Mine ban policy overview

Policy

The Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. Its position has not changed in recent years. While expressing concern for the plight of mine victims and support for risk education and other efforts to protect civilians, the Syrian government has stated that it views antipersonnel mines as necessary weapons for national defense and considers Israel’s continued annexation/occupation of part of the Golan Heights as a key reason for not joining the treaty.[1]

Syria has not attended any Mine Ban Treaty international meetings in 2011 or during the first half of 2012. It has rarely participated in Mine Ban Treaty meetings as an observer and not since 2006.[2]

Syria is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, stockpiling

Syria has generally not been known to have produced or exported antipersonnel mines. The size and origin of Syria’s mine stockpile is not known, but is believed to be large and consists mainly of Soviet/Russian-manufactured mines. In 2011 and 2012, government forces used PMN-2 antipersonnel mines and TMN-46 antivehicle mines indicating that these mines are stockpiled.

Use

After the Syrian Army was deployed to quell anti-government demonstrations in April 2011, the protests evolved into an armed conflict across the country that was continuing unabated as of October 2012. In 2011 and 2012, Syrian government forces used antipersonnel landmines, while non-state armed groups made some use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and claimed they would re-use mines recovered from Syrian positions.

On 1 November 2011, a Syrian official told media that “Syria has undertaken many measures to control the borders, including planting mines.”[3] The ICBL expressed concern at Syria’s “disregard” of the safety of civilians seeking to cross the border to flee the violence in Syria.[4]

In March 2012, Human Rights Watch documented new mine use on the Turkish border near Hasanieih (PMN-2), Derwand, Jiftlek, Kherbet al-Joz toward Alzouf and al-Sofan, Armana, Bkafla, Hatya, Darkosh, Salqin and Azmeirin.[5] New landmine use on the Lebanese border has been reported in al-Buni,[6] Tel Kalakh,[7] Kneissi,[8] Heet (PMN-2 and TMN-46 mines)[9] and Masharih al-Qaa.[10] Civilian casualties have been recorded from this mine use.

Several states condemned mine use by Syria as did the president of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Prak Sokhonn of Cambodia.[11] States that expressed concern at the reported landmine use include Australia, Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Turkey, and the United States as well as European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton.

During 2012, there were reports of Syrian rebels manufacturing and using IEDs, primarily roadside bombs as well as Molotov cocktails and remotely-detonated devices.[12] Little is known about rebel use of victim-activated IEDs, which are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty’s definition of an antipersonnel mine.

In August 2012, a Syrian rebel told the media that they intended to re-use government antipersonnel mines that have been removed from the ground.[13] The ICBL called on the Free Syrian Army and all forces involved in the conflict in Syria to forbid their combatants from using landmines.[14]

Syria is thought to have last used mines during the 1982 conflict with Israel in Lebanon.

Contamination and Impact

Syria is contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including cluster munition remnants, a legacy of Arab-Israeli wars since 1948 and the ongoing non-international armed conflict.

Mines

In 2011 and 2012, Syrian government forces used antipersonnel landmines, while non-state armed groups used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and claimed they would re-use mines recovered from Syrian positions.

In March 2012, Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented new mine use on the Turkish border near Hasanieih (PMN-2), Derwand, Jiftlek, Kherbet al-Joz toward Alzouf and al-Sofan, Armana, Bkafla, Hatya, Darkosh, Salqin and Azmeirin.[1] New landmine use has also been reported on the Lebanese border in al-Buni,[2] Tel Kalakh,[3] Kneissi,[4] Heet (PMN-2 and TMN-46 mines)[5] and Masharih al-Qaa.[6] Civilian casualties have been recorded from this mine use.

During 2012, there were reports of Syrian rebels manufacturing and using IEDs, primarily roadside bombs, as well as Molotov cocktails and remotely detonated devices.[7] Little is known about rebel use of victim-activated IEDs, which fall under the Mine Ban Treaty’s definition of an antipersonnel mine. In August 2012, a Syrian rebel told the media that they intended to re-use government-laid antipersonnel mines that have been removed from the ground.[8]

In addition, as a result of the 1973 war with Israel, large parts of the Golan Heights in Syria’s southwestern Quneitra governorate are heavily mined. The Golan Heights is divided into three areas consisting of a Syrian-controlled area, an Israeli-controlled area, and a buffer zone—the Area of Separation (AOS)—monitored by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). UNDOF considers all areas not cleared or marked by the UN as potentially contaminated.[9] The UN has reported that in the “area of operation, especially in the vicinity of the ceasefire line, mines continue to pose a threat to UNDOF personnel and local inhabitants. Owing to the long-term presence of the mines and the deterioration of their detonation systems, the threat has increased.”[10]

In other regions of Syria, the level of contamination is unclear. Mines are also planted along the Jordanian and Turkish borders with Syria, but it is not known if any of these mines have migrated into Syrian territory as a result of soil movement or climatic effects.[11] Mine clearance was ongoing in Jordan in 2012 along the Syrian border with Syria’s consent, even though the delimitation of certain areas of the border has not been agreed upon by the two countries.[12]

