Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) training for Ukrainian demining specialists is being held from August 7-21 in Cambodia. CMAC
The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) began a two-week training course on Wednesday, August 7 for Ukrainian explosives experts, focusing on the use of demining equipment in humanitarian operations.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Heng Ratana, the government delegate in charge of CMAC, and Sanui Kazumasa, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Cambodia.
The 14 specialists are from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), and the training is taking place at CMAC’s training centre in Popel commune in Siem Reap province’s Sotr Nikum district from August 7-21.
“The aim of this training is to build the professional capacity of Ukrainian demining experts in the fields of demining machine operations to increase safety, efficiency and effectiveness in clearing landmines and areas contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO),” CMAC stated.
The mine action centre has received full support from the Cambodian government, allowing it to collaborate with Japan to conduct the training, aiming to expedite demining activities and provide safety for Ukrainian people affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).
Ratana mentioned that CMAC has already conducted two demining technology training sessions for Ukrainian officials. The first session took place in January 2023 in Cambodia, and the second in July 2023 in Poland, in cooperation with the Polish Solidarity Fund, both yielding successful results.
He also highlighted Cambodia’s history of war and the extensive landmine contamination resulting from it, including bombing by 4.03 million tonnes of ordnance and 28 million tonnes of cluster munitions. He noted that 200 locations were also hit by chemical weapons.
Additionally, Ratana said there are numerous anti-personnel and anti-tank mines scattered in areas not included in national data, with an estimated four to six million tonnes of mines remaining.
Kazumasa noted that JICA's vision is to implement the successful model developed in Cambodia to assist Ukraine. He expressed the agency’s satisfaction that Ukrainian demining experts are receiving direct training in Cambodia, encompassing both theoretical and practical operations in minefields.
According to CMAC, in the first six months of 2024, the centre cleared 744 minefields across 114,364,130 square metres of land. They discovered and destroyed a total of 64,782 mines and UXO, including 8,092 anti-personnel mines, 126 anti-tank mines, four homemade explosive devices, 28 aircraft bombs and cluster munitions, 52,445 UXO and 3,276 kilogrammes of ammunition.
CMAC’s underwater operations covered an area of 802,000 square metres, uncovering a total of 235 tonnes of UXO, shipwrecks and shrapnel.
Additionally, CMAC officials and the volunteer mine network conducted 13,684 awareness-raising sessions on mine risks and ERW, with participation from over one million people from 674,816 households, as per the centre.
