Photo by UN Photo/Jawad Jalali.
Magnus Boström — a deminer — on clearing landmines, making the ground safe again.
A landmine does not need any sleep, salary or food to be totally dedicated to the task it was designed for — kill or maim anyone who steps over it, even if a peace treaty is signed. Unless it is deactivated or cleared, a landmine keeps on waiting for its victim — like a patient assassin.
…
According to some statistics, 90% of landmine victims are civilians. And, the socio-economic impact of this weapon on societies that are effected by it, are huge. Imagine yourself as a farmer who can not use his land unless the ground is demined – it is truly terrible. I myself had a hard time stepping on soft ground years after I came back home. Even playing football with my children was frightening, though I knew for sure that there were no landmines planted in my backyard.
This commentary is only available for subscribers.
