabled the safe return of 15,000 internally 

displaced persons and refugees. With host nation, U.S., and international 

support, Eritrea could develop its own indigenous capacity to conduct 

humanitarian mine action activities in the near future.

Eritrea
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 13

africa

Liberia’s surplus of small arms and light weapons 

(SA/LW) can be attributed to a series of civil 

confl icts and coups from 1980 to 2003. With the 

signing of a peace agreement in August 2003, the 

United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) deployed 15,000 peacekeepers 

in the country to, among its many responsibilities, support the disarmament, 

demobilization, and reintegration program in which former fi ghters surrendered 

their weapons to peacekeepers. Given the risk that criminals and arms 

smugglers might steal from the growing stockpile of SA/LW, Jacques P. Klein, 

Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN 

Operations in Liberia, accepted an offer from the U.S. Department of State to 

pay for and manage the SA/LW destruction program.

This container of small arms and light weapons, excess to Liberia’s 

defense needs, was found during an UNMIL inspection in which a 

PM/WRA offi cer participated. Just as persistent landmines can block 

roads and impede post-confl ict recovery, these weapons in the hands 

of criminals and ill-disciplined soldiers hinder safe movement and 

destabilize society. This particular batch will not, because with PM/WRA 

assistance, they were destroyed.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Liberian personnel destroy MANPADS and other small arms/light weapons declared excess to Liberia’s defense needs. PM/WRA funded this destruction effort. 

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

In December 2003, OrdSAFE, a U.S. fi rm contracted by the Department of 

State’s Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement, began destroying 

SA/LW collected by UNMIL. Within three months, OrdSAFE and UNMIL 

prevented 8,200 SA/LW and some heavy weapons from ever reaching the 

hands of warlords and black market arms dealers: a Liberian team equipped 

with gas-powered, hand-held saws, under OrdSAFE supervision, destroyed 

33,000 SA/LW. The total cost of the program, which formally ended in FY04, 

was $360,000.

While accompanying an UNMIL team on a visit to warehouses in Monrovia 

that contained arms and munitions deemed excess for Liberia’s defense 

needs, a PM/WRA offi cer noticed these MANPADS casually propped 

against a wall, and many MANPADS were found in crates. Until then, the 

warehouses were thought to contain only some anti-tank weapons and 

other light, conventional arms. With U.S. help, UNMIL destroyed these 

MANPADS, which will never again be a threat to global aviation.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Liberia
14 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

africa

Because of reduced participation by commercial demining fi rms, 2003 saw 

a slight drop in total land cleared compared to 2002, although the FADM 

demining unit’s skills improved, having clearing 130,710 square meters in 

Maputo Province. This is a signifi cant improvement from the 2,000 square 

meters this unit cleared in 2002. The U.S. Department of State’s Quick 

Reaction Demining Force (QRDF) cleared another 131,305 square meters 

in 2003. The National Demining Institute (IND) reported 11,842,476 square 

meters of land cleared by humanitarian and commercial organizations in 

2004, a 68 percent increase from 2003. Included in this fi gure is the work 

of the QRDF that cleared 299,406 square meters. The revised National Mine 

Action Plan drafted by the IND has set a goal of impact-free status for the 

country by 2009, with all high and medium impact areas to be cleared by the 

end of 2006. 

The village of Cabo Delgado was still partially infested by persistent 

landmines when this photograph was taken. Note the little child walking 

to the left (the safe side) of the wooden stakes. The HALO Trust, with

PM/WRA funding, has since cleared the landmines and UXO from this 

village.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

An Atlas Copco tractor with a brush-cutting attachment, provided to The 

HALO Trust by PM/WRA, clears high grass, brush, and shrubs from a mined 

area in Mozambique. Next, a deminer can sweep the ground for mines with 

a metal detector and easily excavate those that are found. When conditions, 

such as terrain, roads, bridges, and technical support permit, mechanical 

brush cutters can accomplish in minutes what it takes a manual deminer 

many hours to do, signifi cantly improving productivity.

Matt Murphy, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Women carry containers of water through a narrow but safe passage in 

an active minefi eld that with PM/WRA funding was being cleared by The 

HALO Trust.

The HALO Trust.

Twenty-six years of confl ict, including a war for 

independence and subsequent civil war, left 

Mozambique littered with landmines and unexploded 

ordnance (UXO). Although landmines are found in all 

of Mozambique’s provinces, Inhambane has the largest percentage of at-risk 

population, while Nampula and Cabo Delgado have the most square meters 

of suspected mined areas. 

In FY04, the U.S. Department of State’s Offi ce of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement allocated $1,492,000 for humanitarian mine action (HMA) in 

Mozambique. These funds consisted of $1,372,000 to The HALO Trust 

for continued demining operations in two provinces, Zambezia and Cabo 

Delgado, and $120,000 to improve quality of the skills of the Mozambican 

Armed Forces’ (FADM) humanitarian demining cadre through additional 

training, equipment and logistical support, ensuring that work is performed 

according to International Mine Action Standards. The HALO Trust’s work 

in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique enabled commerce to resume on 

the main Pemba-Montepuez road to the provincial capital and recovered 

farmland bordering the road. Mine clearance allowed local communities 

to cultivate and develop cashew plantations, which contribute to the 

provincial economy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

also contributed $350,000 for landmine survivors programs. In FY05, the 

United States provided $2,336,000 more in mine action aid. Of this amount, 

The HALO Trust received $676,000 to support seven manual demining teams, 

one survey team, one mine detecting dog team, and two mechanical teams. 

$1,666,000 was provided in training, technicial support, and equipment to 

further develop the FADM humanitarian demining (HD) unit’s capability as 

the sole government HD provider.

Mozambique
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 15

africa

In July 2003, São Tomé and Príncipe, a country 

composed of two islands in the Gulf of Guinea, was 

rocked by a military coup backed by civilians armed 

with illegally-obtained fi rearms, highlighting the 

dangers posed to peace and stability by unsecured and illicit small arms and 

light weapons (SA/LW). After international mediation negotiated a peaceful 

end to the coup, the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe approached the 

United States for assistance with SA/LW destruction.

In FY04, the U.S. Department of State’s Offi ce of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement (PM/WRA) granted a $50,000 contract to RONCO Consulting 

One of many batches of persistent mines, mortar shells and other 

munitions being readied for destruction in São Tomé and Príncipe.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement and RONCO Consulting Corporation.

BOOOOM! Another batch of munitions not needed for São Tomé and 

Príncipe’s defense needs is completely destroyed. This particular batch, 

and many others like it, will never pose a threat to anyone again.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement and RONCO Consulting Corporation.

Corporation, a U.S. fi rm, for the destruction of aging sea mines, SA/LW, 

and related ammunition. With the support of the São Tomé Army, RONCO 

ordnance technicians safely detonated 1,000 sea mines, 30 rocket-propelled 

grenades, 105 handheld grenades, and 663,200 rounds of ammunition. 

PM/WRA and the U.S. Department of Defense also facilitated the removal 

and destruction of 54 man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).

Workers repair a fi ring pit at a government demolition range so that arms and munitions excess to the defense needs of São Tomé and Príncipe may be destroyed.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement and RONCO Consulting Corporation.

São Tomé and Príncipe
16 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

africa

Sudan

Senegal

africa

A separatist confl ict in Senegal’s Casamance region 

that began in 1982 worsened in the late 1990s with 

the introduction of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. 

A 2001 peace settlement has allowed signifi cant 

humanitarian mine action programs to begin, including U.S. Agency for 

International Development Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF) support for mine 

survivors rehabilitation services and mine risk education (MRE). In FY04, the 

U.S. allocated $112,000 to Senegal to fund community-based MRE through 

UNICEF. This program is using a variety of media, including radio programming, 

music cassettes, and informational materials to raise awareness among 

tens of thousands of Senegalese in the areas most affected by mines and 

unexploded ordnance. The LWVF provided $500,000 in survivors assistance 

in FY05.

With the signing of the Burgenstock Cease-fi re 

Agreement in 2002, the U.S. Department of 

State deployed elements of its Quick Reaction 

Demining Force (see page 6) to the Nuba 

Mountains to restore safe access to mine-affected land and roads in this 

region. This also permitted cease-fi re monitors greater freedom of movement 

in accomplishing their mission and facilitated the return of refugees. In FY04, 

the U.S. Department of State’s Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

Senegalese women in a village in the Casamance region receive mine 

risk education training under a program funded by the USAID/LWVF.

Handicap International France.

(PM/WRA) provided $2,858,000 for humanitarian mine action, including 

landmine clearance by the World Food Program and RONCO Consulting 

Corporation, a U.S. fi rm. Nearly $500,000 went to Mines Advisory Group 

(MAG) for mine risk education in communities near Sudan’s southern borders. 

In FY05, PM/WRA granted $560,000 to MAG to equip and train one nineperson explosives and ordnance disposal team and to identify stockpiles of 

unsecured or abandoned weapons in the Yei, Morobo, and Juba counties 

in southern Sudan. Over a thousand pieces of unexploded and abandoned 

During a program management assessment 

visit, Jennifer Lachman 

(in the white blouse 

on the left), PM/WRA, 

l i s t e n s t o S o u t h 

Sudanese landmine 

survivors recount the 

incidents that disabled 

them and how they are 

now coping.

Jennifer Lachman, Office 

of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement.
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 17

africa

Sudan (cont.)

increased local access to orthopedic and physical therapy services in Rumbek 

and surrounding areas, and assisted civilian victims of war to reintegrate into 

southern Sudanese society and economy. An additional $265,000 was given to 

Landmine Action for mine clearance in Blue Nile State in North Sudan.

In the coming years, PM/WRA plans to expand assistance that will include 

the destruction of small arms and light weapons, while simultaneously 

strengthening Sudan’s national demining capabilities.

munitions were removed before deterioration in the security environment 

in late 2005 temporarily prevented further operations.

In FY05, PM/WRA provided $2,500,000 more in mine action assistance. 

Of this amount, $700,000 funded a survey by Norwegian People’s Aid of 

suspected mined roads and infrastructure in the Equatorial province of 

South Sudan. Also, in September 2003, the U.S. Agency for International 

Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund initiated a 28-month project 

in southern Sudan with Medical Care Development International that 

Villagers in the South Sudanese village of Yei attend a PM/WRA-funded 

mine risk education class conducted by Mines Advisory Group (MAG). 

Will the little child gazing solemnly at the photographer reach adulthood 

and “walk the earth in safety?” 

Jennifer Lachman, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

This vehicle, destroyed by a landmine, was operated by the Swiss 

Foundation for Mine Action (Fondation Suisse de Déminage [FSD]). It 

is a constant reminder to these South Sudanese from the village of Yei 

who walk past it of the “hidden killers” that endanger life and limb. FSD 

continues to conduct humanitarian mine action in South Sudan as well 

as in Laos, Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka.

Jennifer Lachman, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
AFGHANISTAN

CAMBODIA

LAOS

SRI LANKA

VIETNAM

Asia
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 19

asia

An improvised explosive 

device severely damaged

this four-wheel drive 

vehicle that PM/WRA 

provided to the UN for 

humanitarian mine action 

operations in Afghanistan. 

In some parts of the world, 

terrorists and others are 

intent on interfering with,

or deliberately targeting, 

post-confl ict reconstruction 

organizations engaging in

mine action and other 

forms of humanitarian assistance. Mine action operations are hazardous 

and are often interrupted by such incidents. Sadly, Afghanistan is 

not the only country emerging from decades of war where this is 

the situation.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Afghanistan has endured major confl ict since 1979 

and remains severely affected by landmines and 

unexploded ordnance (UXO) that cause nearly 100 

casualties each month (down from 150-300 victims 

a month). A 2004 Landmine Impact Survey commissioned by the United Nations 

Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (UNMAPA) reported landmines and UXO 

in a total of 715.9 square kilometers of land and in 2,368 communities. Most 

landmines and UXO are found in agricultural fi elds, irrigation canals, and grazing 

areas, with concentrated belts located around major cities, airports, government 

installations, and power stations, and near the borders with Iran and Pakistan. 

The cluster munitions used by Coalition forces against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda 

that failed to explode—a small fraction of Afghanistan’s UXO problem—were 

cleared from accessible areas in 2003 following a special survey conducted by 

the United States.

The United States allocated $61,378,000 to Afghanistan in humanitarian mine 

action funds for FY04, resulting in the recovery of 22,137,676 square meters of 

agricultural land and roadways. The U.S. Department of State’s Offi ce of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) 

granted $1,522,283 to the Mine Detection and Dog Center for mine detecting 

dogs and survey work, and another $2,157,480 to the Mine Clearance Planning 

Agency for surveying and marking minefi elds in 22,335,285 square meters of land. 

The Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) received $2,643,710 from PM/

WRA to clear mines and UXO, while The HALO Trust’s demining activities in the 

Shomali Valley were supported by $1,000,000 in PM/WRA funding. In addition, 

PM/WRA paid a U.S. fi rm, RONCO Consulting Corporation, $4,375,527 to provide 

technical assistance to DAFA for demining and UXO clearance, and UN Children’s 

Fund (UNICEF) was granted $617,425 for mine risk education. In 2004 and 2005, 

USAID’s Leahy War Victims Fund provided approximately $1.6 million in 

support for the Comprehensive Disabled Afghan’s Program (CDAP), the focal 

point for providing assistance for those with disabilities in Afghanistan. 

