Mine ban policy overview

Background

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic was created under a 2004 charter and occupies Somalia’s seat at the UN.[1] It has subsequently been engaged in various levels of armed conflict. Since early 2007, al-Shabaab (the Youth) and other armed groups have carried out attacks against TFG forces and the African Union peacekeeping mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and engaged in intense fighting in Mogadishu in 2010 and 2011. In September 2011, a car bomb exploded in the UN compound in Mogadishu killing one and damaging the UN Mine Action Service office.

Policy

Somalia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty, but since 2004, government officials have expressed support for the treaty on several occasions.[2] Most recently, in a March 2010 interview, a representative of the President’s office confirmed the government’s intent to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty.[3] 

Somalia did not attend the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in November 2010 or participate in intersessional meetings in June 2011.

Somalia voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 65/48 on antipersonnel mines on 8 December 2010. It voted in favor of a similar annual resolution in 2007 and 2009, but was absent from the 2008 vote.

Somalia is a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Somalia is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Several Somali factions previously renounced use of antipersonnel mines by signing the Deed of Commitment administered by Geneva Call.[4] Most of the signatories that are still active are allied to the TFG.[5]

Production and stockpiling

Somalia has never been known to manufacture antipersonnel mines, but mines have been widely available. There is no information about possible stockpiles of antipersonnel mines held by government forces. Most factions involved in armed conflict in Somalia are believed to possess mines.[6] Demobilizing militias have previously turned in mines.[7]

Some of the armed groups in Somalia that signed the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment have pledged to undertake stockpile destruction and provide information on their stockpiles. In 2009, Mohamed Omar Habeeb “Dheere” of the Jowhar Administration informed Geneva Call that they only possessed antivehicle mines.[8] In 2009, the Somali National Front (SNF) told Geneva Call that its stockpiles had been moved to Dolow, Gedo region, and that it needed technical and financial support for their destruction.[9] In early 2010, the SNF informed Geneva Call that their stockpile had been looted by al-Shabaab militants.[10]  

Two groups have surrendered mines for destruction. In 2009, United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance (USC/SNA) chair Hussein Mohamed Farah Aideed informed Geneva Call that its stockpile mines were handed over to AMISOM in Mogadishu in early 2007 and destroyed.[11]

In 2008, Puntland Mine Action Center, with technical support from Mines Advisory Group (MAG), destroyed 48 stockpiled PMP-71 antipersonnel mines near Garowe on behalf of the Puntland authorities.[12]  In 2009, police with technical support from MAG destroyed 78 P4 antipersonnel mines in Galkayo.[13] In February 2011, MAG destroyed another 382 mines from unknown sources for Puntland authorities.[14]

The Juba Valley Alliance and Rahanweyn Resistance Army previously stated to Geneva Call that they possessed antipersonnel mines, but have not revealed the types or numbers or any action taken to destroy them.[15]

Transfer

Between 2002 and 2006, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia published a number of reports containing allegations of the transfer of antipersonnel and other mines from a number of countries, including States Parties Eritrea and Ethiopia, to various Somali combatants.[16] More recent reports have not contained new allegations.

Mines have been sold at arms markets in Somalia.[17] In June 2009, Reuters reported the continued sale of mines and other weapons at markets in Mogadishu.[18]

Use

There has been use of antipersonnel mines by various factions throughout much of the ongoing conflict in Somalia, but in recent years the Monitor has not identified any confirmed reports of new use of antipersonnel mines by government forces or any of the non-state armed groups (NSAGs) operating in the country.

NSAGs, however, continue to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in large numbers and media often refer to command-detonated IEDs and bombs as “landmines.”[19] Victim-activated mines and other explosive devices are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty, but command-detonated mines and devices are not and Monitor analysis of media reports indicates that most, if not all, of the explosive attacks attributed to mines involve command-detonated devices.

In September 2011, the TFG in Mogadishu seized mines or IEDs off a donkey at a checkpoint.[20]

The Republic of Somalia signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008.

The status of ratification was not known as of May 2011. Previously, in June 2010, the Office of the Prime Minister passed documents related to ratification of the convention to the Ministry of Defense for consultation.[1]

Somalia attended one meeting of the Oslo Process that produced the convention (Vienna in December 2007).[2] Somalia has not participated in any international or regional meetings on cluster munitions since the Convention on Cluster Munitions Signing Conference in Oslo in December 2008.

