Uganda

Last Updated: 30 October 2011

Mine Ban Policy

Commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty

Mine Ban Treaty status

State Party

National implementation measures

Legislation reported under development since 2004

Transparency reporting

Uganda has not submitted its Article 7 report due on 30 April 2011

Policy

The Republic of Uganda signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified on 25 February 1999, becoming a State Party on 1 August 1999.

National implementation legislation has reportedly been under development since 2004, but still had not been enacted as of August 2011.[1]

Uganda had not yet submitted its annual Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report, which was due by 30 April 2011. Uganda has provided eight previous reports.[2]

In 2011, Uganda has elected to serve as co-chair of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration.

Uganda is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its original Protocol II on landmines, but not Amended Protocol II or Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

 Production, transfer, use, stockpiling, and retention

Uganda produced antipersonnel mines until 1995 when the state-run facility was decommissioned. It has stated that it has never exported antipersonnel mines.[3] Uganda completed the destruction of its stockpile of 6,383 antipersonnel mines in July 2003.[4]  Uganda last reported the discovery or seizure of additional antipersonnel mines in 2007.[5]

In every Article 7 report since 2004, Uganda has reported retaining 1,764 Type 72 antipersonnel mines for training purposes.[6] Uganda has never reported in any detail on the intended purposes and actual uses of its retained mines, a measure agreed by States Parties at the review conferences held in 2004 and 2009.

In 2000 and 2001, there were serious and credible allegations indicating the strong possibility of Ugandan forces used antipersonnel mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in the June 2000 battle for Kisangani. The government denied any use, but pledged to investigate; the results were never made known.[7] The government consistently accused Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of using antipersonnel mines in Uganda until 2004, and regularly reported the seizure or recovery of stockpiled antipersonnel mines from the LRA until 2005.

 



[1] The draft law is titled “1997 Mine Ban Implementation Bill 2002.” In May 2002, Uganda reported the act was before parliament. In May 2004, officials told the Monitor that a revised draft was due to be presented to the cabinet for approval before going to parliament. In May 2005, Uganda reported, “An implementation act is ready to be presented before Parliament.” In December 2005, Uganda reported that national implementation legislation was “ready for parliamentary debate.” In May 2007, an official told the Monitor that the bill still had to be approved by the cabinet before being sent to parliament. No further update has been provided.

[2] Uganda submitted undated reports covering the periods from April 2009 to April 2010, 2 April 2008 to 2 April 2009, 2 April 2007 to 1 April 2008, and from 1 May 2006 to 1 April 2007. Previous reports were submitted on 5 December 2005, 11 May 2005, 24 July 2003, and 24 May 2002. The initial report was due in January 2000. Uganda did not submit annual reports in 2004 or 2006.

[3] In January 2005, a UN report said that landmines had been supplied from a Uganda People’s Defence Force camp to a rebel group in the DRC in violation of a UN embargo. The report did not specify if the mines were antipersonnel or antivehicle. Uganda strongly denied the allegation as “patently false and inflammatory.” See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 596.

[4] This figure was considerably higher than Uganda initially indicated would be destroyed, apparently because of additional mines captured from rebel forces and a decrease in the number of mines kept for training purposes.  Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form G, 5 December 2005. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2006, p. 746.

[5] See Landmine Monitor Report 2008, p. 711, for details on destruction in 2007. In 2009, Uganda reported destroying 120 Type 72 mines, but it did not note where the mines came from or who had possession of them before their destruction. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period 2 April 2008 to 2 April 2009), Form G.

[6] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period April 2009 to April 2010), Form D. At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006, Uganda said it was retaining 1,798 mines of seven types for training purposes, but reported the destruction of 202 mines in training during the previous year. Statement of Uganda, Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 19 September 2006. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 700.

[7] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 834–835.


Last Updated: 29 August 2013

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Convention on Cluster Munitions status

Signatory

Participation in Convention on Cluster Munitions meetings

Attended Third Meeting of States Parties in Oslo, Norway in September 2012, intersessional meetings in Geneva in April 2013, and a regional meeting in Lomé, Togo in May 2013

Key developments

Ratification process underway

Policy

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

In May 2013, Uganda informed a regional meeting that draft ratification legislation is being considered by the Solicitor General’s office “to clear any legal interpretations” and will then be submitted to Cabinet for approval. According to the official there have been “wide national consultations” on the ban convention and “clear indications that there is a need for ratification.”[1]

Ugandan officials have provided regular updates on the status of ratification since 2010.[2]

Uganda has stated that national implementation legislation for the Convention on Cluster Munitions is being prepared for consideration after ratification.[3]

Uganda participated extensively in the Oslo Process that produced the Convention on Cluster Munitions and hosted a regional meeting on cluster munitions in Kampala in September 2008. It has continued to actively engage in the work of the convention. Uganda attended the convention’s Third Meeting of States Parties in Oslo, Norway in September 2012, where it made a statement during the general exchange of views. Uganda participated in intersessional meetings of the convention in Geneva in April 2013 but did not make any statements. Uganda attended a regional meeting of the convention in Lomé, Togo in May 2013 where it provided an update on ratification.

