Contamination and Impact

Mines

Algeria is contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) from World War II, the conflict to end French colonial occupation, and the insurgency of the 1990s. The precise extent of contamination is not known, although in June 2011 Algeria reported that known mined areas totaled some 13.56km² in the east and west of the country.[1]

Algeria has estimated that a total of 3,064,180 mines laid by the French colonial army in the late 1950s along Algeria’s eastern border with Tunisia and the western border with Morocco remained to be cleared.[2] Total contamination was estimated at some 10.88 million mines.[3] In a first clearance phase between 1963 and 1988, the army cleared 1,482km of mined areas along a total length of 2,531km, destroying in the process more than 7.8 million mines.[4] Between November 2004 and through the end of October 2010, Algeria reported that it had destroyed 508,554 mines at an average rate of some 7,200 per month.[5] Algeria subsequently reported that as of June 2011, 43 mined areas remained to be cleared in Algeria: 31 in the east totaling 6.2km², and 12 in the west totaling some 7.36km².[6]

The north of the country has been contaminated by an unknown number of homemade mines and explosive items laid by insurgent groups as well as a reported 15,709 antipersonnel mines laid by the Algerian Army around installations, particularly high-tension power lines.[7] In 2011, Algeria reported that all of the mines laid by the army had now been cleared.[8] Clearance of the last of the 15 minefields and the 15,709 antipersonnel mines laid was completed on 28 April 2011.[9]

Mines continue to be found outside known mined areas. As of the Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee Meetings in May 2013, Algeria reported that 379 “isolated” antipersonnel mines had been reported or found outside known or suspected mined areas, and a further 941 had been found “by accident.”[10]

In August 2011, Algeria noted that, in addition to the huge human suffering (see the Casualties and Victim Assistance section of the Algeria profile), mines have slowed the development of the contaminated regions, rendering broad swathes of agricultural and grazing land unusable; overburdened the health system; increased poverty as a result of disabilities caused by mine injuries; and destroyed flora and fauna as a result of poaching using mines recovered from the minefields. Damage has also been inflicted on certain protected heritage sites, such as the El Kala park (which is included in the Ramsar Convention list[11]), the Tiout oasis, and the Moghrar oasis; this includes a particular threat to protected animals such as wild deer in El Tarf and Souk Ahras and wild geese in Nâama.[12]

Cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war

It is not known to what extent Algeria is contaminated with ERW. It has not reported publicly on its destruction of ERW during demining operations. There is no evidence that Algeria is affected by cluster munition remnants.

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

The Interministerial Committee on the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, set up in 2003 by presidential decree, was made responsible for implementing a joint mine action project with UNDP. In addition, a steering committee was established to oversee the project, chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The project, which was established at the end of 2006 with UNDP assistance, struggled to recover from the December 2007 bombing of the UN building in Algiers, which killed three UNDP mine action personnel, including the chief technical advisor. One of the outputs of the UNDP project was to be a strategic mine action plan, but this had not been drafted as of late July 2009.[13] Subsequently, UNDP support was nominally extended until the end of 2010.[14] In November 2010, Algeria reported that Action Plan 2010–2012 had been adopted.[15] Algeria has funded all of its mine clearance operations from its own resources.

Recent program evaluations

Apparently, no evaluation of UNDP support to mine action in Algeria has been conducted.

Land Release

All demining in Algeria is carried out by the army using manual clearance methods and their own standard operating procedures. As of mid-2011, army deminers were working in the east in 10 communes in El Tarf, nine in Souk Ahras, three in Guelma, and nine in Tébessa; in the west, clearance operations were being undertaken in Tlemcen and Nâama.[16]

Two suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) were released by the end of 2012 covering areas of 12km in the commune of El Tarf and covering 10km in the Mechroha commune in Souk Ahras. It was further estimated that 25 communes with SHAs remain: nine in El Tarf; seven in Souk Ahras; three in Guelma, and six in Tébessa.[17] In addition, the formerly mined area in Béchar that had been maintained as a “historical site” was released without finding any antipersonnel mines in May 2012.[18]

Mine clearance in 2012

Algeria reported that in the period from 27 November 2004–28 February 2013 it has cleared around 6425,772 hectares (over 64km²) of mined areas, destroying in the process 670,256 antipersonnel mines.[19]

