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International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
A protracted war leaves behind many legacies – grieving families, shattered limbs, destroyed homes, disrupted education, lost livelihoods and psychological trauma. One of the lesser known legacies is land blanketed with landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) consisting of unexploded bombs, artillery shells and missiles, mortar bombs, anti-tank projectiles, rifle grenades and hand grenades.
In Sri Lanka this translated into 1.6 million landmines and ERWs spread over an area of 2,000 square kilometres in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar, Batticaloa and Trincomalee where, from 1983 to 2009, one million people were displaced by the war.