News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

From 7 July to 26 August 2014, significant quantities of explosive ordnance were used during hostilities between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Gazan armed groups. It is reported that approximately 72,000 items of ordnance were fired and launched during this period. The ERW contamination has…

The Somali Compact 2014 – 2016 outlines the objectives of the Somalia federal government to guide the process of stabilization and peace building. The Compact also recognizes the vital contributions by representatives of women, youth, civil society organizations, traditional elders, religious…

The absence of accurate data on the scope and location of landmine contamination negatively affected more than a decade of mine action activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This article discusses the 2013 National Landmines Contamination Survey and its results. Publication: The Journal…

With a majority of Colombia’s municipalities reporting landmine or ordnance incidents since 1990, there is an urgent need to perform non-technical survey (NTS) in the country to determine the re- mining threat. Assuming liability for risk, however, slows the process. The authors make a case for…

The United Nations Mine Action Service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in the process of implementing a new quality management system (QMS) for mine action in DRC. The QMS was implemented in July 2013 and its progress continues to be carefully monitored each quarter. Publication…

Since 2007, the United Nations Mine Action Service has been implementing mine-action activities in the Territory of Western Sahara. Although the parties to the conflict generally abide by a 1991 ceasefire, the expansive territory remains contaminated by an unknown quantity of mines and explosive…

After a decade of conflict in Nepal, the signing of the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement initiated mine clearance. By December 2009, all explosives in the Maoist cantonment sites had been eliminated. This article examines the extent of Nepal’s mine-action successes, while offering a number of…

The use of improvised explosive devices by guerrillas, drug cartels and paramilitary groups has threatened Colombian society for the past 30 years. This article examines the types of IEDs found in Colombia, and the extent and history of its IED problem. Also outlined are the Colombian government’s…

In order to further the development of proper protection from and response to landmines and explosive remnants of war in conflict and post-conflict countries, the United Nations Mine Action Service and the International Mine Action Standards Review Board are taking the necessary steps to ensure…

The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) is a globally used and internationally accepted database and software system that allows mine action programmes to efficiently correlate and evaluate information. In addition, IMSMA provides powerful tools to rapidly disseminate information…

The aftermath of the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 marks the start of the United Nations’ involvement in mine action. In the early 1990s, programmes were started in Mozambique, Cambodia and Angola, and in 1996 Bosnia. Today, the United Nations supports mine action in 35 countries…

Effective coordination is an essential part of mine action efforts worldwide. The author discusses the United Nations Mine Action Service's (UNMAS) coordination strategies, focusing on examples from Mine Action Coordination Centres (MACCS) in Africa. Publication: The Journal of Conventional Weapons…