On Sunday 4th March 2012, a large munitions dump exploded in the heart of Brazzaville, causing damage to an important part of the city. More than 200 people were killed and around 3,000 people injured in the incident.
The majority of the wounded were discharged from hospital very quickly, without benefitting from any follow-up care which should prevent or limit long-term impairments. In response, Handicap International has launched a new mission to assist the victims of this tragic disaster, to complement the activities started early last week to remove unexploded weapons.
Working to identify injured and disabled people
“I arrived in the field one week ago”, says Cécile Dupré, a specialist in the care management of injured people. I visited the various hospitals which had received the victims of this catastrophe. On finding that the vast majority of the wounded were no longer in hospital, I went to the mass assembly points to evaluate their needs. But I didn’t meet any wounded people in these locations either.”
Nevertheless, for Handicap International, it is crucial to locate these injured people, by reaching out and identifying them amongst the families that have taken them in, in order to provide them with the appropriate care that will allow them to avoid the development of long term impairments.
“We have therefore deployed three mobile teams, each composed of three community workers”, explains Cécile, who already piloted a similar project in Haiti in 2010. “These teams have the task of identifying injured people in their communities, so that they can benefit from wound care, basic rehabilitation, and to prevent and/or limit long term physical impairments.
An intervention to support the most vulnerable people
The explosions forced almost 20,000 people to abandon their neighbourhoods and seek refuge, either at mass assembly points in extremely precarious conditions or in host families. Handicap International is aiming to provide aid to the most vulnerable people, particularly people injured in the disaster, people with disabilities who have been affected, and also older people.
The emergency actions put in place by the organisation should meet the needs of almost 750 people. In Brazzaville, Handicap International teams are focusing on the neighbourhoods of Mfilou, Talangai, Ouenzé, Potopoto et Moungali, which seem to be the main areas that have taken in the victims.
“We have chosen to engage in a short term intervention in Brazzaville, relying, as we do whenever possible, on local teams that we train for this type of activity”, explains Hélène Robin, Handicap International’s emergency programmes manager. “And what was fundamental for us was to intervene extremely rapidly, because the condition of injured people can worsen very quickly, in a way that is irreversible, if people do not receive the correct follow-up care.”
If necessary, vulnerable people identified by our mobile teams will be referred to the appropriate local services (in order to respond to their specific needs). They will also be offered the chance to take part in activities to raise awareness about disability and about the risks from unexploded devices.
Clearing unexploded weapons
Another Handicap International team, composed of several weapons clearance experts, has been engaged for more than one week in the removal and destruction of explosive devices, which were scattered in their thousands across densely populated areas.
The munitions dumps that exploded contained small calibre weapons and munitions. Those devices which did not explode were projected in a 360° radius, over a range of 2.5 to 3.7 miles (4-6 km). They are now lying scattered across the ground or buried in the rubble, posing a potential threat to the thousands of civilians who live in the area, or those who are returning to rake through the remains, trying to recover the few items spared by the explosions. The zone is so heavily polluted with unexploded ordnance that even members of the Congolese reconnaissance team have not yet set foot in the area.
Risk education and weapons clearance are the necessary first stages which will allow residents to return home and begin the work of rebuilding their houses and their lives.
Press contact
Tom Shelton, Handicap International UK
Tel: +44 (0)870 774 3737 | Mob: +44 (0)7508 820 520
Email: tom.shelton@hi-uk.org
- ReliefWeb
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