The people of Somalia have suffered decades of armed conflict, beginning with the Ogden War in 1977 and continuing today with the ongoing civil war. Thousands of landmines and explosives have been used, leaving a devastating legacy.
Vulnerable populations, including children and families forced to flee their homes due to conflict and drought, remain at risk from accidents. Landmines and explosives cut off grazing land, vital water sources and kill valuable livestock. For herders like Xirsi from the remote border district of El Barde, the impact is overwhelming. He lost a cow worth $350 USD and a donkey worth $200 USD to a mine accident—the equivalent of more than two months wages. Explosives are also harvested and re-used by non-state armed groups such as clan militias and extremists groups, which further endangers the lives of the civilians.
In 2016, HALO Somalia began work in Abudwaq. H*, who works in senior operations for the programme and is a published poet, was there at the very start and recalls the challenging conditions—from endemic insecurity, to the 42 degrees in the shade. But despite these difficulties, H and his colleagues remained dedicated to making Somalia a safer place.
One Million Sqm Land Made Safe
From small beginnings, the programme now works along the Ethiopia-Somalia border, across four of the five regions of South Central Somalia: Southwest, Hirshabele, Galmudug and Puntland. Today almost 400 local men and women are employed by HALO Somalia, creating opportunities in a region where jobs are often scarce.
This month the programme reached the major milestone of 1 million sqm of land cleared of landmines and explosives.
Safe Land Transforms Lives
For the pastoralist families of El Barde, life is precarious. Successive droughts have decimated their livestock, leaving them unable to put food on the table. The frankincense trees that grow nearby could offer a more secure income—they can be tapped for their resin which is sold at market to make essential oils. However, until HALO began work to clear the minefields, it was too dangerous to cultivate the trees.
H understands first-hand the transformation safe land can bring to vulnerable communities and is already looking to the future and the next million square metres of land to be cleared.
Poetry plays a fundamental role in Somalia culture, an oral record to recall stories of love and war. H began writing down his poetry when he was first stationed in Southern Somalia and was unable to be out of the field due to the security situation. In recognition of the programme's major milestone, he has penned a new poem.
* We have omitted H's full name to protect his identity.
The Millionth Metre
In the autumn of 2016
In the deep red brown soil country of
Balanballe
The first MMC clearance commenced,
By a courageous team of deminers
Dedication of duty and spirit of teamwork,
Cheering and singing as they go!
Trusted themselves when all doubted them,
When things go badly wrong,
they never quit,
When roads head uphill,
they never slide back,
Always, they knew the goal is closer than
It seems to a faint and faltering men,
They soon started the stats and logged,
The excavation of the shallow hole
Of signals of mines and shrapnel,
extracted.
After the ground was
Screened with the beeping
sounds of Minelabs
The millionth metre is now reached,
in a painstakingly difficult
circumstances
Circumstances, they understand
now, how to bend and soften,
Circumstances, that are now,
too familiar and, easy to handle,
Only it takes, adoption of the status and,
the will of assumption,
We shall not celebrate yet though,
as this is our first milestone.
H
29 July 2021
Somalia
