Latest news with #HALOTrust
Al Jazeera
11-05-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
James Cowan on clearing landmines and the legacy of war
Long after wars end, landmines continue to kill. James Cowan – CEO of The HALO Trust, a landmine-clearing humanitarian group – joins Talk to Al Jazeera to discuss the human cost of unexploded weapons in Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan and beyond. From military neglect to donor fatigue, Cowan warns that the world is quick to fund conflict but slow to invest in recovery. As civilians risk death just walking to school, is the international community failing to clean up after war?
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
40-year-old spy satellite photos are helping find forgotten land mines in Cambodia
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Declassified images from U.S. military satellites are helping find forgotten mine fields in Cambodia. From the late 1960s almost until the end of the 1990s, a bloody war between communist groups and democracy defenders raged, with a few short breaks, in the jungles and on the rice fields of Cambodia. The conflict left behind a hidden legacy that keeps increasing the war's death toll to this day. Over 10 million anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines and other explosives may have been scattered across Cambodia's land during the decades of fighting. Over half of them may still lurk in the ground, waiting for unlucky people or vehicles to set them off. Since the war's end in 1998, over 20,000 people have been killed and 45,000 injured in mine accidents in Cambodia. The toll is still rising. "There were over 50 accidents last year," Tobias Hewitt, the country director for Cambodia at the HALO Trust, a de-mining non-governmental organization (NGO), told "The number is steadily decreasing, but it's still a huge problem." Related: SpaceX launches secret US spy satellite on 19th anniversary of company's 1st-ever liftoff (video, photos) The HALO Trust has been working in Cambodia since the 1990s, helping to scour hundreds of square miles of contaminated land. The work is tedious, and progress is slow. It requires teams of technicians with mine detectors to comb the land square foot by square foot. The problem is, they don't always know where to look. "During the Cambodian conflict, a lot of the information was never recorded," Hewitt said. "Mines were put there, people left and have forgotten about it." The HALO Trust team has been relying on satellite images for years to look for suspect areas. But the landscape has changed since the war's end. Jungle has grown, villages have been abandoned and roads have stopped being used. Last year, the de-miners decided to search for clues in images captured by U.S. military satellites in the 1970s and 1980s. The images were captured by the HEXAGON fleet of satellites operated by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The satellites used old-fashioned film to take their snaps. The film spools would be sent in sturdy return capsules to Earth, where the images would be developed. The data was kept secret for decades. But in 2011, nearly 30,000 images were declassified and made available to the public through the Department of State. The HALO Trust team found thousands of images of regions in the west of Cambodia, where most of the suspected mine fields are located. It's been a game-changer. "We were able to overlay those old images on regular Google Earth images and find old roads, for example," said Hewitt. "That's a huge help, because that's where most mines would be put in the ground. We would not be able to know about them otherwise." Cambodian society has changed since the war. Many people have moved into cities. Those who lived through the conflict are dying. New farmers begin to work the land, oblivious to the hidden danger. "If they don't know that there used to be a road, they just assume it's farmland and plough it," said Hewitt. "Unfortunately, accidents happen." In recent years, as Cambodia's economy began to grow, farmers have started abandoning traditional manual farming methods and began purchasing tractors and other machinery. That, Hewitt said, opened up a new can of worms. "There are two types of land mines in Cambodia," said Hewitt. "Anti-personnel mines, which only need a very small amount of pressure to explode, and anti-vehicle mines. The anti-vehicle mines may have been buried in the ground for decades. You can walk over them and nothing happens. But now, with the mechanization of agriculture, you are setting off those mines that have been dormant for decades." The old military satellite images are helping to speed up the clearance. However, Hewitt, said that the process is still time-consuming and laborious. "We have to manually sync those images with our existing maps and then go over them inch by inch looking for old roads," Hewitt said. "Then, once we have an area where we think there used to be a road, a team will go there and try to confirm that information through ground survey work." Related stories: — Gallery: Declassified US spy satellite photos & designs — SpaceX launches 10th batch of 'proliferated architecture' spy satellites for US government (video) — Manned Orbiting Laboratory declassified: Inside a US military space station In the few months since the project started, the HALO Trust team has analyzed all the suspected areas in western Cambodia and identified several high-priority areas where mines are likely present. With the vast amount of land remaining to be cleared, zooming in quickly on the most dangerous zones could save lives. "You don't have the luxury to clear everything," said Hewitt. "You need to focus on the highest priority. With these additional assets and different information points, we can better prioritize what we are doing and do it in the most efficient way possible." Since the 1990s, Cambodia has cleared about 1,200 square miles (3,100 square kilometers) of mine-contaminated land. According to estimates, some 180 square miles (470 square km) remains to be cleared. The country hopes to be rid of land mines completely by 2030.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Angola needs $240 million to clear hundreds of civil war minefields, official says
HUAMBO, Angola (Reuters) - Angola requires $240 million from government or donor funding to clear nearly 1,000 minefields from the civil war that ended more than two decades ago, the National Mine Action Agency head said. The landmines, planted during the 27-year civil war up to 2002, have left people with disabilities and continue to cause harm. Many remain displaced because of the minefields. About 975 minefields need clearance, and demining costs an average of $3.10 per square metre, meaning $240 million is required, said Brigadier General Leonardo Sapalo, the National Mine Action Agency's head. About 192 of the minefields are in areas close to the Benguela Railway, a critical component of the Lobito Corridor - a U.S.-backed rail project linking resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to the port of Lobito in Angola to facilitate the export of minerals and other goods. "The railway has been completely de-mined so that it can be rehabilitated. The train runs naturally, but there are specific areas that have not been completely cleared of mines," Sapalo said during a visit by Western ambassadors to British charity the HALO Trust, which assists in landmine clearance. "The work is not at a standstill, but we need to energise it." The de-mining process along the Lobito Corridor has already removed 43,142 anti-personnel mines, 2,460 anti-tank mines and 235,050 unexploded explosives, according to the HALO Trust.