To celebrate the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions Day of Action on 1 August 2012, the Uganda Landmine Survivors Association organized a march through Kampala with survivors, disability and civil society organizations, and government officials.[4]

Uganda is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In April 2012, a government official informed an intersessional meeting of the convention that “Uganda has never manufactured, acquired, stockpiled, transferred or used cluster munitions.”[5] In September 2011, Uganda stated that it has never used, produced, transferred, or acquired cluster munitions.[6] In June 2009, a senior official said that Uganda does not have any stockpiled cluster munitions.[7]

Cluster munitions were apparently used in the fighting in northern Uganda between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, but it is not clear who used the cluster munitions or precisely when or how many munitions were used. On several occasions, Uganda has denied that its armed forces used cluster munitions and said the LRA was responsible.[8] The Uganda Mine Action Centre (UMAC) has informed the Monitor that no unexploded submunitions remain.[9]

 



[1] Statement of Uganda, Lomé Regional Seminar on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lomé, Togo, 22 May 2013, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2013/05/NIM_Ugnada.pdf.

[2] See for example: Statement of Uganda, Accra Regional Conference on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Accra, 28 May 2012, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2012/06/Session-II_Statement-Uganda.pdf; statement of Uganda, Convention on Cluster Munitions Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 13 September 2011, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2011/09/statement_uganda.pdf; and statement of Uganda, Convention on Cluster Munitions First Meeting of States Parties, Vientiane, 9 November 2010.

[3] Statement of Uganda, Convention on Cluster Munitions Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 13 September 2011, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2011/09/statement_uganda.pdf; and statement of Uganda, Lomé Regional Seminar on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lomé, Togo, 22 May 2013, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2013/05/NIM_Ugnada.pdf.

[5] Statement of Uganda, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 18 April 2012, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2012/04/Uganda_StockpileDestruction.pdf. Human Rights Watch and the CMC listed Uganda as a stockpiler of cluster munitions, based on statements by government officials and on the clearance of cluster munition remnants and explosive submunitions. See for example: Statement by Amb. Cissy Taliwaku, Deputy Head of Mission, Permanent Mission of Uganda to the UN in Geneva, to the Belgrade Conference for States Affected by Cluster Munitions, 4 October 2007. Notes by the CMC.

[6] Statement of Uganda, Convention on Cluster Munitions Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 13 September 2011, www.clusterconvention.org/files/2011/09/statement_uganda.pdf.

[7] Presentation by Maj.-Gen. J. F. Oketta, Office of the Prime Minister, Berlin Conference on the Destruction of Cluster Munitions, 25 June 2009, slides 2 and 22.

[8] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period 2 April 2008 to 2 April 2009), Form J; “UGANDA: Landmine survivors welcome ban on cluster Bombs,” IRIN (Gulu), 4 June 2008, www.irinnews.org/report/78563/uganda-landmine-survivors-welcome-ban-on-cluster-bombs; Paul Amoru, “Cluster bombs conference on,” Daily Monitor, 29 September 2008, www.monitor.co.ug/News/Education/-/688336/752118/-/10g6t20/-/index.html; and interview with Maj.-Gen. J. F. Oketta, Office of the Prime Minister, in Berlin, 25 June 2009.

[9] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Vicent Woboya, Director, UMAC, 1 April 2010.


Last Updated: 08 October 2013

Mine Action

Contamination and Impact

Mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination in the Republic of Uganda, located in the north, northeast, West Nile, and the Rwenzori subregions in western Uganda, was the result of armed conflict and civil strife, especially over the past two decades with regards to the Lord’s Resistance Army, a non-state armed group.[1]

Mines

Mined areas were identified in the border areas with South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Luwero Triangle in the center of the country, the West Nile region, and the Rwenzori Mountains.[2] In 2008–2010, Uganda confirmed 12 minefields in Agoro and Ngomoromo (in the Kitgum and Lamwo districts, respectively) in northern Uganda bordering South Sudan. During non-technical survey in 2011, an additional 34 mined areas were identified in the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, and Maracha (in western Uganda) and the Lamwo and Amuru districts (in the north of the country) for a total of 46 mined areas covering 1.6km2.[3] Uganda completed mine clearance operations in November 2012 and, at the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties in December 2012, declared it had met its Article 5 Mine Ban Treaty obligations.[4]

Cluster munition remnants

All known cluster munition remnants are reported to have been cleared in Uganda.[5]

Other explosive remnants of war

Uganda has ERW and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination. Uganda anticipated that explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) capacity is needed at least until the end of 2015 and planned to seek international funding to support the EOD teams.[6]

The remaining ERW problem in Uganda is said to exist in areas where internal conflicts were fought over the past 20 years, including the West Nile region in the north of the country and the Rwenzori subregion (the Kasese and Bundibugyo districts) in western Uganda near the border with DRC.[7]

In January 2012, two men were injured by a grenade while digging a pit latrine at a family health clinic next to the Uganda Red Cross office in Bundibugyo district in Kasese. The grenade was found three feet underground. According to the district police commander, the accident occurred in the same area where the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group, had constructed a base camp in the late 1990s.[8]

Since 2006, EOD teams have destroyed over 50,000 items of UXO and ERW.[9]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

Body

Situation on 1 January 2013

National Mine Action Authority

NMASC (Office of the Prime Minister)

Uganda Mine Action Centre (UMAC)

UMAC (Office of the Prime Minister)

National demining operators

Ugandan Army and police seconded to UMAC

National risk education operators

Anti-Mines Network-Rwenzori (AMNET-R)

Uganda’s mine action program has been nationally owned from its inception in 2006. The national authority is its National Mine Action Steering Committee (NMASC), located within the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala.[10] Mine action is integrated in the government of Uganda’s Peace, Recovery, and Development Plan, one of the aims of which is to facilitate the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons.[11]

The Office of the Prime Minister, through UMAC, is responsible for the management and coordination of mine action in the country, with the exception of victim assistance, which falls under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Ministry of Health. UMAC, established in Kampala in 2006, is responsible for quality management of demining operations, risk education, and accreditation of mine action operators. A regional mine action office was established in Gulu in 2008.[12] The Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) and the Uganda Police Force (UPF) provided all demining personnel to UMAC.

