DanChurchAid
Humanitarian Mine Action
New team starts demolitions in South-Kivu
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Mads Schack Lindegaard
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| DanChurchAid EOD expert locates UXOs in Tanganyika Disctrict. In three days, the team found and destroyed 60 UXOs, October 2006. |
The team has a unique member composition, consisting of international and national EOD experts and also a surveyor/MRE facilitator.
The MRE facilitator teaches Mine Risk Education (MRE) and HIV/AIDS education and conducts surveys for new dangerous areas found along the areas of deployment.
A mobile demining team
The team travels around on lightweight vehicles, motorcycles and quads, doing only demolition tasks. Working with this highly mobile team is a fast and effective way to get rid of UXOs in vast areas and at the same time informing people about the dangers of mines and UXO.
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Mads Schack Lindegaard
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©
Mads Schack Lindegaard
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The team has been training different tasks since the end of April 2006, when they did stockpile destruction in Kalemie of a total of 660 items, mines and UXO, from two weapon depots.
The arms originated from 1st Naval region and FARDC, different army and rebel groups.
Moba and Mwanza mission
From 4-8 October, the team went on its first mission to Moba and Mwanza in the Tanganyika Disctrict. In three days the team found and destroyed 60 UXOs.
South-Kivu: Main area of operation
On the 17th of October, the team was deployed to South-Kivu, which will be its main area of operations. They have now started working as a complete team in Uvira and will later on continue in Fizi where they will also be based. After the work of the EOD team in South-Kivu, DanChurchAid demining teams will concentrate on the mined areas only.
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DanChurchAid
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| More than 5 tons of explosive ordnance destroyed by DanChurchAid in Kalemie, Tanganyika district, DR Congo. April 2006. Read more... |
In South-Kivu, especially the returning refugees from Tanzania are vulnerable to mines and UXO, and DanChurchAid continually gives Mine Risk Education for returning refugees in the transit centres and survey is ongoing in Fizi territory.
Since July 2005, DanChurchAid has already surveyed about 200 sites containing mines/UXO in Fizi territory of South-Kivu province. The new EOD team will now use this information to contribute to reduction of risks for returning refugees and the local population.
During the first week's work in Uvira the EOD team destroyed 108 UXOs - and that is only the beginning. The EOD team is sponsored by the Danish company Zealand Care .
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