CDAP works closely with the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled to provide 

rehabilitation services to approximately 20,000 disabled veterans in Kabul 

Afghan dog handlers and their mine detecting dogs (MDDs) take a break 

from their duties during a site visit by a team from PM/WRA. The U.S. 

Humanitarian Mine Action Program fi rmly believes that properly trained 

and equipped MDDs and their handlers can effectively speed the process 

by which areas are determined either to be mined or not mine-affected 

(area reduction), and they can enhance the quality assurance/quality 

control process during and after clearance. MDDs continue to be a 

valuable component of a deminer’s “tool box” in all but the most extreme 

climates and terrains.

Col. Tom Allen (U.S. Army Reserve), USAID.

and technical assistance to strengthen disabled persons organizations and 

the disabled community in general. USAID funds also underwrote the majority 

of demining and reconstruction costs that reopened the vital Kabul-to-Kandahar 

highway to traffi c in December 2003. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention worked with the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, the 

International Rescue Committee, and UNICEF to design and conduct a warrelated mortality, injury, disability, and mental health survey.

In December 2004, the State Department’s PM/WRA initiated a contract with 

The HALO Trust to destroy or deactivate small arms and light weapons (SA/

LW), heavy weapons (including tanks and artillery), and associated munitions 

left over from decades of confl ict. PM/WRA funding established three mobile 

Weapons and Ammunition Disposal (WAD) Teams as well as two technical 

teams to support the Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) initiative. 

The DIAG technical teams assess the type and condition of weapons and 

munitions surrendered during the DIAG process, with surplus or unserviceable 

items designated for destruction by WAD Teams. The three WAD Teams 

operate in eight provinces and can transport all necessary equipment, such 

as hydraulic shears and angle grinders, to destroy or deactivate weaponry. 

Their unique mobility allows them to respond to requests for assistance from 

Coalition Forces and U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the fi eld. As 

of FY05, the three teams destroyed 4,745 SA/LW, 432 metric tons of heavy 

weapons munitions, and 375.6 metric tons of small arms ammunition, in 

addition to disabling 287 heavy weapon components. Other teams throughout 

Afghanistan are being supported by a variety of private and public donors, both 

bilaterally and through the UN Voluntary Trust Fund.

Afghanistan
20 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

asia

This poster from the Organization 

for Mine Clearance and Afghan 

Rehabilitation (OMAR), one of 

the Afghan non-governmental 

organizations (NGOs) engaged in 

humanitarian mine action, depicts 

OMAR’s efforts to clear landmines 

and other remnants of war, and 

to conduct mine risk education. 

OMAR and other Afghan mine 

action NGOs have received 

substantial funding, equipment, 

and other support from PM/WRA.

Col. Stu Harris, USMC, Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement.

asia

Cambodia

Afghanistan (cont.)

In FY05, the United States provided another $13,700,000 to aid in humanitarian 

mine action there. Of this amount, Cranfi eld University received $300,000 to 

provide local demining groups with mid-level management training. 

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Humanitarian Demining Research and 

Development program invests over $1 million annually towards improving 

the U.S. Army’s AN/PSS-14, or HD-HSTAMIDS, a dual-sensor mine detector. 

This is the fi rst and only fi elded true “mine” detector that incorporates 

both ground penetrating radar and metal detector, allowing deminers to 

discriminate mines from small metal fragments. The Humanitarian Demining 

Program invested over $150K in FY05 towards the execution of an in-country 

fi eld evaluation of the HD-HSTAMIDS in partnership with The HALO Trust in 

Afghanistan. Four HD-HSTAMIDS systems have been sent to Afghanistan 

where The HALO Trust deminers have been trained on the system. The HALO 

Trust is incorporating the system into its operations in 2006. This is the 

fi rst time a humanitarian demining organization will be able to use the HDHSTAMIDS in actual demining operations which should greatly improve their 

effi ciency, allowing the land to be cleared at a much faster rate. In addition, 

the Humanitarian Demining Program provided The HALO Trust in FY05 with 

$106,000 for the development of unique sifting and digging technology in 

Afghanistan. The HALO Trust integrated the ALLU sifting bucket onto its front 

loaders, developed a special purpose sifting trailer and evaluated DoD’s air 

spade digging system. 

Transfer of the demining program from the UN to the Government of Afghanistan, 

to be completed by December 2006, is moving forward with the support of the UN 

and donor countries. For example, the UN Development Program, UNMAPA, the 

United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, NATO’s International Security 

Assistance Force, and the U.S.-led Coalition work together to support the Afghan 

National Survey being undertaken by the new Afghan Ministry of Defense. 

Completion of the survey will allow the Afghan Government to clear UXO, which 

is currently the cause of more than half the victims in Afghanistan. Compliance 

with this long-term, strategic perspective assures that the most effective 

landmine and UXO clearance efforts support Afghan reconstruction. Clearing the 

most affected areas has facilitated the return of more than 3.8 million Afghan 

refugees, including 760,000 in 2004, believed to be the largest voluntary refugee 

repatriation in modern history.

The impact of three decades of confl ict and the 

brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge regime is still felt in 

Cambodia today, a country that remains affected by 

large amounts of landmines and unexploded ordnance 

(UXO). This tragic legacy of violence was exacerbated in the 1990s by the 

growth of illicit traffi cking in narcotics, weapons, and people, and the 

dangerous recycling of UXO for its scrap metal value; both activities are 

driven by economic need.

The U.S., along with other international donors, has endeavored to help 

Cambodia to recover, partly through the provision of nearly $44 million in 

U.S. humanitarian mine action assistance since FY93. Nearly $4 million 

in FY05 funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Offi ce of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) supported mine action by The HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group 

(MAG), and the Cambodian Mine Action Center’s (CMAC) Demining Unit 

#3 in the provinces most affected by landmines and UXO. The funds were 

also used to maintain MAG’s three “Tempest” remote-controlled demining 

machines in Cambodia. In addition, PM/WRA initiated a middle management 

training program for deminers through Cranfi eld University (U.K.) and its 

partner VBNK Institute of Management. The U.S. Department of Defense 

continued local capacity-building programs in medical, vehicle maintenance, 

and explosive storage assistance training at a cost of $86,455. DoD’s 

Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program supported the 

development of technology in Cambodia with partnerships with The HALO 

Trust, CMAC and MAG by providing $880,000 for the development of sifting 

technology, the TEMPEST ground-engaging fl ail, the new multi-sensor 
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 21

asia

Cambodia (cont.)

This is a mechanical vegetation 

cutter funded by the U.S. 

Department of State’s Offi ce 

of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement. An operator of The 

HALO Trust is clearing small 

trees, bushes, and brush in a 

mined area. What this vegetation 

cutter accomplishes in a few 

hours saves manual deminers 

days of strenuous work, enabling 

them to effi ciently focus on 

clearing landmines and UXO.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement.

A little Cambodian girl who lost a limb to a persistent anti-personnel 

landmine is taught to walk with crutches at a physical rehabilitation 

center in Phnom Penh. She faces a lifetime of challenges as she grows 

and must be regularly refi tted with prosthetics. The LWVF, VVAF, Landmine 

Survivors Network, American Red Cross, Handicap International Belgium, 

Children’s Medical Center (formerly ROSECharities Cambodia), Clear Path 

International, and others are working to ensure that she and other disabled 

Cambodians have their hope, dignity and mobility restored. In addition, 

organizations such as Adopt-A-Minefi eld, Roots of Peace, Freedom Fields 

USA, Grapes for Humanity, Landmines Blow!, and Global Care Unlimited, 

have also generously provided funds to assist these mine survivors, and to 

demine mine-infested valuable land and infrastructure.

John McCann, Warner Bros.

A father and his daughter, 

both disabled by persistent 

anti-personnel landmines, 

were fi tted with prosthetic 

limbs. Life for farmers and 

other rural dwellers in 

developing countries is hard, 

and it is made even more so 

by landmines, other explosive 

remnants of war, and by

SA/LW wielded by criminals

and terrorists. Survivors fortunate enough to receive medical treatment and a prosthetic 

often struggle to obtain 

proper post-operative physical 

rehabilitation, counseling 

(ideally by peers), vocational 

training, and replacements for worn or outgrown prosthetics. The LWVF has 

programs addressing all these challenges in Cambodia and in other war-torn 

countries.

HD-HSTAMIDS handheld system that can detect all metallic and non-metallic 

landmines, and a unique Explosive Harvesting Program (EHP). The EHP utilizes 

UXO and landmines slated for destruction and recasts their explosives into 

detonation charges for use in stockpile reduction and in situ neutralization 

of UXO and mines. Finally, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s 

Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF) expended $865,000 to maintain a training 

center for orthopedic technicians; mobilize civil society groups on disability 

and rehabilitation issues through the Disability Action Council and Handicap 

International-Belgium; and provide prosthetics and rehabilitation services 

through the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF). In 2005, USAID 

continued its efforts to strengthen rehabilitation services in Cambodia with 

an additional $800,000 investment. In FY05, the United States provided 

another $3,920,000 in funding for what remains a high-priority country in 

the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program. Of this amount, $129,000 went 

towards mid-level management training for two classes of 25 Cambodian 

demining leaders through Cranfi eld University.

Recognizing the threat to society posed by traffi cking in military-grade small arms 

and light weapons (SA/LW), the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces requested U.S. 

assistance to secure their stocks of weapons and munitions. PM/WRA successfully 

completed a new SA/LW destruction and stockpile security program in 2004. With 

$250,314 in FY04, PM/WRA enabled the destruction of 233 man-portable airdefense systems (MANPADS) that Cambodia deemed unnecessary for its needs, 

and upgraded security at K-86, a military base near Phnom Penh, to forestall theft of 

SA/LW by arms smugglers. PM/WRA began to support destruction of surplus 

and unstable ammunition at K-68 in FY05 with $29,000 in assistance.

The U.S. has contributed to Cambodia’s mine action efforts since 1993, resulting 

in total land cleared reaching 259 million square meters during these 12 years. 

Although international and domestic efforts have managed to reduce landmine 

casualties by 75 percent since the mid-1990s, Cambodia will remain a high-priority 

country for U.S. mine action assistance until at least 2008, when the worst mine 

threats will have been addressed. The increase in deaths and injuries from 

attempts to recycle metal from UXO poses a diffi cult challenge. Cambodia 

may not be free from the humanitarian impact of landmines (“mine impact-free”) 

until 2020. 
22 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

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Laos

Sri Lanka

Laos suffered extensively from its own civil war and 

from the spillover of two wars in neighboring Vietnam, 

one of which was the U.S. air campaign from 1964 to 

1973 when the U.S. dropped nearly two million tons 

of ordnance on North Vietnamese troops transiting through or sheltering in 

Laos. Due to heavy tropical foliage and soggy terrain, up to 30 percent of 

these munitions failed to explode, leaving two-thirds of the country littered 

with unexploded ordnance (UXO). Ground combat during its civil war and the 

Vietnam War also resulted in the laying of minefi elds along the country’s 

eastern border.

The United States is the single largest donor to the landmine and UXO clearance 

program in Laos, having contributed nearly $25,000,000 since FY95. In FY04, 

the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) contributed $1,912,000 

in assistance to Laos, including $724,632 to Norwegian People’s Aid, and 

$475,403 to Mines Advisory Group (MAG) for UXO and mine clearance in the 

highly-affected provinces of Saravane, Sekong, and Attapeu. PM/WRA also 

supplied a $211,965 grant to the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation 

to develop a national mine and UXO accident database. In addition, the 

U.S. Agency for International Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund, 

along with its implementing partner, The Consortium (World Education and 

World Learning), granted $400,000 for medical training and staff, primary 

education, and school-based UXO risk awareness. In FY05, the United States 

provided $3,200,000 more in humanitarian mine action aid. Among other 

accomplishments, this funding helped restore the Lao demining program’s 

staff to full strength.

In 2004, publication of the National Poverty Eradication Plan (NPEP) was the 

A team of female Mines Advisory Group (MAG) technicians in the 

process of carefully clearing an unexploded aerial bomb. MAG is one of 

the organizations that carries out UXO and landmine clearance in Laos 

for the U.S. Department of State.

©Sean Sutton/MAG/magclearsmines.org

signifi cant impetus to address the needs of the highest-priority districts. The 

2004 Work Plan for the Lao National UXO program (UXO Lao) called for the 

organization to work in 24 districts that the NPEP identifi ed as very poor, 

and in 11 districts that the NPEP identifi ed as poor. In the coming years, the 

major focus of UXO Lao’s efforts will be to reclaim farming and grazing land 

from UXO and mines in these 35 districts. Laos has set a goal of achieving 

mine impact-free status by 2013. The signifi cant mine action aid that the 

United States provides may enable the country to become safe from the 

humanitarian impact of mines and UXO by then.

Nearly two decades of civil war came to a tentative 

end in February 2002 with a cease-fi re agreement 

between the Government of Sri Lanka and the 

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The cease-fi re 

allowed substantial humanitarian mine action (HMA) operations to begin 

throughout the areas affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance 

(UXO). From 1995 to 2001, 3,909 casualties from landmines and UXO were 

reported in Sri Lanka, or approximately 568 victims per year, on average. In 

2003, reported casualties dropped to 102, thanks in large part to mine action 

assistance from the United States and other donor nations, the UN, nongovernmental organizations, and the diligent efforts of Sri Lankan deminers. 

Shortly after the ceasefi re, the U.S. Department of State deployed its Quick 

Reaction Demining Force, based in Mozambique (see page 6), to help demine 

land in order to resettle internally displaced persons and reinforce peace. 