Danish Demining Group (DDG) provided technical assistance to UMAC from 2008 until November 2012, when Uganda completed clearance operations in all 46 known mined areas.[13]

Land Release

Mine clearance in 2012

Although Uganda took seven years to clear 46 mined areas, 70% of the work was accomplished over 11 months in 2012. Non-technical and technical surveys completed in late 2011 added 34 mined areas and 834,000m2 to be cleared, increasing the number of mined areas from 12 to 46. By 1 August 2012, Uganda’s Article 5 deadline, Uganda had cleared or discredited 40 of 46 minefields covering 1,666,160m2 and still had 103,655m2 in six mined areas in Agoro to clear.[14] Left with no other choice than to request an extension to the end of November, Uganda cited the additional mined areas identified in the surveys as the primary reason they were unable to finish on time and required an extension of the deadline. The four-fold increase in the workload so late in the program presented a major challenge for UMAC; however, DDG, which acts as the technical advisor to UMAC, cited UMAC’s low rate of clearance productivity until early 2012 (in addition to a demining accident involving a UPDF deminer in November 2011 that required re-clearance of two previously-cleared mined areas) as a major reason why Uganda was unable to complete clearance by August. Clearance operations were also slowed by delays in releasing personnel from the UPDF and from the UPF to attend manual demining training courses.[15]

With higher productivity of the demining teams, UMAC moved the two EOD teams to clear mines to ensure another request after November would not be needed. By the end of November, Uganda had completed clearing all 46 mined areas.[16]

Mine clearance in 2006–2012

Overall, Uganda released 46 mined areas covering 1.6km2 through technical and non-technical survey and clearance. During clearance operations 4,314 antipersonnel mines, 42 air bombs and 15 UXO were found and destroyed. EOD teams in separate operations found and destroyed 9,273 UXO and 20 antivehicle mines.[17]

Two teams from Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) South Sudan with two MineWolf machines seconded to DDG mechanically cleared approximately 70% of all contaminated area at a cost of US$400,000. Mechanical breakdowns delayed completion, even though the average daily output of the MineWolf machines exceeded the planned output by 1,000m2 per day.[18]

Mine clearance in 2006–2012[19]

Year

No. of CHA cleared

Area cleared (m²)

Antipersonnel mines destroyed

Antivehicle mines destroyed

UXO destroyed

2012

37

1,160,131

3,314

0

15

2011

5

219,126

587

0

0

2010

4

206,971

179

0

0

2009

0

30,928

198

0

0

2008

0

0

14

0

0

2007

0

0

14

0

0

2006

0

0

8

0

0

Total

46

1,617,156

4,314

0

15

Kasese district proved challenging to UMAC. Much time was wasted looking for UXO sites that had been identified in a non-technical survey in 2008 but did not exist.[20] Similarly, in Kasese district, operators found 19 of the 22 confirmed hazardous areas (CHA) did not contain either landmines or UXO and cleared only 8,571m2 containing five antipersonnel landmines.[21]

Final statistics by district on mine clearance 2006-2012[22]

District

Region

No. of CHAs cleared

Area cleared (m2)

Antipersonnel mines destroyed

Antivehicle mines destroyed

UXO destroyed

Kasese

Western

22

8,571

5

0

0

Lamwo

Northern

20

1,102,735

1,594

0

10

Bundibugyo

Western

2

2,611

3

0

0

Amuru

Northern

1

499,473

2,705

0

0

Maracha

West Nile

1

3,766

7

0

5

 Total

 

46

1,617,156

4,314

0

15

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, and in accordance with the three-year extension to its deadline granted by the Second Review Conference in 2009,[23] Uganda was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 August 2012.

Uganda became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty in 1999, but it was not until 2008, with UNDP support, that mine clearance and survey commenced (although little was accomplished). In the middle of August 2009, Uganda applied for a three-year extension of its deadline noting it had vastly underestimated the time needed to clear the known mined areas. The extension request was approved at the Second Review Conference, four months after Uganda’s Article 5 deadline had already expired.

From 2009, under the technical supervision of DDG, Uganda began to make progress in clearing mines while facing numerous challenges over the next three years. One challenge was inadequate survey information on the locations of mined areas, necessitating a new survey. Thick vegetation and difficult terrain in mined areas, especially in the Agoro Mountains, as well as lengthy and bureaucratic procurement procedures also delayed clearance operations. The lack of national mechanical capacity delayed operations until funding could be obtained to secure the equipment, which ultimately came from NPA’s mine action program in South Sudan. In May 2012, clearance was not finished; at the Intersessional Standing Committee Meeting on Mine Clearance, Uganda said it “remained committed” to meeting its 1 August 2012 deadline.[24] However, as described above, it missed the August deadline and did not complete its commitment until November 2012.[25] At the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties in December, Uganda declared it had met its Article 5 Mine Ban Treaty obligations.[26]

At a weapons contamination conference sponsored by the ICRC and the African Union in Addis Ababa in March 2013, Uganda reflected on its experience clearing landmines and shared a number of lessons learned with other African mine-affected states.[27] They include:

·         National surveys are essential to determining the extent of mine contamination;

·         Assess the need for mechanical assets;

·         If engaged with partners, ensure roles are clearly understood through written agreements;

·         Community liaison and the handover of cleared land are critical to earning community confidence; and

·         A solid mine action structure that includes national management, training, and access to international technical assistance should be developed.

