Mozambique becomes 29th State free of all known landmines

Mozambique has become the 29th State to declare that it has fulfilled its landmine clearance obligation under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which bans the use, stockpile, production and transfer of these weapons.

The announcement was made by Pedro Comissario, Ambassador of Mozambique to the UN in Geneva during the second day of the Convention's 14th Meeting of the States Parties taking place until Dec. 4 here in Geneva.

"The greatest indicator of our success is not the number of square meters cleared or the number of landmines destroyed, but the incalculable improvement to the development of Mozambique and the removal of fear from our communities," said Comissario.

The senior diplomat added that "a great measure of success is that 2015 will mark the first year in decades, without any new landmine casualties."

"When the Convention was adopted, the clearance of all mined areas in Mozambique was a distant prospect, now Mozambique can give hope to other mine-affected countries," said Alberto Augusto.

In addition to having cleared all known anti-personnel mines, Mozambique also destroyed 37,818 stockpiled mines.

However, according to Comissario, landmines have claimed tens of thousands of victims in the country, thus these hidden weapons have taken a heavy toll on the country, one that will be felt over decades to come.

The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention entered into force on March 1, 1999, and held its first Meeting of the States Parties two months later in Maputo.

According to the latest figure coming from the Convention's 14th meeting, 30 States Parties are still in the process of clearing mined areas, including 13 States in Africa. Endit