By Staff Reporter
Thousands of rural communities in Zimbabwe remain at risk of injury or death from landmines and unexploded ordnance.1 The country has pushed back its demining completion target to 2028 due to funding shortages.
Rhodesian colonial forces planted landmines in Zimbabwe during the 1970s independence struggle to impede the movement of freedom fighters between Zambia and Mozambique.
The government initially aimed to clear all landmines by December 2025, but challenges including funding difficulties and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic have necessitated an extension.
Speaking during a national stakeholders’ dialogue on humanitarian demining and mine victim assistance, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri said the demining project will not be completed this year due to financial challenges.
“Our projection was to complete demining by December 2025. This is no longer realizable due to challenges associated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and fluctuations in funding from the international donor community,” said [Name and Title of speaker, if available from original source. If not, consider replacing with ” Muchinguri said.
“As a result, we are working on submitting another three-year extension request to the Secretariat of the Treaty. The funding gap as of September 2024 for the completion of mine clearance in Zimbabwe by 2028 was USD 23.79 million,” she added.
Over 1,500 people have been killed or injured by landmines, and more than 120,000 livestock have also perished.
A recent incident in December 2024 saw three people killed in a landmine explosion in Binga after a vehicle carrying six people detonated an explosive.
These landmine areas are spread across six provinces: Matabeleland North, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Manicaland, and Masvingo, covering a total area of 310,650 square kilometers.
The official stated that the government will continue funding the demining project.
“On its part, the Government of Zimbabwe will continue to fund the National Mine Clearance Unit, which requires a minimum of USD 2,000,000 per year,” Muchinguri said.
“It is our hope that deliberations during this workshop will help unlock funding for mine action in Zimbabwe, as completion of mine clearance hinges on sustained funding from the government and current and new donors. Completion of mine clearance in Zimbabwe will not only help enhance safety and security in affected communities but will also go a long way in unlocking sustainable socio-economic development,” she concluded.
