Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) announced the discovery and destruction of the first of hopefully many items of unexploded ordnance in Western Sahara. Having recently started operations to survey and clear mines, cluster munitions, and other explosives, the TMA4 anti-tank mine was found on 30 January 2016.
Western Sahara has an overwhelming amount of cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. The total number of casualties in the country is not known but it has been estimated at more than 2000.
The large explosive problem is the result of the war between POLISARIO, backed by Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. Since the status of Western Sahara is still not resolved, very limited humanitarian disarmament activities have taken place in Western Sahara until now.
Source: NPA