Mine clearance operations suspended in Quang Binh due to US funding freeze
The US funding freeze has significantly impacted ongoing efforts to address the dangers of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from wars, and disrupted the work of hundreds of personnel involved in these crucial projects.
Mines Advisory Group members dispose a bomb in Quang Binh province. (Photo: VNA)
Quang Binh 🌠(VNA) – Mine clearance projects in the central province of Quang Binh have been forced to suspend following the US government’s decision to halt funding, the provincial Department of Foreign Affairs said on February 12.
The suspension has significantly impacted ongoing efforts to address the dangers of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from wars. It has also disrupted the work of hundreds of personnel involved in these crucial projects.
The US State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has been a primary funder of UXO clearance projects run by PeaceTrees Vietnam (PTVN), the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). However, the State Department has formally asked project partners in multiple countries to immediately halt all activities it has financed.
In Quang Binh, four US-funded mine action projects have been suspended since the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, pending further notice.
More than 350 mine clearance workers in Quang Binh have been directly affected by the decision. Additionally, several other projects in the province funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) are also experiencing disruptions./.
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in Vietnam confirmed on January 4 that its experts and mobile bomb disposal team have safely handled and moved a bomb weighing over 220 kg to a secure storage area in the central province of Quang Binh, where it will await safe detonation.
The central province of Quang Binh, one of the localities most affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war, has benefited from UXO risk education, survey and clearance activities implemented by British non-governmental organisation Mines Advisory Group (MAG).
A 350-kg bomb left over from the war was discovered in Hoa Thanh commune, Minh Hoa district, the central province of Quang Binh, reported local authorities on October 3.
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