Interview of Aziz, EOD Expert
Can you describe yourself?
My name is Sy Aziz. I am EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] expert, instructor of trainers and inspector, insurance inspector and quality control. I am head of operations since December 2021 for the HAMAP-Humanitaire mine action project in the Northeast Syria.
What are your missions?
The aim of our missions is to provide a secure access to populations living in conflict areas by delivering sensitization about the mine and other explosive engine danger. We also have qualified teams in mine action domain which let us to depollute war explosive remnants that we find on the field, even in confined, perilous, and subaquatic area.
How is your life on site?
In the field, life is like any intervention mission for populations. Each morning, the staff deployed in the field, under the supervision of EOD experts or EORE [education to explosive engines risks] and NTS [Non-Technical Survey], to realize scheduled tasks planed the previous week. The afternoon is dedicated to the report by the team supervisors for the transmission to the local and international head chief. The evening, the expatriate team of the mission take a rest at the HAMAP guest house located near the organization office and outside of the city of Raqqa.
What are the diverse aims of the project?
– To sensibilize on the filed about the mine, the explosive remnants, and improvised engines;
– To conduct non-technical investigations in communities and villages touched by armed conflict;
– To depollute polluted fields, confined and perilous areas and to depollute polluted rivers and streams by explosive engines;
– To ensure a continual training of local staff
Who is the team composed of?
One team of depollution:
– 1 expatriate EOD expert,
– 1 team leader,
– 1 assistant team leader
– 4 deminers and MEDIC [medical team which always follows demining teams: nurse and paramedics]
One NTS/EREE team: multipurpose team composed of three teams of two people and equipment and logistical means.
Why become a deminer?
I become a deminer to contribute, in a way, to the cleaning of polluted area by mines and other explosive engines in order to let people living in conflict areas to reuse in complete safety the fields which were once polluted and to contribute to the socio-economic development of the concerned areas. In spit of the permanent risk linked to the job, the presence of courageous men is necessary to get ride cultivable and livestock areas of these engines which are responsible of a lot of victims.