Explosive ordnance disposal

Since 2006, EOD teams have found almost 50,000 UXO and ERW. UMAC also reported that 97 antipersonnel mines and 20 antivehicle mines were found during EOD operations, indicating that not all landmines were found in defined minefields.[28] Uganda acknowledges that even though EOD teams have cleared thousands of UXO since 2006, UXO will continue to be found in the north, northeastern, northwestern and Rwenzori subregions of the country. UMAC plans to employ four EOD teams with 60 personnel from 2013 to 2015 to conduct EOD operations as needed.[29]

Quality management

National Mine Action Standards were passed and approved in December 2008.[30] A five-person quality assessment (QA) team within UMAC conducts internal quality control (QC) as well as QA.[31] DDG conducted external QA/QC.[32]

 



[1] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[3] Uganda Mine Action Centre (UMAC), Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) July Monthly Report, 2 August 2012.

[4] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[5] Email from Vicent Woboya, Director, UMAC, 8 April 2010.

[6] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Geneva, 22 May 2012.

[7] Email from Samuel Paunila, former country director, Danish Demining Group (DDG), Uganda, 9 June 2011; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Vicent Woboya, UMAC, 10 June 2011.

[8] Machrine Birungi, “Grenade Blast Injures Two in Bundibugyo,” Uganda Radio Network, 17 January 2012; and Catherine Ntabadde Makumbi, “Grenade injures two in Bundibugyo, Red Cross provides evacuation services,” Uganda Red Cross Society, 17 January 2012.

[9] UMAC, IMSMA Database, updated 15 August 2012.

[11] Government of Uganda, “Report Presented by the Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Uganda to the Second Review Conference of the AP Mine Ban Convention,” May 2009, p. 1.

[12] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Vicent Woboya, UMAC, 29 March 2009.

[13] DDG, “Monthly Operations Report July 2012.”

[14] UMAC, IMSMA July Monthly Report, 2 August 2012; and email from Samuel Paunila, DDG, Uganda, 16 August 2012.

[15] DDG, “Monthly Operations Report July 2012.”

[16] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012; and DDG, “Monthly Operations Report July 2012.”

[17] Ibid.

[18] DDG, “Monthly Operations Report July 2012.”

[19] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[20] DDG, “Monthly Operations Report February 2011.”

[21] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Email from Vicent Woboya, UMAC, 9 July 2009; and letter from Pius Bigirimana, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister to Jürg Streuli, President of the Mine Ban Treaty Ninth Meeting of States Parties, 2 July 2009.

[24] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Geneva, 22 May 2012.

[25] Email from Vicent Woboya, UMAC, 11 August 2012.

[26] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[27] Presentation of Uganda, Key Challenges to Mine Clearance, Uganda’s Experience, African Union/ICRC Weapon Contamination Workshop, Addis Ababa, 5 March 2013.

[28] UMAC Statistics 2006–2012, provided to the Monitor, August 2012.

[29] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[30] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Elina Dibirova, Risk Education/Victim Assistance Specialist, DDG, 27 February 2009.

[31] Email from Vicent Woboya, UMAC, 8 April 2010.

[32] Memorandum of Understanding for 2010–2012 between DDG and the Office of the Prime Minister.


Last Updated: 09 December 2013

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Summary findings

·         The quality of physical rehabilitation declined with the withdrawal of international support; the government lacked the capacity to procure adequate materials and equipment

·         Progress in implementing physical accessibility standards contributed to increased access to education for children with disabilities

·         Limited progress in the implementation of the national victim assistance plan was identified in 2012; the government developed a monitoring tool for the plan and aimed for a full evaluation in early 2014

Victim assistance commitments

The Republic of Uganda is responsible for a significant number of landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other explosive remnants of war (ERW) who are in need. Uganda has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty and as a signatory to the Cluster Munition Convention.

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2012

2,763 (529 killed; 2,234 injured)

Casualties in 2012

4 (2011: 15)

2012 casualties by outcome

4 injured (2011: 5 killed; 10 injured)

2012 casualties by item type

1 antipersonnel mine; 3 ERW

Details and trends

In 2012, the Uganda Mine Action Center (UMAC) reported four mine/ERW casualties in two incidents.[1] As has been the case since 2010, all casualties occurred in northern Uganda. Three of the casualties were children; two boys and a girl. The fourth casualty was a deminer.

This represented a significant decrease from the 15 casualties reported in 2011, though it was similar to the three casualties reported in 2010.[2] Following a peak of about 150 casualties per year during 1996–1997, the number of annual casualties has decreased significantly; since 2003, casualties have been 21 or fewer per year.[3] However, given the lack of a central data collection mechanism, it is likely that some casualties were not identified.[4]

The total number of casualties in Uganda is not known. At least 2,763 casualties (529 killed and 2,234 injured) had been identified by December 2012.[5] Of the people injured, 1,814 occurred in northern Uganda and the remaining 420 were in the west. All casualties in the west were recorded as injured; if any were killed, they were not recorded. This was due to the fact that data collection has been mainly carried out by local survivors’ organizations whose primary interest is identifying survivors. As such, it is certain that people have been killed by mines/ERW in western Uganda who have not been recorded.[6]

Cluster Munition Casualties

A 2006 survey of mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) casualties in Gulu district determined that 3% of recorded casualties (1,387 at the time) were caused by cluster munition remnants. Five other suspected submunition casualties were reported in 2006.[7] As of the end of 2012, no additional casualties caused by cluster munition remnants had been identified since 2006.

