Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlzambia



Zambia <![CDATA[Zambia is contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) as a result of armed opposition groups from neighboring countries having used Zambia as a haven. The threat appears scattered and relatively low level. Landmines were used in sparsely populated rural areas and, increasingly, children have been their main victims. The precise extent and location of contamination is not yet known, although it is believed that there are more items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) than mines.

Several surveys since 2003 have attempted to define the mine problem in Zambia. In 2003–2004, the Zambia Anti-Personnel Mine Action Centre (ZMAC) conducted a general survey that identified 41 areas affected by mines and/or ERW.

In 2007, ZMAC conducted an assessment in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture. The assessment teams found blown-up vehicles in areas and roads once used by non-state armed groups in the 1970s during the war for independence in Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe. In collaboration with Namibia, Zambia undertook two field visits to areas along the Zambia-Namibia border thought to be contaminated by mines.

Key national development priorities such as agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure are said to be impacted by contamination. NPA determined from an assessment in 2007 that tourism, farming, and hydroelectric power—all key pillars for the Zambian economy and development—are affected by the threat of landmines. Mines are claimed to deny access to wildlife and game reserves, limit access to the Zambezi River for hydroelectric development, and prevent further construction of the cattle disease cordon line. The UN has also noted that the Ministry of Lands is unable to conduct boundary maintenance due to suspected mine contamination along Zambia’s border areas, while SHAs threaten the population, curtail economic growth, and victimize those who can least afford it, the farmers and their animals.

In 2006, ZMAC met with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources to discuss the level of impact landmines were having on game parks in Zambia. The ministry expressed a willingness to include mine clearance in its 2007 budget, as support for infrastructure development. ZMAC estimated it would cost ZMK51million (US$15,453) to clear tourist destinations of mine contamination. However, no funding was provided to ZMAC.[29] ]]> <![CDATA[]]>