SUMMARY (Reporting Period: 01 June 2008 - 30 June 2008)

- Search and clearance of a total of 600 square metres of land through a combination of hand, electronic, and visual techniques.

- Removal and destruction of a total of 15 hazardous items by the HMA teams.

- Destruction of 42 hazardous items by the SALW (small arms and light weapons) teams.

- 42 Dangerous Areas identified.

- 135 Mine Risk Education (MRE) sessions conducted targeting 20,318 beneficiaries.

Summary of activities:

Clearance and destruction outputs this month have been lower then usual, as June was a month of strategic development and planning in the MAG DRC programme.

The month started with the Annual Programme Workshop to refine the strategies within MAG DRC. This was followed by training for all Equateur-based teams, and the beginning of a series of medical training sessions which were subsequently delivered in each MAG base.

During June, one SALW team worked on Quality Assurance while another one carried out an assessment mission in Maniema. Although this work impacted on clearance outputs in the short term, it will result in further improvements in programme efficiency and impact.

The Community Liaison teams have maintained high outputs this month, reaching a total of 20,318 direct beneficiaries. In addition, large numbers of indirect beneficiaries will benefit from the work, as each of the direct beneficiaries will pass on information to their families, friends or neighbours about the risks of mines and UXO.

This will significantly increase the number of members of the community who are aware of the risks represented by UXO and who have knowledge of ways in which these risks can be mitigated.

ACTIVITIES

Equateur:

After the MAG Annual Programme Workshop in Kinshasa in early June, the MAG base in Gemena was transformed temporarily into a training centre. The new Manual Clearance Team (MCT), funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, started training in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), demining, Battle Area Clearance (BAC) and weapons destruction, complemented by modules in field communications, first aid and occupational health and safety.

In addition, training in Community Liaison and Mine Risk Education was given to teams from a local NGO, Humanitas Ubangi (HU), by the MAG Community Liaison Manager as part of a capacity-building project.

Work with Humanitas Ubangi also took place in Mbandaka, where MAG's Community Liaison team (funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) worked with the HU teams as peer trainers, reinforcing their own skills, as well as supporting the development of the national organisation. These training sessions will significantly reinforce the mine action capacity in Equateur.

The Dutch-funded Organisational Development Adviser, who will be working to build the capacity of Humanitas Ubangi in terms of support systems, was appointed this month, and started working with staff based at the main HU office in Kinshasa. The objective of the work is to help develop this national NGO to a point at which it will be able to obtain and professionally manage funding itself, in order to continue mine action and other humanitarian activities in DRC.

Katanga:

In June, the clearance and community liaison teams (funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UK Department for International Development) continued working in the Pweto-Moba-Moliro triangle as well as in MAG's new geographical area of work in Katanga, the Dubie-Mitwaba-Mwenge triangle.

The clearance teams removed 15 hazardous items while clearing 600 square metres of land. This improved access to 12 agricultural sites. The Community Liaison teams contributed to making the lives of 15,393 people safer through delivering 129 MRE sessions, and they identified 42 dangerous areas. At the end of the month, the medical staff in Pweto received training from Global Medic, a Canadian NGO which has a strategic partnership with MAG.

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Destruction Project:

In mid-June the Technical Operations Manager conducted an assessment mission in the 7th Military Region (Maniema). He was accompanied by the Technical Field Manager, leading one of the newly-trained SALW mobile teams funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the same time, the mobile teams based in Mbuji-Mayi prepared for their upcoming deployments, due to start next month in Kasai Oriental and Maniema.

In addition, one of the SALW mobile teams funded by the United States Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA) performed Quality Assurance in the 3rd Military Region (Equateur) on MAG destruction sites around Mbandaka. In the 6th Military Region (Katanga), the other WRA-funded team prepared a destruction in Kamina.

Most SALW teams have by now received medical training from Global Medic and the remaining teams will be trained in the coming weeks.

Due to circumstances beyond MAG's control, destruction of weapons at the Central Logistics Base has been temporarily suspended, but is expected to resume shortly.

MAG would like to express its gratitude to the following current donors to the DRC programme: Department for International Development (UK); Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; United States Department of State, Political Military Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

For more information on MAG DRC please visit www.maginternational.org/drc