Somalia is the only state from Sub-Saharan Africa that has not joined the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Somalia campaigners conducted media outreach and held an event in Mogadishu to celebrate the 1 August 2010 entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[3]

Somalia is not believed to have used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Contamination and Impact

Mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW)—both abandoned explosive ordnance and unexploded ordnance (UXO)—affect many parts of Somalia. The precise extent and impact of the overall problem remains to be defined.

In Mogadishu, mine/ERW casualties are reported almost daily.[1] Only parts of Mudug, Galgaduud, and Lower Shabelle in South-Central Somalia were accessible for mine action activities in 2010, as well as some districts in Mogadishu controlled by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The mine action program relies on national staff members who work within the complicated security environment.[2]

Mines

It is believed that mine contamination is extensive, particularly in the south central region. A UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) baseline survey in 2008 of 718 communities in Bakol, Bay, and Hiraan regions revealed 67 communities were impacted in the Afgooye Corridor and several districts in Mogadishu, with 59 suspected mined areas and high volumes of both antipersonnel and antivehicle mines as well as ERW. The border area with Ethiopia is also known to be mined.[3]

Three phases of a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) have been conducted across all of northern Somalia (Puntland, Sanaag, Somaliland, and Sool regions).[4] In total, across Puntland, Sanaag, and Sool regions, 125 communities were found to be impacted by 263 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs). Roads and pastures were found to be the most affected resources.[5] The communities in Sanaag and Sool covered by the Somaliland Mine Action Center were resurveyed in 2008–2009 by HALO Trust. The survey found 23 mined areas and two battle areas in Sanaag, and 23 mined areas and one battle area in Sool.[6] Since the surveys were completed, the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC) field assessments have indicated there may be more hazardous areas in Puntland, Sanaag, and Sool than the ones identified during the LIS.[7]

Explosive remnants of war

A March 2007 evaluation by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) concluded that ERW were “very widespread” across Somalia and, in most of the country, “constitute a greater threat than do minefields.”[8] In March 2011, the UN restated its belief that ERW contamination was a larger problem than mine contamination.[9]

More than 400,000 internally displaced people living in the Afgooye Corridor[10] are affected by ERW and abandoned ordnance stockpiles. Mines and ERW are harvested for commercial use, and by armed groups for use in improvised explosive devices.[11]

UXO are said to be held for security or for monetary value, and erode feelings of safety; this is addressed through police EOD capacities in Somaliland and Puntland with support from the UN and Mines Advisory Group (MAG), as well as a Community Safety Enhancement Program implemented by the Danish Demining Group (DDG) in Somaliland and Mudug.[12]

Mine Action Program

Somalia has a complex operating environment with differing threat profiles. The UN has divided Somalia into three zones—Somaliland, Puntland, and south central Somalia—to implement mine action activities. The respective authorities responsible for mine action in each of the three areas design strategies and set priorities.[13]The Monitor reports on Somaliland separately.

Key institutions and operators

South central Somalia

The south central region in Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991; consequently, there are no established national mine action structures. The TFG does not have a defined mine action strategy.[14]

The UN Somalia Mine Action Programme (known as UN Somalia Mine Action) has been managed by UNMAS since early 2009.[15] UNMAS works with the TFG, local authorities, protection and health networks, and other humanitarian actors, including UNICEF and UNHCR.[16] In 2010, as part of its capacity-building work with the government, UNMAS trained a team of 57 personnel within the military of the TFG that includes 24 EOD operators, four explosive detection dog (EDD) handlers, and 29 people with marking and survey skills.[17]

Despite constant security threats, there has been some progress in establishing a mine action program. In 2010, construction began on a mine action center in Mogadishu.[18] In March 2011, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) requested expressions of interest from potential contractors for services needed to expand the program and support the existing infrastructure. The requests covered camp management, including security services; EDD training; mentoring and deployment services; and demining and training for AMISOM.[19] In Mogadishu, UNMAS offered explosives management support to assist AMISOM engineering units, making the deployment of peacekeepers safer and more efficient.[20]

