Danish Demining Group

Contact Information

• Where – Kenya (Eastern Africa)
• Website – www.danishdemininggroup.dk
• Contact Person – Santino Nyunja
• Email – s.nyunja@ddghoa.org
• Address – Lower Kabete Road, Intersection Ngecha Rd, PO Box 14762, 00800 Westlands,
  Nairobi

Areas of Expertise

Danish Demining Group has expertise in a range of areas, including:

• Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration

Main Aims and Objectives

DDG is an international NGO focused on preventing and reducing armed violence. DDG currently runs projects on community safety and conflict management in North Western Kenya and is carrying out conflict assessment in other areas of northern Kenya in collaboration with the Kenya School of Government. One of DDG’s projects focuses on identifying potential conflict risks related to the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor with the aim of supporting key stakeholders to engage in dialogue to prevent and manage any tensions that could lead to or exacerbate conflict.

Upholding the Principles of Conflict Transformation

One of DDG’s projects focuses on identifying potential conflict risks related to the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor with the aim of supporting key stakeholders to engage in dialogue to prevent and manage any tensions that could lead to or exacerbate conflict.

Where and with whom?

DDG currently runs projects on community safety and conflict management in North Western Kenya and is carrying out conflict assessment in other areas of northern Kenya in collaboration with the Kenya School of Government.

Main Activities in the Field of Conflict Transformation

Mine Action

Demining is about thoroughness rather than speed.

The physical environment in which DDG works dictates the choice of tools. Primarily this includes soil conditions, vegetation, buildings, type of area and the kind of devices it is infested with.

The primary tools used are:

• Manual demining
• Mine dogs
• Mechanical units

For every mine dug out of the ground, there is potentially one less person who will be maimed. That makes it all worthwhile.

Humanitarian demining is best described as a systematic search for the devices and their removal, where every step of the process has its purpose. This methodical approach is absolutely necessary because the extent, distribution and consequences of the mine problem is rarely mapped.

Mine awareness campaigns cannot guarantee that mine accidents will not happen. But they can prevent them happening due to ignorance.

Mine awareness campaigns, also called Mine Risk Education, are designed to change the behaviour of the local population so that mines claim fewer casualties. The location of mined areas is explained, as are the consequences of handling mines and unexploded ordnance. Advice is also given on how to avoid walking into a mined area, and how to get safely out of one. DDG try to teach people to live with the problem until a final solution is reached.

Armed Violence Reduction framework

Acknowledging that communities and individuals are affected by other threats to human security than landmines and unexploded ordnance, Danish Demining Group (DDG) has developed a comprehensive armed violence reduction approach to reduce the impact of conflict and armed violence by mitigating the threats that small arms and light weapons pose to human security. By enhancing safety for individuals and communities through armed violence reduction initiatives DDG helps create the preconditions for sustained peace.

In order to provide a coherent strategy for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all DDG’s armed violence reduction projects, while allowing for local variations, DDG has developed an Armed Violence Reduction (AVR) Framework.

The AVR framework also serves as a key policy tool for conceptualisation and design of new initiatives. It is designed to encapsulate key concepts, policies, guidelines and best practices. It builds upon the practical experiences gained from DDG’s armed violence reduction projects in Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan and Uganda while also drawing inspiration from established international standards and analytical tools. The systematic use of this framework ensures consistency in how DDG’s armed violence reduction activities are designed and managed.

The framework outlines the theoretical foundations for DDG’s armed violence reduction work, the theory of change underpinning DDG’s armed violence reduction operations and the overall operational guidelines as well as entry and exit criteria for establishing DDG armed violence reduction programmes. As part of DDG’s policy for transparency, along with a wish exchange and dissemination of information, the DDG AVR framework is made free to use for anyone interested. DDG hopes its partners, fellow colleagues, friends and new visitors to DDG around the world can make use of it, be inspired, and find assistance in proceeding with the daily work for which they are responsible.

The AVR framework serves as an addition to the overall Danish Refugee Council (DRC) “Programme Handbook”. It is a “living” document, which is regularly updated to accommodate new developments and experiences.