Contamination and Impact

The Republic of Niger is contaminated with both antivehicle and antipersonnel mines. The extent of any explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination is not known.

Mines

Niger first reported to States Parties that it was contaminated by antipersonnel mines at the Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee meetings in May 2012.[1] The mines were reported to contaminate an area in Madama around a border post with Libya in the Agadez region. Niger’s last Article 7 report submitted in November 2012 said the mined area around the border post amounted to about 2,400m², but it also named five additional areas, located in the Agadez region’s Bilma department, that were suspected to have antipersonnel mines.[2]As of July 2013, there has been no survey or assessment of these areas due to insecurity.[3] The national mine action authority, the National Commission for the Collection and Control of Illicit Weapons (Commission Nationale Pour la Collecte et le Contrôle des Armes Illicites, CNCCAI), however, said that it estimates the total mined area to be cleared in the Agadez region amounts to approximately 1.9km².[4]

Mine contamination is known to exist, especially in the Agadez region in the north where the army has been fighting a non-state armed group, the Niger Justice Movement (Mouvement des Nigériens pour la Justice, MNJ), and some splinter factions. The extent of contamination has not yet been determined.[5] An incident in February 2009 that cost the lives of six Gambians occurred on the border between Niger and Libya.[6]In an Article 7 report covering April 2005 to March 2006, Niger declared eight other suspected areas: the plateaus of Djado, Karama, Manguéni, and Tchigai; the Afafi and Air mountain ranges; the Talak plain; and the Emi Fezzan region.[7] In its Article 7 Report for 2008, cited in its Article 5 deadline Extension Request submitted in June 2013, Niger said that it only had evidence of antivehicle mines.[8]

Cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war

The nature and extent of any ERW contamination in Niger is not known. There is no evidence of any contamination from cluster munition remnants. The Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force for Niger on 1 August 2010.

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

Mine action in Niger is under the authority of the CNCCAI, which is primarily responsible for dealing with small arms and light weapons. The commission reports directly to the President and one of its functions is to monitor Law 2004–044 on the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.[9] A working group on mine action was established in 2008.

Niger’s Anti-Mine Action Plan 2009–2013 aimed to develop the CNCCAI’s capacity to coordinate mine action, set up a mine action database, conduct demining, “implement and coordinate a risk education program,” and promote international humanitarian law relating to mines and ERW, among other things. Specific objectives included procuring demining equipment, training personnel in mine clearance, and starting to identify and, if possible, clear suspected areas.[10]

Niger adopted new internal regulations for mine action in October 2012 and by early 2013 had started installing an Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database. It expected this to become operational in mid-2013.[11] The Article 5 deadline Extension Request submitted by Niger in June 2013 includes a program of work for 2014 and 2015 that calls for clearance of the Madama mined area, technical survey in Kawar, and verification of other suspected mined areas. It provides for expenditure of US$800,000, including $295,000 on demining operations, $200,000 on the purchase of equipment, and $137,000 on capacity building, including installation and start-up of the IMSMA database.[12]

In its most recent Article 7 report, Niger called for more than $500,000 of international funding for its demining plan. As of June 2013, it had not received any international funding.[13]

Land Release

CNCCAI reported that it conducted survey and clearance on “several hundred kilometres” of road but gave no details.[14]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Niger was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 September 2009. Niger decided not to request an extension to its expired treaty deadline despite calls from ICBL to do so.

After recording the presence of antipersonnel mines in its Article 7 report, Niger requested an extension of its Article 5 deadline until 31 December 2015. The request, submitted in June 2013, was due for consideration by the Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties in December 2013. The request said desert conditions and insecurity posed challenges to implementation, but the main factor was lack of funding.[15]