 International Methodist Delegations Say Landmines Put Life On Hold |
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by Kathleen LaCamera |
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Even though Mozambique’s civil war officially ended in 1994, United Methodist Bishop Joao Somane Machado says his country is now facing a different kind of threat; a war with landmines. “The development of our country in peace depends on removing landmines,” explained Bishop Machado during an interview at the 2004 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. “This is a very critical issue. Two million mines are still here.” According to Machado, unexploded landmines are still a threat in areas where food is grown, where cattle are grazed and where children go to school. Women out gathering firewood for cooking find landmines instead. People are begging on city streets because it is too dangerous to go back home and farm the land they fled during the war. According to estimates from the International Campaign To Ban Landmines, there are 15,000 to 20,000 new landmine casualties each year, the vast majority are civilians. Last year 23% of reported casualties were children. In Mozambique, Angola, the Balkans, East Asia, Central America and beyond, even after the fighting stops, life is still on hold because of landmines. In spite of this continuing threat to peace, the United States has yet to join over 140 other countries signed up to the 1997 international Mine Ban treaty. “If you want to build a church, you can’t. If you want to send your kids to school, maybe next year. If you want to eat, sorry,” observed Paul Dirdak, Head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the church’s relief agency. “Life stops until this gets done.” Through UMCOR United Methodists are helping “to get it done.” In partnership with an internationally respected Mozambican mine clearance company, ADP, they are making up to 12.8 acres of land a day safe for life to begin again. Using a process which combines mechanical land clearance with trained dogs and human de-miners, UMCOR has been able to accelerate a process which normally proceeds at a painfully slow pace. Purchasing two specially adapted “armored tractors,” UMCOR put de-mining teams into southern Mozambique who cleared over 3 million square meters in 2003. All the de-miners involved were Mozambican nationals. Dirdak points out that while some US military equipment manufactures hope to refit tanks for de-mining activities, post-conflict countries in the developing world will only allow non-military, modified agricultural vehicles to remove mines. “They don’t want anything around that could be turned back into a weapon,” said Dirdak. He also reports that no dogs have been injured in this work. In fact, in the years that UMCOR has been involved with de-mining activities only one person on any of their teams has died a landmine-related death. During that same period eight have died from HIV/AIDS. “This church wants to accelerate the rate and safety of de-mining,” said Dirdak. “The United Methodist Church is the only group doing this work without any government involvement.” United Methodist Bishop, Heinrich Bolleter, whose area of responsibility includes the Balkans, welcomes the news of UMCOR’s successes in Mozambique. In Kosovo, unexploded landmines have often been found in people’s back yards, underneath the clothesline. “I have experienced the great difficulties of these landmines in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo,” commented Bolleter who is also attending the General Conference. “If the Church can help speed up the process of landmine removal then we should do all we can. Landmines hinder the peace.” The Rev. Jose Mapsanganhe, Director of Evangelism for the Southern Mozambique Conference, encourages those who have supported this landmine removal work to keep supporting it. “Part of our church’s mission is to help people develop a better standard of living. Landmines stop us doing that.” A DVD on the UMCOR landmine removal program is available from the General Board of Global Ministries. Contributions can be made to UMCOR Advance #982575, Landmine Removal. Give through your local United Methodist church or send contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.
Date posted: Apr 30, 2004 |
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