Across the Horn of Africa the humanitarian situation is fragile due to ongoing droughts, famine and economic hardship. Along theEthiopia border region with Somaliland and Somalia, the presence of landmines laid during the Border War, Ogaden War and ensuing Somali Civil War pose an additional threat to local people.
Landmines kill valuable livestock and restrict access to already scarce resources such as water and grazing land, exacerbating existinginter-clan conflicts. The Somali region of Ethiopia isan essential part of the the Berbera corridor project—opening up trade routes from Berbera Port in Somaliland, toEthiopia, and the interior of the Horn of Africa. As the roads are rebuilt, population pressures are increasing in the border region, compounded by a succession of severe droughts pushing traditional nomadic communities into the local villages. Between October 2021 andJune 2022, 440,000 people were displaced by the drought in the Somali Region.In the search for land,families are unknowinglytravelling through, orsetting up home, onunmarkedminefields, putting lives and livelihoods at risk.
Our Work
HALO hasclearedseveral minefieldsaroundthe villages ofDabogoryaaleand Khatumoon the Somaliland side of the border sincethe early 2000s. In October 2022, we began work to clear the minefields on the Ethiopian side ofbothvillages.In 2022,HALO Ethiopia survey teams will also begin a baseline assessment of all remaining landmine contamination in the Somali Region in coordination with regional authorities, ensuring that all known hazardous areas are accurately mapped.To keep families safe until all the mines are removed for good, we are running risk education sessions for local communitiesin the border region.