Thuch urges African nations to join Ottawa Convention
THE Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) has called for support from Ghana and the 52 other African state parties to the Ottawa Convention to encourage Egypt, Libya and Morocco to become state parties and attend this year’s summit in Siem Reap province.
Ly Thuch, CMAA first vicepresident, is the 2024 chair of the Ottawa Convention. His request came as he delivered a keynote address to the opening ceremony of the Regional Conference on Addressing the Humanitarian Impact of Improvised AntiPersonnel Mines within the context of the Convention, on February 13 in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
In attendance were Ghanaian vice-president Mahamadu Bawumia and Ghanaian interior minister Ambrose Dery.
“This conference is a demonstration of a shared commitment to a humanitarian cause, as well as an opportunity for African countries to provide input into the next five-year action plan of the Ottawa mine ban treaty,” said Thuch.
He explained that the event provides an excellent chance for the attendees to work together more closely, share knowledge and come up with new ideas to take action, not just against the dangers from old conflicts but also current risks. The elimination of mines will promote peace, security and development.
“African countries, civil society organisations and demining operators should contribute to the development of new action plans for state parties to the convention, in order to promote the normalisation and universalisation
of the convention,” he said.
“I would like to call for the kind support of Ghana and the other 52 state parties in Africa to bring Egypt, Libya and Morocco to join the community of the Ottawa Convention. I would like to see them attend November’s summit in Siem Reap,” he added.
The forthcoming Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World is expected to become a major event in global history. The 164 states parties to the Ottawa Convention will adopt the Siem ReapAngkor political declaration and launch the Siem ReapAngkor Action Plan for 202529, which will serve as an important roadmap to supporting joint efforts to fulfil the convention’s obligations.
Cambodia has been elected chair and host of the Fifth Review
Meeting of the Ottawa Convention, which will take place from November 25 to 29. Prime Minister Hun Manet named the summit the “Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World”.
At present, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) is fulfilling one of its core tasks, by educating the public about the dangers of landmines and explosive remnant of war (ERWs).
According to a CMAC statement, the centre has built a network of volunteers in more than 3,500 high-priority villages, with more than 4,000 individuals working to remind the public to remain vigilant.
“Our working groups have conducted outreach missions to farms, plantations, schools and pagodas, so that members of the public, especially
children, will not enter areas suspected of housing mines or munitions,” it said.
In 2023, CMAC conducted more than 24,642 training sessions for the public, reaching approximately one million households, or almost two million people.
In the same year, the centre cleared a total area of more than 282sq km of mine fields, exceeding its projected clearance rate for the year by 13 per cent.
It located and destroyed 83,814 landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), including 18,870 anti-personnel mines, 127 anti-tank mines and 28 artillery rounds and rockets. A total of 64,789 bombs, including bombs dropped from aircraft, cluster munitions and unused ammunition, were also cleared.