landmines

ANGOLA: 8-Year-Old Boy Killed by Abandoned Mortar Fuse
CARE Continues to Clear and Dispose of Mines and Explosives in Angola
by Julia Eirich-Robinson, Proposal Development Coordinator

Luanda, Angola, August 18, 1999 -- This summer, a CARE mine action team was driving through the small village of Kunje in Angola's war-torn Bié Province on their way to clear mines and other explosives from around a refugee camp that is home to hundreds of people displaced by the country's decades-old civil war. A policeman signaling for help suddenly stopped CARE's team, lead by Willy Williscroft.

The policeman led them to the local health post, where five young children - four boys and a little girl - lay hemorrhaging from severe wounds to the head, torso, arms and legs. The children, between the ages of 8 and 11, had been playing with mortar fuses left by the Angolan army in a trench, about 20 yards from their homes.

The CARE team immediately took the children to a hospital in Kuito, a poorly equipped facility by U.S. standards, but the only one within driving distance.

Simultaneously, CARE staff radioed to another mine action team, which immediately proceeded to the area, blocked off the trench, and disposed of the remaining 19 fuses before they could cause further tragedy. Sadly, the 8-year old boy bled to death from a severe head injury caused by a direct hit from the tip of the mortar fuse. Even the best care would not have saved his life.

This type of incident is precisely what the EU-funded CARE Mine Related Interventions Project - CAMRI for short - is working to prevent. "This was a very bad day," observed Willy Williscroft, CARE's technical advisor for the CAMRI Project, "and unfortunately, this type of incident is not an unusual occurrence here; but you can't let it affect your ability to carry on. There is so much work to be done."

CARE's 21-person mine action team frequently works seven days a week to keep up with the demand for their skills. All staff are trained to clear and dispose of mines and explosives safely, and can be deployed in small groups at a moments notice when necessary. While removing all the mines and explosives in Angola would be a monumental undertaking - there are an estimated 15 million land mines lying in wait in Angola - the CAMRI Project is coordinating its activities with other CARE relief and rehabilitation activities to clear critical areas: pathways and roads to water sources and health posts, agricultural land, and in and around where people live. CARE also provides mine awareness training to parents and children, so that they have the information and skills necessary to identify a potential problem and seek help, before disaster strikes.

This year alone, CARE has helped over 70,000 internally displaced people in Angola through the provision of food, seeds and tools, as well as basic health care. Without the CAMRI Project, this scale of activities would have been nearly impossible, due to the dangers posed to both the people CARE is helping, as well as CARE staff trying to maneuver in dangerous territory. Despite the danger, CARE's Country Director in Angola Dr. Sandra Laumark notes that "CARE staff remain committed to their work of helping to relieve the suffering of people who bear no responsibility for Angola's civil war."