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Demining op: Former foes now working hand in hand
View(s):While tens of thousands of landmines, booby traps and unexploded ordnance have already been cleared from former conflict zones, much work still needs to be done to complete demining activities in Muhamalai, Jaffna. The area, which served as the Forward Defence Line (FDL) separating the Army from the LTTE, saw some of the worst fighting of the war, with thousands being killed on both sides. A significant portion of the area is still littered with various types of explosives and demining teams see themselves working here beyond 2020.
Clearing away mines and other explosives from the area is particularly hazardous given that while the Army has laid mines according to a plan and has them marked, mines laid by the LTTE are scattered all over the area.
Yet, the courage and determination of these teams, who risk their lives every day to clear mines and other explosives buried beneath the earth, is clear to all. The Sri Lankan demining group Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH), for example, has former soldiers and former LTTE members in their demining teams. These deminers, who were on opposing sides during the war, are now working side by side to clear away mines from the Muhamalai area.
