Contamination and Impact

Mines

The Republic of Zimbabwe is contaminated with mines, mostly antipersonnel, from 10 minefields laid in the 1970s. Combat with liberation movements operating out of Mozambique and Zambia had also resulted in significant quantities of unexploded ordnance.[1] In 2005, the National Mine Clearance Squadron (NMC) under the Ministry of Defence completed clearance of the 286km² Victoria Falls to Mlibizi minefield.[2]

The current estimate of the extent of contamination is based, with support from the Mine Ban Treaty’s Implementation Support Unit (ISU) in July 2010, on analysis by the Zimbabwe Mine Action Centre (ZIMAC) of the 1994 MineTech Survey Report, a 2000 Koch –MineSafe Completion Report, a 2010 HALO Trust Border Minefield Survey Report done for the Government of Mozambique, and from knowledge gained by Zimbabwe’s NMC from more than 12 years of clearance. The analysis concluded that available data on contamination were reasonably accurate, making a detailed technical survey unnecessary, with the general exception of the Cordon Sanitaire in the Crooks Corner to Sango Border Post minefield, which has never been recorded but is known to exist. The analysis also concluded that mined areas at Kariba, Lusulu, Mukumbura, and Rushinga required more detailed technical survey.[3]

The analysis reduced the estimate for the extent of the mine problem by 300km² to 225km² across nine mined areas as set out in the table below. The terrain varies from mountainous and rocky to swampy or prone to flooding to thickly wooded or hard clay, thus making access to the minefield and deployment of some of the demining equipment problematic.[4]

Estimated area of mine contamination in Zimbabwe[5]

Impact

Mines have affected commercial crop farming and forestry and, in turn, Zimbabwe’s exports and hard currency earnings. Much of the timber in mine-affected areas is well past its maturity and has already lost its commercial value.[6]It is claimed that mines have blocked access to 300km² of communal land, 107km² of commercial farm land, and 50km² of game parks, plus an unknown quantity of tea and timber plantations and border posts. Zimbabwe has estimated that all but 5% of the mined area could be used for economic development.[7]

Mined areas are in rural areas inhabited by poor farmers whose livelihood depends on land and raising livestock. It is estimated that mined areas deny farmers about 175km² of fertile land of which 145km² is in Mukumbura and 30km² in the Rusitu/Muzite area.[8]

The completion of clearance of the Victoria Falls to Mlibizi minefield in 2005 allowed tourism to develop in the area. However, in the Sango Border Post to Crooks Corner minefield covering 22.9km² within the Gonarezhou National Park, which has now been merged into the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park that Zimbabwe shares with South Africa and Mozambique, tourism remains dormant as animals are said to have been killed or maimed by mines in this area.[9] The minefields also restrict movement, which in turn impacts families separated by minefields. ZIMAC has reported that some people have been injured as they attempted to cross minefields in order to visit with family.[10]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

The National Mine Action Authority of Zimbabwe (NAMAAZ) is a policy and regulatory body on all issues relating to mine action in Zimbabwe. It was established in 2000 by the Anti-Personnel Mines (Prohibition) Act. Its mandate includes policy and priority setting, fundraising, representation at international fora, and public awareness of the problem. NAMAAZ has nine high-level government members. The deputy secretary of Policy, Public Relations and International Affairs in the Ministry of Defense is the chair of NAMAAZ. Members include deputy secretaries from the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Local Government, Finance, Labour and Social Welfare, and Home Affairs, as well as a representative from UNDP and the director of ZIMAC.[11]

ZIMAC was established in 2000 within the Ministry of Defence as the focal point and the coordination center of all mine action activities in the country. ZIMAC reports to NAMAAZ. It is currently located in a military base near Harare. There are plans to find a location outside the military base that would make ZIMAC and its staff more accessible to mine action stakeholders, but earlier plans to relocate the center have not materialized due to finance constraints. Earlier plans to make ZIMAC a civilian entity have not been followed up.[12] Colonel Mkhululi Bhika Ncube assumed the position of ZIMAC director in March 2011.[13]

Land Release

Zimbabwe has cleared or otherwise released mined areas; however, since 2008 only a small amount of land has been completed due to limited resources. In June 2011, it reported deminers were clearing in the southeast part of the country near the border with Mozambique and South Africa.[14]

Five-year summary of land release[15]

Survey in 2010

It was planned in 2010 to have an international organization train two survey teams of 10 surveyors each from within existing ZIMAC capacity to conduct non-technical survey in the Kariba, Lusulu, Mukumbura, and Rushinga mined areas and more detailed technical survey on parts of the five “known minefields” by August 2011.[16] ZIMAC estimates the international funds needed for the survey to be US$200,000.[17] As of June 2011, no organization or funding had been identified to conduct the surveys.[18]

