Contamination and Impact

Overall Mine Action Performance: POOR[1]

Mines

As a result of the Ethiopian-Somali wars in 1964 and 1977–1978 (also known as the Ogaden war), and more than 20 years of internal conflict, the Federal Republic of Somalia is significantly contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).

According to the UN, antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were newly laid as recently as 2012 in the disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag in the north of the country.[2] Sovereignty over these territories is claimed by both the self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland and Puntland.

According to HALO Trust, as of April 2014, 221 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) remained to be cleared in Somaliland.[3] The CHAs covered 19.9km² of mined land of which 9.9km² required full manual clearance while the other 10km² required only mechanical verification.[4]In 2013, HALO planned to deploy a Road Threat Reduction (RTR) system to address contamination on secondary roads. As of April 2014, however, the mechanical unit was not in Somaliland but its arrival was foreseen some time before the end of the year.[5]

In Puntland, mine and ERW contamination was assessed during Phase 2 of a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), implemented by the Survey Action Centre (SAC) and the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC) in the regions of Bari, Nugaal, and the northern part of Mudug.[6] The LIS was conducted from February to April 2005 and identified 35 affected communities in 47 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs). Of the 35 communities, nine were categorized as “high impact” and nine as “medium impact”; eight sites were identified for spot clearance tasking. The LIS estimated that about 151,000 people—around 6% of the population of approximately 2.5 million—live in mine affected communities.[7]

No estimates yet exist of mine and ERW contamination in south central Somalia.[8] However, surveys completed in 2008 in Bakol, Bay, and Hiraan regions revealed that, of a total of 718 communities, around one in 10 was contaminated by mines and/or ERW.[9] Other contaminated areas lie along the border with Ethiopia, in Galguduud, Gedo, and Hiraan regions.[10]

Cluster munition remnants

Somalia’s level of cluster munition remnants contamination is unknown. Dozens of dud PTAB-2.5M and some AO-1SCh explosive submunitions have been found within a 30km radius of the Somali border town of Dolow. Contamination is believed to have occurred during the 1977–1978 Ogaden War.[11]

Mine Action Program

The UN implements its mine action activities in Somalia according to three geographical regions in the country: south central Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland. The respective centers responsible for mine action in each of these areas are the Somalia Explosive Management Authority (SEMA), PMAC, and the Somaliland Mine Action Centre (SMAC). All three programs design their strategies, set priorities, and operate under the supervision of, and with the support of, the UN Somalia Mine Action program (UNSOMA) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

On 4 December 2011, the Somalia National Mine Action Authority (SNMAA) was established under the supervision of the Office of the President with authority to coordinate, oversee, and implement mine action activities in Somalia. In addition, it is responsible for approving national strategies and implementing all obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and other disarmament treaties binding on Somalia.[12]

South central Somalia

On 6 August 2013, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, signed a law establishing SEMA as the mine action center for south central Somalia under the authority of the SNMAA.[13] On 9 April 2014, the Director of SEMA, Mohamed Abdulkadir Ahmed, reported to the Monitor that before demining can take place in south central Somalia, a stable administration needs to be established and further survey undertaken to determine the extent to which mines are present in that region. According to SEMA’s director, no systematic or planned mine clearance operations were conducted in south central Somalia in 2013.[14]

SEMA reported that in 2013 a “Major increase in capacity took place in South Central Somalia, mainly due to increased access to newly accessible areas” and that “funding from the EU [European Union], UK [United Kingdom], Italy, and Japan made it possible to train and deploy Police explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams across South Central Somalia, with bases in Mogadishu, Baidoa and Beletweyne.”[15] In 2013, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) deployed 19 EOD teams, while the Somali government counted 13 police EOD teams.[16] Moreover, in 2013 the mine action support to Somalia UNMAS/UNISOMA provided four demining teams and two mechanical MineWolf 330. In addition, Danish Demining Group (DDG)’s capacity in south central Somalia consists of five EOD/survey teams for private stockpile destruction and EOD spot tasks.[17] In 2014, the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is expected to deploy three multitask teams for EOD tasks and battle area clearance (BAC) operations.[18]

