Libya interested in sharing mine clearance experience with Azerbaijan

Libya is interested in exchanging experience with Azerbaijan in the field of mine clearance, Fathi Benfares, an adviser to Libya's Ministry of Housing and Construction, told journalists on the sidelines of the 4th International Mine Action Conference on "Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements," held in Baku, Report informs.

According to Ben Fares, mines still remain along the border between Libya and Egypt.

"We came here to learn from Azerbaijan's experience. However, we also have experience in Tripoli and Libya with mines left over from World War II. We also gained additional experience during the war against ISIS. They planted a large number of mines there, and approximately 90% of the area has been cleared to date. However, people are still being injured by mine explosions. Over the past six years, approximately 90 people have been affected and injured by mines," he said.

The adviser also stressed that international support remains insufficient.

"I don't think it has been enough so far. We need more support. We need more experience from institutions working in the field of mine clearance. We have contacts with the European Union, UNDP and others. We are seeking assistance from all sides because detecting and neutralizing some explosive devices is extremely difficult," Benfares said.