Algeria has succeeded, between November 2004 and September 2014, as part of its international commitments, to destroy 927,751 anti-personnel mines laid during the colonial period, said Thursday in Algiers the responsible for the “anti-personnel” file at the national level, Colonel Ahcene Gherabi.
“The Algerian practice of humanitarian mine clearance was conducted in two phases, the first from 1963 to 1988 as part of the elimination of the colonial vestiges, whereas the second phase has lasted from November 2004 until today, according to an international commitment,” said Colonel Gherabi during the works of the third day of the 3rd conference of the Arab programme on mine-clearance actions.
During the second phase, 927,571 anti-personnel mines were destructed until 30 September 2014, said the responsible for the “anti-personnel” file at the national level during his speech, themed “Algeria’s implementation of the Ottawa convention on prohibition of anti-personnel mines.”
This phase was marked by the destruction of 159,110 anti-personnel mines, the retention of 5,970 mines and the restoration of 7,878,222 hectares of cleaned land to local authorities, against the destruction of 7,819,120 mines and the restoration of 50,006 hectares of cleaned land during the first phase, aimed at the elimination of all colonial vestiges,” he underlined.
The quantity of the remaining anti-personnel mines, after the ratification by Algeria of the Ottawa convention rises to 3,000,000 mines in the provinces of El-Tarf, Guelma, Souk Ahras, Tebessa, Naama and Bechar.