My original research focus “landmines of the
third world”, specifically the existence, transfer, and banning of landmines
has shifted due to the fact that my project idea was too extensive.
My new focus is the affects of landmines on the population of Afghanistan;
the numbers killed versus numbers disabled by landmines and the provinces
of Afghanistan that are infested by the landmines. These findings have
been generated as a result of my focus being specifically on the Afghani-Soviet
war in 1979. Although there is a plethora of existing research on
other inflicted nations such as Angola, Bosnia, and Cambodia, my findings
have been narrowed to focus on the proliferating use of landmines in Afghanistan.
Landmines are now a daily treat in Afghanistan,
they recognize no cease-fire and long after the fighting has stopped landmines
continue to maim and kill. One hundred million landmines are found
in 64 countries, most of them in developing world with an estimated 10,000,000
landmines in Afghanistan. During the Soviet occupation in 1979, landmines
were deployed to depopulate provinces of Afghanistan, disrupt the agriculture,
interrupt transportation, damage economic infrastructure, and to kill innocent
civilians. Refugees returning to rebuild their lives in Afghanistan face
the deadly landmine obstacle. The widespread use of landmines in
Afghanistan affected the refugees such that transportation, crop production,
livestock, water supply and energy generation and distribution were devastated.
The sheer reality is that there are more mines deployed every day, than
are removed by deminers. It costs 100 times more to remove one mine
than the cost to produce it. The United Nations has estimated clearance
costs for one landmine is as much as $1,000.
History of Landmines
The first devices designed to explode on target-contact were water mines. The first reference of landmines dates back to the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862, where they adapted shells to surprise the Union vanguard. Even at that early date, the use of mines raised strong feelings, with many judging them as “unworthy and improper to the conduct of war”. Mines only began to appear on a large scale in 1918, as an answer to another new piece of weaponry: the assault tanks. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the random publication of mines began. During the US forces’ 9 year bombing campaign of Laos, millions of mines were dropped by plane in a futile attempt to close the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The US also dropped millions of experimental bomblets called “bombies”. Twenty years later these “bombies” are still killing people in Laos everyday. By the time Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan in 1979, randomly targeted and remotely delivered mines were accepted as normal.
How Landmines are used
Mines are seldom found by the human eye and are often laid in triangular groups of 3 or more. If a mine is laid properly it should be impossible to detect it. An unsuspecting passer-by may not be aware of the damage until it is too late. The most common use of mines in civil conflicts is to protect economic and social targets such as bridges, dams, oil, and gas and water pipelines and railroad stations from attack or sabotage by the enemy.
The original intent of landmines was for defensive
purposes. They were designed as barriers to protect national borders
and to obstruct enemy mobility. When used to obstruct enemy mobility,
mines are laid to restrict the battle area and force deployment of enemy
troops into areas where the defender is best able to defeat them.
However, in the war between former Soviet Union and Afghanistan, far greater
landmines were used as offensive weapons. Such that they were strictly
targeted by the Soviet Union to depopulate sections of the Afghanistan
as well as to destroy the countries economy.
By laying mines in agricultural fields and plantations,
around irrigation systems, in forests necessary for firewood, and in villages
themselves Soviet forces have succeeded in driving large numbers of civilians
out of rural areas of Afghanistan and into large cities and towns.
As a result, this kind of migration added enormously to the social and
economic burdens of those in control of the cities.
Details on Landmines
- Mines are generally buried within 15 cm of the
earth’s surface, or laid above ground.
- Mines can be found in many different sizes and
shapes, made out of many different materials such as metal, wood and plastic.
- Once a mine has been affected by time and weathering
it will become unstable and even more dangerous.
- Landmines are sold for as little as $3 each.
- Many mines are irresistible to children, such
as the “butterfly” mine commonly found in Afghanistan, the combination
of odd shapes and bright colors have caused the deaths of many children.
- Three countries that produce the majority of
the landmines being distributed around the world are China, Russia and
United States.
- The counties that have been affected the most
by landmines are Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq and Laos.
What is the Cost to Communities?
Landmines do not just kill and injure; they also
create long-term hardships. The unseen cost and impact of landmines
include:
Medical Cost:
People who survived the blast are found in time have to be transported
to a hospital. Once there, blood transfusions, surgical time and
skill, painkillers, antibiotics, artificial limbs, and rehabilitation are
all necessary. The medical cost of each victim improvises the community,
and sometimes stretches resources to their breaking point.
Employment: Employment prospects for
victims are scarce. If the victim is the breadwinner of the home
(usually the oldest male in the family), the whole family is affected.
Typically the women will assume full responsibility to feeding their families
and caring for the victim.
Loss of land: Access to land for agriculture,
gazing, and trading between communities is severely restricted forcing
people to take the risk of entering known mines. As much as 35% of
land in Afghanistan is now unusable.
Refugees and repatriation: The presence
of landmines in Afghanistan hinders the return of refugees to rebuild the
country.
Economic: In Afghanistan, landmines
have prevented the fullest utilization of farmland, destroy livestock,
and disrupt markets and production patterns. Their presence inhibits
tourism and other potential investments and development opportunities.
Retarding economic recovery and reconstruction has increased tension and
instability for this country. As a result, fewer resources are available
for reconstruction and development.
Environmental: Damage to wildlife, forests,
and other environmental resources have consequences for both economic and
social development. Minefields sometimes become breeding grounds for disease.
Security: The presence of landmines threatens
the peace process and post-conflict recovery and reconstruction. Landmines
may impede humanitarian assistance efforts, prevent delivery of urgently
needed services and supplies, and discourage potential investors.
Key Findings
- One household in 20 report a landmine victim,
a third of these dying in the blast. In Afghanistan, one adult male
in every ten had been involved in a mine.
- One in ten of the 2100 landmine victims encountered
was a child.
- Without mines, agricultural production could
be increased by 88-200% in Afghanistan.
- Households with a land mine victim were 40% more
likely to have difficulty providing food for the family.
- Family relations are affected for one in every
four victims
Conclusions
Mines continue to haunt Afghanistan's recovery after
long years of war. The process of clearing the mines is proving vastly
expensive for one of the world's poorest country. Mines have an insidious
health impact on Afghan communities. Lost agricultural production, useless
grazing land, and deadly irrigation systems lead to malnutrition, ill health
and increased poverty. Land mines seriously undermine the economy
and food security in Afghanistan. Studies have shown that land mines
kill and maim civilians at an increasing rate. An end to the threat
will only come with a total global ban, similar to that for chemical weapons.
Until then, several practical steps need to be taken:
- Landmine awareness can be targeted to special
risk groups or particular high-risk practices and attitudes (such as those
associated with tampering with mines).
- Mine awareness information can be communicated
through channels identified by focus groups. For example, in Afghanistan,
the radio (specifically the BBC) and the mosque can be important channels.
- Rehabilitation efforts can also be focused more
precisely to the needs expressed by the surviving victims.
Afghanistan stands as a good example of the effects
of landmines. The deminers will need to work for at least another fifteen
years to clear the known mined areas. In the meantime, large areas of the
country will remain crippled. The case of Afghanistan must act as a spur
for international action.