Tripoli, 19 October:
Two international mine clearance teams are to clear and secure a site in Misrata which had been used as . . .[restrict]an ammunition store. The work is being financed by the German government.
According to a statement on its website on Wednesday, the German Foreign Ministry has allocated €660,000 to the clearance of the bunker complex formerly used to store weapons and ammunition. The project, to be carried out by the NGO Handicap International, is expected to take several months to complete. The store is among various military installations destroyed during the revolution, and potentially dangerous remnants remain spread in and around the site.
Clearing it will eliminate major risks to the local population, according to the statement. It said that that several deadly incidents had already occurred as people collected weapons and ammunition to sell for scrap. Also by clearing the area, any insurgents or terrorists would be prevented from using such lethal material.
Beyond the immediate necessity of securing the area, the project also includes the longer term objectives of training local staff in demining skills and making sure that the ammunition store can be used again in the future. [/restrict]
