Mine ban policy overview

The Republic of Mali signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified on 2 June 1998, and became a State Party on 1 March 1999.

National implementation measures adopted in 2000 include penal sanctions and fines.[1] Mali last submitted an Article 7 transparency report for the Mine Ban Treaty in 2005.[2]

Mali attended the Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference in Maputo, Mozambique in June 2014, but made no statements. It has participated in several Meetings of States Parties of the Mine Ban Treaty, but not since 2011.

Production, transfer, and stockpiling

Mali has never produced or exported antipersonnel landmines. In 1998, it destroyed a stockpile of 7,127 antipersonnel mines, together with 5,131 antivehicle mines.[3] In 2003, Mali reported that it retained 600 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, but it has never reported any use of these mines.[4]

Use

Mali stated in 2001 that it had never used antipersonnel mines and that there had been no reports of use by government forces or Tuareg rebels.[5]

In January 2012, an armed conflict began in the north of the country between the Malian government and its allies versus armed opposition groups allied with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). In January 2013, the French military began operations in cooperation with the government of Mali to help to re-take areas in the north of the country. Military personnel from African Union states deployed as part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, while the UN deployed the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

In 2013 and 2014, there were several reports indicating the use of either antivehicle mines or IEDs by armed opposition groups participating in the armed conflict. Between November 2013 and July 2014 there were several antivehicle mines incidents that caused civilian casualties, including aid workers and UN peacekeepers.[6]

In July 2012, a non-state armed group called the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa claimed it had laid antipersonnel mines near the city of Gao. After several apparent landmine casualties near Gao in early 2013, Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs accused AQIM of using antipersonnel mines.[7] The ICBL described the reported landmine use as “disturbing.”[8] However, no antipersonnel mines were ever recovered from the area.

Policy

The Republic of Mali signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008, ratified on 30 June 2010, and the convention entered into force for the country on 1 December 2010.

Since 2012, ongoing instability has prevented the planned incorporation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions into domestic law.[1] In September 2013, Mali informed States Parties that a process to enact implementing legislation for the convention had been “violently interrupted by the political crisis” in the country and said the process would resume after elections are held.[2]

In January 2012, an armed conflict began between the Malian government and its allies, and opposition armed groups in the north of the country. In January 2013, the French military began operations in cooperation with the government of Mali to help re-take areas in the north of the country. Military personnel from African Union states have also been deployed as part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). As of 27 June 2014, Mali had not yet submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which was originally due 30 May 2011.

Mali actively participated in the Oslo Process that created the convention and advocated for a total ban on cluster munitions without exception and with immediate effect.[3]

Mali continued to actively engage in the work of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It has participated in every Meeting of States Parties of the convention, including the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in Lusaka, Zambia in September 2013. Mali attended the first intersessional meetings of the convention in Geneva in June 2011, but not those held in subsequent years. Mali attended regional conferences on the convention held in Ghana in 2012 and Togo in 2013.

In September 2013, Mali emphasized the importance of the convention’s universalization and expressed its hope that all African nations will join the treaty so that its vision of an Africa free of cluster munitions can become a reality.[4]

Mali has not yet provided its views on certain important issues regarding the interpretation and implementation of the convention, such as the prohibition on foreign stockpiling or transit of cluster munitions, the prohibition on investment in cluster munition production, or the retention of cluster munitions for research or training purposes. On the issue of the prohibition on assistance with acts prohibited under the convention during joint military operations with states not party (interoperability), during the negotiations Mali argued against the inclusion of provisions on interoperability, cautioning that they must not undermine the very purpose of the convention.[5]

Mali is party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Mali has stated several times that it has never used or stockpiled cluster munitions.[6] It is not known to have produced or transferred the weapons.[7]

In May 2013, a government official stated that despite the difficult and serious security situation, the government of Mali was not using cluster munitions, had never done so, and did not possess a stockpile.[8]

Contamination and Impact

Mines

The Republic of Mali has a problem with antivehicle mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the north of the country but (as of March 2013) no reports had confirmed the presence of antipersonnel mines.[1]Mali has not submitted a Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report since 2005 and at that time declared that there were no areas containing antipersonnel mines on its territory.[2]

In September 2009, Mali reported the presence of 80 mined areas in the regions of Tombouctou and Kidal, particularly along the roads between Tinza and Abubaza,[3] and it repeated this information in September 2010, suggesting limited progress in demining; however, the extent of the threat is not known.[4]

The upsurge in conflicts in Mali in 2012 resulted in reports of mine laying around the northern town of Gao by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and an offshoot, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).[5] The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said in March 2013 that it had received reports of antivehicle mines in the Kidal region being cleared towards Tin and Zaotene, and could only provide evidence of antivehicle mines.[6]

Cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war

Mali has significant explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, freedom of movement, and efforts to stabilize and rebuild the economy in the aftermath of its civil war. Aerial attacks, artillery bombardments, and ground fighting in central and northern Mali left extensive unexploded and abandoned explosive ordnance ranging from grenades, mortars, and rockets to artillery shells and aircraft bombs. The towns of Diabaly, Douentza, Konna, and Gao were reportedly among the worst affected.[7]

Handicap International (HI) conducted a rapid assessment of the area around Segou and Mopti in January 2013 and concluded there was three to four months of work for approximately four explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams.[8]

As of March 2013, there was no evidence of contamination involving cluster munitions, but the UN reported multiple threats from IEDs.[9]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

Mali set up the National Commission for the Total Ban of Antipersonnel Mines (Commission Nationale pour l’Interdiction Totale des Mines Antipersonnel, CNITMA) in June 2002 with the participation of three ministries (Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security) to serve as the national mine action authority.[10] By the start of 2013, it did not appear to be functioning.

UNMAS established a presence in Mali in November 2012 to coordinate international mine action operators and by the end of March 2013 had five international and two national staff. Sweden’s MSB provided support in the form of an Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) and two EOD teams. Other operators were preparing to deploy survey and clearance teams.[11]

Land release

Demining in Mali has been carried out by the army’s two engineering teams using manual clearance methods and their own standing operating procedures. It has not reported in any detail on clearance in recent years and no data was available for clearance in 2012.

In the first quarter of 2013, UNMAS provided EOD training to International Mine Action Standard (IMAS) Level 2 for 14 army engineers and 16 personnel from other Malian national security organizations.[12]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Mali was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2009. Mali has never declared a problem with antipersonnel mines and did not request an extension to its Article 5 deadline.

The Republic of Mali is responsible for survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) and has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty.

Casualties Overview

In 2013, there was an increase in casualties in Mali with 68 casualties identified.[1] Most of these casualties were civilians (53), including at least 17 children (at least three of the child casualties were girls). A majority of these incidents occurred in the region of Gao and Mopti.

In 2013, the significant increase of casualties as compared with both 2012 and most especially, other years,[2] continued the sharp rise in the number of casualties reported for 2012. This was due to new contamination resulting from fighting between government forces and Tuareg rebels that began in January 2012. In 2013, the number of civilian casualties rose in northern Malian communities and also among the population displaced by the conflict.[3] Casualties were also identified among Malian and French military forces in the northern part of the country.[4] The UN identified increased clearance and risk education activities as protection priorities for 2013 in order to respond to the numbers of casualties resulting from the increased levels of contamination from explosives.[5]

The Monitor identified a total of 146 mine/ERW casualties in Mali from 1999 to 2013, all of which occurred after 2006. Of that total, 77% of casualties occurred in the years 2012 and 2013 alone.

Victim Assistance

There is no coordination of victim assistance in Mali. The Ministry of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity, and the Elderly is responsible for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. In 2013, the ministry sponsored activities to promote income-generating opportunities for persons with disabilities and worked with NGOs, such as the Malian Federation of Associations for Handicapped Persons, which provided basic services. However, while persons with disabilities have access to basic healthcare, the government did not place a priority on protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, and few resources were available. [6]

In 2013, most NGOs working with persons with disabilities had to suspend their programs during the year due to the conflict in the north between government forces and armed groups.[7] In response to this fighting and other situations of violence in Mali, the ICRC opened a delegation in Mali in 2013 to respond to the consequences.[8] Wounded and sick people, including victims of mine/ERW, received medical services at the Gao regional hospital, which maintained and enhanced its services with substantial ICRC support, including a team of six ICRC specialists. Patients with specific needs were evacuated to other facilities, including physical rehabilitation centers in Bamako and Niger.[9]

In 2013, while the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD) did not provide direct support to the Centre d’Appareillage Orthopédique Père Bernard Verspieren in Bamako, a rehabilitation center based in Bamako and run by the Malian association PROPHETE, it subsidized the cost of services at this center and at the Centre Père Bernard Verspieren as well as in Niger (Naimey) for victims of mine/ERW.[10] Treatment and travel/accommodation costs were covered by the ICRC.[11]

In 2013, there was no specific law protecting the rights of persons with disabilities or mandating their access to public buildings.[12] Mali ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 7 April 2008.

Recent and ongoing armed conflict in the Republic of Mali has created a problem of contamination by weapons and explosives. At the request of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) deployed mine action staff to Mali in January 2013 in order to conduct an emergency assessment of the situation with regards to explosive threats and in support of Security Council Resolution 2085 (2012).[1]

In 2012, four donors contributed US$7,681,063 to Mali to begin a mine action program. Japan, France, and the United Kingdom (UK) provided funding through UNMAS while Sweden provided the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency with SEK10.6 million ($1.56 million) to train the Malian Defense and Security Forces in explosive ordnance disposal.[2]

International contributions: 2012[3]