By Mark Livingstone, Senior Technical Advisor, DDG

I had awaited the day with trepidation since making the decision for a career change; I had completed 24 years in the British Army, a move whatever the move would be difficult. My final few years in the army had been working in the Mine Action, so it seemed the likely avenue to take. I had a choice between DDG and another well established NGO, but after the recommendation of a DDG employee and the mention of loads of R&R, Satellite TV and Aircon, it was DDG for me.  I had my interview with the DDG interview team and awaited their decision. Uganda or Afghanistan! Either would do me fine, but a decision was made and I was off to Uganda, to Gulu, in the North, a small but nevertheless busy programme.

On arrival it all looked fine, we did have Satellite TV and even Aircon, the house was great better than a good few nights under the stars in the past, and the DDG and DRC team were well settled in.

After a day of getting settled, it was time to meet the clearance teams, in Uganda it is different to most programmes worldwide, we work solely with the Ugandan Peoples Defence Force and the Ugandan Police Force. We are here to capacity build and to act in a technical advisory role to the already trained “by me in my last job I may add” Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams and the Ugandan Mine Action Centre.

I used the first week to put the feelers out and check the drills were up to the required standard operating procedures before jumping in head first in an attempt to tighten up safety issues. I was starting to realise from past reports and tasking that there really is a small Mine problem in Uganda, nevertheless there is more of an Unexploded Ordnance threat. The teams are busy on a daily basis deploying to their area of operations, they move on previous Suspected Hazardous Area Reports or Focal Point lists and emergency tasks destroying items from grenades to Air Drop bombs. With twelve clearance teams covering the north of Uganda, my job is a busy one; I have to try and cover the ground, visiting the majority of the teams on a weekly basis.

On an average day, I will drive two hours to meet the team, deploy to a tasking order location and meet with the point of contact. We will then possible drive for another hour or more into the bush until the vehicle can go no further, its then time to walk, carrying all of the EOD equipment the small but effective team move into the bush, sometimes walking 10km through thick bush, harsh terrain and forty degree heat to locate the item. On finding the item(s), if it has not already been identified the team leader will move forward and try to identify, if he needs assistance then I will move forward and help him out. After setting a cordon and warning the local population “who can come out of no-where”, we set-up to destroy the item(s) in-situ using shaped charges, electrically initiated. The item destroyed, we close the cordon and report the task complete. Then on we move to the next task, more walking, more heat but a job well done. The local population can now return to work, agriculture being the main undertaking, the removal of even single items returns the land back to the people, helping them to get back to normality after 20 years of war. We do an interesting and rewarding job, but there can be difficulties.

We are in Africa and Africans have a different outlook on work ethics than their European counterparts, it can at times be hard to put your point across with the language barriers and life is very cheap here compared to Europe. Safety can sometimes become an issue, there is a constant need to hammer the point across that it should always be safety first, never take risks. Explosives and stores can be difficult to source; until a peace treaty is signed, it can be tricky to persuade the UPDF to release equipment, they think may be useful on a war footing. But overall, if you have a calm temper and the patience of a saint, you get there in the end.

DDG is a good company to work for; good mission command ensures the technical advisors have responsibility and ownership of the job.

In the end I think I made the right decision and hope the work can carry on into the future.