In FY04, the United States provided $2,700,000 in HMA support to Sri Lanka. 

The Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) awarded a U.S. fi rm, 

RONCO Consulting Corporation, a $1,775,000 contract for national capacity 

building in mine action. RONCO trained a Sri Lankan Army (SLA) cadre 

consisting of 280 deminers, 35 medics, 42 senior non-commissioned offi cers, 

and 40 commissioned offi cers. In an innovative public-private partnership 

between PM/WRA and the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), in

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T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 23

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close coordination with the SLA, six mine detecting dogs (MDDs), paid for 

by MLI with funds raised from U.S. citizens and corporations, and their SLA 

handlers were trained and deployed to Jaffna by June 2004. The successful 

integration of MDDs into SLA operations resulted in another six MDDs being 

donated through MLI in 2005. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s 

(USAID) Leahy War Victims Fund, with non-government partner Motivation, 

implemented a program to enhance opportunities for landmine survivors. In 

FY04 and FY05, USAID provided over $1 million in funding towards these 

efforts. During that time period, nearly 2,000 rehabilitation devices were 

provided including prostheses, orthoses and wheelchairs. The U.S. Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the World Health 

Organization continued to fund a post-confl ict injury surveillance program. 

In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense Blast Resuscitation and Victim 

Analysis Team trained medical staff in the treatment of civilian casualties 

of mines and UXO. In FY05, PM/WRA allocated $2,700,000 more for mine 

action assistance. Of this amount, $1,220,000 funded the training of three 

additional demining squadrons, $1,130,000 was used to purchase equipment 

During a program assessment visit, a PM/WRA team interviewed these 

ethnic Tamil farmers who were disabled by persistent anti-personnel 

landmines. The farmer on the left had been blinded, and the other two had 

suffered multiple limb loss. The farmer on the right also had eye injuries. 

Although they were fortunate to have received medical treatment and 

prosthetics, the magnitude of their injuries is such that they are no longer 

able to farm and provide for their families. They also required new, 

properly fi tted prosthetics. Their plight is a reminder that the needs of 

landmine survivors must continue to be addressed even after the mines 

have been cleared.

John Stevens, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

A real U.S. Department of State Public-Private Partnership in action! 

Senior Sri Lankan Army engineer offi cers and principals from the Sri Lanka 

Association of Greater Washington, the Sri Lanka-U.S. Business Forum, 

Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), Chubb Corporation, the offi ce of Senator 

Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), and a mine detecting dog trainer from RONCO 

Consulting Corporation, inaugurate the Sri Lankan Army mine detecting 

dog kennels on the Jaffna Peninsula. PM/WRA funded the kennels, and 

MLI provided the mine detecting dogs through generous funding from 

concerned American citizens, non-governmental organizations, and 

corporations.

Deborah Netland, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

and vehicles, and $275,000 was used to integrate an additional six mine 

detecting dogs into the SLA’s mine action program. 

The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Research and Development 

Program has provided the SLA with a “MAXX +” mechanical mine action 

system. The $250,000 “MAXX +” system is a modifi ed commercial remotecontrolled mine excavator capable of performing numerous mechanical tasks 

of vegetation cutting and soil removal and sifting, signifi cantly increasing the 

productivity of deminers.

Although lacking a formal and comprehensive national mine impact survey, 

the Government of Sri Lanka has developed effective priorities for HMA 

projects and, with cooperation from the UN, has established coordinating 

bodies at the national and district level. Both the National Steering Committee 

for Mine Action and the various District Steering Committees have inclusive 

memberships, drawing upon government offi cials, non-governmental 

operators, ethnic minority representatives, and UN technical specialists. The 

Government of Sri Lanka intends to clear all high-priority areas by 2008.

Sri Lanka (cont.)
24 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

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Vietnam

An expert Mines Advisory Group (MAG) explosive ordnance disposal 

(EOD) technician teaches Vietnamese EOD trainees how to safely defuse 

and prepare an unexploded bomb for controlled destruction. The United 

States assists Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia to clear 

unexploded bombs, landmines, and other explosive remnants of war that 

originated from all combatants.

Sean Sutton, Mines Advisory Group (MAG). 

As a result of confl icts between 1945 and 1991, 

Vietnam has an estimated 350,000 to 800,000 tons of 

unexploded ordnance (UXO) and persistent landmines 

that affect all of its provinces to various degrees. A 

preliminary study in 2003 by Vietnam’s Technology Center for Bomb and Mine 

Disposal (BOMICEN), estimated that, because of the presence of UXO, nearly 

4,359 square kilometers of cultivated land is now fallow. 

In FY04, the United States contributed $4,114,000 for humanitarian mine 

action (HMA) assistance in Vietnam, and in FY05 contributed another 

$4,000,000 for HMA. The Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided demining equipment to BOMICEN’s 100 demining 

teams, each consisting of 20 to 25 personnel. BOMICEN is primarily engaged 

in socio-economic development throughout Vietnam, with demining efforts 

focused on reclamation of roads and other infrastructure components. PM/

WRA supported, and continues to support, HMA operations in Quang Binh, 

Quang Tri, and Ha Tinh Provinces in central Vietnam. PM/WRA granted 

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) $499,158 to maintain two mine action teams 

in Quang Binh, and another $638,000 for teams in Quang Tri. PM/WRA also 

granted $150,000 to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) Project 

Renew for a mine risk education program in Quang Tri, and $272,405 to the 

Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) to complete the fi rst phase 

of a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) covering Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Ha 

Tinh Provinces in central Vietnam. The results of the VVAF survey will be 

critical in designing the Government’s national HMA Strategy.

Beginning with modest funding for humanitarian programs for war victims in 

1999, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its Leahy 

War Victims Fund (LWVF) have supported an increasingly sophisticated 

and appropriate response to the needs of Vietnam’s population living with 

disabilities. This work offers a prime example of how small, initial investments 

can lead to the evolution of a comprehensive national strategy for the 

rehabilitation of citizens with disabilities and their inclusion in a country’s 

societal and economic transformation. Today, that response incorporates 

government ministries and departments, donor agencies, international and 

local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based groups, 

and professional organizations. This collective response has led to passage 

of two remarkable national laws regarding disabilities and barrier-free 

access. Perhaps most signifi cantly, societal and physical barriers in Vietnam 

are slowly being overcome, and people with disabilities are increasingly 

contributing to national life and the economy. In FY 2004 and 2005, USAID 

provided over $2 million towards these efforts. The LWVF also maintains 

a regional training center for orthopedic technicians. The U.S. Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention has collaborated with the UN Children’s 

Fund to expand injury surveillance and prevention programs at schools and 

community levels. In FY05, the United States allocated $2,850,000 in HMA 

aid. Of this amount, MAG received $1,046,000 to support its Communitybased Explosive Remnants of Wars program in Central Vietnam.

U.S. assistance, modern equipment for BOMICEN’s deminers, and the 

increasing presence in Vietnam of non-governmental demining organizations, 

will contribute signifi cantly to reducing the risk from mines and UXO. The 

LIS, for example, will allow BOMICEN, U.S.-sponsored demining groups, and 

international donors to identify and focus on those areas that have been 

most affected by the remnants of war. With continued effort by all parties, it 

may be possible for Vietnam to become free from the humanitarian impact of 

landmines and UXO (“mine impact-free”) by 2014 or soon thereafter.
ALBANIA

ARMENIA

AZERBAIJAN

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

CROATIA

GEORGIA

KAZAKHSTAN

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

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26 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

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Albania

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of 

Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $1,750,000 to Albania through 

the ITF. In FY05, the United States provided another $1.07 million to support 

continuing mine action programs there. Funding for HMA capacity-building 

supported the technical operations staff, some of whom were trained by 

the U.S. European Command, and the integration of up to 20 mine detecting 

dogs (MDDs) into mine clearance teams. U.S. contributions to the ITF also 

supported HMA activities of non-governmental organizations, such as 

Danish Church Aid for mine clearance efforts in northeast Albania, and the 

Kukesi Mine and Weapons Victims Association for mine risk education and 

survivors assistance. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Leahy 

War Victims Fund granted $387,950 for a three-year project implemented by 

the Albanian Disability Rights Foundation to improve mobility and access to 

108,000 people who are wheelchair-bound, and to train 240 specialists in the 

treatment and care for wheelchair users and their families.

With increased operational capacity that includes 61 manual deminers, 20 

MDDs, 14 UXO operators, and eight paramedics, the Albanian Mine Action 

Executive (AMAE) has made signifi cant progress in the last few years to 

build a national HMA capability. AMAE is using the 2003 LIS to develop a 

more comprehensive national HMA plan so that demining may continue with 

greater effi ciency in reclaiming the land most impacted by mines and UXO. 

AMAE calculates that Albania will be free from the humanitarian impact of 

landmines (“mine impact-free”) by 2014.

Although landmines have been used in Albania 

since World War I, the most problematic mines and 

unexploded ordnance (UXO) became a factor during 

the civil unrest of 1997 and in the Kosovo crisis of 

1999. Albanian districts bordering Kosovo and Montenegro are highly 

affected by the presence of minefi elds and UXO. Preliminary data from a 

formal Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) completed in 2003 indicated that up to 

17 square kilometers of productive land were infested by mines and UXO. 

Thanks to the efforts of the United States and other donors, the level of 

infestation has been reduced to an estimated 3 square kilometers. This 

problem remains compounded by the existence of some 200,000 tons of 

aging, abandoned ordnance at former military storage depots.

The United States provides humanitarian mine action (HMA) assistance to 

Albania primarily through the International Trust Fund (ITF) for Demining and 

Mine Victims Assistance located in Slovenia. In FY04, the Offi ce of Weapons 

In FY05, the U.S. European Command provided $100,000 

worth of equipment to the Armenian Humanitarian 

Demining Center. 

The 1988-1994 confl ict with Armenia, and the 

presence of dilapidated former Soviet bases, 

left Azerbaijan with a landmine, unexploded 

ordnance (UXO), and abandoned ordnance 

problem. The Survey Action Center’s Landmine Impact Survey reported in 

 “the albanian mine action 

executive (amae) has made 

significant progress in the 

last few years to build a 

national hma capability.”

2003 that 643 communities, mostly in the west near major battlefi elds, were 

affected by landmines and/or UXO. The Azerbaijan Agency for National Mine 

Action (ANAMA) stated that since the fi rst year of war, landmines alone had 

caused 1,400 casualties, including more than 300 fatalities. 

Armenia

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T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 27

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ANAMA deminers return from another productive day of demining. 

With U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program assistance, ANAMA was 

established and it has subsequently matured into a highly effective 

organization, a model worthy of emulation. 

Hayden Roberts, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

This freshly planted wheat fi eld on Azerbaijan’s verdant plains was once 

infested with landmines. Thanks to the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action 

Program, it is productive again.

Hayden Roberts, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

In FY04, the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) 

contributed $2,772,190 for mine action to Azerbaijan. In FY05, PM/WRA 

provided another $3,500,000. Of these funds, $2,468,000 was used to 

continue to develop ANAMA’s organization and operational capabilities. 

ANAMA currently has 61 manual deminers, 16 mine detecting dog (MDD) 

teams, 14 UXO disposal operators, and eight paramedics.

U.S. assistance helped improve ANAMA’s operational explosive ordnance 

disposal (EOD) capabilities, resulting in twice as much land being cleared in 

2003 as was cleared in 2002. With funding from the European Commission, 

the Governments of Azerbaijan and Italy, and the UN Development Program, 

ANAMA was able to procure a Bozena-4 fl ail, and U.S. technical and 

fi nancial support began integrating mechanical clearance systems into 

ANAMA’s demining teams. In addition, based on the recommendations of 

the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), PM/WRA supported inclusion 

of mine risk education (MRE) into school curricula and began communitybased MRE in 2003. USEUCOM continued additional MRE and EOD training 

in 2004, including an MRE ‘Train-the-Trainer’ course at the Khanlar Regional 

HMA facility constructed with support from the U.S. Department of Defense 

and U.S. Department of State. In FY05, the United States provided another 

$3,500,000 in mine action aid. Of this amount, $275,000 went towards 

training additional MDDs and $250,000 toward the integration of mechanical 

demining systems. USEUCOM HMA efforts in FY05 and FY06 continue to 

focus on developing ANAMA’s EOD capacity and technical survey capability. 

Training 35 new UXO specialists with USEUCOM training support in 2005-

2006 is giving ANAMA a dedicated capability to address the NATO Partnership 

for Peace-funded Explosive Remnant of War (ERW) clearance project at 

Saloglu. This $1.3 million project received a $300,000 U.S. contribution as 

Azerbaijan (cont.)

well as USEUCOM training support. USEUCOM and the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency combined to provide ANAMA technical training and 

$137,000 worth of equipment to improve accuracy during the survey process. 

Additionally, over $200,000 worth of commercial satellite imagery of mineaffected areas will assist in prioritizing future demining efforts. Furthermore, 

the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Humanitarian Demining Research 

and Development program has contributed the Rhino Earth tilling system to 

the ANAMA mechanical clearance program for a 16-month operational fi eld 

evaluation. The Rhino Earth tilling system, training, and support represent 

a $2.3 million investment in terms of equipment, logistics, and operating 

costs and will augment ANAMA’s existing mechanical capability. Also, DoD 

recently provided a remote controlled EODBOT to assist UXO specialists 

working at Saloglu to remove dangerous ERW without endangering human 

lives. This equipment will undergo a one-year operational fi eld evaluation in 

Azerbaijan. In FY05, PM/WRA contributed $400,000 to a $1.3 million NATO 

Partnership-for-Peace Trust Fund project led by Turkey to clean up hazardous 

UXO around the former military base at Sologlu and the nearby towns of 

Agstafa and Poylu. This multilateral effort will allow civilians to reclaim the 

area for productive use.

