The United Kingdom government last week handed over 35,000 square metres of land which has been cleared under the ongoing demining project across the country ensuring safer communities.
UK Defence Attache Andrew Bastable said their aim is to see a landmine-free Zimbabwe which would remove all potential risks associated with landmines which were left during the colonial era.
“On behalf of the United Kingdom, it’s an honour to be here to celebrate with everyone the successful release of this land back to the community. All the land that is being returned today has been cleared by deminers, checked directly by supervisors, and then undergone additional quality control provided by the Government of Zimbabwe. This is a huge achievement that was only possible thanks to the support and partnership of everyone gathered here today,” Bastable said.
He noted that the UK has long been a supporter of mine clearance in Zimbabwe – in addition to the cleared land being handed over today the United Kingdom has previously supported NPA activities in Mutare District which has led to a total of over 566,000 sq metre of land cleared and over 6000 Anti-Personnel Landmines found and destroyed in the Leacon Hill to Sheba Forest minefield.
“The UK is proud to have supported this latest clearance of over of land and I’d like to congratulate the hardworking teams who have worked across Mutare District and have painstakingly removed these mines one by one, metre by metre,” he added.
Zimbabwe is still one of the worst affected countries in the world as thousands of people live near mines. Every day people cross dangerous land to reach schools, clinics and homes. Tragically more than 2000 lives have been lost since the war ended in the 1980s
Since clearance was completed, land has been safely used by and benefited nearly – that’s 56,000 men, women and children: families who are now safely using this land for housing, agriculture, grazing, schools, clinics and boreholes.
“These are amazing results, and I am glad to see for myself how the demining community works together to improve the lives of the many Zimbabweans living near minefields,” Bastable noted.
He paid homage to Zimbabwean deminers whose skills and expertise he said are renowned across the world.
“Their demining capabilities means that they are not only working to clear mines within their communities in Zimbabwe but in countries such as Lebanon, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kuwait – including as far away as the Falklands which, thanks to a determined demining team from Zimbabwe, was declared mine-free in November 2020.”