Victim Assistance

There are at least 2,234 mine/ERW survivors in Uganda.[8]

Victim Assistance since 1999[9]

When monitoring of victim assistance began in 1999, most victim assistance services were provided by international organizations responding to the needs of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees based in northern Uganda. Services were mainly limited to emergency medical care, trauma response, and physical rehabilitation services. Most services were free for mine/ERW survivors. However, long distances and a lack of affordable transportation prevented some 50% of survivors from accessing needed care in that year.

The formation of the Uganda Landmine Survivor Association (ULSA) in 2004 increased opportunities for peer support and survivor-led advocacy, though ULSA’s activities were limited due to its dependence on scarce external funding. However, by the end of 2011 ULSA had supported the development of dozens of local survivor associations in western and northern Uganda.

With the significant reduction in violence in northern Uganda in 2006 and progress towards peace in neighboring countries, several international organizations closed or reduced their programs in Uganda between 2008 and 2010, transferring the responsibility to provide victim assistance services to relevant government ministries. At the same time, mine survivors who were IDPs returned home to other parts of the country, increasing the need for updated surveys and victim assistance services in those areas.

Through the end of 2012, the impact of the departure of several international organizations from northern Uganda remained and there were gaps in physical rehabilitation, economic inclusion and psychological support as well as the means to access services. As a result, there were more survivors in need of services than there had been some 10 years before. Handicap International (HI) responded to the existing need by launching a new victim assistance program in western Uganda in 2010 that was designed to facilitate access to existing programs and services in the area of health, rehabilitation, psycho-social support, and livelihood. This program was implemented in cooperation with government ministries, non-governmental entities such as the ICRC, and associations of persons with disabilities and survivors, and facilitated access to micro-finance, apprenticeship and vocational training.

Throughout the period, victim assistance coordination was very limited. Uganda developed a national victim assistance plan in 2008 which was revised in 2010 and extended by two years to 2014. In 2011, the National Intersectoral Committee on Disability was formed and included a mandate to coordinate victim assistance.

Victim Assistance in 2012

In 2012, the withdrawal of international support for victim assistance in Uganda continued with the closing of ICRC’s program in support of physical rehabilitation and the closing of other international programs. This was only partially offset by increased support from national groups that attempted to fill gaps. Physical rehabilitation was most affected with marked decreases in availability and decline in quality of prosthetics; just a small percentage of all people with disabilities in need of assistive devices were receiving services. The Intersectoral Committee on Disability, convened by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), absorbed and replaced the Forum on Victim Assistance as the coordinating mechanism responsible for victim assistance. Progress was seen in increasing the physical accessibility of public buildings around the country, but particularly in urban areas with the implementation of physical accessibility standards.

Assessing victim assistance needs

In 2012, no efforts by the government to assess the needs of mine/ERW victims were identified. During the year, the MGLSD, with the support from HI, developed a standard data collection tool on disability with specific sections asking for information on mine/ERW victims. The Ministry of Health (MoH)- Disability Desk, National Council for Disabilities (NCD), Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), National Union of Disabled Persons Uganda (NUDIPU), ULSA, and Community Based Rehabilitation Association (COMBRA) all contributed to the design of the disability data collection tool. This tool was intended to be used by all stakeholders in identification of persons with disabilities and assessment of their needs. One such use was to be the August 2014 census to determine the number of persons with disabilities in Uganda, including landmine survivors.[10] However, by May 2013, no system had been put in place to unify, manage, and update disability-related data or coordinate its use.[11] Uganda’s Comprehensive Plan on Mine Victim Assistance 2010–2014 sought to establish a database on disability by 2011.[12]

In 2009, Uganda collected baseline data to identify the needs of survivors and the gaps in services in four districts in northern Uganda.[13] Through the same survey, all disability-related services and providers in mine-affected districts were mapped.[14]

No progress was identified in 2012 to establish a national casualty surveillance system that had been under development since 2008.[15] In early 2012, staff members of the MoH and MGLSD were identified to receive training to lead the implementation of the surveillance system.[16] The surveillance system was intended to include data on mine survivors and other persons with disabilities.[17]

Various NGOs and service providers collected data on the needs of survivors and other persons with disabilities in the areas where they were working. In northern Uganda, HI, ULSA, and the Association of Volunteers in International Service (AVSI)—through the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital orthopedic workshop—assessed the needs of survivors.[18] ULSA carried out a needs assessment of survivors in five districts within northern Uganda.[19] In western Uganda, the Kasese Landmine Survivor Association (KALSA) and HI assessed the needs of survivors. Family members of survivors were included in the needs assessment.[20]

Victim assistance coordination[21]

Government coordinating body/focal point

MGLSD

Coordinating mechanism

Intersectoral Committee on Disability

Plan

Comprehensive Plan of Action on Victim Assistance 2010–2014

In 2012, the Intersectoral Committee on Disability, convened by the MGLSD, absorbed and replaced the Forum on Victim Assistance as the coordinating mechanism responsible for victim assistance.[22] Participants in meetings of the committee shared information about their activities and this was said to result in better coordination of services.[23] Committee meetings were infrequent as compared with previous years when it was the Forum on Victim Assistance. This was due to a lack of funding and reduced support from international organizations that had been involved in victim assistance.[24]

In November, the Office of the Prime Minister hosted a national meeting of all mine action stakeholders, including government and NGO victim assistance stakeholders.[25] The MGLSD also participated in one of the National Community Based Rehabilitation Steering Committee’s quarterly coordination meetings.[26]

