In eastern Burma, six men inspect tall grass with rakes and hoes. With these rudimentary means, the demining unit of a rebel group secures a territory eaten away by the conflict between the junta and pro-democracy forces.
One of the fighters lifts a mud-covered mine with his bare hands and gives it to a comrade who deactivates the explosive charge with a simple pair of flat pliers.
These destitute deminers roam the mountains of the state of Kayah, a stronghold of the resistance, to encourage the return of the many inhabitants driven out by the violence.
Fighting in this region bordering Thailand has displaced more than 100,000 people since the February 2021 coup that returned the army to power, according to the United Nations.
Displaced people who aspire to return home are exposed to mines planted by soldiers, risking their lives.
“The areas we have to secure are very large and we have to mobilize many soldiers,” Sin Phyu, of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Forces (KNDF), told AFP.
“Even if we could afford to buy a mine detector, it wouldn’t be enough for this operation… We just have to work slowly with the equipment we have,” continues the 31-year-old deminer.
Like dozens of other pro-democracy groups, the KNDF took up arms two years ago in response to the military coup that overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
They resist with weapons taken from the enemy, bought on the black market or made on their own in dangerous conditions in the jungle.
Their effectiveness took the junta by surprise, analysts said.
When the regular army is pushed back, Sin Phyu’s team goes on patrol in abandoned combat areas, looking for hidden explosives.
“We give priority to demining so that the villagers can cultivate the fields and live at home,” says Sin Phyu.
His unit finds 60 to 70 mines each month, mostly cylindrical M14 designs, first used by the United States in the 1950s.
Burma has not signed the UN Convention which prohibits the use, acquisition, production and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.
The mines are used “on a large scale” by the junta, which notably targets churches and paths leading to rice fields, Amnesty International denounced last year.
Karenni rebels also use mines, but only to protect their bases and on the battlefield, Sin Phyu admits.
He also ensures that the KNDF warns the inhabitants of the risks of returning too early to their homes, before the passage of a demining team. But their warnings are not enough to avoid tragedies.
Hla Win, 34, wanted to collect blankets at home to protect herself from the cold in the Pekon camp, where she had taken refuge to escape the fighting near her village.
She stepped on a mine before reaching the door of her house. She spent thirteen days in hospital where her leg was amputated.
“Suddenly my body jumped before falling,” she recalls, telling her story from the camp tent where she took refuge with her child.
“I blame myself for not being able to go out like the others (…) My head is telling me to go somewhere, but my body cannot follow.”
Joseph, a former KNDF soldier, also lost a leg when he jumped on a mine during fighting against the junta in Kayah State in January 2022.
But he was treated in time, unlike comrades who died after losing too much blood, says the 19-year-old.
His prosthesis prevents him from returning to the front, but Joseph remains committed, working in a pro-democracy radio station. Despite the trauma of his injury.
“I have suffered from depression since my injury. Sometimes I wanted to hurt myself, I thought about killing myself,” he says.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported in February that in Burma, 390 people had been injured or killed by landmines or unexploded ordnance in 2022, an increase of almost 40% compared to to the previous year.
In a camp for displaced people, Hla Min, who is able to stand on her crutches, hopes to soon benefit from a prosthesis.
“I tell myself that it’s my destiny, if it happened to me (…) Many people had walked on this road, but it was me who walked on a mine.”
31/08/2023 08:44:57 – Kayah State (Burma) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
