28 november 2007 01:13

Philippines: Peace process in Mindanao Island - official acceptance of a proposal for mine and UXO clearance

Mindanao - The Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL) and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) jointly announce that the Government of the Republic of the

Philippines

and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in a Statement on 15 November 2007, have accepted a joint Mine and UXO clearance project proposal. This indicates several new positive developments in their peace process.

The near clinching of an ancestral domain agreement means that the GRP-MILF peace negotiations are nearing their final substantive phase which is about determining the political solution of the Bangsamoro problem.

Preliminary assessment has shown that there is problem or threat, even though relatively small or low, of landmines left on the ground in certain areas of Mindanao. At the same time, there is a bigger problem or higher threat of other unexploded ordnance, usually in the form of fragmentation grenades, mortar rounds, artillery shells and aerial bombs left in the field as a result of armed hostilities over the years. These explosive remnants of war (ERW) pose a real threat to life and limb especially for evacuees/internally displaced persons and communities returning to their homes and farms, and likewise hinder the establishment of rehabilitation and development projects there.

Source: www.reliefweb.int

Credit Photo: www.american.edu

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