Zimbabwe has made remarkable strides in clearing landmines planted during the liberation war, with over 96 percent of contaminated land now declared safe for communities. However, a critical funding shortfall of US$23.79 million threatens to delay the country’s ambition of becoming completely mine-free by 2028.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to the latest report, only 12 square kilometers of land remain contaminated with landmines, a significant reduction from the estimated 310,000 square kilometers affected at independence in 1980. This progress is largely credited to the relentless efforts of the Zimbabwe National Army’s National Mine Clearance Unit, the HALO Trust, and other humanitarian demining organizations.
The Government had initially set a target to achieve a landmine-free environment by December 2025. However, due to financial constraints, the deadline has now been pushed to 2028.
Speaking at the national stakeholders’ dialogue on humanitarian demining and mine victim assistance last Tuesday, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri cited reduced international donor support and the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as key challenges facing the demining project.
“Our projection was to complete demining by December 2025,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri. “This is no longer realisable due to challenges associated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and fluctuations in funding from the international donor community. The funding gap as at September 2024 for the completion of mine clearance in Zimbabwe by 2028 stands at US$23.79 million.”
Despite these challenges, the Government has pledged to continue funding the demining initiative to ensure that affected communities can safely use the land for agriculture, infrastructure development, and other socio-economic activities.
The landmines, originally planted by the Rhodesian Colonial Forces in the 1970s, span six provinces: Matabeleland North, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Manicaland, and Masvingo. These deadly remnants of war have long posed a danger to local populations, limiting access to land and causing fatalities and injuries over the years.
With the final stretch of demining requiring urgent financial support, Zimbabwe remains hopeful that international donors will step in to bridge the funding gap and help the nation achieve its mine-free goal by 2028.