Puntland

PMAC was established in Garowe with the support of UNDP in 1999. Since then, PMAC coordinates mine action on behalf of the regional government with several local and international partners. PMAC also runs the only police EOD team in Puntland, which is responsible for collecting and destroying explosive ordnance. As of May 2014, UNMAS was providing funds for operations and capacity building and technical advice to PMAC and the police EOD team.[19] In 2014, the Puntland police was due to increase its capacity to two EOD teams.[20]

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) conducted training as well as operational and administrative supervision to the police EOD and risk education (RE) teams from 2008 until 2013. In 2013, MAG changed its strategy to focus on Physical Security and Stockpile Management and Community Safety and Security activities.[21] DDG implements clearance of unexploded ordnances and private stockpile destruction through one EOD team in Puntland.[22]

Somaliland

In 1997, UNDP assisted the government of Somaliland in establishing SMAC which has since undertaken responsibility for coordinating and managing all humanitarian demining in Somaliland.[23] Officially, the SMAC is under the authority of the Office of the Vice-President of Somaliland, who heads the interministerial Mine Action Steering Committee.[24]

Since 2009, UNMAS has worked with the SMAC to develop a transition plan to a locally owned program. At the end of 2011, three of the four benchmarks had been met: a written commitment by Somaliland authorities to continue supporting mine action, disbursement of US$30,000 by the authorities to the SMAC for vehicle replacement, and resumption of mine action interministerial committee meetings. These measures were made possible by contributions from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.[25]

In 2008, the Somaliland police forces counted five EOD teams which continue to constitute the national EOD capacity today.[26]

Commercial and NGO operators

DDG began operations in the country in 1999 with mine and ERW clearance in Somaliland. In 2007, DDG initiated a mine action program in south central Somalia (in Mogadishu) and in Puntland.[27] DDG’s mine action program in Somaliland ceased mine clearance in 2006. As of April 2014, it retained two small EOD teams.[28]

HALO’s program in Somaliland was established in 1999 and since then has employed more than 600 national staff members. As of April 2014, HALO operated from two locations in Somaliland: an office in Hargeisa supporting operations in the west of the region and an office in Burao for operations in the east.[29] In the future, HALO plans to focus its efforts on the Sanaag and Sool regions and continue a village-by-village clearance of mines and ERW.[30] As of April 2014, HALO estimates that, with existing assets, funding, and a stable political and security environment, Somaliland could be declared cleared of mines by 2017 or 2018.[31]

In 2013, MAG conducted non-technical survey (NTS) and EOD tasks in Puntland. MAG halted its mine action program in Puntland in August 2013 in agreement with donors due to changes in strategy and a worsening security situation.[32]

In 2014, NPA was invited by the Somali authorities to implement a program in south central Somalia. As of April 2014, the NPA’s Humanitarian Disarmament program was still being established. By the end of 2014, the project is planned to consist of three multitasking teams able to perform survey, mine clearance, BAC, EOD spot tasks, and RE. Within the same framework, NPA is assessing whether to build the capacity of national demining authorities and operators.[33]

In 2012, The Development Initiative (TDI), the first commercial demining company in south central Somalia, recruited, trained, and deployed four manual clearance teams, six EOD teams, and seven RE teams.[34] Under a UN Project for Special Services (UNOPS) contract, TDI operated along the border with Ethiopia with bases in Dolow and Hiraan.[35] All TDI’s operations ended in December 2013 due to lack of funds.[36]

Land Release

All clearance operations in south central Somalia are implemented primarily on a response/call-out basis. Mine action operations are largely EOD and spot clearance tasks.[37] NTS activities have been conducted when security, safety, and access allowed. Almost 2.5km² of mined area were cleared in 2013, almost all of which took place in Somaliland.