During 2012, MGLSD and other victim assistance operators worked toward the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan of Action on Victim Assistance 2010–2014, published in August 2010.[27] The victim assistance plan had been reviewed and aligned to relevant national policies such as the National Development Plan and the National Disability Policy, as well as to international mechanisms such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Cartagena Action Plan, and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[28] However, ULSA identified little progress in the implementation of the victim assistance plan in 2012.[29]

In 2012, MGLSD coordinated the development of a monitoring tool for the Comprehensive Plan of Action on Victim Assistance 2010–2014. The tool was piloted in the districts of Lira, Apac, Oyam, Kitgum, Pader, and Agago, in northern Uganda.[30] A full evaluation of the victim assistance plan was scheduled for early 2014.[31]

Uganda provided updates on progress in and challenges to victim assistance at the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva on 3 December 2012 and at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in Geneva in May 2013.[32] Uganda did not report on victim assistance at meetings of the Convention on Cluster Munitions during the reporting period. Uganda did not submit a Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for 2012; its last Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report (for 2011) did not provide information on victim assistance.[33]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

ULSA was included in coordination meetings of the Intersectoral Committee on Disability. Survivor leaders took part in piloting the monitoring tool for the victim assistance plan.[34] Survivors were involved in the development and pretesting of the disability data collection tool. Survivors participated in meetings of the National Steering Committee on Community Based Rehabilitation.[35]

Survivors and persons with disabilities were involved in the identification and assessment of survivor needs and supported them in accessing medical, rehabilitation, and economic inclusion services.[36] Survivors were involved in the design and implementation of ULSA’s economic inclusion project in northern Uganda.[37]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[38]

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Changes in quality/coverage of service in 2012

MGLSD

Government

Grants and cash transfers for persons with disabilities; data collection

Ongoing

MoH

Government

Medical care; community based rehabilitation (CBR); coordinates, maintains standards for and provides prostheses for the 12 national physical rehabilitation centers, including some managed by NGOs

Ongoing; began supplying four rehabilitation centers with materials and components

Rwenzori Empowerment Centre (RECKAS)

Local NGO

Rehabilitation services; psychological assistance; advocacy

Ongoing support for survivors in Kasese district

Arua Orthopedic Centre

Public Hospital

Physical rehabilitation in West Nile region

Reduced quality with loss of support from international organizations

Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services in Uganda

National NGO

Physical rehabilitation services, CBR; free for children

Ongoing

Watoto Church, Kampala

Local church

Support for physical rehabilitation in northern Uganda

Initiative begun in 2012

Kasese District Women with Disabilities (KADIWOD)

Local Disabled Persons’ Organization (DPO)

Advocacy and referral services for physical rehabilitation

Ongoing support to members

Kasese Landmine Survivors Association (KALSA)

Local survivor association

Advocacy, peer support, and socio-economic projects

Increased geographic coverage within Kasese and more beneficiaries

Refugee Law Project

National NGO

Rehabilitation, Medical Referral, Legal aid for Refugees and Survivors, Kasese

Ongoing

Gulu/Amuru Landmine Survivors Group

Local survivor association

Advocacy, income generation activities, and housing support

Ongoing support to members

ULSA

National Survivor association

Socio-economic empowerment project and peer support in northern and western Uganda; support to Lira Regional Referral Hospital to equip and inaugurate orthopedic center; advocacy at local and national levels

Expanded membership and economic empowerment beneficiaries in northern Uganda

AVSI

International NGO

Physical rehabilitation, income-generating projects, and psychological support including both individual and family counseling

Reopened center after suspension of activities in 2011 and then transferred it to government

HI

International NGO

Data collection and needs assessment, mapping of service providers and dissemination of a directory of services, awareness-raising, counseling, referrals to existing service providers including for physical rehabilitation, psychosocial support, health and livelihood services, and provision of transportation and accommodation for the most vulnerable, capacity building for local associations of mine survivors and other DPOs; advocacy

Ongoing in 2012; Office in Gulu closed in February 2013

ICRC

International organization

Materials and training for two rehabilitation centers; support to the MoH in managing physical rehabilitation

Same number of landmine survivors beneficiaries as in 2011; ceased support for both centers at end of 2012

Medical Care

Government efforts continued in 2012 to improve emergency medical response in the rural areas through the purchase of ambulances and other activities.[39] However, the cost of specialized treatment and medications still prevented many survivors from getting the ongoing healthcare they needed.[40]

Physical Rehabilitation

By the end of 2012, there was a decrease in the availability and a decline in the quality of physical rehabilitation services in the country as long-time support from international organizations, including the ICRC and Doctors with Africa CUAMM, ended. This followed the closure of several other international programs in recent years. AVSI, after temporarily suspending services at the Gulu Regional Orthopedic Workshop in 2011, reopened the center and handed over its management to the MoH in 2012.[41] The MoH also assumed responsibility from international organizations for supplying materials and components at several rehabilitation centers. However, government-purchased materials were of a lower quality, affecting the quality of prosthetic devices,[42] and the MoH indicated that it was “struggling to sustain services.”[43]

The closure of international programs also reduced access to rehabilitation centers as support was no longer available for transport and accommodation costs. Such costs were beyond what most survivors could afford.[44] According to the MoH, just a small percentage of all people with disabilities in need of assistive devices were receiving services in 2012 due to the low production rates of centers, the lack of information among people with disabilities about the services available and their location, and poverty among people with disabilities, which made it difficult for them to cover the cost of accessing the services.[45]

Partially offsetting reductions in the availability of physical rehabilitation, in 2012 the Lira Regional Referral Hospital established an orthopedic center that, for its first year of operation, provided free rehabilitation services to landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities in several districts in northern Uganda. However, a lack of knowledge about the center prevented the full use of the facility.[46] The Church of Latter Day Saints and the Watoto Church in Kampala began providing financial and material support for physical rehabilitation during the year.[47]

Psychological Support

No overall changes in the provision of psychological support were identified in 2012. HI trained self-help groups on peer-to-peer counseling in western Uganda and provided counseling sessions for all survivors and persons with disabilities who were surveyed.[48] ULSA provided peer support to survivors identified through surveys in northern Uganda and trained local groups in peer support.[49] Several local survivor groups continued to provide peer support in both western and northern Uganda.

