Landmines, unexploded artillery shells, and other types of remnants of war litter former battlefields throughout Ethiopia, resulting in accidental civilian deaths and hindering farmers from returning to their fields. These explosive remnants of war (ERW) imperil safety, threaten livelihoods, and hinders the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) of former combatants.

To address this issue, the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia’s Office of Security Cooperation and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) launched a historic collaboration with the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO) January 15.  From January 15-19, a team from the DOD’s Humanitarian Demining Training Center and the U.S. Department of State’s Weapons Removal and Abatement program will work with the EMAO to conduct a Requirements Development Site Survey. The survey will help identify the scale of the explosive remnants of war contamination throughout Ethiopia, with the ultimate goal of improving civilian safety and agricultural productivity in affected regions.

The primary objective of this exercise was to formulate a series of requirements for the EMAO, aligning them with available DoD and DoS resources. A subsequent delivery of equipment, training, and additional resources will take place within the next six months.

For 120 years, the United States and Ethiopia have partnered in health and education, agriculture and food security, science and the environment, security, and many other areas to improve the lives of all Ethiopians.