France contributes additional 600K Euros for mine removal in Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – France has donated an additional 600,000 Euros to Iraq for mine removal purposes that will help facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) confirmed the donation in an official statement on Sunday, noting that unexploded ordnances planted by the so-called Islamic State continue “to impede security and stability efforts” in liberated areas.

“With this additional contribution from the Government of France, UNMAS will further develop a nationally-led response to the threat of explosive hazards,” the statement read.

Initiatives will include providing “explosive hazard management in areas prioritized for stabilization and humanitarian response, technical advice to national and regional authorities, as well as risk education.”

Large swaths of territory the Islamic State once held in Iraq still contain explosive ordnances.

Iraq declared victory over the terrorist organization in late 2017 but still faces challenges in clearing areas seized by the group from mines and explosives. It has also created issues for displaced Iraqis who cannot return home in compromised areas due to the lack of security. 

French Ambassador to Iraq, Bruno Aubert, said in a statement that clearing areas in Iraq of mines are “a priority” for Paris “to ensure that the right conditions are in place for displaced persons to return home.”

Related Article: UN says over 70 percent of mines still under rubble in Iraq post-ISIS

According to statistics from Iraq’s Ministry of Immigration, only about three million people out of over five million have returned to their homes with the rest remaining in camps in the Kurdistan Region.

Unexploded weaponry is the most significant challenge Iraqi authorities face regarding the return of displaced people to their areas, especially in the provinces of Nineveh and Kirkuk.