By Lisa Balestrieri | Development Officer
As the dust settles in Nagorno Karabakh, one thing is clear - even though the fighting has stopped people still remain in immediate danger. A massive amount of live explosives lay scattered throughout the region. We have already received confirmed reports of accidents involving cluster munitions that have killed civilians.
Everyday, more and more refugees from Armenia cross the Lachin corridor to return home. If these deadly devices are left unaddressed, more lives will be lost and recovery becomes impossible.
Since the conflict started in September, HALO has been on the ground helping civilians and removing unexploded threats. A ceasefire now holds and we are mobilizing a large-scale effort to clear the Armenian-controlled territories of Nagorno Karabakh of explosive hazards.
We have deployed our available staff to immediately begin working in Stepanakert, Martuni, and Martakert, all of which experienced heavy shelling. We are conducting a large-scale risk education campaign in which HALO staff are reaching thousands of civilians and alerting them how to identify and avoid the dangerous explosives surrounding their homes. We have also deployed several teams to locate and destroy unexploded items before they can cause harm.
Our work has only just begun, and we are planning to vastly expand our team and scale-up our operations. But we first need your help to build a safe future for thousands of families.
Please support our work in Karabakh this Giving Tuesday and this holiday season.
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