Warrant Officer Abdawa Abdel Vetah Bowba, section head within the PNDHD
Warrant Officer Abdawa Abdel Vetah Bowba is a section head within the National Humanitarian Demining Programme for Development, HAMAP-Humanitaire's local partner in Mauritania on the project whose aim is to keep the civilian population safe through demining and explosive ordnance risk education.
We asked him a few questions about his commitment to clearing his country and about his daily work.
How do you keep the deminers safe during clearance operations? What protocols are in place to deal with a possible emergency?
I make sure the operations are carried out in line with the operating procedures jointly drawn up by the PNDHD and HAMAP-Humanitaire when operations began. I also make sure personal protective equipment is worn at all times and that safety distances between deminers are respected during operations. As there are anti-tank mines in this area, the safety distance to be kept between deminers is 50 metres (25 metres if there were only anti-personnel mines).
Finally, having two nurses and two ambulances in the clearance area guarantees a rapid emergency response and immediate transfer to hospital in the event of an accident during operations. A medical evacuation procedure is in place, and the clearance teams were trained in it before operations began. The section head makes sure everyone knows their role, in particular by running a medical evacuation exercise at least once a month. The ambulance crews have also surveyed the route from the dangerous area to the hospital, so as to lose as little time as possible in the event of an evacuation.
How long have you been supervising clearance operations?
I joined the Mauritanian army in 1998. I then specialised as an explosives technician in 2000. I have been supervising clearance operations since 2011. I hold the EOD3+ qualification, the highest in demining, which also allows me to work on improvised explosive devices.
What is the most rewarding part of your work, what motivates you to keep doing it despite the risks?
I am a son of my country, I do this job to save the lives of my fellow citizens. As a member of the army it is also my duty to serve my country by supervising clearance operations. It is humanitarian work. Even if I were in another country, I would keep doing the same job to save lives.
How do local communities view this clearance project near the town of Nouadhibou? Did they know there were mines on the Nouadhibou peninsula?
Yes, local communities know there is a mined area near the town of Nouadhibou. People coming from elsewhere, however (travellers, nomads, fishermen), are not aware that there are mined areas in the region.
Local communities know a clearance project is under way, because they regularly see the deminers' vehicles go past bearing the logos of the PNDHD and HAMAP-Humanitaire. They also know there is a humanitarian demining office in Nouadhibou.
The project is well regarded and well accepted by the population. It is not unusual for residents to express their support for the clearance teams working in the area.
This project is funded by the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
