Story by Peter Chivhima
Zimbabwe is reviewing its landmine-free nation target, with the government expressing confidence in the country’s ability to achieve set objectives.
Harare is hosting a three-day National Stakeholder Dialogue focusing on humanitarian demining and providing support to landmine victims.
“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the government for the invaluable support they are providing to us. Their efforts have made it significantly easier for us to access assistive devices, which has greatly improved our quality of life and enabled us to participate more fully in our communities. We appreciate their commitment to promoting inclusivity and equality for all,” a landmine victim said.
Another said, “We want to thank the government for the support and all the efforts to assist us because now we are getting food assistance from the government.”
The Symposium brings together key stakeholders, including representatives from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, all of whom have pledged their support to Zimbabwe’s journey towards becoming a landmine-free nation.
“Currently, we are the leading funder, having generously supported the demining operations since 2016 with a total contribution of US$29 million,” British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Pete Vowles said.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mr Shinichi Yamanaka noted, “We will continue to support Zimbabwe in achieving its target of becoming a landmine-free nation.”
Officially opening the symposium, the Minister of Defence Honourable Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri expressed confidence in the nation’s ability to achieve a landmine-free nation.
“Another equally important matter is the preparation and submission of our request for an extension of mine clearance deadline to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Secretariat. Regrettably, this is our sixth request for an extension following our accession to the Treaty in 1999. I am pleased to note that work in this regard has already commenced and given the usual support from stakeholders, I do not doubt that the request will be successful,” she said.
The landmines, planted along the country’s borders by Rhodesian Forces during the liberation struggle, have caused devastating consequences over the years, killing or injuring more than one thousand people and claiming the lives of over 100 000 cattle.
