Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance , livre ebook

279

pages

English

Ebooks

2000

Écrit par
Rae McGrath

Publié par
Pluto Press

Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

279

pages

English

Ebook

2000

Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Publié par

Pluto Press

Date de parution

20 mars 2000

Nombre de lectures

EAN13

9781849640138

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

4 Mo

‘If the scourge of landmines is ever eradicated, much of the credit must go to Rae McGrath; and this meticulous principled book reminds us why.’ John Pilger

‘Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to kill, maim and impoverish innocent civilians in many of the world's poorest countries. Rae McGrath's authoritative book is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to understand the impact of these persistent killers, and how best to respond to them.’ Richard Lloyd, UK Working Group on Landmines

Written by a Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate who is one of the leading voices in the anti-landmines campaign, this timely book is a comprehensive, practical guide to landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Introduction

1. An Introduction to Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance

The Development of landmines

Landmines - the problem recognised

Characteristics of modern landmines

Unexploded ordnance - garbage of war

Landmines by another name - submunitions

What is a minefield?

2. Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance - Post-Conflict Impact

Direct impact

Indirect impact

3. The Survey Process

Mine and UXO eradication - a task for the military?

Eradicating landmines and unexploded ordnance - responding logically

The basics - chickens and eggs

The survey process

4. Eradicating Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance

Physical eradication of landmines and UXO - the process

Minefield reduction

Minefield marking

Battle area clearance (BAC)

Quality assurance

Accidents - being prepared

Insurance for demining operations

5. Responding to the needs of mine-affected communities

Mine victims - some observations

Community mine awareness - a lesson too far?

The real challenge - responding to the victims of war

A future for war victims

Notes

Resources

Index

Voir

Publié par

Pluto Press

Date de parution

20 mars 2000

Nombre de lectures

EAN13

9781849640138

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

4 Mo

Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance

A Resource Book

Rae McGrath

P Pluto Press LONDON • STERLING, VIRGINIA

First published 2000 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166–2012, USA

The right of Rae McGrath to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0 7453 1264 0 hbk

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data McGrath, Rae. Landmines : a resource book/Rae McGrath. p. cm. ISBN 0–7453–1264–0 (hbk.) 1. Land mines—Safety measures. 2. Land mines—Economic aspects. 3. Land mines—Social aspects. 4. Ammunition. 5. Bombs. I. Title.

UG490.M34 2000 327.1'743—dc21

Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Production Services, Chadlington OX7 3LN Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton Printed in the EU by T.J. International, Padstow

99–052952

Dedication

To the late Abdul Baseer, Sayed Aqa, Din Mohammed, John Hicks and Omar who started this journey with me

to Chris Howes and Houn Hourth, humanitarian deminers, who were murdered by the Khmer Rouge

to all the field engineers who go to work in minefields

and to Debbie.

Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations

Preface Key agencies and their roles Governments of mine-affected countries The United Nations Non-governmental organisations Commercial demining companies The donors The media

An Introduction to Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance The development of landmines Landmines – the problem recognised Characteristics of modern landmines Mode of operation Type of activation mechanism Deployment method Unexploded ordnance – garbage of war Landmines by another name – submunitions What is a minefield?

Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance – Post-conflict Impact Direct impact The human body Vulnerability Landmines and community confidence The cultural cost Indirect impact Medical and health services Transport and trade The impact on development

xi xiii xv

xviii xxi xxi xxii xxiii xxiii xxiii xxiv

1 1 14 17 18 18 19 19 21 25

29 29 29 39 42 47 62 63 64 65

viii

Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance

3 The Survey Process Mine and UXO eradication – a task for the military? Financial considerations Risk considerations Cost Suitability to role The moral perspective Eradicating landmines and UXO – responding logically Surveys Mapping Marking Minefield reduction Community mine awareness Central record keeping Landmine and UXO eradication The basics – chickens and eggs Recognition Where to begin? The survey process Establishing the facts – sequence The Survey Task Force How to conduct a Level One impact assessment The questionnaire Training the survey team Aims, target selection and assessment methodology The assessment report The Level One assessment report as a tool The limitations of Level One assessment How to implement a Level Two survey Building a picture – sources of information Establishing priorities Practical survey techniques Comparative values of Level One assessments and Level Two surveys and political influences on the process