DDG and UNMAS have undertaken emergency mine/ERW risk education (RE) and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) in accessible districts in and around Mogadishu, as well as in Mudug and Galgaduud, northeast of Mogadishu. The TFG EOD teams have access to areas not open to international NGOs or UN agencies. One priority in 2011 is to collect data to better understand the mine/ERW threat in half of all accessible areas in Banadir, Galgaduud, and Mudug regions.[21]

Northeast Somalia

In Puntland, PMAC coordinates all pillars of mine action on behalf of the Government. PMAC works closely with implementing partners MAG and DDG to prioritize EOD, RE, and survey.[22] In 2011, UNMAS planned to focus its support to PMAC on strengthening information management capacity, as well as a community outreach initiative by MAG to verify 92 communities with possible mine/ERW impact.[23]

PMAC receives 12,000,000 Somali shillings per month from the government of Puntland. The value of the contribution, according to PMAC, has decreased in value to US$400 per month from $1,000 per month.[24] PMAC is lobbying the government to provide a fixed percentage of the annual PMAC budget.[25]

Land Release

There is no formal land release policy in Somalia. Operators clear explosive items primarily on a response/call-out basis.

Survey in 2010

DDG conducted a General Mine Action Assessment (GMAA) to assess ERW contamination in Mogadishu and in and around Galkayo (in Puntland region, close to the Ethiopian border). The survey was conducted in 42 communities in Galkayo where a total of 330 SHAs were reported. Of the 42 impacted communities, three also had a mine problem. During the GMAA, DDG cleared 976 different types of UXO. In Mogadishu, access was limited to areas under the control of the TFG, where DDG identified 248 SHAs and destroyed 568 items of UXO.[26]

EOD surveys in Mogadishu are house-to-house and frequently result in the inhabitants informing the survey teams that they have ordnance in the house. Other items of UXO are found in police stations and in the street.[27]

Survey results South Central Somalia in 2010[28]

Mine and battle area clearance in 2010

No mine clearance was conducted in Puntland in 2010. The LIS in 2005 had identified 35 SHAs in Bari, Mudug, and Togdheer regions of Puntland. PMAC reported that mine-affected communities in these regions have asked PMAC to clear the contaminated areas. Without funding or assets for mine clearance, PMAC was unable to respond to the requests and subsequently PMAC reported less cooperation from the affected communities in EOD surveys and less interest in attending RE sessions.[29]

In 2010, 13 EOD teams operated in south central Somalia and two police EOD teams in Puntland.[30] Since May 2008, MAG has been training the Puntland police EOD team, which consists of seven officers supported by PMAC. On 10 February 2011, the Puntland police, under the supervision of MAG and with financial support from the United States (US) Department of State, destroyed more than 380 antipersonnel mines and antivehicle mine fuses. Since 2008, MAG has destroyed over 70 tons of explosive ordnance.[31]

DDG reported its teams responded to two to three call-outs per week per team, amounting to more than 400 in 2010. During EOD operations, DDG found and destroyed four antipersonnel M14 mines in Galinsoor in Mudug region. In Mogadishu, items of UXO are found everywhere, but in Galkayo they are mostly found in former military and militia installations and in private homes.[32]

Demolition of the ERW and UXO takes place at the airport in Mogadishu, which also serves as the base of the mine action operators.[33]

EOD in Puntland in 2010[34]

EOD by AMISOM in 2010[35]

In 2011, UNMAS planned to increase its support to AMISOM by training 200 AMISOM personnel in EOD and demining, with initial training taking place in Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda (the three countries that provide the majority of the personnel to AMISOM). The project could include as many as 10 international advisors and trainers.[36]

EOD capacity in 2010[37]

Quality management

In 2010, PMAC assessed 20 UXO callouts and issued 12 Task Dossiers to the EOD teams to conduct demolitions. The PMAC also quality assured 36 activities.[38]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

In mid-2010, MAG began RE in Puntland with three Community Liaison teams.[39] MAG’s community liaison teams conduct RE with separate groups of men, women and children, focusing on how to identify UXO and mines in and around the community and on ways to stay safe in communities where ERW are present. MAG also establishes “Community Antenna” teams with a senior male and female member of the community as focal points, to spread safety messages and collect information on the location of ERW contaminated areas.[40] In 2010, MAG Community Liaison teams visited 41 communities.[41]