Social and Economic Inclusion

Accessing micro-credit through mainstream financial institutions remained a major challenge for mine/ERW victims in 2012.[50] The Ugandan government, through the MGLSD, continued to provide grants and vocational training to persons with disabilities, including landmine survivors, in northern Uganda. Some 500 survivors, either directly or through survivor groups, received support between 2010 and 2012.[51] The MGLSD also launched a new program in 2012 to provide three-year pensions for persons with disabilities from chronically poor households. Survivors were also entitled to participate, however the ministry had no information about whether any survivors had benefited from the program.[52] ULSA and HI also provided livelihood support to survivors and other persons with disabilities in western and northern Uganda in 2012.[53] Following training by ULSA on Uganda’s obligations and commitments to survivors, a local survivor group in Pader district successfully lobbied for their inclusion in the district council to aid in the design and implementation of local development projects.[54]

Social inclusion activities for mine/ERW survivors, such as sports programs, remained extremely limited in Uganda in 2012. HI trained self-help groups on how to promote sports and leisure programs as a means to increase the inclusion of their members (both survivors and other persons with disabilities) in their communities.[55]

Overall, there was some increased awareness of available services for mine/ERW survivors within their communities due to the production of a service directory and training conducted on its usage by HI. HI’s outreach targeted service providers and local authorities, as well as survivors themselves.[56]

Gender-appropriate services were not available to all persons with disabilities in health centers. In addition, it was very difficult for children to access services as often as needed.[57] Both HI and ULSA provided age and gender-appropriate services.[58] A government-launched program on inclusive education and the national accessibility campaign increased access to schools for children with disabilities.[59]

Laws and policies

The law prohibited discrimination against persons with disabilities, but it was not enforced and discrimination was common.[60] The review of the Disability Act 2006 to ensure harmonization with the requirements of the CRPD, started in 2010, was ongoing through May 2013.[61] In November 2012, the State Minister for the Elderly and Disabled was reported as having indicated that some funds for the assistance mine/ERW victims had been misappropriated.[62]

As of February 2013, the Uganda Building Control Bill was pending before the Ugandan parliament that would make obligatory the accessibility standards that were launched in 2010. The bill would also enable accessibility audit teams, along with the Kampala Capital City Authority, to enforce the standards.[63]

Although implementation of the standards was not yet mandatory in 2012, some progress to implement them was evident by early 2013. ULSA found that most new structures in Kampala were being constructed to the accessibility standards and some adaptations were made to older buildings, such as ramps to enter hotels and schools.[64]

HI, who worked with service providers in Kasese district to improve physical accessibility, noted that actors had information on the accessibility standards to guide them in making required modifications. However, at the district level, most service providers did not have the resources to make their facilities accessible.[65]

Uganda ratified the CRPD on 25 September 2008.

 



[1] Incidents occurred in Pader and Lamwo districts. Email from Samuel Omara, Information Management Officer, Danish Demining Group (DDG)/UMAC, 22 March 2013. The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database is managed by DDG on behalf of UMAC.

[2] Emails from Woboya Vicent, Coordinator, Mine Action Program, Office of the Prime Minister, 11 June 2012; Samuel Omara, UMAC, 27 June 2012; and Afedra Robert Iga, Information Management Officer, UMAC, 25 May 2011; and Stephen Komakech and Chris Abonga, “Two injured in Kitgum garage bomb blast,” Daily Monitor (Kitgum), 5 April 2010, www.monitor.co.ug.

[3] Casualty data analysis over time based on previous Monitor data; and “Mines/UXO victim status in IMSMA: Mine and UXO Victims data collected by UMAC/DDG, Handicap International [HI] and AVSI [Association of Volunteers in International Services] in Uganda 1971–2011,” provided by email from Afedra Robert Iga, UMAC, 25 May 2011.

[4] Despite plans for the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) to take over casualty data collection by 2009, this had not occurred in 2012 and the National Surveillance Network, a tool designed to collect data on mine survivors and other persons with disabilities, was still in the piloting stage. Interview with Herbert Baryayebwa, Director, MGLSD, in Geneva, 17 April 2012.

[5] Through August 2010, there were 2,744 casualties (524 killed; 2,220 injured) registered. No further casualties were confirmed between the date of publication (August 2010) and the end of 2010. MGLSD, “Comprehensive Plan on Victim Assistance 2010–2014,” Kampala, August 2010, p. 4; and emails from Samuel Omara, UMAC, 27 June 2012 and 22 March 2013.

[6] MGLSD, “Comprehensive Plan on Victim Assistance 2010–2014,” Kampala, August 2010, p. 4.

[7] AVSI, “Gulu District Landmine/ERW Victims Survey Report,” May 2006, p. 20; and HI, Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: HI: May 2007), p. 147.

