The Geography of Landmines and Implications for Health and Disease in Africa: A Political Ecology Approach

With more than 37 million landmines in at least nineteen countries, no region suffers more than Africa from the presence of landmines. Angola alone has an estimated 15 million landmines and an amputee population of 70,000, the highest rate in the world. Multiple conflicts throughout the continent produce new minefields every day, denying people access to critical resources and severely obstructing healthcare delivery. This paper examines the health and environmental implications of Africa's landmine crisis. It analyzes how landmines undermine human livelihoods and overpower healthcare systems. Without a ban on the laying of landmines and proper compliance with existing landmine agreements, solutions to Africa's development and health problems will prove elusive.