Second Operational Report - 2007
MgM-KK07It I & II - Humanitarian Road Clearance and Demining Project
Kuando Kubango Province
AID 6259/13/1 deliberation 106 & 362
Introduction
MgM received a new contribution of funding arriving on the 20th of April, through a new contract with the Italian Embassy as MgM project KK07ItII. Ostensibly this project is to open the road from Baixa Longa to Nankova, and continue the road clearance on to Maué. Also the project requires the clearance of the minefield at Baixa Longa and verify 5 kms each side of the road to be cleared. After consultations with the Italian Embassy it was agreed, to improve logistics, safety and project continuity, to run both funded projects simultaneously. MgM is now operating both sponsored teams together to allow for the roads to be opened in a more practical and efficient approach.
The road clearance teams have now cleared around 120 kms of road from Cuangar, via Bondo towards Nankova. Operations are moving along steadily, although breakdowns, sickness and fuel delivery problems continue. The manual and Rapid Reaction/EOD/Survey Teams have cleared Cuangar of the two previously reported minefields and verified areas around the town up to 20 kms away. The demining team are now working on a minefield some 20 kms from Cuangar on the road towards Capasso. This minefield at Mapandato is preventing development of the village and the safe construction of a school. The Rapid Reaction/EOD/Survey Team are verifying all areas to the sides of the road cleared and have checked up to 20 kms around Bondo.
The Provincial Vice-Governor, Exmo. Francisco Manjolo has visited the site project on a number of occasions. He has, on numerous occasions, expressed his delight with the progress of the road clearance operation, as well as the minefield clearance around Cuangar. Unfortunately, due to logistical problems with an un-serviceable light aircraft in Menongue, a projected visit by a technical delegation from the Italian Embassy to check on the progress of the project had not materialised by the end of this reporting period (15/06/07). It is hoped to report on their arrival on site in the next report.
Operations
The report on MgM’s operations covers the period until the 15th of June 2007. This, and forthcoming reports will be based on reporting the combined activities of MgM Projects KK07ItI and ItII. Now with all the teams safely across the flooded Kubango River, and the main demining camp and Logistical Base set in Cuangar, operations have really started to move forward. Both graders are now working in unison on opening the road towards Rito/Cuangar, with the team operating out of a satellite base in Bondo. The teams are now able to take their intermittent breaks with their families by following the route back to Ondjiva along the Angolan – Namibian Frontier. With the abatement of the rains on the Plan Alto Central (Central Plateau) the swollen Kubango River has started to abate allowing for safer river crossings by canoe for local logistics. This has also made the trip across the vehicle pontoon a lot easier as well. With direct contact with Ondjiva, as well as Windhoek and Menongue, improved long distance logistics have become easier.
Demining Tasks – Road Clearance
MgM KKR03 - Road Clearance Cuangar to Nankova
As the rains have declined across the province, so the work on opening up and clearing the road from Cuangar to Bondo speeded up. After the heat, humidity and rains of the summer months the winter period has also made the working conditions easier. This does not take away the sub-zero temperatures that the road clearance teams have to wake up to, but once the aches have been shaken out of their bones they are still able to start wok at 0630. After this time the sun starts to warm the countryside making the day pleasant.
With the arrival of a second team to operate the spare grader, under the project MgM KK07 ItII, the teams were able to speed up their clearance progress. These two teams with their dog components are able to work together opening the target road. Originally it was thought to operate the teams separately, but with the logistical difficulties, especially with moving fuel from the 11,000 lts fuel bowser securely parked at Capasso to the forward bases. So after consultations with the Italian Embassy it was agreed that MgM could run both projects simultaneously. With this agreement MgM now has managed to move the teams forward and are nearing Chana Nelue, where they will turn shortly towards the River Cuito. A Chana is an area that during the rainy seasons fills up with water to become a shallow lake; the demining team must circumnavigate this Chana before they can change direction. . At this point MgM has cleared 121 kms of road, and unfortunately are nowhere near Nankova. This means that the original distance inferred by the Provincial Government of 146 kms was a little short of the actually clearance task. This distance is now known to be around 215 kms. It is still expected that the road to Nankova will be opened by the termination of the contract, however to allow for this disparity the second contract has been reduced with a termination at Maué.
