March 2005

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

Unnatural Disasters -- Ending Landmines One Step at a Time

Bequie Lake is an activist and theatre maker working with the Youth Mine Action Ambassador Program in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Soon after the recent tsunami slammed into the coast of Sri Lanka, reports surfaced of "floating landmines." Apparently, some of Sri Lanka's approximately one million mines had been dislodged from their marked fields by the force of the waves, and resurfaced in flood waters, becoming an even more random and unpredictable threat. The news caused aid workers to be very cautious about moving into the area.

Jason Pearman, winner of the Canadian Appropriate Technology in Mine Action Competition, and a Bosnian canine clearance expert fit a dog with Pearman's "dog cooling device." Photo by Bequie Lake.

The stories did not come out of thin air -- in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, thousands of mines were unearthed in Nicaragua -- some even moving across the border into Honduras. But later, the warnings in Sri Lanka were dismissed -- demining agencies like Halo Trust and the United Nations Development Program quickly assessed the area, and discovered that most mines hadn't moved far from their known locations. The bigger problem was the slow pace of aid due to the rampant rumors, so they quickly moved to reassure aid workers. No new mine casualties have been reported in the area, although people are still on the alert as they return home.

In a recent article on the disaster, Rex Murphy -- a pundit for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation -- quotes an axiom that "the worst things always happen in the poorest places to people in the weakest circumstances." He doesn't ask why, but the interaction of these two catastrophes in the days after the tsunami demonstrates the vicious cycle that occurs in many countries like Sri Lanka -- the symptoms of one problem often become the cause of another. Landmines -- and the fear they caused -- blocked aid into the region, just as they have blocked development worldwide, from the use of arable land, to the laying of new pipes for fresh water, to the free transport of goods. The impact of landmines on individuals contributes to this cycle: mines are designed to injure people very badly without killing them, often depriving them of a livelihood, making them a drain on a country's precious health and social resources.

The individuals taken by the tsunami, like those killed and injured by landmines, were random. Neither the colossal wave nor the blast mine hidden under the soil differentiates between a local civilian, a soldier -- or a Western tourist. But, unlike the tsunami, landmines are a force solidly within our control. Dealing with the problems we can control is one way of addressing the cycle of underdevelopment, strengthening even the weakest circumstances.

Globalizing struggle

The tsunami was another reminder of what a small planet we all share -- one earthquake with devastating impact on two continents. But nearly as remarkable as the catastrophe itself was the outpouring of aid from countries around the world.

The community of landmine activists is also increasingly global. In Nairobi, Kenya, the largest summit yet on landmines and mine action took place in December 2004. Thousands of activists, government officials, landmine survivors, aid workers, and youth gathered to mark the five-year anniversary of the Ottawa Convention (or mine ban treaty), celebrate their achievements, and plan for the coming years. The push is on to meet the upcoming deadlines for some of the treaty's major commitments, including 10-year deadlines for clearing the mines from many of the world's 83 mine-affected countries.

The event included the first Landmine Survivor Summit, and the "In Our Lifetimes: International Youth Symposium," hosted by the Youth Mine Action Ambassador Program, a program created by the Canadian Red Cross, Mines Action Canada and the Canadian Government.

For Waldo Abdo Ali, a Canadian delegate to the youth symposium, the event was a time of recommitment to the struggle against landmines. "For me, the Nairobi Summit renewed hope, and renewed the contract from civil society and governments to make the world mine-free. We have a commitment from everyone involved in the campaign to make sure it's viable," said Ali. 39 youth from 24 different countries participated in the symposium.

Elodie Button, another Canadian youth delegate, says the energy in the room at the Youth Symposium increased her confidence as a campaigner. "There is so much apathy among the youth at my university, that to see these incredible people so involved just made me realize that we can do it," she said.

Challenging the US

Campaigners around the world often look with frustration to the United States. Some believe that it is difficult to fight for universalization of the landmine ban treaty with one of the major world powers stubbornly holding out. Local activists in the US often express a sense of futility in dealing with the current administration.

The current administration has gone back on earlier commitments by the Clinton administration to sign the treaty in the near future. But civil society continues to put pressure on the government to step up to the Convention. They encourage people to write letters about the issue to politicians, on both the state and federal levels.

But there are positive steps from government as well -- the US, like several other world powers including India and China, has declared an export moratorium on landmines, and they haven't used landmines since the first Gulf War. As well, they are the world's largest funder of mine action activities around the world.

And citizens are also continuing to fight in many ways, like by raising money and awareness for mine clearance through Adopt-a-Minefield Night of 1000 Dinners.

Paul Hannon, the Executive Director of Mines Action Canada encourages people to make any action, even a small one; "this whole campaign has been built on small efforts," he says.

Youth against war -- Making the commitment

Young people have always played a major role in the campaign against landmines. Song Kosal, a Cambodian landmine survivor, created the Youth Against War Treaty at the age of 12.

The words of the treaty are very simple: "We want no more war. We want no more landmines. We want no more new mine victims. We promise to work for peace in our world."

Ali is one of the youth who have made that commitment -- he first became involved in the issue because knew it was an area where he could make an impact. He and Elodie Button have both been involved in awareness and fundraising activities here in Canada for years.

On December 3, 2004, the final day of the Nairobi Summit, delegates from the youth symposium presented a declaration at the Summit's closing ceremonies, attended by heads of state from many countries, and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan via satellite.

The text of the youth declaration is clear in its commitment to follow through. "We declare our commitment to press forward with the fight to rid the world of landmines, and our determination to finish the job in our lifetime," it states. The youth campaign is moving forward, but not without looking back. The declaration closes with words that evoke Song Kosal's treaty: "No more landmines, no more new victims, in our lifetime, we are ready."

The goals are clear, and the commitment has been made. But the campaign still has a long way to go. There are still 42 governments that have yet to sign on to the Ottowa Convention, including the USA, China, India, and Russia. About 15 countries continue to manufacture landmines, and new landmines continue to be planted -- in 15 countries since 1999. Even if no new landmines were ever planted, the road ahead would be steep -- the process of clearing landmines is dangerous, slow, and overwhelmingly expensive. Deminers in many countries prod the ground literally inch by inch, looking for the remnants of recent conflicts, and of those long forgotten. And in the meantime, thousands of people are still injured by landmines every year.

We have a right -- and a responsibility -- to have our say in what our world looks like. And if we can tackle the landmine issue, then just imagine what we could do next. It will be one step forward toward making the old axiom irrelevant -- and one way of preparing for future tsunamis.

No more landmines. No more new mine victims. In our lifetimes. We are ready.

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