Substantial U.S. government aid since late 2001 has added stability to 

ANAMA’s HMA program, enhanced overall donor confi dence, and improved 

the Agency’s operational and management capabilities. Direct benefi ts to 

national reconstruction include clearance of water pipe and power line 

routes in the Fizuli District, enabling resettlement of at least 200 internally 

displaced families. EOD work in Agjabedi allowed 400 people to farm the 

land again safely. In conclusion, ANAMA has a detailed plan for eliminating 

the humanitarian impact of landmines and UXO from accessible regions of 

the country by 2008.
28 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

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in ITF funds to Croatia to support mine action. In FY05, PM/WRA contributed 

$2.3 million more. Examples of clearance operations are reclamation of 180,500 

square meters of farmland around Donje Komarevo, and 34,530 square meters of 

land surrounding an elementary school in Gorice in the Municipality of Dragalic ́.

In 2004, CROMAC completed an assessment of landmines and UXO. The 

report’s fi ndings will update the Center’s database of information on minefi elds 

provided by the former parties to the 1991-1995 confl ict. The new data will 

be incorporated into Croatia’s developing national mine action strategy, which 

previously aimed for “mine free” status (cleared of every landmine) by 2010. 

In 2004, with U.S. support, national and private donors (such as Adopt-AMinefi eld and Roots of Peace), and the contributions of many non-governmental 

organizations, commercial operators, and Croatian civilian and military 

deminers, the Government of Croatia declares Bilogorska as mine impact-free, 

the fi rst of Croatia’s 14 mine-affected counties to achieve this status.

Croatia has a serious landmine and unexploded 

ordnance (UXO) problem stemming from its 1991-

1995 war with the former Yugoslavia. The Croatian 

Mine Action Center (CROMAC), Croatia’s central mine 

action coordinating agency, originally estimated that minefi elds covered 

approximately 1,355 square kilometers of land in 14 of Croatia’s 21 counties. 

Thanks to the efforts of the United States and other donors, as well as the 

Government of Croatia’s own considerable contributions, mine contamination 

was reduced to 1,174 square kilometers in 2005.

Since late 1998, the U.S. Department of State has contributed to humanitarian 

mine action in the Balkans region, including Croatia, through the International 

Trust Fund (ITF) for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance based in Slovenia. In 

FY04, the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department 

of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) allocated $2 million 

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a substantial landmine 

and unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem, the 

result of 1992–1995 intrastate ethnic strife. The 

Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center 

(BHMAC) has recorded more than 18,000 minefi elds, and believes that 670,000 

landmines and 650,000 UXO items contaminate more than 2,000 square 

kilometers of land. A 2002–2003 Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) conducted 

by Handicap International France and funded by the United States, Canada, 

and the European Commission, revealed that 1,366 of 2,935 municipalities 

were affected by minefi elds and UXO to some degree; 154 municipalities 

were classifi ed as “high impact,” meaning daily life and reconstruction were 

signifi cantly restricted by landmines. Refugees from the village of Saobracajni 

Fakultet in Vogosca Municipality, for example, were unable to return to their 

homes, because landmines not only impeded repatriation, but also prevented 

workers from entering the fi elds to farm or to repair power lines to restore 

electricity to the area. From November to December 2003, the village was 

demined with U.S. and local community funding, allowing refugees to return 

safely for the fi rst time since the war.

The United States has supported humanitarian mine action (HMA) in Bosnia and 

Herzegovina since FY96. U.S. funding for HMA in the Balkans, including Bosnia 

and Herzegovina, shifted to the Slovenia-based International Trust Fund (ITF) 

for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance since the end of 1998. In FY04, the 

Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s 

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) allocated over $3.4 million to 

Bosnia and Herzegovina through the ITF and $500,000 was provided by the U.S. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The United States invested 

At the edge of a town, Bosnian 

deminers carefully check lanes 

in a forested area near a slope 

littered with debris. 

Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement.

$3.83 million more in FY05, including $3,000,000 from the ITF, and $500,000 

from the CDC. The ITF fi nances various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 

engaging in HMA activities, and Bosnian government efforts under the direction 

of BHMAC. Some NGO projects funded by PM/WRA through the ITF include 

the Landmine Survivors Network’s survivors assistance and peer advocacy 

programs, Spirit of Soccer’s mine risk education, and diverse mine clearance 

operations identifi ed and prioritized by BHMAC. CDC contributions were applied 

to social reintegration of landmine survivors.

The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina initiated funding for BHMAC in 

2004, paying $240,000 for overhead and maintenance. This demonstrated the 

Bosnian government’s commitment to HMA and reinforced donor confi dence. 

The United States and private and public donors have sustained the Bosnian 

HMA program, which is scheduled to enable the country to be free from the 

humanitarian impact of landmines (“mine impact-free”) by 2010. Signifi cant 

progress has been made towards this end, with the LIS enhancing BHMAC’s 

ability to develop very effective mine action plans. In addition, the Mine 

Detection Dog Center for South East Europe (see page 46), established in 

cooperation with the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina with PM/WRA 

funding, is now self-sustainable and can train new mine detecting dogs for 

deployment throughout the region. 

Croatia

Bosnia ANDHerzegovina

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This SETCO hard tire, used by 

The HALO Trust in Georgia, Sri 

Lanka, and other mine-affected 

countries, has a unique series 

of openings that help these tires 

withstand repeated blasts from 

anti-personnel landmines before 

they must be replaced. These 

tough tires are among the many 

devices that the U.S. Department 

of Defense’s Humanitarian 

Demining Research and 

Development Program has either 

modifi ed from commercial use 

or prototyped and then offered 

for no-cost fi eld testing.

The HALO Trust.

with mechanical clearance equipment. In FY05, the United States provided 

$3,000,000 to The HALO Trust to conduct further mine action in Georgia. The 

funds enabled HALO’s operational capacity to increase from nine to 30 manual 

demining teams in addition to supporting nine mechanical clearance units.

Since 1997, PM/WRA support for demining, executed by The HALO Trust, has 

gone far to reopen roads to local commerce and to restore access to lands 

A July 2004 Advanced Survey Mission conducted by 

the Survey Action Center and funded by the Offi ce 

of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) determined that the vast majority of landmines and 

unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Georgia are in Abkhazia, a region affected by 

separatist activities since the 1992–1993 civil confl ict. Substantial minefi elds 

also exist along portions of Georgia’s borders and in the Pankisi Gorge, a 

valley to the north of Tbilisi. Former Soviet military installations are also 

contaminated by mines, UXO and abandoned ordnance (AO). The absence of 

a formal resolution to the Abkhaz confl ict impedes humanitarian mine action 

(HMA) activities, while mines, UXO and AO hinder national reconstruction 

and development efforts.

In FY04, PM/WRA and the U.S. Department of Defense provided $1,504,000 

in HMA funding to address the landmine and UXO problem in Abkhazia. The 

HALO Trust received $1,500,000 from PM/WRA to support four additional 

manual clearance teams (for a total of nine teams), a minefi eld marking/

survey team, an explosive ordnance disposal team, a mine risk education 

team, and the maintenance of six armored tractors. The HALO Trust continues 

demining operations in Abkhazia and has undertaken the task of clearing 

high-priority areas. The U.S. military, in coordination with The HALO Trust, 

is currently completing fi eld evaluations of SETCO “hard” tires that are used 

Persistent landmines, booby traps, and improvised explosive devices from past confl icts can also be a problem in urban areas, often rendering valuable 

infrastructure unusable. For example, portions of the Babushara Airport in Georgia were infested with landmines and had to be cleared by The HALO 

Trust under a PM/WRA grant.

The HALO Trust.

Georgia 
30 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

europe

The HALO Trust uses an armored vehicle with a heavy roller attachment 

to perform “area reduction” in Georgia. A PMN-2 anti-personnel 

landmine, visible in the foreground, was destroyed less than a minute 

after this photo was taken.

The HALO Trust.

A mobile crushing machine crushes and processes earth contaminated 

with landmines and then deposits clean soil at the end of the conveyer 

belt. In the background, an armored tractor travels to a nearby location 

to scoop more topsoil and have it similarly processed. The HALO Trust 

operates both pieces of equipment in Georgia.

The HALO Trust.

Kazakhstan inherited a large stockpile of small 

arms and light weapons (SA/LW) from the 

Soviet military with the collapse of the Soviet 

Union. Kazakhstan found that its arsenals were 

fi lled with weapons that would never be used for a war that would not be 

fought. In 2005, the government of Kazakhstan determined several thousand 

SA/LW to be in excess of its defense needs and requested assistance, 

through the NATO Partnership-for-Peace Trust Fund, for destruction of more 

than 26,000 weapons, from AK-47s to shoulder-fi red missiles. The United 

States agreed to take on lead-nation responsibility and provided $295,000 in 

FY05 funds. As of this printing, NATO has accomplished a feasibility study, 

and the Netherlands has agreed to become a donor nation.

for farming and grazing. From 2001 to July 2004, The HALO Trust cleared a 

total of 6,892,235 square meters of land in high-impact areas and offered 

mine risk education materials to more than 46,000 people. Due in part to 

comprehensive HMA efforts by The HALO Trust and other organizations, 

casualties from mine accidents in Abkhazia decreased from an estimated 50 

to 60 in 1994 to fi ve in 2003. The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Research and Development Program provided HALO Trust with $40,000 for 

the fi eld evaluations of SETCO “hard” tires, used for mechanical clearance 

equipment. Abkhazia is projected to become free from the humanitarian 

impact of landmines and UXO (“impact free”) in 2007.

europe

Kazakhstan

Georgia (cont.) 
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 31

europe

Serbia and Montenegro are affected by 

unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines, 

which also contaminate key waterways, mostly 

as a result of the 1991-1995 civil war following 

the breakup of Yugoslavia. The presence of these deadly remnants of war 

has markedly hindered the post-confl ict reconstruction efforts of Serbia and 

Montenegro and international agencies, while small arms and light weapons 

(SA/LW) accumulated during the war may now pose a threat to public safety.

In FY04, the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department 

of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) contributed 

$1,021,000 in humanitarian mine action to Serbia and Montenegro through 

the Slovenian International Trust Fund (ITF) for Demining and Mine Victims 

Assistance. This funding focused mainly on UXO clearance operations in Belgrade 

and on the Montenegrin coast. The Regional Center for Underwater Demining 

(RCUD) (see page 47) in Bijela, Herceg Novi, Montenegro, plays a critical 

role in reducing the UXO threat to commercial fi shing, tourism, and maritime 

commerce. The State Department has also provided $1,792,000 since FY01 in 

assistance to help Serbia and Montenegro reduce excess SA/LW stockpiles 

remaining from the confl ict. In FY05, PM/WRA provided $1,000,000 more to 

continue the implementation of these programs.

Neither the Mine Action Center for Serbia and Montenegro (SMAC) nor the 

RCUD has conducted a general survey or a formal Landmine Impact Survey, but 

they envision removing most UXO and landmines from the country by 2014. The 

recent establishment of SMAC and a draft multi-year mine action plan should 

lead to increased synchronization, management, and oversight of clearance 

This sea (anti-ship) mine from a past confl ict, discovered off the coast of 

Montenegro by special divers from the RCUD, is carefully brought to the 

surface for safe disposal. Humanitarian mine action normally focuses on 

persistent landmines and other explosive remnants of war found on land. 

However, sea mines and UXO, such as bombs that remain in rivers, lakes and 

littoral zones, also pose a threat to commercial shipping, fi shing, yachting, 

and recreational use, and must be removed and rendered safe or destroyed 

as well. 

Regional Center for Underwater Demining.

operations. The RCUD has rapidly developed into not only an underwater 

demining training center for Serbia and Montenegro, but also a source of 

expertise and training for the entire Balkans region. It is estimated that mine 

action efforts will be completed in Montenegro by 2010 and in Serbia by 2014.

Serbia AND Montenegro
CHILE

COLOMBIA

NICARAGUA

PERU AND ECUADOR

Latin

America
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 33

latin america

Chile

Chile’s military government planted over 300 minefi elds 

in the 1970s and 1980s with more than 125,000 antipersonnel and a similar number of anti-vehicle mines 

along its borders with Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. A 

democratic Chilean government requested U.S. demining assistance in 2001.

Chile was admitted to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian 

Demining Program in December 2003. The U.S. Southern Command conducted 

the fi rst humanitarian mine action training mission in Chile in May-June 

2005, using U.S. Army Special Forces and Civil Affairs personnel augmented 

by medical specialists. They conducted training in basic humanitarian 

demining tasks, high-altitude medicine (presented by senior U.S. Air Force 

and U.S. Army medical offi cers) and medical evacuation topics, and mine 

action management (including the Integrated Management System for 

Mine Action).

Approximately $735,000 in Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and 

Civic Aid funds were expended on the mission, including about 

$200,000 for equipment (demining and medical) and infrastructure 

upgrades to the Chilean demining classroom, which were 

left behind.