4.1 Eradicating Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance Physical eradication of landmines and UXO – the process Manual clearance Electronic search Guide or base stick

74 74 75 76 76 77 79 80 80 81 81 81 82 82 82 83 83 85 87 87 88 94 94 99 102 105 108 109 110 111 116 119

133

139 139 139 141 142

Safety distances and minefield management Clothing Mine probes Mechanisation Dogs Minefield reduction Minefield marking Battle area clearance Technique summary Quality assurance Accidents – being prepared Immediate minefield drills following an accident Insurance for demining operations

4.2 Sustainable Management Structures for National Demining Programmes Contrasting approaches Some relevant practical management skills The decision-making process in management Key structural considerations Profile and oversight of national programmes Sustainability Organisational sustainability Structural sustainability Manpower sustainability Sustainable technology

Contents

142 144 146 146 150 152 153 155 160 160 163 164 166

169 169 171 174 176 177 179 179 180 180 181

Responding to the Needs of Mine-affected Communities190 Mine victims – some observations 190 Community mine awareness – a lesson too far? 192 Why mine awareness? 194 How not to do mine awareness – global responses to localised problems 195 A proven approach – mine action teams 199 Refugees, internally displaced people and nomadic groups 200 The real challenge – responding to the victims of war 203 Model for a two-day, first-aid training course 206 First-aid training course – reassessment after four months 208 A future for war victims 212 A case study – widows and amputees in minefields 213

Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance

Appendix Resource Information Organisations involved directly in landmine and UXO eradication Organisations working directly with landmine- and UXO-affected communities United Nations landmine and UXO action – key contact points Organisations and companies working in mine-related fields Landmine- and UXO-related websites Commercial service suppliers to landmine- and UXO-eradication operations Recommended reading and viewing

Endnotes Glossary Index

219

221

222 225 226

227 229

234 241 243

List of Illustrations

1 PMN-2 anti-personnel blast mine exposed during clearance operations. Cambodia. (John Rodsted) 68 2 Landmines and unexploded ordnance. Bosnia. (John Rodsted) 68 3 A young boy with fragmentation injuries. Afghanistan. (Sean Sutton) 69 4 Swords into ploughshares. But familiarity with the remnants of war may breed contempt – especially among children – for UXO, with the inevitable consequences. Laos. (Sean Sutton) 70 5 Mine victim Um Keltum Suleiman with her family. Kassala, Sudan. (John Rodsted) 71 6 Level One impact assessment gives an overview of the problem facing landmine/UXO-affected communities; those who survive explosions have vital evidence about the location of risk areas. The author conducting casualty interviews. Sudan. (John Rodsted) 71 7 The GPS receiver is a lightweight and accurate survey tool. (John Rodsted) 72 8 Anti-personnel mine prepared for in-situ demolition. Mozambique. (John Rodsted) 73 9 Gardens can be minefields too. Urban warfare may leave complex problems for clearance teams. Bosnia. (John Rodsted) 182 10 Play is recognised as a vulnerable occupation in many communities. Angola. (Sean Sutton) 182 11 Minefield scene. Angola (Sean Sutton) 183 12 Minefield scene. Bosnia (John Rodsted) 184 13 Minefield scene. Bosnia (John Rodsted) 185 14 Minefield scene. Bosnia (John Rodsted) 186 15 Minefield scene. Angola (Sean Sutton) 187 16 War victims need support and equality of opportunity, not pity. Afghanistan. (Sean Sutton) 188 17 Subsistence agriculturists are the most common victims of landmines. When safe land is scarce the boundaries between mine clearance and food production are often dramatically reduced. Moxico Province, Eastern Angola. (Sean Sutton) 189

Voir