Mine Risk Education
SLIRI, along with other agencies, will need to respond to the large numbers of returnees, after peace has been agreed. Already thousands of people have started heading home, encouraged by the peace talks. The risk of injury and death faced by these people returning to mine and UXO-affected areas is enormous.
The Norwegian Refugee Council recently noted that “the challenges of mass return are overwhelming and local administrations appear still unprepared’.
• SLIRI has begun an emergency Mine Risk Education needs assessment in order to understand the potential scale of the problem.
• Staff will be undertaking emergency risk education to key at-risk groups in order to alert them to the dangers and to encourage mine-safe behaviour.
• Additional information on the presence of landmines and UXOs, and also suspected dangerous areas, will also be collected and passed on to help humanitarian agencies operating throughout the country.