A few days productivity were lost towards the end of this project due to a lack of fuel. The fuel bowser had been taken to Menongue to be re-filled, with enough fuel left behind to cover the time it was off-station. However, a fuel shortage in Menongue meant that the bowser had not returned to Capasso by the time of this report.
Apart from this the project is moving along steadily, with the men enjoying the drive to push the road open, initially, to Rito on the River Cuito. Once there the camp will be able to be moved from Bondo to another area with fresh water available.
Demining Tasks – Manual Clearance
MgM KKC01 – Muyenga Minefield
The 1st MgM Demining Team started the task of clearing a minefield at Muyenga on the 7th of March 2007. The start point of the minefield was some 2 kms to the south-east outside Cuangar, and the threat of mines was hindering the expansion of agricultural land in the area. As the land around Cuangar has been divided up amongst the returnees by the local administration, in collaboration with the traditional leader, this would mean that some families would not be able to farm all their allocated land until proved clear of the threat of mines.
With the arrival of a second team of deminers at the end of April, this task was soon completed and work terminated on the 28th of May 2007, with over 7.3 Ha of cleared area confirmed and 150 anti-personnel mines safely removed and subsequently destroyed. Allied to the demined area, the area of land formerly not under cultivation due to farmers not being sure of the extremities of the minefield, then over 50 Ha of land was prepared for hand-over to the local population. This land must now wait for a CNIDAH QA Team to confirm the clearance of all the ground by MgM so that they can guarantee the safety to the farmers waiting to till their land.
MgM KKC02 – Cemetery Minefield
The towns’ cemetery was found not to be in use, also due to the threat of mines. It had been reported to MgM that the previous demining team operating in Cuangar (InterSOS 2005-6) had carried out a Survey of the Cemetery. While investigating the minefield they were reported to have removed and destroyed one anti-personnel mine. As MgM started to close the minefield task KKC01, deminers were moved over to this minefield close to the northern extremities of the town. The task was started on the 29th of May, being concluded on the 31st with no mines being found.
In African culture, as with many other cultures, it is vitally important for family members to converse with their ancestors, to gain guidance for any problems or questions they may have unanswered or unresolved. Without this ability many communities falter in their development until they are able to again visit graves of their families. With the re-opening of this graveyard many returnees were able, for the first time in many years, to speak to former family members and make their peace.
MgM KKC04 – Mapandato Minefield
This minefield exists close to Mingoje, at the turning of the road to Bondo, some 20 kms north-west from Cuangar. This is another area where the returning population wish to re-settle, so that they may return to their former lives. InterSOS had also formerly surveyed this area, and the suspect area admirably demarcated. This made the job of working out a start point for the clearance operation exceptionally easy. The task started on the 9th of June, with the area initially being cleared so that a Level 1 to 8 school can be built for the education of the village children.
This is a new task, and by the end of the reporting period the combined demining teams had cleared around 0.47Ha, removing and destroying 4 anti-personnel mines.
Rapid Reaction/EOD/Survey Team
As well as the survey team carrying out their normal tasks of reporting and updating maps for minefields and road being cleared, they have also been active with the Rapid Reaction/EOD Team. This joint unit has been verifying land around the major towns, settlements and along the cleared road. Where possible they have provided a level of education and awareness to the population for what to look for when moving around their new home areas, especially when on hunting forays. Occasionally hunters, farmers and drovers discover Explosive Remnants of War, this is a natural part of returning to a former war zone, and these returnees have been found to be skilful at recognising unusual objects in or on the ground. These are usually reported to the local police who request MgM to deal with the threat. Should the call-out be a false alarm the reporter will be praised, and not chastised, for his/her observational skills. One never knows, the next time it could be real, but if the spotters feel they may be wrong and vilified they may not report and accidents may ensue. No more minefields have been located in the areas surveyed and verified up to the end of the road clearance close to Chana Nelue. Along with the 121 kms of road cleared the combined team have also verified over 1240 sq kms.
Administration and Logistics
The MgM Administration and Logistics Base in Cuangar, is close to the Cuangar District Administration Office. This allows for close cooperation and interaction, allowing MgM to pass reports through the administrators’ diplomatic pouch to the relevant authorities in the Provincial Capital, Menongue. Also, where possible MgM also helps this District Administrator when he requests assistance.
MgM has based one vehicle permanently on the Namibian side of the river so that local logistics can extend to the northern Namibian town of Rundu. Funds to run the operation have to be collected from the Nedbank Branch in this town, other necessary items to help run the operations can also be purchased, keeping running costs down.