Colombia

latin america

Colombia suffers one of the highest annual number of 

mine casualties in the world, and is the only country in 

Latin America where mines are still being emplaced 

(by illegal armed groups, not by the Colombian 

government). The Colombian government is beginning the process of 

conducting humanitarian demining operations of 32 minefi elds located 

around military installations.

In conjunction with the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the 

U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, personnel 

from the U.S. Southern Command conducted a Program Assessment Visit 

(PAV) to Colombia in April 2005. Subsequently, the inter-agency Policy 

Coordinating Committee Subcommittee on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) 

agreed to admit Colombia into the U.S. HMA program. A small quantity 

of Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid funds was expended to 

support the DoD personnel who participated in the PAV. A follow-up visit 

to precisely determine Colombia’s HMA requirements is scheduled for 

this year. 

Twelve years of confl ict between the Nicaraguan 

Government and rebel forces following the 1979 

downfall of the Somoza regime saw the extensive 

use of landmines by both sides. In addition, postconfl ict demobilization left a surplus of small arms and light weapons, 

including man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), in the country. 

After more than a decade of substantial humanitarian mine action (HMA) 

efforts, the landmine threat to the Nicaraguan people has been signifi cantly 

reduced. Unfortunately, civilians continued to discover some mined areas in 

2004, and the Government has dedicated a demining platoon to respond to 

these discoveries. 

Nicaragua

latin america

Nicaragua receives mine action assistance from the United States through 

the Organization of American States (OAS)/Inter-American Defense Board. 

U.S. HMA aid in FY04 amounted to $1,536,000 to train, equip, and maintain 

demining teams, including mine detecting dogs, in the Northern Atlantic 

Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. In FY05, the Offi ce of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs (PM/WRA) also provided a $227,850 mine survivors 

assistance grant to the OAS for medical assistance and vocational training. 

Future PM/WRA funding for survivors assistance is a possibility. In FY05, 

the United States allocated $1,776,000 towards HMA in Central America. 
34 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

latin america

The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, a Massachusetts-based non-profi t organization that participates in the PM/WRA-managed PublicPrivate Partnership Program, provides physical access, technology, health care, and community services to landmine survivors and others with disabilities, 

so that they may lead normal, productive lives. Here, the Polus Center’s Walking Unidos prosthetic outreach program and clinic is opened in Managua. It is 

based on the successful Polus Center Walking Unidos center that has operated in Leon, Nicaragua since 1997. The Polus Center offers an array of services 

for the disabled in Honduras as well.

Polus Center for Social and Economic Development.

Of this amount, $1,274,000 funded a 100-man demining unit and a survivors 

assistance and rehabilitation program in Nicaragua.

Due to the high risk of unsecured stocks of MANPADS leading to possible 

theft and future use by terrorists against civil aviation, PM/WRA provided 

more than $300,000 to the Government of Nicaragua in a bilateral partnership 

program to destroy or better secure these systems.

U.S. fi nancial and technical assistance has helped to improve public safety 

and health in post-confl ict Nicaragua, and the Nicaraguan HMA program is 

becoming one of the best in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. plans to end 

mine action assistance to Nicaragua in 2006, when the country is expected 

to become free from the humanitarian impact of landmines (“mine impactfree”), although landmine survivors assistance may continue through the 

U.S. Agency for International Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund, in 

partnership with the Pan-American Health Organization.

Nicaragua (cont.)
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 35

latin america

The emergence in 1980 of 

two terrorist organizations, 

the Shining Path and the 

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary 

Movement, led to more than a decade of internal confl ict in which landmines 

were placed throughout Peru. The landmine problem worsened when border 

disputes between Peru and Ecuador escalated into a brief war in 1995, during 

which time the 79-kilometer frontier between the two countries was mined. 

The region’s steep, diffi cult terrain, combined with frequent fl ooding, pose 

signifi cant challenges to deminers on both sides.

The Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) provides humanitarian 

mine action (HMA) assistance to both Peru and Ecuador through the 

Organization of American States (OAS)/Inter-American Defense Board 

(IADB). In FY04, Peru received $500,000 in assistance from PM/WRA to help 

continue its demining operations along the border with Ecuador, provide 

refresher training, replace equipment, and maintain two units of engineer 

technicians. The Peruvian Army duly completed impact surveys of the 

most heavily populated areas, and successfully cleared the departments of 

Tumbes and Piura. Ecuador was also given $500,000 for impact surveys and 

demining operations, resulting in complete recovery of the coastal provinces 

of El Oro and Loja. In 2005, PM/WRA contributed $263,985 more to support 

humanitarian demining in Ecuador.

As demining teams begin working through less populated but more heavilymined and forested terrain, mine clearance is expected to proceed at a 

slower pace. 

In 2004, Ecuador began planning for humanitarian demining operations in the 

diffi cult terrain of the Cordillera del Condor, on their southeastern border with 

Peru. This area presented major challenges in terms of logistics, soil type, 

and terrain. Working with the OAS and IADB missions to Ecuador (funded in 

great part by PM/WRA), the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) HMA 

program planned, coordinated and conducted the fi rst regularly-scheduled 

conventional force HMA training mission, using Army engineers from the 

Puerto Rico Army National Guard as the principal forces, augmented by U.S. 

Army Reserve Civil Affairs personnel. The training mission focused on basic 

humanitarian demining skills and included the introduction of new mine 

detectors selected to compensate for the high metallic content of the soil 

in the area. Considerable emphasis was placed on reviewing operational 

procedures, medical support to the deminers, and quality of life improvements 

at the remote border outpost that still serves as their working base camp.

Approximately $507,000 in Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid 

(OHDACA) funds were expended on the mission, including $150,000 for 

equipment (including mine detectors and customized deminers’ tool bags) 

The terrain along the border between Ecuador and Peru presents a 

formidable challenge for deminers. It is an area that is tough to clear and 

poses impediments to equipping and resupplying these personnel, and 

medically evacuating anyone injured by a landmine.

Ed Trimakas, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

and infrastructure upgrades (renovation and equipping of four classrooms, 

including generator power plants) that were left behind at the conclusion of 

USSOUTHCOM’s efforts there.

PM/WRA mine action support to Peru and Ecuador ended in FY04 and FY05, 

respectively, in accordance with the 2001 OAS Agreement that established 

the mine action programs in these countries, although other U.S. HMA 

programs such as survivors assistance may continue. Both Peru and Ecuador 

plan to become free from the humanitarian impact of landmines (“mine 

impact-free”) by 2010.

Peru and Ecuador
IRAQ

JORDAN

LEBANON

YEMEN

Middle 

east

the
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 37

middle east

World War II and three decades of confl ict have left 

Iraq with a signifi cant landmine, unexploded ordnance 

(UXO), and abandoned ordnance (AO) problem. 

Following the initial military phase of Operation Iraqi 

Freedom, the U.S. Department of State’s Quick Reaction Demining Force 

(QRDF), RONCO Consulting Corporation (a U.S. contractor), and a number 

of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as Mines Advisory Group 

(MAG), Norwegian People’s Aid, and others rapidly began clearing landmines 

and UXO throughout Iraq.

This is just part of the collection of some of the types of UXO littering Iraq 

that has been rendered safe. These assorted munitions are on display in 

the PM/WRA compound. RONCO Consulting Corporation, one of PM/WRA’s 

prime contractors, carries out the Offi ce’s program activities in Iraq.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Richard Kidd, Director, PM/WRA, inspects mine detecting dog kennels 

operated by IMCO, the fi rst Iraqi non-governmental mine action organization 

in that country’s history. IMCO was established with PM/WRA funding and 

continues to receive signifi cant U.S. support, training, and equipment.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

In FY04, the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) 

allocated $61,164,852 to Iraq in humanitarian mine action (HMA) assistance: 

$44 million funded RONCO explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations 

supporting the former Coalition Provision Authority, and $10,769,380 went to 

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) for mine clearance in northern and southern Iraq. 

In addition, PM/WRA granted $3,064,627 for a joint project by the Vietnam 

Veterans of America Foundation and MAG to undertake a mine impact survey 

and assess the effects of landmines on the lives of the Iraqi people. In order 

to enhance an indigenous demining capability, another grant of $345,812 

went to Cranfi eld University (U.K.) to provide mid-level management training 

for Iraqi Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) offi cers. Finally, PM/WRA 

provided 47 technical advisors to the newly established Iraq National Mine 

Action Agency and the Iraq Mine/UXO Clearance Organization (IMCO), a local 

demining , non-governmental organization (NGO) that has cleared mines and 

UXO around Baghdad, Najaf, and Basra. In FY05, the United States allocated 

another $2,840,000 to fund continuing programs in HMA. To date, the U.S. 

Department of Defense has supplemented PM/WRA funding with more than 

$1.6 million for EOD training of Iraqi National Guard personnel. 

The aforementioned projects followed similar, previous U.S. efforts to help 

Iraq overcome its legacy of landmines, UXO and AO. The QRDF cleared land 

surrounding downed power lines, enabling Iraqi crews to repair the electrical 

grid and restore power to more than three million Iraqis living in Baghdad. 

These urgent reconstruction projects were paired with longer-term capacitybuilding programs that trained Iraqi EOD teams with a full complement of 

demining equipment and mine detecting dogs; established the fi rst National 

Mine Action Authority and Regional Mine Action Centers in Iraq’s history; 

and helped establish IMCO, Iraq’s fi rst mine action NGO. Iraqi capacity was 

further enhanced with the complete transfer of UN mine action assets in 

northern Iraq to Iraqi control in November 2003. The Government of Iraq 

faces further challenges in dealing with mines and UXO, particularly with 

insurgent use of improvised explosive devices against its own forces and 

civilians, and Coalition personnel. The U.S. remains committed to provide the 

requisite assistance to eliminate the humanitarian impact of landmines and 

UXO on the lives of the people of Iraq.

Iraq
38 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

middle east

Jordan

According to Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) 

engineers, nearly 310,000 landmines, most 

dating from the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, were 

emplaced in an area of 100 square kilometers. 

Although the landmine problem is not as extensive in Jordan as it is in some 

other countries in the Middle East, the landmine threat has been exacerbated 

by 30 years of erosion, shifting sands, and other environmental factors. After 

creating a national demining program on its own initiative in 1993, Jordan 

cleared and destroyed more than 99,800 landmines and reclaimed nearly 12.4 

square kilometers of arable land. JAF engineers have focused much of their 

energy and attention on the fertile Jordan River valley so that farmers can 

safely return to their fi elds.

In FY04, Jordan received $1,350,000 from the United States, including 

$950,000 from the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) for the 

purchase of demining equipment provided by RONCO Consulting Corporation, 

a PM/WRA U.S. contractor, and $400,000 from the U.S. Centers for Disease 

This minefi eld in Jordan illustrates some of the diffi culties in conducting 

mine clearance. Brush and other natural growth must fi rst be laboriously 

and safely cleared before deminers can use their metal detectors and 

probes.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Control and Prevention for mine survivors assistance, such as the peer support 

activities of the Landmine Survivors Network (LSN). LSN, a non-governmental 

organization co-sponsored by Queen Noor, is a PM/WRA Public-Private 

Partner in mine action. The U.S. believes that Jordan can achieve the goal 

of becoming free from the humanitarian impact of landmines (“mine impactfree”) by 2010. Given Jordan’s proven effectiveness and its rate of progress 

in mine action, the U.S. completed its mine action capacity building aid there 

at the end of 2005.

In the formative period of Jordan’s mine action program, a Jordanian 

Armed Forces deminer receives “hands-on” training from a U.S. soldier 

who has undergone special training to teach others this exacting 

discipline. The Jordanian Army has since developed extensive mine 

action expertise, and has cleared a signifi cant quantity of valuable 

agricultural land that can now be safely and productively farmed again.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 39

middle east

Lebanon

The threat of improvised explosive devices, as well as 

persistent landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), 

has left Lebanon with an unusually diverse and complex 

problem. Moreover, dangerous areas continue to be 

discovered and tasked for clearance, as demining progresses throughout the 

country. In FY04, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, 

and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund 

(USAID/LWVF) provided a total of $2,816,000 for humanitarian mine action 

(HMA) in Lebanon. 

In addition to purchasing equipment and spare parts for mechanized demining, 

the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department 

of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) supported the 

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in clearing 161,810 square meters of land 

and restoring access to roads, water, power lines, and farms. Furthermore, 

PM/WRA gave a $61,300 grant to the Vietnam Veterans of America 

Foundation to assist Lebanon’s National Demining Offi ce in establishing a 

planning and prioritization process for its humanitarian mine action program. 

In FY05, the United States funded $2,300,000 more in mine action aid. Of this 

amount, $700,000 went towards the purchase of vehicles for the Lebanese 

program. In addition, $800,000 was allocated to conduct a technical survey 

of the entire country and properly mark minefi elds.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) also 

contributed to HMA in Lebanon by deploying U.S. Army personnel to train 

and equip 50 LAF manual deminers. The U.S. provided the demining unit 

with personal protective equipment, mine detectors, and communications 

gear. Furthermore, U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Technicians trained nearly 

60 LAF UXO disposal specialists, while the U.S. Army 4th Psychological 

Operations Group trained 300 Lebanese public school teachers in mine risk 

education. The U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) assumed the Lebanon 

HMA mission in March 2005; U.S. Navy SCUBA trainers and EOD technicians 

established a $520,000 program for the LAF, training 23 personnel in basic 

SCUBA, advanced dive medicine, dive supervisor, and underwater UXO 

disposal during the summer and fall. The underwater UXO program included 

the purchase of $300,000 worth of new basic SCUBA equipment which was 

procured for the LAF trainers. 

