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Land Mine Epidemic

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Oliver Landgraf 

World History-Hjelmgren

Per. 7  5/19/09










Uganda: Land mines










Northern Uganda has a long history as a long- abandoned battlefield. The Ugandan army and the rebels of the lord’s resistance army were locked in a war zone, fighting for almost two decades (AllAfrica.com). During this harsh conflict, many explosives were laid, one of the most numerous being the land mine. Expansive mine fields popped up all around northern Uganda, causing one false move for either side an explosive end. Unfortunately, after the quarrels had ended, not nearly all of the land mines had been set off. Having an approximate 75 years until a land mine becomes inactive, Unexploded land mines continue to take the people of Uganda by surprise. Since the banning of land mines in 1997, some six and a half thousand unexploded land mines have been recovered, with that number rising (AllAfrica.com).

Many villagers have been struck terrified by the thought of mines littering areas around their villages, so many refuse to leave home. Children, whom once collected twisted metal from explosions after battles to sell to recycling companies, have heard all to many stories about kids doing just that, and setting off a mine(AllAfrica.com). Also, some villagers starve due to their refusal to working out in the fields, where the risk is greater. Despite the governments ban of explosives and disarming crews, the people can never feel safe, as they have no way of knowing if they have found them all or not (reliefweb.int).

In an area such as northern Uganda, the people lack the money and resources to use high tech equipment that can sense the mines, increasing the threat tenfold. Uganda's past continues to haunt it’s present. Land mines placed as long as 75 years ago continue to go off today. Wars long forgotten still slowly affect the environment today. The government in northern Uganda has on many occasions attempted to stem the war of the two factions, which still persists today) but the leaders of these organizations will have none of it. In order to stop a problem such as this, The two sides may need to stop quarreling, and perhaps even a sum of money could be donated to the government there in order to help them afford more useful and efficient tools for tracking and disarming the land mines keeping people from living the quality of life they deserve (reliefweb.int).

Land mines are more than just a physical threat in Uganda. They affect peoples mental stability as well, making people feel less safe. meaningless wars rage on, and scars of the past reopen once again. All in all, Uganda is in a serious situation- mines indirectly making people die of starvation (reliefweb.int). In a land like that, you cannot even feel safe at home- putting new meaning to the saying that a man’s house is his castle, but it shouldn't have to be a fortress.







Sources:




Eriku, James. "Land mines Persist in Northern Uganda." AllAfrica. 4 May 2008. 19 May 2009.




Oketch, Bill. "Uganda: landmines leave deadly legacy." ReliefWeb. 16 May 2008. 19 May 2009 http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/YSAR-7EPSP3?OpenDocument.

 

 

Land edited May 22, 2009