The Project Expatriate Manager carries out long distance logistics to Windhoek. The office in Ondjiva usually manages logistics to and from Ondjiva when personnel such as the Chief Mechanic, Dog Team Manager or returning demining Teams are in passage. An on-site Administrator controls the flow of logistics in and out of the Base, allowing for timely re-supply to isolated field teams.
The only continuing headache is acquiring supplies of fuel and lubricants from Menongue. Even though the rains have stopped and the road from Cuangar to Menongue has dried out, the 253 kms from Capasso to Caiundo is tortuous. The last collection of fuel from Menongue was delayed, due to no bulk fuel being available in Menongue. At the time of this report the vehicles were still in Menongue awaiting fresh supplies of fuel to the bulk storage depot.
Consolidated Results
(Please click for a bigger view)
Problems, Solutions and Lessons Learned
The Provincial and District Authorities provide MgM with all the support they can provide. These authorities have limited resources, but any MgM need are provided. The only continuing problem is the one previously mentioned and follows:
Problem
Problems persist with obtaining timely quantities of bulk fuel to keep operations running at a reasonable cost level.
Solution
At the moment the distribution network to Menongue is exacerbating the problems. So while SONANGOl resolves its own problems MgM has to resort to low level purchasing from Namibia to fill in the gap during re-supply of bulk stocks from Menongue.
Lesson Learnt
Fuel distribution continues to be difficult in inaccessible country areas of Angola, especially in an area like Cuangar where road access is poor. MgM has found out that the only way to guarantee sufficient fuel stocks for isolated demining operations is to stock-pile adequate fuel stocks on site themselves. Planning can be undone by failures on other parties, but these have to be lived with, and contingencies instigated.
Conclusions
These projects continue to be challenging, not just to the demining staff, but also to the full Administration, Logistics and Management. The deminers do seem to enjoy helping their brethren from another province to return safely to their homes, providing access to their fields and water sources.
With the combination of two projects, MgM has been able to activate two road clearance teams that are working in unison now. They are well on their way to achieving the first priority of opening the road to Nankova.
When MgM ran a re-training course for all deminers in February, extra deminers were also trained as a contingency. These deminers were kept on stand-by when the first teams were deployed to Cuangar. When the second contract was signed MgM was able to send a second team of demining staff, including dog handlers, drivers, mechanics and operators. These now have supplemented the deployed manual and road clearance teams.
With the help of these additional teams MgM have now advanced 121 kms towards Nankova, and have completed the clearance of the two suspect mined areas around Cuangar. Huge swathes of land are now free for movement, allowing villagers to roam the countryside and hunt in their traditional manner.
It is a shame that the Italian Delegation of Sr Martino Melli and Sra Hilária Sinara were held up in Menongue. It is hoped tat they were able to visit the demining sites before returning to Luanda. They will finally be able to allay any fears of the dangers of the Angolan countryside. Angola is a beautiful country, and as long as care is taken, it is an especially safe place to travel. Once this delegation has seen MgM’s Field Operations it is hoped that they will also have a better idea of the special methods MgM is employing to clear and open up roads in the target area of Kuando Kubango. These methods have been developed, improved and honed over 11 years of safe operations in the Angolan countryside. To date MgM still has not had a tragic accident in Angola, armoured vehicles and plant have activated mines under their wheels, but that is what they are designed to do. These incidents are expected and factored into the clearance equation. Also to date, no mine has been found in or on road cleared by MgM, therefore no accidents have occurred on any of the over 2,000 kms of road freed of mines in Angola by MgM.
The delegation will also be able to gauge the Social Impact of MgM’s Road Clearance and Area Clearance tasks. Although there are few returnees being observed moving to their homes along the roads cleared by MgM, the Provincial and District Authorities are actively encouraging people to return to their former homes. This may not come about immediately until the returnees see some other development occurring in their villages, such as schools and clinics. This is an issue for these authorities. MgM will help in anyway that they can to guarantee the success of this project by improving the Social Impact, and by providing a level guidance to prepare to live in a former conflict zone.
Report compiled by:
Kenneth A. O’Connell,
Country Director,
MgM Angola.
Edited by:
Hans Georg Krüßen,
Technical Director,
MgM International.