Finally, with USAID support, the World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) manages 

the “Expanding Economic Opportunities for Survivors of Landmines in the 

District of Jizzine in South Lebanon” program, designed to foster economic 

inclusion of war-affected individuals. Through this initiative, landmine 

survivors engage in income-generating activities such as egg production, bee 

keeping, honey processing, and other competitive agricultural enterprises. 

Benefi ciaries are involved as stakeholders in a legal resource cooperative 

that provides employment opportunities and management, marketing, and 

product processing services. In FY05, USAID provided the WRF with $830,000 

in additional assistance.

The Lebanese government has further developed its HMA strategy, and has 

successfully obtained international assistance from more than 20 donors, 

A Lebanese Armed Forces dog handler and his mine detecting dog 

(MDD) prepare to enter a live minefi eld. Provision of MDDs, training of 

handlers, and furnishing the requisite support to ensure that the dogs are 

healthy and well cared for, have been a part of the United States’ multifaceted humanitarian mine action assistance to Lebanon throughout the 

years.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

The United States provided this ARMTRAC 100 armored tractor with a fl ail 

attachment to the Lebanese Armed Forces to clear persistent landmines 

in areas where the type of mine threat and the terrain are ideally suited 

for mechanical clearance. The logo of the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action 

Program is visible on the tractor’s cab.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

in addition to UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. With 

sustained U.S. and international support, it is estimated that Lebanon will 

soon have its own independent demining capability.
40 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

middle east

Yemen

Armed factions in Yemen’s three civil wars between 

1962 and 1994 mined large tracts of borderland and 

city outskirts. Landmines and unexploded ordnance 

(UXO) have caused more than 5,000 casualties in 

the past decade and have signifi cantly impacted the country’s agricultural 

industry, the primary source of income for more than half the population. UXO 

could be a double threat, if terrorists recover and reuse them. 

In FY04, Yemen received approximately $773,000 from the Offi ce of 

Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau 

of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) to purchase demining equipment, 

$550,000 of which was used to purchase locally-manufactured equipment. 

PM/WRA is also supporting the country’s humanitarian demining efforts by 

procuring equipment and vehicles for eight companies of Yemeni deminers. 

In addition, PM/WRA and the U.S. Navy have planned the renovation of a 

regional mine action branch offi ce in Mukallah. As demining teams move east 

along the coastline and farther from Aden, the Mukallah branch offi ce will 

be able to keep the deminers continuously equipped and supplied. In FY05, 

PM/WRA provided $750,000 to purchase additional equipment and supplies 

for Yemen’s mine action program. U.S. Central Command’s Yemen HMA 

program is managed by U.S. Navy personnel. In FY05 U.S. Navy medics 

provided mine survivor assistance medical upgrade training to 20 members 

of Yemen’s 8th Demining Company.

The Yemeni mine action program has been enormously successful since its 

inception in 2001, removing more than 182,000 UXO and landmines, and 

reclaiming more than two million square meters of land. Yemen’s National 

Mine Action Center has cleared all the communities considered “high impact,” 

and one-third of the medium-impact areas, having removed landmines that 

signifi cantly altered daily activities. Given the Yemeni program’s clear and 

realistic vision, which was enabled by a landmark national Landmine Impact 

Survey supported in part by the United States, the U.S. believes that the 

country may become free from the humanitarian impact of landmines (“mine 

impact-free”) by 2009. 

Yemeni deminers practice rendering fi rst aid and preparing a comrade 

for medical evacuation in order to be able to effectively respond to 

real accidents that may occur during actual demining operations. First 

aid training, quick medical evacuation to a surgical facility, and the 

provision of medical equipment and supplies are integral components 

of all full-service U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action programs. Naturally, 

strict adherence to proper demining procedures minimizes the chances 

that deminers will be killed or injured on the job.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Assorted artillery shells, mortar shells, and other remnants of war are 

readied for demolition at a Yemeni demining site. Humanitarian demining 

often entails clearing more than just persistent landmines. Deminers 

must also deal with other war detritus that may be encountered on 

former battlefi elds, such as unexploded hand grenades, aerial bombs 

that failed to detonate, and even large rockets.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
to walk the earth in safety

O F F I C E O F W E A P O N S 

REMOVAL AND ABATEMENT

H U M A N I T A R I A N D E M I N I N G 

TRAINING CENTER

U . S . A R M Y N I G H T 

V I S I O N & E L E C T R O N I C 

SENSORS DIRECTORATE

M I N E A C T I O N 

INFORMATION CENTER

M I N E D E T E C T I O N D O G 

C E N T E R F O R S O U T H 

EAST EUROPE

R E G I O N A L C E N T E R F O R 

UNDERWATER DEMINING

PAST RECIPIENTS OF U.S.

H U M A N I T A R I A N M I N E 

ACTION ASSISTANCE

U.S. HUMANITARIAN

 M I N E A C T I O N P R O G R A M 

FUNDING HISTORY
42 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement

The Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) creates local, regional and international conditions 

conducive to peace, stability, and prosperity by curbing the 

illicit proliferation of conventional weapons of war such as 

light automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, and by 

clearing other weapons of war, such as persistent landmines 

and abandoned stocks of munitions that remain after armed confl ict has ended. PM/WRA also works to limit the 

proliferation of and better secure man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).

PM/WRA develops, implements, and monitors policy, programs, and public engagement efforts that contribute 

to the prevention and mitigation of confl ict, as well as to post-confl ict social and economic recovery. The goals 

are to curb the illicit traffi cking, availability and indiscriminate use of conventional weapons of war that fuel 

regional and internal instability; pursue and help manage post-confl ict cleanup of such weapons in areas needed 

for civilian use; and engage civil society through Public-Private Partnerships and other forms of outreach to 

broaden support for these efforts and enhance U.S. infl uence. 

Conventional weapons and munitions addressed by PM/WRA include, but are not limited to, landmines, 

unexploded ordnance, abandoned ordnance, MANPADS, and other small arms and light weapons. By addressing 

acute humanitarian needs, this offi ce also demonstrates the United States commitment to a set of values 

that respects human life. PM/WRA works closely with other U.S. Government agencies, non-governmental 

organizations, international organizations, and private enterprises.

U.S. Department of State

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA)

SA-3, Suite 6100

2121 Virginia Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C., 20522

U.S.A.

Telephone: 202-663-0100

Fax: 202-663-0090

Email: steveje@state.gov

Website: www.state.gov/t/pm/wra
w

T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 43

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Demining Training Center 

(HDTC) is the U.S. Government focal point for humanitarian mine action 

training. The Center, located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, provides 

training and subject-matter expertise for the U.S. Humanitarian Mine 

Action (HMA) Program. The HDTC’s primary mission is to train U.S. military 

personnel in accordance with International Mine Action Standards in 

order to assist mine-affected countries in establishing and building a 

self-sustained, indigenous HMA capacity. Training covers both HMA and 

explosive ordnance disposal, with special emphasis on mine clearance, 

mine risk education, management of mine action, and the U.N.-approved Information Management System for 

Mine Action (IMSMA). 

The HDTC has extensive training areas, a vast collection of inert landmines, mine detectors, personal protective 

equipment, and educational displays. The facility maintains a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art computer classroom 

for in-depth IMSMA instruction using software populated with geographic information and infrastructure 

data from the local Fort Leonard Wood area, including simulated hazard areas. Real-time application allows 

students to conduct realistic, practical landmine surveys and input this information into the IMSMA system. 

The HDTC conducts fi eld exercises on the installation using built-up and rural areas that emphasize lessonspecifi c instruction. Surveys are conducted using simulated landmine-hazard areas in housing blocks, on school 

grounds, and around other nearby infrastructures. The Center also conducts extensive hands-on training with 

on-site demining training lanes, metal-free detector lanes, mine and UXO identifi cation lanes, a full-scale mine 

clearance demonstration area, and a functioning Regional Mine Action Center that directly supports mine action 

situational training exercises. 

Since its inception in 1996, the HDTC has trained more than 1,500 U.S. Special Operations Forces personnel 

who have deployed to 33 mine-affected countries in support of U.S. HMA program goals. The HDTC also trains 

thousands of other U.S. military, civilian, and non-governmental organization personnel in mine risk education 

and mine awareness.

Point of Contact: Rodney Robideau, Director 

U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Training Center

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 65473

U.S.A.

Telephone: 573-563-6199

Fax: 573-563-5051

Email: atsedothd@wood.army.mil

Website: www.wood.army.mil/hdtc 

Humanitarian Demining Training Center

Jim Lawrence, Deputy Director, PM/WRA, prepares to search for an inert landmine during an orientation in 

one of the training lanes at the HDTC. 

John Stevens, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
44 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

U.S. Army Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate

The U.S. Army Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) 

executes the Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD 

R&D) Program with funding and oversight from the U.S. Department 

of Defense. The Program develops, tests, demonstrates, and validates 

technologies that increase the effi ciency and enhance the overall 

safety of humanitarian demining operations. This is accomplished 

through the adaptation of commercial, off-the-shelf equipment, 

the application of mature technologies, and leveraging current 

technology developments from the U.S. Army’s Countermine mission area. The Program’s primary goal is to 

fi eld as many prototype technologies as possible for the demining community’s use in combating the global

landmine problem. 

Every year, the HD R&D Program invites representatives from international mine action centers and nongovernmental organizations to its requirements workshop. Based on the needs identifi ed, and on ensuing incountry site assessments, decisions are made regarding the next year’s R&D efforts, followed by design and 

development of the required prototype technologies. All prototype technologies undergo extensive testing to 

ensure that design requirements are met, and that the equipment is ready for immediate use. 

The real test of a system is an operational fi eld evaluation in a host nation where the equipment undergoes testing in 

minefi elds or mined areas. The evaluation allows host-country personnel to operate the equipment and determine if 

the prototype is useful, suitable, cost-effective, and effi cient. This process is extremely benefi cial to all participants. Of 

prime importance, the host nation has the potential to increase the safety of deminers, and to improve the effi ciency 

of demining operations by using and evaluating the prototype equipment. Simultaneously, the Directorate acquires 

invaluable feedback, experience, and knowledge, enabling it to be a more productive technology R&D entity.

Point of Contact: Sean Burke

Department of the Army

RDECOM NVESD

ATTN: AMSRD-CER-NV-CM-HD

10221 Burbeck Road

Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 22060

U.S.A.

Telephone: 703-704-1047

FAX: 703-704-3001

Email: sean.burke@nvl.army.mil

Website: www.humanitarian-demining.org

Sean Burke, Program Manager for the NVESD’s 

Humanitarian Demining Program, demonstrates a 

state-of-the-art detector to humanitarian deminers 

from around the world during a day-long fi eld 

demonstration of demining technology at Fort 

A.P. Hill, Virginia. The NVESD hosts an annual 

requirements workshop for all interested foreign 

government and non-governmental organization 

deminers. One of the high points of the workshop 

is the fi eld day when NVESD technologies being 

adapted or prototyped are displayed in action.

John Stevens, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
w

T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 45

Mine Action Information Center

To help build national mine action capacity, the MAIC offers advanced management training courses to 

senior mine action offi cials from around the world. The United Nations Development Program funds these 

courses, with additional support from PM/WRA. Foreign offi cials from 17 countries attended the Fall 2004 

MAIC Senior Manager’s Course. Some, seen here in the left-hand photo, are enjoying an ice cream break 

on the campus. 

Mine Action Information Center.

The Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) on the campus of James 

Madison University is a public policy center that acts as a clearinghouse 

for information relevant to humanitarian mine action. Established as 

a center of excellence in 1996, the MAIC has been a major player in 

international efforts to ameliorate the effects of persistent landmines. 

The MAIC supports many clients, including the U.S. Department of State, 

the United Nations, the governments of Canada and Switzerland, and 

regional organizations, such as the International Trust Fund for Demining 

and Mine Victims Assistance in Slovenia, and the Organization of American States. It manages information 

topics that span the diverse functions of mine action, such as current mine action news; key organization contact 

information; studies and surveys; databases (such as IMAS); technological advances; conference events; 

partnering and employment opportunities; and geographic information system software. These measures are 

often accomplished through the outreach of the MAIC’s Journal of Mine Action published twice each year, the 

MAIC website and MAIC-hosted seminars, workshops and conferences. 

The MAIC conducts the UN Development Program Senior Mine Action Manager’s Course, and other related 

mine action management courses. Additionally, MAIC has planned and conducted mine risk education training 

in Vietnam. 

Point of Contact: Dennis Barlow, Director

Mine Action Information Center

James Madison University

One Court Square, MSC 8504

Harrisonburg, Virginia, 22807

U.S.A.

Telephone: 540-568-2756

Fax: 540-568-8176

Email: barlowdc@jmu.edu

Website: www.maic.jmu.edu
46 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

The Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC) for South East Europe was 

offi cially opened on October 14, 2003. The Offi ce of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs funds the MDDC through the International Trust Fund for 

Demining and Mine Victims Assistance. The Center, located in Bosnia 

and Herzegovina, is recognized by the South East Europe Mine Action 

Coordination Council. 

The Center’s principal goal is to develop a local capacity to train the next 

generation of mine detecting dogs (MDDs) in South East Europe. The fi rst accomplishments in this process were the 

successful training of two local mine detecting dog trainers and the fi rst six of 12 MDDs and their handlers. The fi rst 

set of six MDD teams completed training in August 2004, and the MDDC commenced training the second set of six 

MDDs shortly thereafter. When training of these MDD teams is completed, the MDDC will commence training MDDs 

for local non-governmental organizations. 

