WORLD NEWS – CALIFORNIA – Hundreds flocked to the Falkland Islands beach that was finally cleared of wild lands

Publish date: 12:03 GMT, 16 November 2020 | Updated: 17:11 GMT, 16 November 2020

Hundreds of Falkland Islanders rushed to the beaches over the weekend after declaring them free of landmines nearly four decades after the end of the Falkland War..

The last mines left by Argentine forces were detonated at Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay, to rid the islands of a major reminder of the conflict..

Locals flocked to explore the beaches – which are some of the most beautiful on the islands – which have been off limits since 1982 when Argentina planted mines in anticipation of a British landing on York Bay that failed to materialize.. .

Hundreds of Falkland Islanders flocked to the beaches this weekend after declaring them free of landmines nearly four decades after the 1982 Falklands War

The photos showed people enjoying the sun on York Bay on a Saturday afternoon. Beauty spots have been banned since 1982.

Resident Simon Benjamin and his partner, Amy, stand next to a sign warning of landmines on the beach in York Bay

Resident Simon Benjamin snapped photos of the crowds having fun in York Bay on a Saturday afternoon after the last warning signs and fences were removed.

He said, « They never expected to see the day they set foot on the beach again. ».

Benjamin, who took pictures of locals enjoying the beaches, said it was an « emotional day » for islanders, many of whom thought they would never be able to walk on the beaches

Despite the cold weather, hundreds of people flocked to the beaches on Saturday to celebrate the Falkland Islands’ mine-clearance

Yorke Bay is a place of beauty but has been too dangerous for people to set foot for nearly forty years. In their absence, the Magellanic penguins took their place. Birds are too light to detonate landmines.

British forces surrendered to Argentine forces at Stanley Port on April 2, 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in the hope that their restoration would boost support for the ruling junta [file photo]

British soldiers fly the Union Jack in the Falkland Islands after a short war with Argentina over the territory [file photo]

Argentine forces have left an estimated 13,000 mines in British overseas territory, according to the BBC..

On April 2, 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, which it claimed sovereignty over for many years.

The ruling junta did not believe that the United Kingdom would attempt to retake the islands by force because they are located in the South Atlantic Ocean approximately 8,000 miles from the British Isles..

Argentine leaders believe that restoring the region would restore support for the ruling party at a time of economic crisis.

The United Kingdom ruled the islands for 150 years, but the junta justified the invasion by saying that Argentina inherited the land from Spain in the nineteenth century, citing the proximity of the Falkland Islands to South America as another reason..

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher deployed a task force to fight on behalf of the traditional British population of the Falkland Islands.

In the short war that followed, 649 Argentines were killed, as well as 255 British soldiers and three islanders.

After a difficult naval battle, British forces landed in North Stanley before making their way to the capital. The Argentines surrendered on June 14

However, a task force was dispatched by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and arrived on the islands in early May.

York Bay was densely mined as it was expected to be a potential British landing site due to its proximity to both the capital Stanley and the airport.

In fact, British forces approached Stanley from the ground – meaning that the mines remained unexploded in the ground – as part of a ground, air and sea offensive..

Argentina surrendered on June 14, ending the 74-day conflict that claimed 907 lives.

Rivalry claims to the Falkland Islands continue to hamper British-Argentine relations and periodically flare up tensions depending on the leadership of the two countries.

The expansion of sand dunes on the shore has complicated demining plans for years, with shifting sand meaning that some explosives can be buried at a greater depth while others are brought to the surface.

Birds, too light to blow up the mines themselves, have thrived in the absence of human activity and become a magnet for tourists who have been able to view them from a distance.

Landmines are prohibited under the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction – also known as the Mine Ban Treaty..

More than 150 countries signed the treaty committed to eliminating mines from their territories.

Efforts to clear illegal mines currently in the Falkland Islands have been underway since 2009 as part of the UK’s obligations towards the treaty.

Demining teams from Zimbabwe have been enlisted to assist UK-based SafeLane Global and Fenix ​​Insight with bombing operations, working in harsh weather conditions of windy islands.

The SafeLane Global team included technical director John Hare, a Falkland Islands veteran injured during the conflict..

Photo from SafeLane Global, one of the British companies coordinating mine action efforts in the Falkland Islands, shows a recent mine explosion in the territory

SafeLane Global Technical Director John Hare is photographed preparing the final blasting. Hare is a veteran of the Falkland Islands and was injured during the conflict.

Locals and police watch the last mine explosion in York Bay on Saturday afternoon before heading to the beach

An estimated 13,000 mines were left on the islands by invading Argentine forces during the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.. In the photo: Residents watch the recent mine explosions on Saturday.

Specialized demining teams from Zimbabwe joined Britain’s SafeLane Global and Fenix ​​Insight in efforts launched in 2009 to rid the Falkland Islands of landmines. Pictured: Zimbabwean specialists search for mines in Stanley in 2019 [file photo]

A Zimbabwean specialist removes debris from a minefield in 2012 before a blast-proof armored vehicle checks the area [file photo]

Demining expert Jay Marot handles Italian landmines and Spanish anti-tank mines before conducting a landmine survey in the Falkland Islands in 2013 [file photo]

Wendy Morton, the British minister in charge of the Falkland Islands, described the removal as a « milestone » in the islands’ history..

Morton wrote in a tweet on Tuesday: « Thanks to a UK-funded team, residents of the Falkland Islands can safely access areas that have been restricted since the 1982 conflict. ».

She added that the UK government was contributing £ 36 million this year to Global Mine Action 2 to continue mine clearance efforts around the world as part of the Mine Free 2025 campaign, which seeks to completely clear the world of landmines..

According to Landmine Free 2025, more than 60 million people remain at risk of being killed or maimed by landmines.

a separate group free of mines. org, states that there are an estimated 110 million landmines in the ground today with a similar amount of stockpiles waiting to be planted or destroyed..

The low cost of production and distribution of mines has caused them to spread widely around the world, but their continued existence – often long after conflicts have ended – creates safety issues as well as hampering economies by polluting land that could be used for agriculture or other industry..

Mines are costly and dangerous to remove, and demining efforts require sustained political and financial commitment.

Mine free. The organization said that Egypt, Angola and Iran are responsible for more than 85% of mine-related injuries worldwide each year..

Landmines left over from conflict injure and kill thousands of people every year and can disrupt economies by contaminating land that could be used for agriculture or other industries.

Their low cost has made mines popular in conflicts around the world but their removal is expensive and time consuming, so they remain in the ground for decades after the conflict ends.

Landmines are a cheap weapon and a favorite killer in conflicts around the world [file photo]

In 1997, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction was created – also known as the Mine Ban Treaty. .

More than 150 countries signed the treaty committed to eliminating mines from their territories.

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Falkland Islands (Malvinas Islands), Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Diana, Princess of Wales, Landmine, Falkland War, Argentina