Landmines Still Posing Threat to Locals in Tunisia’s Kasserine Mountains
(AWP) - Landmines planted by extremist groups years ago still pose a threat to locals living in mountainous areas of the western Tunisia province of Kasserine, near the border with Algeria, repeatedly resulting in injuries and maimed victims.
The mountains in this area provide a livelihood for the locals but they remain susceptible to risks of landmines planted by armed groups over 10 years ago.
They have turned the Kasserine citizens’ lives into a nightmare with recurrent incidents, the latest of which was an 18-year-old man who sustained severe wounds in Mghila mountain when he was collecting some plants to sell to support his education.
Abdel-Ghani al-Shaabani, the Kasserine Health Director, said that on the morning of Monday (August 7, 2023), an 18-year-old man was injured while he was collecting rosemary plants in Mount Mghila, near the province of Sidi Bouzid.
“After the landmine exploded, an ambulance was dispatched and brought the wounded person to the local hospital in Kasserine. He underwent surgery [but his injuries] resulted in the amputation of his right hand, loss of his right eye, a skull fracture, and wounds in both legs,” he added.
Shaabani hopes a comprehensive solution will soon be found to remove the threat of landmines planted in the mountainous area, which have claimed the lives of dozens and caused permanent disabilities to hundreds of others.
“These incidents keep happening. Hopefully a radical solution can be found to remove these dangerous landmines from the mountainous areas of al-Shiaanbi, Simmana, Salloum and Mghila. May God protect this land,” he noted.