Asia Times: Cash constraints cripple Afghan de-mining programs


	December 15, 2000	atimes.com

Central Asia/Russia

Cash constraints cripple Afghan de-mining programs
By Nadeem Yaqub

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Severe fund shortages are forcing agencies involved in de-mining activities in Afghanistan to close or send their staff on forced leave, setting back efforts to clear the war-torn country of deadly landmines.

"Only 7 percent of our staff, including the emergency teams, are working. The rest have been sent on leave because we cannot afford to pay salaries," said Kefayatullah Eblagh, director of Afghan Technical Consultants, one of the largest mine-clearing agencies in Afghanistan with a workforce of 1,300. "We have been having funding problems since July of this year." Eblagh revealed that his organization plans to lay off around 120 staff for 2001 due to the paucity of funds.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (Unocha) that supervises de-mining operations has also directed all mine-clearing agencies not to increase staff salaries for 2001 and reduce other expenditures. The UN agency had requested US$200 million in overall humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan for this year, but got only 30 percent of that amount, said Unocha administrative official Javed Iqbal. "We are expecting a 50 percent reduction in the funding for the next year," he said.

Unocha has also decided to reduce the number of agencies involved in mine awareness and clearance from next year because of the expected shortfall in funds. Out of more than a dozen agencies operating in Afghanistan, probably six will be forced to stop their operations by January.

The legacy of the 1979-1989 war between troops of the Soviet Union and the Mujahideen guerrillas, landmines have played havoc with the lives of the ordinary Afghans. When the Soviets withdrew from their presence in Afghanistan in 1989, they had left behind a total of 919 square kilometers of land strewn with mines, making the country the world's highest mine-infested area. The mines have killed around 400,000 Afghans and disabled around 210,000 people, the majority of them men and children.

Soon after the Soviet withdrawal, non-governmental organizations took up the difficult task of de-mining in Afghanistan. They have so far cleared landmines and other explosive material from 218 square kilometers, and an area of 720 square kilometers remains to be cleared. But the funding crunch is threatening to put a halt to their efforts.

Haji Atiqullah, director of Mine Clearance Program for Afghanistan (MCPA), said that de-mining agencies have submitted their projects for the next year to Unocha for approval. He said mine-clearance activities for 2001 will only be undertaken if the donors provided funds. "We have already reduced our staff by 50 percent and have sent most of our staff on leave without pay," Atiqullah said. From January to October 2000, agencies cleared mines and unexploded ordinance from an 83 million square meter area, falling short of the 90.8 million square meter target. "The sudden slash in funds for mine clearance by the United Nations in September severely affected our operational activities," explained Atiqullah.

The United Nations slashed funds by 50 percent for mining operations in Afghanistan a couple of months back. The United Nations had asked its member countries to provide $26 million for de-mining activities in Afghanistan, while the donors could come up with only $14 million for 2000. Landmine-sweeping agencies have asked the UN to arrange for $20 million for operations in Afghanistan next year.

According to plans for 2001, MCPA wants to carry out a general survey of the northern provinces of Afghanistan, which recently fell to Taliban forces who control most of the country after fighting with the opposition Northern Alliance. This, the agency says, is important to determine whether warring factions in internal strife have planted new landmines. The agency also has plans to survey a 28 million square meter area, including 9 million square metres of battlefield areas still infested with unexploded ordnance.

Attiqullah said that MCPA has requested Unocha to provide assistance to mark those areas where landmines still remain. "We are not sure if Afghanistan will be clean of landmines even in the next eight to 10 years. Therefore, the MCPA plans to erect identification markers in such areas for the convenience of general public," he said.

The cutback in demining operations has larger implications for Afghanistan. Landmines are one of the major hurdles in the return of refugees, development and reconstruction of the country.

(Inter Press Agency)