Japan Donates U.S.$4 Million for Anti-Mining Operations

Monday, March 4, 2013

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The Japanese government has donated $4 million to support the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action in Somalia in 2013, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) announced Friday (March 1st).

With the support of Japan, UNMAS has assisted the Somali police in learning to dispose of explosive ordnance and to offer essential humanitarian mine support.

UNMAS Somalia has destroyed more than 22,000 items of unexploded ordnance and anti-personnel mines since 2008, and provided life-saving mine education to more than 1 million Somalis.

"We hope that the people of Somalia will now feel safe and secure enough to reconstruct their lives, and for the internally displaced persons and refugees to return to where they came from," said Japanese ambassador to Somalia Toshihisa Takata. "For this to happen, clearing mines and raising awareness on mines among the locals are essential, as examples in other conflict-affected areas have shown."

Since 2010, financial support from Japan has helped UNMAS deliver mine education to 60,000 Somalis and destroy 7,000 explosives items, according to the agency.

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