The MDDC, in coordination with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center, United Nations Children’s 

Fund (UNICEF), the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), and other partners, developed “Project Brenda,” a mine risk 

education (MRE) program that combines an MDD team demonstration with MRE lectures to warn children in 

Bosnia and Herzegovina about the dangers of landmines. The MDDC also organizes workshops for MDD users 

in Bosnia and Herzegovina in an effort to improve standards and operational procedures, as well as exchange 

experience, knowledge, and expertise. Additionally, the MDDC is developing seminars for mine dog evaluators, 

trainers and handlers, and quality-control inspectors.

Point of Contact: Nermin Hadzimujagic, Director

Telephone: 387 036 739-860

Fax: 387 036 769-861

Email: nermin@mddc.net.ba

Website: www.mddc.ba 

The MDDC also uses its expertise to teach 

MRE to children (ages 7–13), so that they will 

understand signs of danger if they approach 

a minefi eld or a former battlefi eld, and know 

how to avoid risky behavior, should they 

encounter potentially dangerous objects. 

Here, a group of Boy Scouts from Bosnia and 

Herzegovina, and friends from Italy, gather 

around “Brenda,” a veteran MDD during an 

MDDC-sponsored MRE session. Now retired, 

Brenda works with MLI to inspire American 

school children to support MLI’s efforts to 

provide more mine detecting dogs for the 

Balkans and for other mine-affected areas of 

the world. Although she is a trained working 

dog, Brenda is gentle and inspires great 

interest and support—including in-fl ight 

announcements from pilots—as she travels 

around the United States.

MDDC for South East Europe.

Mine Detection Dog Center for South East Europe
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T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 47

This represents a very small portion 

of the RCUD’s haul of UXO found in 

shallow waters and even farther out 

to sea that will eventually be safely 

destroyed. The RCUD also collects 

unexploded aerial bombs, artillery 

shells, and other UXO from rivers and 

lakes in the region.

Regional Center for Underwater Demining.

The Regional Center for Divers Training in Underwater EOD, also known 

as the Regional Center for Underwater Demining (RCUD), is located 

in Bijela, Herceg Novi, in Montenegro. Established on September 24, 

2002, it is the fi rst such center in south east Europe to clear and train 

others to clear landmines, sea mines, and unexploded ordnance in the 

coastal zone of the Adriatic Sea and in the rivers and other bodies of 

water in the region affected by the explosive remnants of war from several confl icts dating from as early as 

World War I.

The RCUD’s priorities are to train divers for underwater demining, protect explorers and other professional and 

recreational divers from being harmed, conduct specialized research, and coordinate their efforts with other 

demining organizations in the region.

The RCUD receives support from Montenegro, the Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department 

of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the European Union, the International Trust Fund for Demining and 

Mine Victims Assistance, and the South East Europe Mine Action Coordination Council.

Point of Contact: Mr. Vesko Mijajlovic

Telephone: 381 88 683 477

Fax: 381 88 683 375

Email: offi ce@rcud.cg.yu

Website: www.rcud.cg.yu

Two RCUD divers prepare to clear an anti-ship 

underwater mine discovered off the coast of Montenegro. 

Sea mines left from past confl icts in littoral zones pose a 

threat to shipping, commercial fi shermen, yachters, and 

recreational divers.

Regional Center for Underwater Demining.

Regional Center for Underwater Demining
48 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

Past Recipients of U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Assistance

The U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program has provided all manner of mine action assistance—mine 

clearance; mine risk education; mine survivors assistance; training of national program managers and deminers; 

training of medical personnel to render aid to injured deminers; personal protective equipment; robust 4x4 

vehicles, specialized tractors and mine-resistant demining machines; mine detecting dogs; metal detectors; 

ambulances for injured deminers and others harmed in a mine incident; aerial medevac capability; and much 

more—to a greater number of mine-affected countries around the world than those profi led in this edition of 

To Walk the Earth in Safety. 

The United States has provided humanitarian mine action assistance to nearly 50 countries since the interagency program’s formal inception in 1993. The following 24 countries and 1 province have received U.S. mine 

action assistance in the recent past. U.S. mine action assistance normally ceases when the country is able 

to achieve an adequate indigenous mine action capacity at the conclusion of a specifi c program, or when the 

country is rendered free from the humanitarian impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance (“mine impactfree”). Countries and regions in green denote that they are now “mine impact-free.”

NOTE: Although Suriname was never in the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, in 2005 the United 

States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) airlifted a platoon of Honduran deminers there where, under an 

OAS program, they cleared landmines from Suriname’s last known minefi eld that year. USSOUTHCOM then fl ew 

them home.

*Although rendered free from the humanitarian impact of landmines and UXO (“mine impact-free”), episodic 

U.S. mine action assistance has continued or may continue in order to help sustain indigenous capacity to deal 

with those remaining landmines or UXO that are discovered from time to time. This recognizes the fact that no 

country that has been affected by persistent landmines and other explosive remnants of war during a confl ict 

can ever be guaranteed to be 100% “mine free.”

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS OF U.S. MINE ACTION ASSISTANCE

Argentina Armenia Costa Rica Djibouti

Egypt El Salvador Estonia Ethiopia

Guatemala Guinea-Bissau Honduras* Kosovo* 

Macedonia Mauritania Moldova Namibia 

Nigeria Oman Peru Rwanda

Somalia Swaziland Thailand Zambia

Zimbabwe
w

T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 49

Country Sources 1993 – 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total

 (Est.) (Est.)

Afghanistan DOS NADR - - 1,000 2,200 2,615 3,000 2,800 4,000 5,300 12,519 13,700 13,500 60,634

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - 1,800 - - 0 - 1,800

 USAID Leahy - - - - - - - 1,000 - 1,000 700 - 2,700

 ERF (State) - - - - - - - 3,000 3,000 - - - 6,000

 DoD ARCENT - - - - - - - 2,464 - - - - 2,464

DOS FMF 2,000 1,000 - - - - - - - - - - 3,000

 DOS PRM 4,000 1,000 2,000 - - - - - - - - - 7,000

 DOS IO 1,000 - - - - - - - - - - - 1,000

 USAID 5,200 - - - - - - - 13,925 28,875 - - 48,000

 CDC - - - - - - - 600 700 400 - - 1,700

 Country Total 12,200 2,000 3,000 2,200 2,615 3,000 2,800 12,864 22,925 42,794 14,400 13,500 134,298

Albania DOS NADR-ITF - - - - - - 684 326 1,417 1,750 1,000 - 5,177

 USAID Leahy - - - - - - - - - 340 - - 340

SEED - - - - - 1,049 - - - - - - 1,049

 Country Total - - - - - 1,049 684 326 1,417 2,090 1,000 - 6,566

Angola DOS NADR - - 1,000 2,400 - 3,096 2,844 2,800 3,500 5,300 6,172 5,876 32,988

 DoD OHDACA 3,900 - 100 - - - - - - - - 84 4,084

 USAID Leahy - 2,500 768 732 - - 1,000 900 - 800 651 - 7,351

 DOS FMF 1,170 2,000 - - - - - - - - - - 3,170

 Country Total 5,070 4,500 1,868 3,132 - 3,096 3,844 3,700 3,500 6,100 6,823 5,960 47,593

Argentina DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - 550 - - - 200 750

 Country Total - - - - - - - 550 - - - - 750

Armenia DOS NADR - - - - - 300 850 1,200 250 - - - 2,600

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 1,110 - 1,441 - 67 - - 2,618

 USAID Leahy 1,148 - - - - - - - - - - - 1,148

 DOS FSA - - - - - - - 1,800 - 1,200 - - 3,000

 Country Total 1,148 - - - - 1,410 850 4,441 250 1,267 - - 9,366

Azerbaijan DOS NADR - - - - - 500 1,100 1,380 1,600 2,468 3,500 2,800 13,348

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 140 1,110 - 1,690 1,600 304 483 - 5,327

 DOS FSA - - - - - - - 1,100 - - - - 1,100

 Country Total - - - - 140 1,610 1,100 4,170 3,200 2,772 3,983 2,800 19,775

Bosnia DOS NADR - - - 300 2,305 - - - - - - - 2,605

 DoD OHDACA - 1,238 375 2,100 - - - - - - - - 3,713

 ITF - - - - 6,175 5,500 5,161 5,150 2,960 3,000 3,373 - 31,319

 DoD HAP/EP - 550 - - - - - - - - - - 550

 DOS PKO - 1,000 - - - - - - - - - - 1,000

 SEED - 8,500 5,000 7,000 - - - - - - - - 20,500

 CDC - - - - - - 300 500 500 500 500 - 2,300

 Country Total - 11,288 5,375 9,400 8,480 5,500 5,461 5,650 3,460 3,500 3,873 - 61,987

Cambodia DOS NADR - - 1,000 2,000 1,500 2,580 2,468 2,290 2,765 3,466 3,920 4,900 26,889

 DoD OHDACA 1,985 420 1,584 - - 90 207 319 158 300 180 - 5,243

 USAID Leahy 777 - - 750 1,300 390 1,904 1,600 1,187 865 2,825 - 11,598

 DOS FMF 2,050 1,000 - - - - - - - - - - 3,050

 DOS PKO - 250 - - - - - - - - - - 250

 DOS PRM 1,643 - - - - - - - - - - - 1,643

 Country Total 6,455 1,670 2,584 2,750 2,800 3,060 4,579 4,209 4,110 4,631 6,925 4,900 48,673

Chad DOS NADR - - - 400 732 622 300 350 500 950 1,000 2,200 7,054

 DoD OHDACA - - - 1,500 1,000 17 - - 161 256 169 - 3,103

 Country Total - - - 1,900 1,732 639 300 350 661 1,206 1,169 2,200 10,157

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History

fiscal years  –  (Dollars in Thousands)
50 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

Country Sources 1993 – 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total

 (Est.) (Est.)

Chile DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - - 735 1,100 1,835

 Country Total - - - - - - - - - - 735 1,100 1,835

Colombia DOS NADR - - - - - - - - - - - 300 300

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - - - 300 300

 Country Total - - - - - - - - - - - 600 600

Croatia DOS NADR - - - - 600 - - - - - - - 600

 ITF - - - - - 2,975 2,658 4,570 1,779 1,500 2,300 - 15,782

 Country Total - - - - 600 2,975 2,658 4,570 1,779 1,500 2,300 - 16,382

Djibouti DOS NADR - - - - - 746 400 404 350 - - - 1,900

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 227 723 - 150 - - - 1,100

 Country Total - - - - - 973 1,123 404 500 - - - 3,000

DR of Congo USAID Leahy - - - - - - - 800 - - - - 800

 Country Total - - - - - - - 800 - - - - 800

Ecuador DOS NADR - - - - 1,000 1,000 963 360 - - - - 3,323

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 412 700 650 - - 507 900 3,169

 Country Total - - - - 1,000 1,412 1,663 1,010 - - 507 900 6,492

Egypt DoD OHDACA - - - - - 10 708 - - - - - 718

 Country Total - - - - - 10 708 - - - - - 718

El Salvador USAID Leahy 1,000 500 - - - - - - - - - - 1,500

 CDC - - - - - 150 300 300 450 450 400 - 2,050

 Country Total 1,000 500 - - - 150 300 300 450 450 400 - 3,550

Eritrea DOS NADR - - 500 919 - 500 1,050 1,602 2,400 1,452 2,800 400 11,623

 DoD OHDACA 3,190 537 218 525 10 - 5 - - - - - 4,485

 DOS FMF 660 613 - - - - - - - - - - 1,273

 DOS PKO - 287 - - - - - - - - - - 287

 CDC - - - - - 150 150 150 - - - - 450

 Country Total 3,850 1,437 718 1,444 10 650 1,205 1,752 2,400 1,452 2,800 400 18,118

Estonia DOS NADR - - - - 335 300 - 200 235 - - 1,070

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 698 853 - - - - 19 1,570

 Country Total - - - - 335 998 853 200 235 - - 19 2,640

Ethiopia DOS NADR - - 500 1,220 - 250 - 1,275 300 - - - 3,545

 DoD OHDACA 2,532 537 290 610 10 - 5 - - - - - 3,984

 USAID Leahy 730 - - - - - - 500 - - - - 1,230

 DOS FMF 600 400 - - - - - - - - - - 1,000

 DOS PKO - 500 - - - - - - - - - - 500

 CDC - - - - - 200 350 350 400 400 400 - 2,100

 Country Total 3,862 1,437 790 1,830 10 450 355 2,125 700 400 400 - 12,359

Georgia DOS NADR - - - 39 - 27 1,000 1,100 1,050 1,500 3,000 1,838 9,554

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 1,110 - - - 4 - 1,114

 Country Total - - - 39 - 1,137 1,000 1,100 1,050 1,504 3,000 1,838 10,668

DOS NADR - - - - - 99 489 - 225 - - - 813

DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - - - 2,420 2,420

 Country Total - - - - - 99 489 - 225 - 2,420 3,233

Honduras DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - - - 200 200

 Country Total - - - - - - - - - - - 200 200

Iraq DOS NADR - - - - - - - - 2,950 - 2,840 - 5,790

DOS IRRF - - - - - - - - 12,268 61,000 18,839 - 92,107

 CDC - - - - - - - - 350 - - - 350

 Country Total - - - - - - - - 15,568 61,000 21,679 - 98,247

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History

fiscal years  –  (Dollars in Thousands)

Guinea 

Bissau
w

T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 51

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History

fiscal years  –  (Dollars in Thousands)

Country Sources 1993 – 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total

 (Est.) (Est.)

