A deadly plague is at large; it shows no favourites.  It has one mission - to kill or maim its victims.  One of the most cowardly and inhumane inventions of modern warfare, is the landmine, because long after it has outlived its military usefulness it impacts in the most heinous way on the innocent.  One recent report states that conflicts, ranging from civil to world wars have left in their wake, approximately 80 to 110 million unexploded landmines in 64 countries around the globe; another 180-185 million are held in stockpiles. In 1974, Turkey invaded the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus; once a prize of the Romans, and a sovereign British protectorate,  this ‘paradise isle’ as the tourist brochures describe it, has latterly been populated by Cypriots both Turkish and Greek, living, for the most part in harmony.  The invasion changed this status quo and a ‘Green Line’ was drawn across the island from west to east splitting its territories thus: Turkish Cypriot - one third, to the north; Greek Cypriot - two thirds to the south.  The line marked the southernmost extent of the invading Turks and passes centrally through the ancient capital of Nicosia, splitting this once proud and architecturally beautiful city in two.  Nicosia, to this day, remains the only divided city in the world.

Previous articles on Cyprus: Post Europe Cyprus - Cyprus finally joined the European Union in May 2004 thus achieving a long sought after prize.  Despite a last ditch effort to unify the Turkish occupied north and the Greek Cypriot south, with a plan put forward by Kofi Annan, Cyprus entered the Union as a divided island. Cyprus: Archaeological Adventures - The Athienou Archaeological Project (AAP) is a multidisciplinary project focusing on the site of Athienou-Malloura and the surrounding valley.  This site was settled for nearly 2500 years and encompasses the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman periods in the island's history.   Due to its long occupation coupled with the variety of the archaeological remains found-religious, domestic, funerary - the site remains an ideal training ground for archaelogical students. Retirement Planning for Offshore Living The advantages of outsourcing your retirement have never been better!

Little do the millions of tourists, who visit Aphrodite’s (the Goddess of Love) idyll in the sun, realize that they share their holidays with one of the most indiscriminate instruments of war known to man.

Cyprus reported in May 2003 that there are 11 minefields in the buffer zone, laid by the Greek Cypriot National Guard containing both anti-personnel, and anti-tank mines.  One of these is located at Nicosia airport, now derelict;  the airfield is damaged and littered with the hulks of old aircraft once operated by the national carrier, Cyprus Airways.  Outside the buffer zone the Greek Cypriot minefields contain several thousand anti-personnel mines.  There are also another 26 minefields in the buffer zone laid by Turkish forces.

UNFICYP (United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus) has military responsibility for all activities in the buffer zone; since military personnel from both the Turkish and Greek sides of the line are requested not to enter the buffer zone, these minefields, 48 in all according to most recent figures, have not been maintained since being laid in haste in 1974, and are thus considered to be in a dangerous condition.  Another 53 minefields are located outside the Buffer Zone bringing the total on the island (April 2004 UNFICYP figures) to 101.

Mine Ban Policy
On 4th December 1997 the Republic of Cyprus signed the Mine Ban Treaty, ratified it on 17th January 2003 and became a State Party on 1st July 2003. A total of 136 nations have ratified the treaty (sometimes referred to as the Ottawa Convention) which comprehensively prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines. Cyprus linked the signing to a desire to ‘reduce tension and promote mutual confidence on the island’. 

In May 2003 Cyprus admitted to a stockpile of 48,615 anti-personnel mines, in addition to the several thousand laid in the minefields in the buffer zone themselves.  These are stored at a National Guard warehouse in a village called Palodia, near Limassol.  In December of that same year a mine destruction programme was initiated, and in a ceremony to mark the occasion, 3,927 anti-personnel mines were destroyed.

Mine Clearance
‘Demining’ or ‘mine clearance’ is an integral part of mine action and includes surveying, mapping and minefield marking as well as the actual clearance of mines from the ground.

There are two types of clearance: military clearance is that undertaken by soldiers to clear strategic pathways for advancement or retreat of combatants during a conflict.  The military term used for this is ‘breaching’.

Humanitarian mine clearance aims to clear land so that civilians can return to their homes and normal routines without the fear of detonating an unknown mine.  Civilian safety after clearance must be guaranteed so that peace and security at community level can be restored.

Surveying, or the gathering of mine related information must take place before clearance can begin.  Where minefield records don’t exist, data can be collected from local people, mine victims and even former combatants.  Detailed maps to assist and prioritize the clearance can then be compiled.  Minefield marking obviously is intended to deter people from entering mined areas, but has to be carried out in tandem with mine awareness, so that the local population understands the meaning and the importance of the signs.

Clearance operations makes use of three main methods:-
Manual clearance relies on trained de-miners using metal detectors and long, thin prodders to locate the mines, which are then destroyed by a controlled explosion.

Secondly, mine detection dogs are used in conjunction with manual deminers - they can detect the presence of mines in the ground by smell.

Thirdly, mechanical clearance, which relies on flails, rollers, vegetation cutters and excavators, often attached to armoured bulldozers.

Advances in technology have been made in recent years both in detection and clearance systems, but for most situations, for reasons of cost and reliability, the preferred method of clearance is manual.

The UN bodies involved in mine action in most countries do not carry out the mine clearance directly - they usually advise and assist the national authorities or a UN peacekeeping mission to carry out the clearance.  In Cyprus, private companies, currently fielding Mozambican de-miners, carry out the mine clearance operations.  Under the Mine Ban Treaty, the government of Cyprus has until 1 July 2007 to complete the destruction of its anti-personnel mine stockpiles, although the government has opted to retain a total of 1,000 mines for training in detection, clearance and destruction.  It was reported in 2003 that in the previous two years the National Guard had destroyed some 11,000 mines in various fields. 

Although the government of the Republic of Cyprus had declared that it was prepared to unilaterally clear its minefields in the Buffer Zone, it became apparent that clearance operations would also have to deal with Turkish Minefields in the Buffer Zone and the European Union has since agreed to to fund the UN Development Programme to employ a manager/technical advisor to monitor the project.  In August 2004 the EU made available 2.5million Euros for mine clearance in Cyprus.  Before clearance of the Buffer Zone can take place, agreement from the administration in the Turkish occupied north of the island is required.  As of this time, agreement has not been reached.

In the last year there has been encouraging progress worldwide in the battle to rid the globe of the antipersonnel mine; millions of dollars have funded this, but the need for the political will to keep up the momentum is of paramount importance.  Cyprus has until the 1st July  2013 to complete the clearance of anti-personnel mines in areas under its jurisdiction and control.  With sufficient political will on both the Turkish and Greek sides, this could be achieved within two years, thus making Cyprus the first ever mined country in the world to be declared landmine free.

Meanwhile, the mine sits, silently awaiting its next target.
 

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