Algeria’s Article 7 report submitted in April 2009 reported that Algeria was maintaining two mined areas as a “historical site” in the Challe minefields, one in the east and one in the west of the country. The size of both areas in Tébessa and Bechar provinces were small, totaling 3,000m² and 2,000m², respectively, and Algeria had declared that the areas are “duly protected and marked” as a legacy of the War of National Liberation.[20] The mined area in Tébessa was demined on 16–17 October 2011 with the clearance of 927 antipersonnel mines and the second area in Béchar was surveyed through sampling on 14–15 May 2012, during which no mines were found and it consequently was declared mine-free.[21]

Algeria’s revised deadline Extension Request had calculated that two units could continue clearance at a rate of 4.9km per month and that the three units then deployed in the field could clear approximately 168.84km of linear minefields per year.[22] It cautioned, however, that occasionally the deminers are called away for urgent mine clearance operations elsewhere in the country, which could impact on the ability to complete clearance in time.[23] It also noted that three mined areas in the northwest are particularly challenging to demine, one at Moghrar oasis, a second at Tiout, and the third close to the town of Ain Sefra along a length of 6km.[24]

In 2012, Algeria reported clearing a total of 582,406 hectares (5.82km²) of mined areas in seven locations across four provinces, destroying 83,066 antipersonnel mines.

Mined area clearance January 2012–March 2013[25]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the five-year extension granted in 2011), Algeria is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 April 2017.

In May 2009, Algeria had stated it would make all efforts to meet its 2012 deadline, although it noted that the context was “complex.”[26] In March 2011, however, Algeria submitted a request for a five-year extension to its Article 5 deadline.[27]

In June 2011 at the intersessional Standing Committee meetings, Algeria cited the main factors necessitating the request for an extension: the delay in initiating clearance operations (which were begun in November 2004), the choice of purely manual demining, and climatic conditions.[28] In August 2011, Algeria submitted a revised Extension Request, in which data on the problem and clearance to date was presented more clearly, although the extension period sought remained the same.[29] The request also noted the extent of contamination as a major factor in the need for an extension.[30]

Algeria has calculated that the three demining companies in the east can together release 168km of linear minefields per year, which means it would take six years from 2011 to complete the 887km of linear minefields remaining by the extended deadline of April 2017. It cautioned, however, that occasionally the deminers are called away for urgent mine clearance operations elsewhere in the country, which could impact on the ability to complete clearance in time.[31] It also noted that three mined areas in the northwest are particularly challenging to demine, one at Moghrar oasis, a second at Tiout, and the third close to the town of Ain Sefra along a length of 6km.[32]

The revised deadline Extension Request included a detailed plan of work for 2012–2017 containing annual milestones against which progress could be compared. By end of April 2013, Algeria projected that the following would be completed:

·         Tlemcen: operations would conclude in the Marset Ben M’hidi and Bab El-Assa communes, and commenced in the Maghnia commune.

·         Nâama: operations would have commenced in communes of Mechria, Nâama, and Ain Safra.

·         El-Taref: operations would conclude in El-Taref commune, and commenced in Zitouna commune.

·         Souk-Ahras: operations would conclude in the communes of Ouilène and Taoura, and would have commenced in the commune of Sidi Fredj.

·         Tébessa: operation would conclude in the commune of El Kouif, and would have commenced in the commune of Ain Zerga.[33]

At the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, Algeria stated that it was respecting its duty to clear all mined areas, including those it had previously intended to preserve for historical purposes, and that it is on track to complete clearance by its extended deadline. In May 2013, Algeria further stated that clearance operations were proceeding according to the workplan set out in its Extension Request.[34]

Concerns expressed by the ICRC in May 2011[35] regarding the inadequate marking of mined areas stemming from Algeria’s concerns over the risks of theft of the explosives were addressed by Algeria in its revised Extension Request, where it was stated that: “In certain cases, the security situation has made it impossible to mark mined areas in a timely fashion. Algeria will mark these areas as soon as security conditions allow it.”[36] Algeria has yet to report to States Parties on progress in marking mined areas.

The Analyzing Group that reviewed Algeria’s Article 5 deadline Extension Request noted that Algeria had planned solely for the use of manual clearance in addressing its mined areas and encouraged Algeria to make full use of the entire range of technical and non-technical means to help reduce the amount of land needing clearance and to gain a better assessment of contaminated areas.[37] Algeria has not yet reported any progress in this area in using a wider range of techniques in the course of its clearance operations.