Ethiopia

The Landmine Problem

Ethiopia is one of the ten most mine-affected countries in the world due to past conflicts with neighboring Sudan and Somalia as well as a recent border war from 1998-2000 with Eritrea.  Ethiopia’s Mine Action Office estimates that 2,000,000 landmines and a vast number of UXO (unexploded ordinance) contaminate the soil of every region of Ethiopia, particularly the Tigray province. Mines and UXO are near populated areas and most mine incidents have occurred during herding or farming.  Since 2002, 588 people have been killed and 737 people injured by mines.    Well over 15,000 people were reported maimed or killed by mines and UXO before 2002. 

The mine problem seriously impedes economic growth by rendering unsafe land that could be used for agriculture, infrastructure and industry.  Refugees cannot return to their homes and international relief efforts to aid Ethiopians have been impeded by mine contamination.  Ethiopia’s droughts have also forced a large number of people to knowingly move into contaminated areas due to lack of food and water.

Humanitarian Demining Programs

Humanitarian demining programs and mine-risk education are the responsibility of the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO.)  The office was established in 2001.  With aid from the US Government, the United Nations and the World Bank EMAO currently has four manual mine clearance companies and affiliated mine-risk education programs.  They are in the process of developing a national mine-action strategy to address Ethiopia’s severe mine problem.  The US Military has established a “Train-the-Trainer” program to train Ethiopian deminers who in turn will train additional indigenous deminers to achieve International Mine Action Standards.  From 2002-2003, this program was able to clear almost 2 million m2 of land.  Although these accomplishments are impressive, EMAO still requires mine detection dogs, mine clearance equipment and other tools to be a fully functional and effective unit.

The Marshall Legacy Institute’s Program

The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) is partnering with the US Department of State, the Government of Ethiopia and private donors to provide an initial six fully-trained mine detection dogs for integration with local handlers.  These six dogs will undergo initial training at Global Training Academy in Somerset, Texas and then complete their education in-country with local handlers.  The dogs will then become a valued and permanent asset to the EMAO to assist in clearing land and saving lives in Ethiopia.

For more information about MLI's (CHAMPS parent organization) k-9 deming efforts in Ethiopia, click here.