Mines: Kibaki urges conflict-resolution

Alex Ndegwa

President Kibaki and the president Disignate on a Mine –Free World, Ambassadeur Wolfgang Petritsch, pay keen attention as Capt Maurice Wasomi of Kenya Army demonstrates the process of detonating a landmine at KICC Nairobi . Pic by Jacob Otieno

President Kibaki urged nations to embrace conflict resolution to reduce the effects of landmines on civilians.

Kibaki said raging conflicts in the world and especially in Africa were to blame for the huge landmine stockpiles that were killing and maiming people.

He said: "We must intensify conflict resolution efforts. Conflicts create conditions for production and use of anti-personnel mines.

We should support and strengthen mechanisms established to resolve conflicts before these escalate into full-scale war."

Kibaki spoke at the Kenya International Conference Centre at the opening ceremony of the Nairobi summit on a Mine Free World.

The conference is the first review summit of the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and destruction of landmines that was signed in Ottawa in 1997.

In attendance are world leaders, civil society representatives and survivors of landmines.

Noting that every year, throughout the world, more than 22,000 people are killed, maimed or mutilated by uncleared landmines, Kibaki said the campaign against landmines should also be taken to the merchants.

"Merchants of war who seek to make quick profits from situations of conflict must be told that landmines kill innocent civilians and should not be traded.

"The conference must send a strong and clear message to both producers and users of landmines that this is not a weapon of choice in any war," said Kibaki.

Kibaki pointed out that the effects of landmines on society were grim and profound.

He said in some countries, landmines had compounded the problem of hunger and malnutrition by rendering huge areas of land unusable.

Additionally, Kibaki said, surviving landmine victims often are severely maimed and become a burden to society.

Earlier, survivors of landmine accidents from various parts of the world moved the audience with their heartrending testimonies of their encounter with landmines.

The survivors recounted the pain and discrimination they went through after they were maimed by the deadly weapons.