MINE ACTIONS: Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Canvasses Technical Support From Geneva International Centre
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq, has called for technical support in the area of mine actions in the Northeast region of Nigeria.
The Minister made the calls during a courtesy visit by the three man delegation from Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) which was held on 28th March, 2023, at the Ministry’s Conference hall, Abuja
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, mni, NPOM, said the Ministry aligns with the global best practice which sees Humanitarian demining as the physical removal or deactivation of Abandoned Mines, Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to protect civilians from their indiscriminate effect, facilitate a return to ordinary civiiian life and, where applicable, ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
She stated that the approach to mine actions also factors the fact that humanitarian demining differs from military demining because it aims at complete mine clearance to make an area safe for civilians and which must have a distinctly humanitarian, non-military purpose. The objective of humanitarian demining is to create conditions for the safe return of refugees or IDPs to their homes and farms and to restore infrastructure critical to a nation’s capacity for economic recovery and political stability. Military demining, by contrast, has very different priorities from those imposed by post-conflict reconstruction imperatives.
The Minister stated that President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2022 directed the Ministry to establish an inter-ministerial multi-agency civilian-led committee that will be responsible for the overall coordination, control and priority-setting of mine actions in Nigeria. The National Humanitarian Mine Actions Committee was inaugurated in
October last year and will serve as Nigeria’s National Mine Action Authority.
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The Minister informed that the Ministry was glad to learn that some of the committee members are already benefitting from some of the online courses and are preparing to attend other courses in person organized by the GICHD.
She said with this support the Ministry hopes that the National Humanitarian Mines Actions Committee (NHMAC) will become an effective Humanitarian Mines Actions (HMA) focal point and should develop rapidly into a professional, highly specialized, and productive Unit under the Ministry. She requested that GICHD should assist in technical support, advice, capacity building and also bring the NHMAC to the attention of donors.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Mine Action Programmes, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), Mr. Valon Kumnova, said the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) works towards reducing risk to communities caused by explosive ordnance, with a focus on landmines, cluster munitions and ammunition stockpiles.
He disclosed that part of the reasons they were in the Ministry is as a result of the excellent news about mine actions and the establishment of the committee charged with mine actions in Nigeria.
He stated the readiness of GICHD to partner with the Ministry within the shortest possible time in the area of technical support.
Mr Kumnova, stated that they would try and learn what the mines committee is facing at the moment and how they might be in the best position lto provide support in eradicating those problems of mine actions in Nigeria
In attendance were, Mr John Sorbo, Adviser, National Mine Action Standards (NMAS) Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, Daniella Payne Mine Action Programme Officer, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Chairman, National Humanitarian Mine Actions Committee, Commodore Sadiq Abubakar, members of the committee and some Directors of the Ministry.
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