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said.
Deputy secretary for policy, public relations and international affairs in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Patrick Machaya, yesterday said concerted efforts were needed to clear landmines in the country.

He made the remarks during the International Day of Mine Awareness and Mine Action in Harare yesterday.
The event also saw Government signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Halo Trust, a humanitarian organisation, to demine millions of landmines planted by the colonial Smith regime during the liberation struggle.

The pact is aimed at surveying and demining the Musengezi to Rwenya minefield.
“There is need for the world to unite in eliminating these (landmines) dangerous weapons for a safe sustainable world,” Mr Machaya said.

“Zimbabwe has a lot of mines buried underground, which continue to pose a danger to the lives of people, their livestock as well as wild animals in the vicinity of the minefields.”
Most landmines in Zimbabwe were laid down by the Rhodesian Army at the peak of the liberation struggle along the northern and eastern borders to prevent freedom fighters from entering the country from Mozambique and Zambia.

Mr Machaya said demining activities in the country were adversely affected by lack of adequate resources.
“The Zimbabwean Government has since independence been grappling with the problem and making frantic efforts to rid the country of the landmines albeit at a very slow pace due to insufficient resources,” he said.
He said the Zimbabwe National Army’s Corp of Engineers demining the Sango Border Post to Crooks Corner minefiled was using old and antiquated equipment.

“As a result they are registering very slow progress,” he said.
“The magnitude of our mine problem is still very big. This calls for significant work progress if we are to complete the task in a reasonable time frame. As a signatory of the Ottawa Convention on the ban of anti-personal landmines, Zimbabwe has to fulfil its obligations under the convention, which among other issues includes the need to complete demining all infested areas under the country’s jurisdiction.”

Mr Machaya said he was optimistic Halo Trust will help Zimbabwe overcome the landmine problem.
“Our hope is that we will have a good working relationship with the organisation and that they will stick to their mandate of resurveying and demining in their areas of jurisdiction.”

Halo Trust representative Mr Tom Dibb said the organisation will continue working with states and non-state actors to provide advice and support to enable the goal of universalisation of the anti-personal mine ban convention to become a reality.