Maputo — The campaign to remove land mines planted during the 16 year war of destabilization in Mozambique is still far from completed, and thus the country cannot be declared a mine free zone by March 2009 as determined by the United Nations' Ottawa Convention.

Though a lot has already been done, the head of the Demining Department of the National Demining Institute (IND), Aurelio Mavie, says that the prevalence of land mines in different areas in the country leads one to believe that 'Mozambique is too late to meet the terms of the convention'.

Mavie was speaking to AIM during an official ceremony at the locality of Mumemo, in the district of Marracuene, in the southern Maputo province, on Tuesday, to mark the end of mine clearance in that area, done by the Mine Kills Mocambique company.

The operation took eight million US dollars, disbursed by the Mozambican government, through the state budget, 14 sappers and two months. No explosive device was detected.

Speaking of the Maputo province, Mavie said that it is currently underway an updating of data in all districts, because the situation is still a cause of concern.

Angelo Miquidade, director of operations of the Mine Kills, said that the contract signed between his company and the IND was for the demining of 7,047 square metres but, because of the social character of Mine Kills, the company extended the area by 9,553 square metres, totalling 16,500.

the mine clearing of Mumemo rose from a suspicion since the area was used as a corridor by both warring parties, and also from a reported accident with a land mine.

'Normally, when an accident occurs, the area in question is immediately declared as suspect, since there are no maps of the areas where land mines were planted', he said.

Mavie said that the Maputo province is the one with more land mines planted, followed by the southern Inhambane.

There are still vast areas yet to be demined in Maputo, particularly in the districts of Moamba, Namaacha, Magude, Matutuine, and Manhica.

He explained that these are not suspect, but confirmed and demarcated areas, only awaiting the launching of mine clearance operations.

Mavie said that there are still land mines in areas of social and economic interest, including cultivation fields, pastures, human resettlement, and along power lines.

He added that mine clearance operations are currently underway in the locality of Mulotana, in the Maputo province, and explosive devices of different sizes were removed and will be destroyed next week.

Mavie said that 10 accidents with land mines were reported across the country during the first half of this year, compared with 35 in 2006, and 57 in 2005.