Jordan DOS NADR - - 400 500 1,900 1,511 947 850 893 950 - - 7,951

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 859 1,555 4 - - - - 90 2,508

 DOS FMF - 300 - - - - - - - - - - 300

 CDC - - - - - 200 300 300 400 400 400 - 2,000

 Country Total - 300 400 500 2,759 3,266 1,251 1,150 1,293 1,350 400 90 12,759

Kenya USAID Leahy - - - - - - - 400 - - - - 400

 Country Total - - - - - - - 400 - - - - 400

Kosovo DOS NADR - - - - 500 - - - - - - - 500

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 500 3,800 - - - - - - 4,300

ITF - - - - - 899 1,945 1,681 - - - - 4,525

 SEED - - - - 1,636 4,628 - - - - - - 6,264

 USAID - 2,307 1,816 2,378 2,537 1,062 1,108 - - - - - 11,207

 Country Total - 2,307 1,816 2,378 5,173 10,388 3,053 1,681 - - - - 26,796

Laos DOS NADR - - 1,000 1,700 1,800 1,486 993 1,328 1,200 1,412 2,500 3,300 16,719

 DoD OHDACA 59 1,800 3,737 864 396 - - - - - - - 6,856

 USAID Leahy 750 - 800 1,000 1,800 - - 500 500 500 700 - 6,550

 DOS FMF - 500 - - - - - - - - - - 500

 DOS PKO - 250 - - - - - - - - - - 250

 Country Total 809 2,550 5,537 3,564 3,996 1,486 993 1,828 1,700 1,912 3,200 3,300 30,875

Lebanon D0S NADR - - - 291 530 1,282 1,000 1,200 1,475 900 2,300 1,000 9,978

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 15 - - 489 1,155 1,470 900 4,029

 USAID Leahy - - - 300 500 - 600 - 600 700 500 - 3,200

 Country Total - - - 591 1,030 1,297 1,600 1,200 2,564 2,755 4,270 1,900 17,207

Liberia USAID Leahy 1,115 225 - 500 1,000 - - - 416 173 - - 3,429

 Country Total 1,115 225 - 500 1,000 - - - 416 173 - - 3,429

Macedonia ITF - - - - - - 1,000 505 97 - - - 1,602

 Country Total - - - - - - 1,000 505 97 - - - 1,602

Mauritania DOS NADR - - - - 534 461 400 - - - - - 1,395

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 450 1,123 1,123 661 595 - - - 3,952

 Country Total - - - - 984 1,584 1,523 661 595 - - - 5,347

Moldova DOS NADR - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 71 - - - - - - - 71

 Country Total - - - - 71 - - - - - - - 71

Mozambique DOS NADR - - 200 1,000 1,900 3,840 2,180 2,110 2,632 1,492 2,336 1,835 19,525

 DoD OHDACA 6,165 100 2,484 1,600 1,100 - - - - - - - 11,449

 USAID Leahy 2,900 - 633 1,000 - - - - - - - - 4,533

 DOS FMF 400 200 - - - - - - - - - - 600

 DOS PRM 1,000 - - - - - - - - - - - 1,000

 CDC - - - - - 200 300 300 400 350 400 - 1,950

 Country Total 10,465 300 3,317 3,600 3,000 4,040 2,480 2,410 3,032 1,842 2,736 1,835 39,057

Namibia DOS NADR - - 400 708 1,053 485 40 65 600 - - - 3,351

 DoD OHDACA 1,165 100 1,485 1,650 - - - - - - - - 4,400

 DOS FMF 270 400 - - - - - - - - - - 670

 Country Total 1,435 500 1,885 2,358 1,053 485 40 65 600 - - - 8,421

Nigeria DOS NADR - - - - - - - 1,449 - - - - 1,449

 Country Total - - - - - - - 1,449 - - - - 1,449

 DOS NADR - - 500 1,400 2,242 1,903 1,350 1,695 1,511 2,611 1,776 1,740 16,728

DoD OHDACA 310 200 1,480 1,720 600 460 1,170 550 200 - - - 6,690

 USAID Leahy - - - - 500 - - 100 478 1,000 - - 2,078

 DOS FMF 1,050 400 - - - - - - - - - - 1,450

 USAID“MITCH” - - - - - 2,000 - - - - - - 2,000

 Country Total 1,360 600 1,980 3,120 3,342 4,363 2,520 2,345 2,189 3,611 1,776 1,740 28,946

OAS** 

(Honduras, 

Costa Rica, 

Guatemala &

Nicaragua)
52 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History

fiscal years  –  (Dollars in Thousands)

Country Sources 1993 – 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total

 (Est.) (Est.)

Oman DOS NADR - - - - - 1,017 273 495 - - - - 1,785

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 4 179 870 - - - - 105 1,158

 Country Total - - - - 4 1,196 1,143 495 - - - 105 2,943

Peru DOS NADR - - - - 1,000 1,000 861 225 - - - - 3,086

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 411 750 650 422 - - - 2,233

 Country Total - - - - 1,000 1,411 1,611 875 422 - - - 5,319

Philippines USAID Leahy - - - - - - - - - 750 - - 750

 Country Total - - - - - - - - - 750 - - 750

Rwanda DOS NADR - - 500 625 750 285 400 350 375 - - - 3,285

 DoD OHDACA 4,580 100 1,610 1,500 - - - - - - - - 7,790

 DOS FMF 300 400 - - - - - - - - - - 700

 Country Total 4,880 500 2,110 2,125 750 285 400 350 375 - - - 11,775

Senegal DOS NADR - - - - - - - - - 112 - 400 512

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - - - 18 18

 USAID Leahy - - - - - - - - 500 - 500 - 1,000

 Country Total - - - - - - - - 500 112 500 418 1,530

 DOS ITF - - - - - - - - 833 1,021 1,000 - 1,854

 Country Total - - - - - - - - 833 1,021 1,000 - 1,854

Sierra Leone USAID Leahy - - - - - 61 32 1,000 - - - - 1,093

 Country Total - - - - - 61 32 1,000 - - - - 1,093

Somalia DOS NADR - - - 343 1,150 1,400 1,400 1,200 450 - - - 5,943

 Country Total - - - 343 1,150 1,400 1,400 1,200 450 - - - 5,943

Sri Lanka DOS NADR - - - - - - - - 2,400 1,775 2,700 2,800 9,675

 DoD OHDACA - - - 183 - - - 40 24 - - - 247

 USAID Leahy 100 200 200 200 300 400 400 400 400 900 500 - 4,000

 ESF - - - - - - - 122 - - - - 122

 CDC - - - - - - 50 50 - 25 - - 125

 Country Total 100 200 200 383 300 400 450 612 2,824 2,700 3,200 2,800 14,169

Sudan DOS NADR - - - - - - - - 896 2,858 2,500 2,400 8,654

 Country Total - - - - - - - - 896 2,858 2,500 2,400 8,654

Swaziland DOS NADR - - - 210 - - - - - - - - 210

 DoD OHDACA - - - - 828 8 - - - - - - 836

 Country Total - - - 210 828 8 - - - - - - 1,046

Tajikistan DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - 7 - 100 107

 Country Total - - - - - - - - - 7 - 100 107

Tanzania USAID Leahy - - 300 - - - 300 600 - - - - 1,200

 Country Total - - 300 - - - 300 600 - - - - 1,200

Thailand DOS NADR - - - - 1,050 1,220 1,270 650 - - - - 4,190

 DoD OHDACA - - - 77 1,773 932 229 68 - - 8 - 3,079

 Country Total - - - 77 2,823 2,152 1,499 718 - - 8 - 7,277

Tunisia DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - - - - - 1,247 1,247

 Country Total - - - - - - - - - - - 1,247 1,247

Uganda USAID Leahy 1,000 - - - - - - - - - 500 - 1,500

 Country Total 1,000 - - - - - - - - - 500 - 1,500

Vietnam DOS NADR - - - 139 1,096 1,000 1,650 1,500 2,427 2,714 2,850 3,300 16,676

 DoD OHDACA - - - - - 454 96 118 93 - - - 761

 USAID Leahy 4,730 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,300 1,000 750 - 18,280

 CDC - - - - - - - 100 400 400 400 - 1,300

 Country Total 4,730 1,500 1,500 1,639 2,596 2,954 3,246 3,218 4,220 4,114 4,000 3,300 37,017
w

Country Sources 1993 – 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total

 (Est.) (Est.)

Yemen DOS NADR - - - 270 1,462 1,236 1,023 750 750 773 750 700 7,714

DoD OHDACA - - 78 3,622 216 710 5 - - - 4 100 4,735

Country Total - - 78 3,892 1,678 1,946 1,028 750 750 773 754 800 12,449

Zambia DOS NADR - - - - - 12 772 816 450 - - - 2,050

DoD OHDACA - - - - - - - 424 - - - - 424

Country Total - - - - - 12 772 1,240 450 - - - 2,474

Zimbabwe DOS NADR - - - 680 743 1,140 523 - - - - - 3,086

DoD OHDACA - - - 1,500 1,000 765 - - - - - - 3,265

Country Total - - - 2,180 1,743 1,905 523 - - - - - 6,351

DOS NADR - - - 865 7,524 7,202 10,061 7,678 7,841 4,735 3,691 - 49,597

Unallocated DoD OHDACA 1,200 1,200 6,172 6,108 1,377 7,424 3,441 7,839 2 841 1,720 - 37,324

USAID Leahy 985 115 925 1,200 3,100 7,649 4,264 700 6,519 3,902 6,774 - 36,133

ITF - - - - - 768 1,236 1,768 2,914 2,670 2,247 - 11,603

CDC - - - - - - 2,550 2,450 1,300 1,500 1,625 - 9,425

Account Totals (recapitulation of above figures)

DOS NADR* - - 7,000 18,210 34,320 39,499 39,407 39,322 45,325 47,987 55,495 49,289 375,854

All Other DOS 16,143 19,000 7,000 7,000 1,636 5,677 - 6,022 15,268 62,200 18,839 - 158,785

DoD OHDACA 25,086 6,232 19,613 23,559 10,334 22,620 10,889 16,800 3,894 2,093 5,276 7,783 154,179

USAID Leahy 15,235 5,040 5,126 7,182 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 11,900 11,930 14,400 - 110,813

ITF - - - - 6,175 10,141 12,684 14,000 10,000 9,941 9,920 - 72,861

DoD RDT&E 10,000 3,000 14,746 16,663 17,234 18,847 12,728 13,220 12,893 12,812 13,154 - 145,297

CDC - - - - - 900 4,300 5,100 4,900 4,425 4,125 - 23,400

5,200 2,857 1,816 2,378 2,537 3,062 1,108 2,464 13,925 28,875 1,072 - 64,221

$71,664 $36,129 $55,301 $74,992 $82,236 $110,746 $91,116 $106,929 $118,104 $180,263 $122,281 $57,072 $1,105,410

* Does not include NADR admin. funds.

** DoD Assistance Mission for Mine Clearance in Central America (MARMINCA) figures are included in Central America/OAS.

Multicountry or 

GRAND

TOTAL

(all accounts)

All Other 

DoD/USAID

T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY | 53

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History

fiscal years  –  (Dollars in Thousands)
54 | T O WALK THE EARTH I N SAFETY

notes
of f i c e of w e a p on s r e m o va l a n d a b at e m e n t p oi n t s of c on ta c t 

Richard G. Kidd

Director

kiddrg@state.gov

James F. Lawrence

Deputy Director, Outreach and Congressional and Public Affairs

lawrencejf@state.gov

Stuart C. Harris

Col., USMC, Deputy Director, Programs 

harrissc@state.gov

Steve R. Costner

Deputy Director, Policy and Small Arms/Light Weapons 

costnersr@state.gov

Richard G. Stickels

Chief of Resource Management 

stickelsr@state.gov

John E. Stevens 

Public Affairs/Public Diplomacy

steveje@state.gov

Termites built a nest, now hardened to the consistency of concrete, around a persistent anti-personnel landmine emplaced at the base 

of a tree on Sri Lanka’s Jaffna peninsula. The tree subsequently grew around the mine, further adding to the diffi culty to clear it. This 

scene, observed at a HALO Trust demining site adjacent to an inhabited village, illustrates how natural conditions can complicate an 

already delicate task if persistent landmines are not immediately cleared after confl ict has ceased.

John Stevens, Offi ce of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
 BUREAU OF POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

 OFFICE OF WEAPONS 

REMOVAL & ABATEMENT PM/WRA

BUREAU OF POLITICALMILITARY AFFAIRS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

SA-3, SUITE 6100

2121 VIRGINIA AVENUE, NW

WASHINGTON, DC 20522

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TELEPHONE : 202.663.0100

FAX : 202.663.0090

www.state.gov/t/pm/wra

Challenge coin of the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program 

(formerly the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program) that is given 

to foreign recipients of U.S. mine action aid and whose logo 

also appears on vehicles and other specialized mine clearance 

equipment that is donated by the United States. The U.S. 

Humanitarian Mine Action Program is an inter-agency initiative 

whose various programs in the field—mine clearance, mine 

survivors assistance, mine risk education and research and 

development—are operated by the U.S. Department of State, 

U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Agency for International 

Development’s Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund and the U.S. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.