In 2010, HI approached RE in several ways. It developed an RE training manual and established six RE Community-based networks with an elected management structure. HI also trained six community elders and 148 schoolteachers for the RE network through a two-day training and produced 15,000 leaflets and 5,000 posters. HI also produced a one-minute-long RE radio program that resulted in 600 broadcasts of the RE messages.[42]

From 29 to 31 March 2011, the Somalia Coalition to Ban Landmines (SOCBAL) hosted an RE workshop for 25 participants from the Mogadishu area.[43] Also, in 2011 UNMAS planned to provide emergency mine/ERW RE messages in Mogadishu, Afgooye, Galgaduud, and other priority areas.[44]

In south central Somalia, DDG has partnered with the Horn of Africa Center for Peace[45] and the Puntland Minority Women’s Development Organization to deliver RE. DDG also provides RE through its community safety program, which works with communities to establish a safety plan by offering safe storage devices to store privately owned firearms, firearm safety education, and encouraging police-community dialogue.[46]

Casualties Overview

At least 159 mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were recorded in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) in 2010. The vast majority of casualties where the age was known were children (105 total: 19 killed; 86 injured); two were adults and the age of 50 casualties was not recorded. Most casualties were recorded in south central Somalia. Over a third of mine/ERW casualties reported in south central Somalia occurred in Mogadishu. The Puntland Mine Action Center (PMAC) also recorded 71 mine/ERW casualties for 2010, including 30 IED casualties. It was not clear if all of the casualties in Puntland were due to victim-activated explosive items or if some or all were included in other totals for Somalia.[1] In 2009, 126 mine/ERW casualties were reported in Somalia (excluding Somaliland).[2]

The annual total is thought to represent only a fraction of likely casualties. According to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the absence of a comprehensive national casualty monitoring mechanism remained one of the biggest challenges to reducing death and injury because the lack of baseline data made the monitoring of trends impossible.[3]

The Monitor identified 2,639 mine/ERW casualties (903 killed; 1,619 injured; 117 unknown) in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) between 1999 and the end of 2010.[4]

Victim Assistance

The total number of survivors is unknown. The Monitor identified at least 1,619 by the end of 2010.

Assessing victim assistance needs

No survivor needs assessment was reported, however, casualty monitoring improved in 2009 and 2010.[5] Increased monitoring of mine/ERW accidents resulted in significant improvements in prioritization and targeting of mine action.[6]

Victim assistance coordination

There were no specific victim assistance coordination or activities in Somalia.

Victim assistance activities in 2010

Intensified conflict in 2010 continued to deplete minimal emergency medical resources at hospitals. The ICRC continued to provide medical supplies, equipment, funds, staff training, and supervision, along with infrastructure maintenance, to two hospitals in Mogadishu managed by the Somali Red Crescent where most weapon-wounded casualties were treated. Resources were often stretched to cope with influxes of patients, and the triage building at Keysaney hospital required repairs after being hit during shelling. ICRC also continued supporting an independently run ambulance service in Mogadishu.[7]

The Norwegian Red Cross Society continued to provide full material support to the operations of the Somalia Red Crescent Society (SRCS) in Galkayo, Puntland, which received additional technical support provided by the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD). During 2010, the center was not visited by the SFD due to a lack of staff at the Addis Ababa regional center. The provision of prosthetic/orthotic services to beneficiaries at the Galkayo center remained similar to 2009. The provision of prosthetic/orthotic services to beneficiaries at the SRCS rehabilitation center in Mogadishu increased by 10% in 2010 compared to 2009.[8] The ICRC also sponsored prosthetic/orthotic staff to train abroad.[9]

There is almost no psychosocial support in Somalia compared to the significant need for such services due to the impact of the ongoing conflict.[10]

Both the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) and the Puntland Charter prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities. The TFC gives the state responsibility for the health and welfare of persons with disabilities and the Puntland Charter protects the rights of persons with disabilities. However, the needs of most persons with disabilities were not addressed and discrimination was reported. There are no laws requiring access to buildings for persons with disabilities.[11]

As of September 2011, Somalia had not signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In 2010 Japan, the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and the Netherlands contributed US$4,014,413 for mine clearance and risk education activities in Somalia,[1] an increase of 56% from 2009.

The UN General Assembly appropriated $13,987,149 for the mine action activities of the UN Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia.[2]

International contributions: 2010[3]

Summary of contributions: 2006–2010[4]