Operating from Mozambique, the NGO HALO Trust has surveyed the border minefield laid by the Rhodesian Army in the 1970s[19] to see how much was located in Mozambique. At the time HALO did not have access to record those minefields that run further “inside” the Zimbabwean side of the border. The position of the border was indicated to HALO by the local population and therefore may not be absolutely accurate.[20]

In three provinces HALO identified 11 mined areas located entirely on Zimbabwe territory and measuring a total of just over 6km² along a length of 200km (see Table below). According to HALO, the mined areas within Zimbabwe, particularly the three adjacent to Gaza Province in Mozambique, have seen incidents involving humans and animals over the years, and the mined areas are located on land for which there is a high demand.[21]

Mined areas entirely in Zimbabwe identified during a survey by HALO in Mozambique[22]

Note: The minefields are entirely in Zimbabwe, however the names in the table are the names used in Mozambique that are adjacent the Zimbabwe mined areas.

Additionally, nine mined areas along 74km straddle the border of both Mozambique and Zimbabwe, making it difficult to determine exactly who should be responsible for clearing the contaminated areas.[23]

Mined areas straddling Zimbabwe and Mozambique identified during HALO survey[24]

Demining capacity    

The NMC, a military unit within the Ministry of Defence, conducts clearance operations. It has 140 deminers and 24 support staff. Additionally, there are eight registered commercial demining companies in Zimbabwe, some of them with international experience.[25] None, however, has been engaged in clearance since 2009 due to the lack of funding.[26] The government of Zimbabwe is able to contribute only US$150,000 per year to mine action due to other priorities.[27]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the 22-month extension request granted in 2008, and a second, two-year, extension request granted in 2010), Zimbabwe is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 June 2013.

At the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty, Zimbabwe said since the beginning of 2009 “no significant progress” had been made due to the lack of both international and national support.[28] In June 2010, at the Standing Committee meetings, Zimbabwe repeated that it would not be able to complete the planned surveying in the 22-month extension period and stated that it would request another extension.[29]

In July 2010, the ISU sent a consultant to Zimbabwe for one week to conduct a needs assessment and develop a plan, including a budget, for the necessary survey. On 3 August 2010, Zimbabwe submitted a second extension request based on the ISU consultancy findings. The second extension requested 24 months to conduct surveys of four areas that have never been surveyed but have always been suspected to contain mines. Zimbabwe stated they were confident of accessing international assistance for the survey although they had not accessed significant funding since 2000 and did not indicate who the donors would be or who would provide the technical assistance.[30]

After the survey is completed Zimbabwe will submit a third extension request.[31]In December 2010, the States Parties granted the 24-month extension request and noted the commitments by Zimbabwe whereby within 12 months (by August 2011), non-technical survey would be conducted of the four “unknown areas” (Kariba, Lusulu, Mukumbura, and Rushinga) as would technical survey of parts of the five “known minefields.”[32]

In March 2011, the new director of ZIMAC, Colonel Mkhululi Bhika Ncube, said in Harare that local companies in Zimbabwe should support the government’s demining efforts by funding demining efforts. Colonel Ncube added that, despite all the challenges, “we will soldier on; we do not have any excuses for failures.”[33] Previously, in August 2010, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Robert Mugabe had said that Zimbabwe was looking for international partners. “Efforts will be made to find funding partners to achieve this noble objective,” Mugabe said.[34]

In June 2011, at the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Zimbabwe reported it had not received any international funding or technical support, nor had much progress been made on surveying. It did report, however, that in May 2011 HALO, together with representatives from the Embassy of Japan in Harare, had visited some mined areas in Zimbabwe. During the visit HALO submitted a draft memorandum of understanding to NAMAAZ on conducting demining operations in the country. The ICRC has also expressed interest in building ZIMAC capacity following a meeting between ZIMAC and the ICRC in Harare.[35]

In its second Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline extension request, ZIMAC indicated it would need US$100 million to clear the remaining 225km² of contaminated area.[36] Were it to receive such funding, even at $10 million per year over a 10-year period, Zimbabwe would become one of the top recipients of international funds in mine action on an annual basis.[37]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

ZIMAC is responsible for coordinating and implementing mine/explosive remnants of war risk education (RE).[38] RE teams disseminate information through community developmental and social gatherings.[39] For example, during agricultural shows, exhibitions and trade fairs, the army displays pictures of injured people and animals to remind people how mines can be dangerous to human and animal life.[40] Resources permitting, they also visit the communities living adjacent to the mine infested areas to provide RE.[41] Most warning signs around mined areas are said to have been stolen or removed for personal use.[42]