Sean Moorhouse
Sean Moorhouse is an ex-British Army soldier whose introduction to the aid world came in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. He has worked in mine action jobs in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Sri Lanka and Sudan. He has an MA in International Studies and lives in the United States.
Juggling footballs and hand grenades in Congo
Author: Sean Moorhouse
Somewhere in the vast sea of elephant grass that makes up Katanga province, in Democratic Republic of Congo, lies the village of Cantonnier. Like all of the other villages in the region, it's nothing more than a long string of mud huts straddling one of the very few roads. "Roads" being a rather euphemistic term for the spine-shattering stretches of mud - in the rainy season - or dust - in the dry season - that connect these remote villages.
The local chief of Cantonnier had passed a message down the "road" to say that his son had found some kind of explosive device in the village. The chief was afraid that other children wouldn't be able to resist playing with it. Could I come urgently?
...
Author: Sean Moorhouse
Somewhere in the vast sea of elephant grass that makes up Katanga province, in Democratic Republic of Congo, lies the village of Cantonnier. Like all of the other villages in the region, it's nothing more than a long string of mud huts straddling one of the very few roads. "Roads" being a rather euphemistic term for the spine-shattering stretches of mud - in the rainy season - or dust - in the dry season - that connect these remote villages.
The local chief of Cantonnier had passed a message down the "road" to say that his son had found some kind of explosive device in the village. The chief was afraid that other children wouldn't be able to resist playing with it. Could I come urgently?
...
Iranian shelling uproots Iraqi Kurds
Author: Sean Moorhouse
From the minefields around the village of Darband, a sound like distant thunder echoed through the steep mountain valleys. What I could actually hear was artillery fire raining down on this remote corner of the Kurdish region of Iraq.
But unlike the oft-reported shells coming over the border from Turkey, these high-explosive projectiles originated in Iran. The Iranian shelling started in May 2006 and has continued sporadically ever since.
...
Author: Sean Moorhouse
From the minefields around the village of Darband, a sound like distant thunder echoed through the steep mountain valleys. What I could actually hear was artillery fire raining down on this remote corner of the Kurdish region of Iraq.
But unlike the oft-reported shells coming over the border from Turkey, these high-explosive projectiles originated in Iran. The Iranian shelling started in May 2006 and has continued sporadically ever since.
...
Yellow sticks and olive trees in mine-scarred Iraq
Author: Sean Moorhouse
Last week, I walked through a minefield without wearing any protective equipment. Before you start reaching for a phone book to find me a suitable mental-health professional - and you wouldn't be the first - let me explain.
The day before my apparently foolhardy act, the minefield in question had been cleared of every one of its 551 mines and 104 unexploded munitions. Every last inch of ground had been probed, prodded and scraped away. Just as importantly, not a single deminer was killed or injured in the process.
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Author: Sean Moorhouse
Last week, I walked through a minefield without wearing any protective equipment. Before you start reaching for a phone book to find me a suitable mental-health professional - and you wouldn't be the first - let me explain.
The day before my apparently foolhardy act, the minefield in question had been cleared of every one of its 551 mines and 104 unexploded munitions. Every last inch of ground had been probed, prodded and scraped away. Just as importantly, not a single deminer was killed or injured in the process.
...
Which minefield should we clear next?
Author: Sean Moorhouse
"So..." I panted, as I scrambled up the steep slope behind Fkry, "why are we clearing this minefield and not the other 800 or so near here?"
Fkry paused and turned to face me, giving my aching legs a much-needed rest. "Have you seen what's at the bottom of the hill?" he asked.
...
Author: Sean Moorhouse
"So..." I panted, as I scrambled up the steep slope behind Fkry, "why are we clearing this minefield and not the other 800 or so near here?"
Fkry paused and turned to face me, giving my aching legs a much-needed rest. "Have you seen what's at the bottom of the hill?" he asked.
...
A day in the life of a deminer in Iraq
Author: Sean Moorhouse
His face wet with sweat beneath his anti-blast visor, Sabah Mustapha carefully scrapes away yet another small slice of the steep hillside.
Despite being high in the Kurdish mountains of Iraq, it's still over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). As if the heat and the hard physical labour weren't enough, Sabah's already overheated torso also has to cope with the extra burden of his body armour. Not that he would ever dream of working without it; in his years of clearing mines, he has seen their devastating effects on the human body.
...
Author: Sean Moorhouse
His face wet with sweat beneath his anti-blast visor, Sabah Mustapha carefully scrapes away yet another small slice of the steep hillside.
Despite being high in the Kurdish mountains of Iraq, it's still over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). As if the heat and the hard physical labour weren't enough, Sabah's already overheated torso also has to cope with the extra burden of his body armour. Not that he would ever dream of working without it; in his years of clearing mines, he has seen their devastating effects on the human body.
...
