KATHMANDU: More than 5,000 citizens were affected due to explosion of the landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used during the warfare between the security forces and Maoists during insurgency. And even after three years of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA), there is still a potential danger on public lives due to the steady progress in demining. Both the warring sides, during the CPA, had agreed to extend cooperation with each other to locate the storage of landmines within one month and defuse and destroy within 60 days. “It was the commitment of the agreed parties but practically it was not possible to clear those mines in such a short span,” argued Salik Ram Sharma, under secretary, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR). However, authorities claim that the work on clearing the mines laid during the insurgency is gaining momentum and the country will be mine free before 2011. “We have to be clear that there were only 53 landmines laid by the Nepali Army. And, 19 of those have already been cleared,” said Bishnu Prasad Nepal, joint secretary, MoPR. According to Nepal, the casualties reported are mostly due to explosion of the IEDs that were left on the battle ground but there were no landmines laid by the Maoists. “The landmines are imported and not manufactured in the nation which is why it is impossible for the Maoists to lay any,” said Nepal. “Those who don’t have any direct or indirect affiliation in the war were the victims and the casualties are still been resulted,” said Purna Shova Chitrakar, coordinator of the Ban the Landmine Campaign in Nepal. According to MoPR, there are more than 270 IEDs recorded till date of which 105 have been already cleared. The explosives collected from the Maoists have also been destroyed. However, the government has not ratified the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of the use and transfer of anti personnel mines and their destruction. “We are not against the convention but it isn’t that we are waiting for the ratification for clearing the mines,” maintained Nepal, expressing hope for an early ratification of the convention. The convention, which was signed in 1997, came into effect in 133 countries from 1999.