Bayan News – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has announced in its latest report that Afghanistan remains one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world.
The UNOCHA report, published today, Thursday (November 8th), states that approximately 60 individuals, including children, are killed or injured each month due to the impact of unexploded ordnance.
According to the report, two-thirds of the 400 districts in Afghanistan are contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war, while approximately three million people live within one kilometer of mines, improvised explosive devices, and explosive remnants left behind from past conflicts.
Based on the UNOCHA report, the provinces of Uruzgan, Kunduz, Helmand, Kandahar, Kunar, Badghis, Faryab, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Farah, Maidan Wardak, and Samangan are heavily affected by mines and explosive remnants.
The United Nations agency continues to emphasize in its report that families engaged in livestock herding, farming, and agriculture are most at risk from explosive materials.
According to the report: “As poverty deepens in Afghanistan, children and adults are increasingly forced to collect artillery shells and rockets as a means of earning a living, exposing themselves to dangerous consequences.”
The UNOCHA report clearly states that on one hand, there are insufficient resources to prevent mine-related hazards, and on the other hand, the agency is severely constrained by budgetary limitations.
