Since 2003, Danish Demining Group has worked towards a safer Iraq. 20 years of war has filled the country with mines and unexploded ordnance. They have to be cleared in order to promote a safe reconstruction of the country.

Background
The armed conflict between Iraq and Iran during the 1980s, the Gulf war in 1990, the conflict of early 2003 and other internal hostilities have left Iraq littered with millions of explosive remnants of war (ERW) and, in some parts of the country a possible depleted-uranium (DU) contamination problem.

The countrywide threat to Iraqi lives and livelihoods varies from abandoned unexploded ordnance (UXO) to dangerous surface contamination. Mines afflict vast rural sections of Iraq. The largest contaminated areas stretch for hundreds of kilometres along the border with Iran. Large quantities of UXO also remain scattered throughout cities and towns. These threats originate from minefields laid during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, conflicts between rival ethnic and political parties, the military actions of 1990-1991 and the current conflict.

The Iraq Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) conducted from 2004 to 2006 mapped the distribution of contaminated areas in the 13 surveyed governorates. The community-based survey found 4,270 suspected hazardous areas and the contamination of more than 1,700 square kilometres affecting 2,117 communities. 

In the south, the two most common socioeconomic blockages were to irrigated land (87 percent) and fixed pasture (91 percent). In the far south, two threats are evident; old mines along the Iran-Iraq border, and new mines along the border with Saudi Arabia, which account for about 50 percent of mine victims. Other areas have a deadly mix of ERW originating from the most recent conflict, including rockets and cluster munitions. 

The LIS identified 577 victims who had been injured in the two years leading up to the survey, in addition to thousands of older survivors. Overall, there are more than 2.7 million persons living in contaminated communities (E-Mine, Electronic Mine Information Network, Iraq).

Training of national staff
Since July 2003, Danish Demining Group (DDG) has been operating in the Basra region of southern Iraq conducting Battlefield Area Clearance (BAC) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operations.

As part of its global mine action projects in July 2003, DDG deployed 4 multi-skilled (EOD) Quick Response Teams (QRT) from Afghanistan to clear explosive remnants of war (ERW) in the highly contaminated areas in and around Basra. DDG immediately began training Iraqi national staff who replaced the Afghans in October 2003 (approximately three months). Subsequent training for BAC and EOD operators was completed in 2005.  As a result of this initiative, very quickly all the field operations of DDG were conducted by national operators supervised by national managers, field supervisors and team leaders with minimum international technical support.   

Creation of Iraqi NGO
The next step was to create an Iraqi non government organisation (NGO) capable of sustained independent mine action work in the region, in accordance with international mine action standards (IMAS).  With the UNDP as the lead agency and major driving force, this objective was achieved in September of 2007.

The new NGO mine action organisation in Iraq, Rafidain Demining Organisation (RDO), is incorporated as independent, non-political, non-commercial, non-profit and Non-Government humanitarian Organization under the Iraqi law. As such it is mandated to undertake humanitarian mine action projects in Iraq. 

The combined RDO/DDG workforce in Iraq consist of more than 160 national employees including field operators, paramedics, mine risk educators, administrative staff and a management group.  This does not include a contracted security force of approximately one hundred guards and one international advisor.

Expanding Operations
In 2008, with donations from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) DDG expanded their operation into the neighbouring governorate of Dhi Qar. Additional funding (April 2009) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Japan allowed DDG to increase its Mine Action capasity even further, providing much needed clearance and Mine Risk Education (MRE) terms. In time DDG are looking to further expand their humanitarian mine action activities in southern Iraq by establishing clearance teams in the highly contaminated governorate of Missan. 

As the political development in Southern Iraq moves in a positive direction after the recent regional elections held in January 2009 and people slowly starting to return from neighbouring countries, there is an urgent demand for provision of safe access to land and agricultural fields as well as to support the national plans for rehabilitation of infrastructure and economic development.

Danish Demining Group is presently the only International Humanitarian Mine Action organisation operating in south Iraq and since 2003 have built up and maintained an extensive and efficient operation.