On 15 May 2011, some 300 protesters from among a group of approximately 4,000 civilians, the vast majority Palestinians, crossed the ceasefire line, passed through an unmarked minefield, and broke through the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “technical fence.”[13] On 5 June, demonstrators, mostly young unarmed Palestinians, again amassed near the ceasefire line. Despite the presence of Syrian security forces, protestors attempted to breach the ceasefire line at two locations. The IDF used tear gas and smoke grenades to deter the protesters and live fire to prevent them crossing the ceasefire line. Several antivehicle mines exploded due to a brush fire apparently started by teargas or smoke grenade canisters, resulting in casualties among protesters. Syrian and Israeli firefighting squads and UNDOF extinguished the fire. Although UNDOF could not confirm the number of casualties during the 5 June events, up to 23 persons were reported killed and many more wounded.[14] In August 2011, there were reports of new mines being laid by Israel’s army along its border with Syria in an attempt to dissuade protesters from rushing into the Golan Heights.[15]

Cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war

There were reports of new cluster munition use by Syrian armed forces in 2012. The extent of residual contamination is not yet known. In October 2012, for example, HRW reported new use near the main highway that runs through Ma’arat al-Nu’man, the site of a major confrontation between government and rebel forces.[16] In November 2012, the British broadcaster Sky News found “overwhelming evidence” that the Syrian regime was “using [Russian-made] cluster bombs against its own people.”[17] It reported “repeated denials” by the Syrian regime that it even possessed cluster munitions.

The Golan Heights is also contaminated with unexploded ordnance, including unexploded submunitions. The precise extent of the problem is not known.

Mine Action Program

There is no formal mine action program in Syria, no national mine action authority, and no mine action center. In recent years, UNDOF has carried out mine clearance for operational purposes in the AOS.

Land Release

There has been no release of land formerly suspected to be contaminated with mines, cluster munition remnants, or other ERW in Syria in recent years. It is not known if any new clearance has been conducted during the ongoing armed conflict.

Casualty Overview

In 2011, 20 new civilian mine casualties (six killed, four injured and ten of unknown status) were identified in Syria. In June, 10 civilian casualties occurred when a fire reportedly detonated antipersonnel mines at the border with Israel. Of the 10 casualties in this incident, it is not known exactly how many people were killed and injured.[1] Between October and December, four men (three Lebanese and one Syrian) were injured by antipersonnel mines in three separate incidents.[2] In December, one Syrian man was killed by an antivehicle mine.[3] These five adult male casualties occurred along the border with Lebanon and are suspected to have been caused by antipersonnel and antivehicle mines newly planted in 2011. In December, five boys were killed by a mine in Quneitra.[4]

During the first five months of 2012, 19 new mine casualties were reported in Syria. Most of these occurred along the borders with Lebanon, Turkey and Israel and were suspected to be caused by mines planted in late 2011 and early 2012. In January, a vehicle traveling in the Turkish border area between Jisr al-Shughour and Al Zawiya detonated an antivehicle mine, causing two casualties.[5] In February, a boy was injured and a man was killed by an antipersonnel mine on the Lebanese border near Tel Kalakh;[6] two boys were killed by a suspected antivehicle mine in Idlib, near Turkey;[7] and a man was injured by an antipersonnel mine at a Lebanese border crossing.[8] In March, a man was injured by an antipersonnel mine after stepping on landmine in Bqaiaa, along the Lebanese border.[9] In February and March, on the Turkish border, one man was injured and another nine civilians were injured by antipersonnel mines.[10] In May, a woman was injured by an antipersonnel mine in Kwdana near the Israeli border.[11]

The numbers of casualties identified in 2011 and through May 2012 represent a significant increase from the previous years. In 2010, no casualties were identified in Syria and in 2009, a single casualty was reported when a child was killed by an antivehicle mine in Quneitra governorate.[12]

The total number of mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties recorded in Syria between 1967 and the end of 2011 is at least 679 (226 killed, 443 injured and 10 of unknown status).[13] In the absence of a national casualty data collection mechanism, it is possible that there have been unrecorded casualties.

At least five casualties from cluster munition remnant incidents have been recorded, including four child casualties in 2007.[14]

Victim Assistance

Estimates of the total number of survivors range from 210 to 330.[15] No information was available on efforts made in 2011 to collect data on mine/ERW survivors or to assess their needs.

Victim assistance coordination and survivor inclusion

Syria has no specific victim assistance coordination body, plan, or focal point. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor coordinates all disability planning and activities.[16] The Mine Survivor Care Association, led by a mine survivor, worked with the ministry to ensure the involvement of survivors.[17]

In 2011, implementation of the national antidiscrimination law for persons with disabilities remained ineffective.[18] Syria ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 10 July 2009.