[8] Emails from Samuel Omara, UMAC, 27 June 2012 and 22 March 2013; and MGLSD, “Comprehensive Plan on Victim Assistance 2010–2014,” Kampala, August 2010, p. 4.

[9] See previous Uganda country profiles at the Monitor, www.the-monitor.org.

[10] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Douglas Nkonge, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, 28 Feb 2013.

[11] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[12] MGLSD, “Comprehensive Plan on Victim Assistance 2010–2014,” Kampala, August 2010, p. 56; and statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011.

[13] Office of the Prime Minister, “Annual Mine Action Programme Report 2009/2010,” Kampala, p. 11.

[14] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[15] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Rose Bongole, Senior Physiotherapist, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013; and interview with Herbert Baryayebwa, MGLSD, in Geneva, 17 April 2012.

[16] Interview with Herbert Baryayebwa, MGLSD, in Geneva, 17 April 2012.

[18] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Douglas Nkonge, MGLSD, 28 February 2013; and by Dorothy Osman, Project Officer, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[19] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[20] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Ahab Ndatu, Coordinator, KALSA, 23 February 2013.

[21] Statement of Uganda, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meeting, Working Group on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 16 April 2012.

[22] Ibid.; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[23] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[24] Email from Margaret Orech, ULSA, 26 September 2013.

[25] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013; and Sarah Tumwebaze, “Landmine victims suffering as government help delays,” Daily Monitor, 22 November 2012, www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Landmine-victims-suffering-as-government-help-delays-/-/688334/1626298/-/sjjtlo/-/index.html.

[26] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Douglas Nkonge, MGLSD, 28 February 2013.

[27] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[28] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Tenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 1 December 2010.

[29] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[32] Statements of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 4 and 5 December 2012; and Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[33] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period April 2011 to April 2012), Form J.

[34] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[35] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013.

[36] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013; Muhindo Rose Mujungu, Victim Assistance Project Manager, Kasese, HI, 26 February 2013; and Ahab Ndatu, KALSA, 23 February 2013.

[37] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[38] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Rose Bongole, Senior Physiotherapist, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013; Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013; Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013; and Ahab Ndatu, KALSA, 23 February 2013; email from Violaine Savel, Head of Mission, HI Uganda, 18 February 2013; statements of Uganda, Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 4 and 5 December 2012; and Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013; Watoto, “About Watoto’s Project Gulu”; and ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 44.

[39] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013; and interview with Herbert Baryayebwa, MGLSD, in Geneva, 17 April 2012.

[40] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Margaret Orech, ULSA, 4 May 2012.

[41] Email from Margaret Orech, ULSA, 26 September 2013.

[42] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013; and Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013.

[43] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013.

[44] Email from Margaret Orech, Director, ULSA, 8 March 2013.

[45] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 44.

[46] Interview with Raphael Amodoi, Workshop Manager, Lira Regional Referral Hospital, 20 February 2013.

[47] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013; and email from Margaret Orech, ULSA, 8 March 2013.

[48] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.

[49] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[50] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.

[51] Statements of Uganda, Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 4 and 5 December 2012; and Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[52] Interview with Herbert Baryayebwa, MGLSD, in Geneva, 17 April 2012.

[53] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013; and Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.

[55] Response to Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.

[56] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.

[57] Interview with Herbert Baryayebwa, MGLSD, in Geneva, 17 April 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Margaret Orech, ULSA, 4 May 2012.

[58] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013; and Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.

[59] United States (US) Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Uganda,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013.

[60] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Uganda,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013.

[61] Statement of Uganda, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29 May 2013.

[62] Sarah Tumwebaze, “Landmine victims suffering as government help delays,” Daily Monitor, 22 November 2012.

[63] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Rose Bongole, Ministry of Health, 28 February 2013; and “Accessibility Audit Team Launched,” Uganda Radio Network, 26 February 2013.

[64] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dorothy Osman, ULSA, 7 March 2013.

[65] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Muhindo Rose Mujungu, HI, 26 February 2013.


Last Updated: 22 November 2013

Support for Mine Action

The Republic of Uganda completed mine clearance operations in November 2012. At the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties in December 2012, Uganda declared that it had met its Article 5 Mine Ban Treaty obligations.[1] Contributions made in 2011 were used to complete clearance operations.

In 2012, Germany and Norway contributed a combined US$144,492 for victim assistance.[2]

International contributions: 2012[3]

Donor

Sector

Amount

(national currency)

Amount ($)

Germany

Victim assistance

€99,000

127,304

Norway

Victim assistance

NOK100,000

17,188

Total

 

 

144,492

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[4]

Year

National contributions ($)

International contributions

($)

Total contributions

2012

500,000

144,492

644,492

2011

500,000

4,886,184

5,386,184

2010

400,000

1,741,145

2,141,145

2009

125,000

578,646

703,646

2008

250,000

783,506

1,033,506

Total

1,775,000

8,133,973

9,908,973

 

 



[1] Declaration of completion of implementation of Article 5 by Uganda, Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2012.

[2] Germany, Convention on Conventional Weapons, Amended Protocol II, Form B, 23 March 2013; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Ingunn Vatne, Senior Advisor, Department for Human Rights, Democracy and Humanitarian Assistance, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 April 2013.

[3] Average exchange rate for 2012: €1=US$1.2859; NOK5.8181=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2013.

[4] See Landmine Monitor reports 2008–2011; and ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Australia: Support for Mine Action,” 10 September 2012. Interview with Vicent Woboya, Director, Uganda Mine Action Centre (UMAC), in Phnom Penh, 1 December 2011.