Phnom penh: The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and APOPO, a non-profit organisation that trains African giant pouched rats to detect landmines and save lives, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on an Integrated Mine Detection Rats and Technical Survey Dogs Grant. H.E. Heng Ratana, Director General of CMAC, and Mr. Michael Raine, Programme Manager at APOPO Cambodia, inked the MoU this morning at the CMAC headquarters in Phnom Penh.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the one-year project, running from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, is supported by a budget of US$281,490 and aims to clear a total of 7,560,000 square metres of land in the target provinces of Siem Reap and Preah Vihear. CMAC and APOPO have been collaborating on mine detection rat operations in Cambodia for the past 12 years.
Beyond mine clearance activities within Cambodia, the two organisations have also expanded their cooperation internationally through the deployment of mine detection dogs to countries such as Trkiye and several Central African nations. This partnership has further facilitated the dispatch of CMAC experts abroad for training missions, as well as the reception of foreign trainees in Cambodia for capacity building.