400,000 square miles of land has been cleared of landmines in Chad
Since last November, Humanity & Inclusion’s mine action team has cleared more than 400,000 square meters of land—the equivalent of 70 football fields—in northern Chad. The team has identified and destroyed 114 landmines and other explosive remnants of war.
"We’re clearing land to promote development in northern Chad,” said Benjamin Westercamp, HI's head of mission in Chad. “Many areas are still contaminated by weapons left over from the conflict with Libya in the 1980s. This prevents the use of roads and the implementation of development projects. Our clearance work will help the region emerge from isolation.”
More than 1.5 million square meters of land is still estimated to be contaminated by explosive remnants of war. In February, to help speed up the demining process, the HI team began using the GCS 100, a remote-controlled armored combine harvester that detonates hazardous devices in its path.
To help protect civilians, Humanity & Inclusive is educating local people about the risks posed unexploded ordnance around their communities. So far, they have reached 450 people.
