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KABUL (SW): Officials from the Afghan Landmines Survivors Organization (ALSO) has said that 1310 people had died due to landmines in 2015, but this figure increased to 1943 in 2016.
This has put Afghanistan at the second place among countries having the highest numbers of landmine victims after Yemen. “According to a report by International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), the number of landmines’ victims in Afghanistan is very high”, Islamudin Mohammadi, the Executive Director “ALSO”, said at a press conference today in Kabul.
According to Mr. Mohammadi, the landmines claimed a total of 8605 lives in 2016, which included 78 percent civilians of which 42 percent were women and children. Mohammadi added that the lack of attention by the Afghan government and the shortages of funds have been the reasons hindering proper help and support for the victims.
A number of victims were also present at this press conference. They said that they have been suffering from the negative attitude of the citizens and lack of attention by the government.
Sayed Alam Hashimi, director of welfare and rehabilitation department at the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD), acknowledged that not enough attention is paid to the landmines' victims in the country. He said the government has plans in place to better serve landmines' victims in future.
Afghanistan, under the Ottawa Convention, is required to clear all areas of landmines by 2023, however, the organizations tasked with clearing the landmines have always lamented lack of funding, continued war, and the re-plantation of landmines by insurgents as major challenges in achieving this goal.
ENDS
