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Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Deadly legacy
By Amira IbrahimFor over 50 years, since the end of World War II, Egyptians have been paying the price of conflicts they were not responsible for. Yesterday's enemies are today's allies, their past conflicts largely forgotten -- buried in the ground along with the deadly mines they left behind.
In events leading up to the 1942 Battle of Al-Alamein, 19.7 million land-mines were planted in the Western Desert by Britain, Germany and Italy. In the Sinai Peninsula, about 14 million land-mines and explosives, mostly the work of Israel, are leftovers of the 1956 and 1967 Middle East wars.
It was only in 1981 that the government launched a comprehensive plan to remove these mines. Implementation was, and continues to be, the responsibility of the engineering corps of the armed forces.
According to figures released by the armed forces, the wars in the Western Desert and the Sinai Peninsula have left behind 33.7 million land-mines planted under 391,000 hectares. In the past 18 years, the armed forces have managed to remove 11.8 million land-mines: 8.8 million in Sinai and 3 million in the Western Desert.
The 1990s witnessed an intensive international campaign to ban land-mines, starting with the Brussels Declaration of 1995. It was followed by a 1996 UN General Assembly resolution calling for international assistance in the removal of minefields and the Oslo Declaration of 1997.
But no statement was made that Western nations should bear full responsibility for the removal of land-mines they planted in other countries, such as Egypt.
The removal of land-mines has been a permanent fixture on the agenda of Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and other high-ranking military officials who exchange visits with British, German and Italian top brass.
During a recent visit to Rome by Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Magdi Hatata, Italy agreed to step up its contribution to efforts directed at the removal of land-mines. According to military sources, Italy will offer technical assistance, organise training programmes for officers and foot part of the bill.
But in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Hazem, commander of the engineering corps, said the assistance offered by the countries responsible for planting the land-mines continues to fall short of what is required.
"We need 2,000 mine-sweepers, but we received only 110 from Germany and 75 from Britain in addition to a British grant of £500,000 provided between 1981 and 1991. As for Italy, it offered a training programme for 20 officers," Hazem said.
"The removal of a single mine costs between $300 to $1,000," Hazem added. "This means that Egypt needs approximately $250 million to remove the 21.9 million mines that are still buried on its territory."
The Sinai land-mines do not pose any danger and are not in the way of investment and development. The minefields of the Western Desert, however, pose a big problem. "We received maps from Britain, records of minefields from Germany and books and illustrations from Italy explaining the types of mines that were used," Hazem said. "They are useful but, unfortunately, they are not enough."
Hazem explained that in addition to the recorded minefields, new ones are often discovered by the removal units.
"There are 16.7 million land-mines buried underneath 248,000 hectares in the Western Desert," Hazem said. "This is a very large area and maps and records are often inaccurate. Moreover, as a result of rain, wind and the movement of sand dunes, the mines are subject to continual displacement. And because they have been buried for decades, the mines have become even more dangerous."
According to Hazem, 8,800 civilians and military personnel have been killed or maimed by the Western Desert mines. The experience gained by the engineering corps in dealing with land-mines since 1981 was put to good use during the 1991 Gulf War.
The engineering corps also removed 520 land-mines and 800 explosives from a 15,000-hectare area before a development project was launched east of Port Said.
"Investors who wish to take part in development projects in the Western Desert and Sinai can request the assistance of the armed forces in the detection and removal of any buried mines," Hazem said.
"We do not lack experience," Hazem said. "We lack funds. But financing should be the responsibility of those who planted the mines."
As a result, the removal of land-mines will remain tied to the government's ability to provide financing since the countries responsible refuse to foot the bill for their actions.
