AFRICA - Africa among the continents most affected by the scourge of landmines

Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Out of 110 million mines scattered around the world, 44 million are in Africa according to the latest statistics. These weapons still pose a threat to the lives of present and future generations, said the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, in his speech on the occasion of the World Day for the Promotion and Assistance in Mine Action which is celebrated today, April 4.
One of the African countries most affected by this scourge is the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the director of the Congolese Center for mine clearance, the territory of several provinces of the Country is littered with unexploded ordnance and mines. Only 30% of these instruments of death has been neutralized.
The provinces most affected are the Equatorial, l'Orientale, Katanga, a part of Maniema, South and North Kivu and the two Kasai. In the DRC from 2002 to 2012, 2458 people died because of landmines.
Other African Countries whose territory is still littered with landmines and other unexploded devices are Angola, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and more recently Mali. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 04/04/2013)