Libya

Unsecured and damaged ammunition, easily accessible weapons material, and explosive remnants of war (ERW), exacerbated by the 2011 armed conflict, continue to pose a considerable threat to the State of Libya and international security. The extent and scope of the problem has yet to be determined.[1]

In response to the problem, Libya received US$20.7 million in international assistance from 14 donors.[2] The European Union (EU) and the Netherlands provided $11.3 million. In 2011, Libya similarly received $19 million.[3]

The United States (US) did not support mine action in Libya in 2012, but since 2011 has provided approximately $40 million in assistance to locate and secure Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and other weapons.[4] In an interview with Michael P. Moore from Landmines in Africa, Major General Walter D. Givhan, the US State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Plans, Programs, and Operations, said, “In Libya, the US government prioritized securing MANPADS over landmines and while some of the funds made available for MANPADS destruction also covered landmine destruction and removal, the intent was to eliminate the MANPADS. This is understandable from a national security and national interest perspective: the United States is not going to be threatened by landmines in the ground in Libya, but US airplanes flying in Libyan airspace could be targeted by MANPADS in Libya.”[5] The US did not disaggregate its funding to Libya regarding MANPADS and landmines.

The Libyan Ministry of War Wounded, Martyrs and Missing Persons and the Ministry of Health contributed $1,307,058 and $150,172 respectively to the International Trust Fund (ITF) Enhancing Human Security to provide for rehabilitation of 25 amputees at the University Rehabilitation Institute (URI) in Ljubljana, and for the URI to assess rehabilitation capacity in Tripoli and Benghazi.[6]

In July 2013, the UN reported that of the 10 humanitarian mine action projects valued at $10 million, only one was fully funded for the year, four were partially funded, and five had not received any funding resulting in a shortfall of $5.4 million. In addition, two victim assistance projects valued at $530,000 had not been funded as of July 2013.[7]

International contributions: 2012[8]