As one of very few efforts to clear war-torn areas from landmines and other explosives, the HALO Trust’s work is vital for affected communities in bringing about an environment that allows social and economic activities to return to normal as well as begin to flourish once again. Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) is essentially the safe disposal and demolition of abandoned or unexploded bombs, shells, grenades and cluster munitions. Together, these items fit under the umbrella of ‘unexploded ordnance’ (UXO) or ‘explosive remnants of war’ (ERW). Landmines can be categorised as anti-personnel mines, anti-group mines, anti-vehicle mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These are what we refer to when we talk about ‘mine clearance’ or ‘demining’.
HALO currently clears landmines and other ERW in 25 countries and territories around the world. These include very severely mined countries where conflicts ended several decades ago – such as Cambodia, Angola and Zimbabwe – as well as places where conflict is more recent or ongoing, such as Somalia, Libya and Iraq. In Afghanistan, we are clearing minefields laid during the Soviet occupation, as well as weapons from more recent conflict.
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Source: Government Europa