Humanitarian Mine Action in DR Congo
Latest news and plans for 2010
Starting in April 2010, DCA will deploy two Multi-Task Team (MTT) to support the United Nations Mine Action Center in completing a General Mine Action Survey in 40 villages of Tanganyika district scheduled to be completed by mid-2011.
Stopping in every village along a given route, these highly-mobile teams consist of minerisk education (MRE) and Community Liaison staff for assessing the local impact of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel for dealing with isolated dangerous items, and a small demining capacityfor investigating any suspected minefields and marking confirmed areas for future clearance.
Meanwhile, two full demining teams are at work clearing minefields in the village of Kabaloand its surroundings. In 2009, these teams destroyed 78 landmines and 189 items of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), securing the return and agricultural activities of thousands of Congolese.
Summary
The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (known until 1997 as Zaire) have known brutal dictatorship, political and social unrest, and an international civil war resulting in some of the bloodiest fighting in modern history. In addition to an estimated 5 million dead and a debilitating lack of infrastructure, the aftermath of the conflict in DRC is still heavily felt today in communities affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).
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Click here to read more about DCA’s response to these problems.
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Click here for a brief history of the conflict.
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Click here for list of past and present donors.
Contact us
To receive more information on the DCA programme in DR Congo, please select the mos tappropriate contact from the list below:
Programme Officer Jenipher Fish, jfi@dca.dk
ProgrammeManager Gabor Beszterczey, pm@congo.dca.dk
A brief history of the conflict in DRC
At the end of the 1990s, troops from Angola, Chad,Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe entered Congoto back the government in its struggle against Rwandan, Ugandan, and local rebel forces. After an estimated 5million dead, a cease-fire was signed in July 1999, but sporadic fighting continued. It was only 2002 that saw the withdrawal of occupying Rwandan forces from eastern Congo, though periodic unrest continues there.
Some of the heaviest fighting occurred in DCA’s current area of operations, the copper-rich Katanga Province, which stretches from Lake Tanganyika to the Angolan border. Dozens of villages in Kabalo and Nyunzu territories became the front lines, and as fighting intensified, locals abandoned their homes to soldiers who dug trenches amongst houses and agricultural fields, fortifying their positions with defensive mine belts.
Because of the nature of the conflict, soldiers left positions without removing these mines. As more refugees returned, areas remained inaccessible for fear of mines or other dangerous devices. Many areas suspected of contamination aregrimly confirmed by accidents. Though the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) is still in the process of conducting a country-wide assessment, it is widely believed that Katanga Provinceis the most affected in DRC.
Further details on the landmine problem in DR Congo as well as the country's response to the contamination, please refer to the country pages on Landmine Monitor, DR Congo.
DanChurchAid response
DCA’s efforts to remove landmines and other explosive remains of war (ERW) start with surveying communities to determine where contamination still poses a risk. The most affected populations are those living near minefields, though unexploded ordnance (artillery rounds, handgrenades, rockets, etc.) from pitched battles can also kill or maim, or block vital resources.
Operating from its base in Kalemie since 2004, DCA uses community mapping and non-technical survey, followed by more intrusive technical survey, in order to determine which suspected areas are indeed safe. Next, Exposive Ordnance Disposal(EOD) or demining assets are deployed to clear confirmed hazardous areas.
Together with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), DCA is able to field manual deminers, Mine Detection Dogs (MDD), and a host of mine clearance machines. Meanwhile, personnel from DCA and local partner NGOs administer Mine Risk Education (MRE) coupled with HIV/AIDS awareness in communities in order to promote life-saving practices and to suggest temporary alternatives to blocked resources.
Theprogramme places a strong emphasis on improving the capacities of national employees, including EOD 2 and 3 training, MRE planning and managementseminars, and most recently, a workshop on Land Release organized by the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). English and computerliteracy for essential staff is also a priority.
Starting in April 2010, DCA will deploy a second Multi-Task Team (MTT) to continue its support of the UNMACC in completing the General Mine Action Survey of Tanganika district by mid-2011.
Stopping in everyvillage along a given route, these highly-mobile units consist of MRE and Community Liaison staff for assessing the local impact of mines and ERW, EOD experts for dealing with isolated dangerous items, and a small demining complement used to confirm the presence of any suspected minefields and to mark them for future clearance. Meanwhile, two full demining teams are hard at work clearing already confirmed minefields in Kabalo.
According to systematic Task Impact Assessments, most of the areas DCA clears are used for agricultural production of crops like corn, cassava, and palm oil. Clearance also provides more safe land forhunting, fishing, and firewood collection, and in some cases opens access tofresh water or important inter-village roads.
Back Donors
Since the beginning of the programme in 2004, Danida has been the main back donor for the Mine Action Activities in DR Congo. Danida has annually supported the programme activities with donations of up to half of the annual budget.
Other Donors
Over the years, a number of other donorshave made essential contributions to the HMA programme enabling a variety of essential Mine Action activities. These include:
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UNMAS
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AECID
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FinnChurchAid
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EuropeAid
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UNICEF
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German Federal Foreign Office
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UNDP (Pooled Funds)
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OCHA
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DCA Anders & Anne Campaign
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DCA Give a Goat Campaign
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DCA Collection at Roskilde Festival