Policy

The Republic of Somaliland proclaimed independence from Somalia in 1991 after the fall of the government of Siad Barre. Somaliland is not recognized by the international community as an independent state, and thus it is not in a position to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty. Somaliland authorities have frequently expressed their commitment to a mine ban since 1997.[1] Neighboring Somalia acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 16 April 2012.

Somaliland’s Antipersonnel Mine Ban Act took effect in 2009.[2] The act bans use, possession, development, production, acquisition, and transfer of antipersonnel mines by any civilian or government official.[3]

The Somaliland Mine Action Center (SMAC), under the direction of the Office of the Vice-President, is responsible for coordinating implementation of the Act. The Office of the Vice-President is required by the act to submit annual transparency reports to the Legislative Assembly on implementation of the act.[4] As of 31 August 2012, it was not known if a report had been submitted.

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and use

There are no indications that Somaliland has produced, exported, or acquired new landmines since proclaiming independence. There have been no confirmed instances of new use of antipersonnel mines.[5]

Officials have acknowledged the existence of a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, but have not provided information on numbers or types. The Antipersonnel Mine Ban Act requires the destruction of all stockpiled antipersonnel mines held by the government of Somaliland within four years.[6]

In May 2011, Hargeisa University Professor Ahmed Esa said that Somaliland has destroyed stockpiles under the control of its army as well as mines confiscated from civilians.[7] In the past, Somaliland has periodically sent stockpiled antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, among other weapons and ammunition, to demining organizations operating in Somaliland for destruction.[8]

At least 24 types of antipersonnel mines from 10 different countries have been identified by clearance operators in Somaliland. At least half of the landmines laid in Somaliland are plastic.[9]

The Republic of Somaliland proclaimed independence from Somalia in 1991 after the fall of the government of Siad Barre. Somaliland is not recognized by the international community as an independent state and thus is not eligible to adhere formally to international instruments such as the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Somaliland authorities have not made a statement on their policy toward cluster munitions. There are no indications that Somaliland has ever used or produced cluster munitions. It is not known if Somaliland possesses any stockpiles of cluster munitions.

For information on landmine and explosive remnants of war contamination and clearance efforts in the area of Somaliland, see the Mine Action profile on Somalia.

Casualties Overview

HALO Trust reported 20 mine/ERW casualties in Somaliland in 2013. Nineteen casualties were civilian. In 2013, as in previous years, most casualties were children (11, or 58% of civilian casualties) including 10 boys and one girl. Among the adult casualties, five were men and four were women.[1]

The 20 casualties in 2013 represented a slight decrease from the 27 mine/ERW casualties reported by HALO in Somaliland in 2012.[2] It is part of a trend of declining casualties that began in 2007. Since 2012, casualty data has not been available from the Somaliland Mine Action Centre (SMAC), which had reported on annual casualties occurring from 2000–2011.

Between 2000 and the end of 2013, the Monitor identified 929 casualties in Somalia (230 killed; 673 injured; 26 unknown).

Victim Assistance

The number of mine/ERW survivors in Somaliland is not known, but there were at least 673 as of the end of 2013. No efforts to assess survivors’ needs were identified.

Somaliland developed a National Disability Policy in 2012.[3]

Overall, mine survivors have received only minimum assistance.[4] As in previous years, several local NGOs in Somaliland provided services for persons with disabilities, and other organizations assisted persons with war-trauma, including mine/ERW survivors among their beneficiaries. The health system in Somaliland was detrimentally affected by uneven distribution of resources between the capital, Hargeisa, and the provinces, and by low capacities of facilities to deliver quality primary healthcare services. Additionally, it has been reported that “Somaliland is also exceedingly poor in terms of policy and government commitment to disability and rehabilitation.”[5]

The rehabilitation sector was managed by two organizations, the Somaliland Red Crescent Society (SRCS) and the Disability Action Network (DAN). Each used their own network of partners and providers to deliver rehabilitation services. Each ran one of two rehabilitation centers in Hargeisa.[6]

The SRCS continued to provide prosthetics and rehabilitation supported by the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD) and the Norwegian Red Cross.[7] To improve the quality of services, the SRCS physical rehabilitation center in Hargeisa received support and monitoring visits by an SFD physiotherapist and an ortho-prosthetist in 2013.[8] In December 2013, a meeting was held in Hargeisa between representatives of the SRCS, the Norwegian Red Cross, and the SFD to review progress in the management of the services run by the SRCS. The SRCS was found to be “very short of qualified staff,” so a course of training in basic bench-working skills was organized.[9]

In 2013, a community-based rehabilitation project carried out by DAN was supported by UNICEF.[10] Handicap International (HI) support to DAN ended in December 2012.[11] The Ministry of Health had noted that the government was not in a position to financially support the rehabilitation sector.[12]

The Somaliland National Disability Forum maintained a program for enhancing capacity-building for persons with disabilities and disabled persons’ organizations. A project called the Somaliland Advocacy Mine Victim Association, associated with the Somaliland National Disability Forum, had received support to implement a program for improving the livelihoods of persons with disabilities through skills training and income-generating activities in 2012.[13]

Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Somaliland (CCBRS) offered immediate post-incident psychological assistance to survivors and families. CCBRS also provided community-based rehabilitation for persons with disabilities.[14] The General Assistance and Volunteer Organization (GAVO) offered psychological support to persons affected by conflict-related trauma.[15]

In 2013, HI completed its support to a project to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in Somaliland by increasing the participation of persons with disabilities in rights advocacy and democratic activities implemented by DAN. From April 2013, the project was being supported by the foreign ministry of Germany as part of a wider program to promote the rights of people with disabilities, particularly women and children.[16]

The Somaliland constitution notes that the state is responsible for the health, care, development, and education of persons with disabilities. There was no legislation requiring the accessibility of buildings for persons with disabilities. Several local NGOs in Somaliland working with persons with disabilities reported numerous cases of discrimination.[17]

In 2012, eight donors contributed US$25 million for clearance and risk education in the Federal Republic of Somalia.[1] Accounting for over 83% of the support was €13 million ($16.7 million) from the European Union (EU) and ¥319 million ($4 million) from Japan.

The UN General Assembly assessed $32.3 million for mine action activities for coordination, capacity building, and explosive-management support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).[2] Somalia was the second-largest recipient of peacekeeping-assessed funds for mine action in 2012. South Sudan was the largest recipient.

The combined international assistance was $57.3 million making Somalia the largest recipient of mine action support in 2012.

International contributions: 2012[3]

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[4]

N/A = not applicable