Egypt State Information Service (Cairo)

Egypt: Planning Minister - 190,000 Feddans in Alamein to Be Demined

28 November 2012

As many as 190,000 feddans in el-Alamein will be cleared of mines by the end of 2016, with an estimated cost of $25 million, offered by Germany, Italy and England, announced Planning and International Cooperation Minister Ashraf el-Arabi.

During a tour he made of el-Alamein area along with Marsa Matrouh Governor Helmi el-Hatimi and Executive Secretariat for Mine Clearance at the International Cooperation Ministry, el-Arabi said that the aim from cleaning up the mines in the area is to lure investments to help providing job opportunities.

There are nearly 22.7 million landmines and other explosive remnants of war planted in Egypt after the Second World War. This constitutes more than 20% of the total landmines worldwide, 17.2 million of which are in the Western Desert.

The Egyptian Armed Forces alone have removed mines from 1.3 million hectares in the Western Desert since 1981.

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