Goma, 17 March 2011 – A huge amount of ammunitions were destroyed in recent months at Mubambiro-Sake, 27 km south of Goma, South Kivu province, by the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC), in collaboration with the South African mine-clearing company, Mechem. Altogether 52,834 explosive items were destroyed.

They included detonators, hand-launched flares, rounds of small arms ammunition, hand grenades, mortars and artillery shells.

It was the eighth time that the destruction of war explosive remnants was taking place in the region in the past few months. According to UNMACC officer, Joseph Hubert, since the beginning of the year such destruction are being done twice or thrice monthly.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) is often alerted by the population to the presence or unsafe storage conditions of unexploded ordnance. Whenever this happens, MONUSCO acts swiftly by safely recovering and then destroying these items.

In this latest demolition operation, the Head of MONUSCO's North Kivu Office, Ms Hiroute Gebre Selassie, triggered the detonation. She then praised the dedication and professionalism of the UNMACC team, and urged them to continue ensuring public safety in a country that still lacks the necessary know-how in the disposal of hazardous explosives.