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Landmines and other unexploded objects continue
to jeopardize the security of the people of Afghanistan. The country is
still littered with hazardous explosive devices, meaning that even in areas
where conflict has ceased, civilians risk being killed or injured by weapons
of war.
Men, women and children live in fear of the footpaths and fields around them. Refugees and displaced people are afraid to return to their homes. After eighteen years of conflict, fear of landmines continues to play a major role in the lives of many Afghans. The UNOCHA Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA) is committed
to working to help Afghans rid their land of these gruesome and sinister
weapons. Launched in 1988, the programme has made significant progress
in surveying and clearing residential and agricultural areas and roads,
as well as battlefields. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people have
received mine awareness training. Over the past nine years, the MAPA has
striven to bring down the cost of mine clearance, by constantly enhancing
techniques and skills. Today, it costs around 70 US cents to clear one
square metre of contaminated land.
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