August 18, 2010: Flood-Affected People Threatened by Landmines and
Unexploded Ordnance

Landmines and unexploded ordnance carried by the floods have maimed civilians in recent days and are currently threatening communities in the flooded areas of DI Khan and Tank, said the Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO) today. As all emergency relief services are already strained by the largest natural disaster in our recent history, the additional suffering caused by these indiscriminate and hidden killers recalls all the absurdity of these weapons. SPADO calls on local populations not to approach unknown objects and to report their presence to authorities.

“Landmines have always remained a constant threat to civilians during wars and long after wars have ended. These hidden killers have also hindered the relief and development work after disasters and conflicts,” said Raza Shah Khan, Executive Director of SPADO, a Pakistani civil society organization working against the use of such weapons and promoting awareness among the general public.
SPADO field teams have reported that the recent floods have carried landmines and unexploded ordnance from South Waziristan over the Razmak, Makin, Sarrarogha, and Spinkai Raghzai areas of South Waziristan Agency, towards Tank and DI Khan.

According to information gathered by SPADO, three children and a woman have been injured in recent days. On August 9, Taib Hussain 7, Sadia Bibi 12 and Safi Ullah 13, saw an object which was in fact an antipersonnel landmine carried by floods in the Yarak area of DI Khan. The children picked the mine in their hands and started playing with it, until it suddenly  exploded, severely injuring the 3 kids. They were rushed to the hospital but unfortunately Taib Hussain lost his right leg. In a similar incident in the area of Kacha Kalay Jandola Frontier, region of Tank, an elderly women, Khwza Bibi, lost her right leg to an antipersonnel mine while collecting fire wood in a flooded area.

The SPADO mine risk education teams in Tank and DI Khan are working in collaboration with UNICEF and the Mines Advisory Group to safeguard the lives of affected people, teaching school children and communities how to adopt safe behaviors to avoid the risks posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
On August 13, SPADO teams were conducting a session with children when a community member informed them about the presence of a suspicious weapon in the flood water in the Kokar area of DI Khan. The team immediately went there, found an antipersonnel landmine and informed the bomb disposal squad, which later defused the mine thus preventing any possible casualties to the flood-affected people.

SPADO calls upon the government of Pakistan and the international community to take immediate steps in relieving the suffering of innocent and poor people who have been disabled and have suffered due to mines. These are but a few examples of the devastating impact of landmines, and a reminder that hundreds of landmine victims need our urgent attention.

Khwza Bibi 55, who lost her leg to a landmine	Sadia Bibi, age 12 who was severely injured
Taib Hussain, who lost his leg	SPADO field team with Safi Ullah severely injured

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