Reuters
02-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Angola needs $240 million to clear hundreds of civil war minefields, official says
HUAMBO, Angola, April 2 (Reuters) - Angola requires $240 million from government or donor funding to clear nearly 1,000 minefields from the civil war that ended more than two decades ago, the National Mine Action Agency head said. The landmines, planted during the 27-year civil war up to 2002, have left people with disabilities and continue to cause harm. Many remain displaced because of the minefields. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. About 975 minefields need clearance, and demining costs an average of $3.10 per square metre, meaning $240 million is required, said Brigadier General Leonardo Sapalo, the National Mine Action Agency's head. About 192 of the minefields are in areas close to the Benguela Railway, a critical component of the Lobito Corridor - a U.S.-backed rail project linking resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to the port of Lobito in Angola to facilitate the export of minerals and other goods. "The railway has been completely de-mined so that it can be rehabilitated. The train runs naturally, but there are specific areas that have not been completely cleared of mines," Sapalo said during a visit by Western ambassadors to British charity the HALO Trust, which assists in landmine clearance. "The work is not at a standstill, but we need to energise it." The de-mining process along the Lobito Corridor has already removed 43,142 anti-personnel mines, 2,460 anti-tank mines and 235,050 unexploded explosives, according to the HALO Trust.
Sky News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
'New reality' of landmine use in Europe
There is a "new reality" of landmine use in Europe due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the charity that worked alongside Princess Diana to highlight the dangers of the hidden weapons. The HALO Trust - which cleared the minefield that Princess Diana walked through in 1997 - was responding to four NATO countries saying they intended to leave the international treaty banning the use of mines. Earlier this week, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia said they would be exiting the Ottawa Treaty as the "military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased". The Ottawa Treaty was signed in late 1997, and currently has 164 members, including those four. Nations that are not signatories to the Ottawa Treaty includes Russia, China, Iran, India, North Korea, South Korea and the United States. The UK was one of the initial members of the treaty - and its creation was championed by Princess Diana alongside the HALO trust. A spokesperson for the trust - which worked with Princess Diana - said the move by the four NATO members "presents the Ottawa Treaty with its greatest challenge since it was signed in 1997". They added that the "invasion of Ukraine has created a new reality for the defence of Eastern Europe" - and outside of that region the Ottawa Treaty will "remain the bedrock of efforts to save civilian lives". In the wake of four members of NATO saying they will leave the Ottawa Treaty, the UK says it still remains committed and has no plans to leave. However, it is also supportive of those nations for choosing to withdraw. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth And Development Office told Sky News: "The UK remains unwavering in its commitment as a state party to the Ottawa Treaty, and we value the important role it plays in protecting civilians from harm. "It is the sovereign right of these countries to make this decision. "We will continue to engage these states on action they plan to take in order to minimise any impacts on our shared interests in humanitarian arms control and disarmament and to advance European security in the face of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine." It is not clear what this engagement will look like. However, the terms of the treaty means the UK would not be able to make or sell landmines to Poland, Lithuania, Estonia or Latvia. 2:34 Outside the government, the reaction has largely included condemnation of the use of mines - especially their impact on civilians. But there is an acceptance from some that Russia's aggression in the region has required a shift in what is and isn't acceptable to use in warfare. Andrew Mitchell was international development secretary in the early 2010s, held a similar role under Rishi Sunak - and has previously spoken of the "nightmare" of mines. But speaking to Sky News in the wake of the decision from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, he said: "Landmines are awful weapons of war which all too often lurk long after their military use and blow off the limbs of children and unwary civilians - that is why UK rightly has disavowed their use. "But I can see why these countries regard them as frontier protection from Putin's nakedly aggressive imperial ambitions and see a sensible defensive use for them." Sarah Champion, the Labour chair of the International Development Select Committee in parliament, was more critical. She told Sky News: "International treaties exist to keep us all safe. "When nations step away, we all become a little more vulnerable - so the decision from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is regrettable." Darren Cormack, the chief executive of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), told Sky News that he knew there are "no easy choices" for countries that feel they are "under threat of armed aggression". But he added that "international humanitarian law is designed precisely for times like these, when people are in the gravest danger and the risk of conflict is at its highest". "Extensive experience shows that the tactical utility of anti-personnel mines is outweighed by the civilian harm they cause, the tragic effect of which we witness day-in, day-out, across the world."