Mine and battle area clearance in 2013 (km²)[38]

In 2014, clearance of the center of Mogadishu of all known explosive contamination was completed. On 9 April, the Somali Prime Minister and representatives from the EU and UNMAS declared clearance complete in all 13 contaminated districts in central Mogadishu.[39] In addition, according to SEMA, EOD teams from UNMAS and DDG conducted mine clearance operations in 2013 along the Somali-Ethiopian border in Gedo and Hiraan regions, clearing 2,500 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines.[40] In April 2013, during clearance operations in Hiraan an UNMAS EOD team came under small-arms fire from local militia. The incident did not result in casualties but one UNMAS vehicle was damaged.[41]

In Puntland, very little mine clearance has been conducted since the LIS was completed in 2005. According to MAG, the impact from mines is still unclear and further NTS and technical survey are required to ensure cost effectiveness and impact of future clearance. In 2013, MAG Somalia reported having cleared 12,500m² of mined land in Puntland.[42] The Puntland police EOD teams, supported by UNMAS, MAG, and DDG, also collected and destroyed 5,882 items of ERW and small arms ammunition across the Puntland region.[43]

In Somaliland, HALO, the only operator conducting mine clearance in Somaliland, released a total of 4.8km² of land through mine clearance and BAC in 2013.[44] Of the almost 5km² released, 2.44km² were mined areas, 2.16km² were battle areas, and 0.2km² was canceled through NTS. During the operations, 124 antipersonnel mines, 29 antivehicle mines, 2,221 items of unexploded ordnance, and 391 items of abandoned unexploded ordnance (AXO) were found and destroyed.[45]

In 2013, HALO deployed two BAC teams in the western regions of Awdal and Waqooyi Galbeed. Two other EOD teams conducting village-by-village ERW clearance were deployed in the regions of Awdal, Waqooyi Galbeed, and Sahil as well as in the eastern regions of Togdheer, Sool, and Sanaag.[46]

DDG in Somaliland focused its work on single village-by-village EOD tasks. In 2013, through spot/roving clearance and EOD tasks, DDG destroyed 1,632 items of AXO in four different tasks.[47]

Article 5 Compliance

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Somalia is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 October 2022.

In seeking to meet this deadline, Somalia must confront a number of challenges, not least of which is the security situation in much of the country. It does not effectively control mine action operations in Somaliland.

Support for Mine Action

In 2013, nine international donors contributed US$31 million for clearance and risk education in Somalia, including Puntland. Accounting for more than 81% of the support was €13 million (US$17.2 million) from the EU, £3.1 million (US$4.9) from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), and ¥319 million (US$3.2 million) from Japan.[48]

For the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, the UN General Assembly assessed US$42.4 million for the mine action component (UNMAS) of the UN Support Operation for AMISOM (UNSOA). These funds were allocated for mine action activities and for capacity-building and explosive-management support to AMISOM. In 2013, an additional US$4 million were provided by the governments of Japan, the UK, and Italy via the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action.[49] For 2014, UNMAS Somalia was seeking US$17.3 million to support humanitarian programming and support to the Somali security sector.[50]

In 2013–2014, combined international assistance was US$73.4 million, making Somalia one of the largest recipients of mine action support.

The main recipient organizations in 2013 were: DDG with US$7.1 million for activities in Puntland, south central Somalia, and Somaliland; HALO with US$4.2 million for its activities in Somaliland; MAG with US$3.2 million for activities in Puntland; and TDI with approximately US$4 million from UNOPS for its 2012–2013 program in south central Somalia.[51] DDG was expecting a slight increase of funding from the same donors in 2014.[52]

Six international donors contributed US$4.2 million to HALO for its activities in Somaliland.[53] The major contributors for HALO’s operations were the US Department of State Office of Weapons Removal & Abatement, the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Germany, and Finland.[54] In the past, HALO in Somaliland was also funded by the UK DFID, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Julia Burke Foundation.[55]

In addition, NPA was granted US$800,000 by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for mine action in south central Somalia in 2014.[56]

Recommendations

Greater priority needs to be accorded to humanitarian demining in Somalia, including survey.