Kuwait
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History
Kuwait’s history has been filled
with stress due to the vast amount of oil found throughout the country.
During the Gulf War, Iraq occupied Kuwait from August 1990 until
February 1991. The Iraqi troops planted millions of AP and AT mines in
the "Kuwait Theater of Military Operations." Approximately
97.8 percent of Kuwait’s land became mined or UXO affected. Heavily mined
areas were the northern cost of Kuwait Bay and the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia
border.
Landmine / UXO Overview
Immediately after Kuwait’s liberation, the
government planned for an integrated mine action program. The duration
was 24 months and cost $128 million (U.S.). According to the Landmine
Monitor Report, as of April 3, 1999, almost 2 million landmines had
been recovered from coastal and desert areas of Kuwait. A mine awareness
program was also established to inform civilians about the dangers of
landmines.
Landmines are still found in coastal
and desert areas, including rough vegetated sandy plains, active
drainage basins and oil contaminated patches. Emergency teams are still
working to clear the hidden killers
Casualties
According to Kuwaiti officials 429
people were wounded and 20 were killed between 1991 and 1993. Close to
1700 civilians and thousands of livestock have been killed since the
Gulf War. 2300 civilians have been seriously wounded, 70 percent of whom are
children. Fortunately, the number of victims is declining because of the
successful demining operations. Still, 44 mine casualties were reported
in 2000, according to the 2001 Landmine Monitor Report.
Demining
Many challenges are faced when
demining Kuwait’s land. The high diversity of landmines planted, the
harsh environmental conditions and the lack of information all combined
to leave the deminers with a hard task to accomplish. Because of this,
many deminers fell as victims during demining operations. During 1991
and 1993 alone 191 deminers were killed. However, at least 250
anitpersonnel mines an anti-tank mines were cleared in 2000, according to
the 2001 Landmine Monitor Report.
Reality Check
Hundreds of human rights violations that took place
during the Iraqi occupation have not yet been resolved. More than 160
people are believed to be serving sentences as a result of unfair
trials, and at least 70 disappearances of alleged
"collaborators" with Iraqis have occurred. Reports of torture
of victims have been received, along with victims who have died during
the torture.
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Contact Information:
PO Box 65131
Almansouria 35652
State of Kuwait
Fax: 2574078
Tel: 2574081/3
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