Sinjembela community living in fear of landmines

Sinjembela Member of Parliament Poniso Njeulu says people in his constituency are living in fear following the discovery of landmines in the area.

The parliamentarian noted that as a border area  with former war torn Angola, Sinjembela constituency  is still strewn with landmines.

ZANIS reports that the area MP said this in an interview in Lusaka , today.

He said this has  resulting from the spillover effects of a civil war that went on for many years in the neighbouring  country.

Mr. Njeulu  disclosed that recently, an unsuspecting child picked up a landmine while returning home from school in Kasambila village of Sinjembela.

He also disclosed that a peasant farmer of Sibuku village on one hand discovered a landmine as he was working in his field.

“ It was fortunate that in both  of these instances the land mines did not explode, ‘ he said.

He said farmers in the constituency are now afraid of working in the fields for fear of stumbling upon landmines, a situation he said may cause food shortage for households.

Mr. Njeulu who is also Information and Broadcasting Deputy Minister appealed to government to send experts to Sinjembela to diffuse the landmines before lives are lost.

The Deputy Minister also urged teachers to sensitise children not to pick suspicious looking objects but rather report them to authorities without delay.