Contamination and Impact

Mines

It is not known whether the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) is contaminated with mines. Congo has previously reported a possible mine threat left over from the conflict in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. According to its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report covering April 2003 to April 2004, “the border zone with Angola in the southwest of the country is mine suspected.”[1] Its latest Article 7 report, covering calendar year 2008, indicated “no change” in the situation.[2] The area concerned is approximately 2,250km² in size.[3]

In February 2008, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) carried out a survey in Kimongo district along the border with Cabinda, an area suspected to be contaminated. The findings of the survey “did not confirm a current mine threat on the Republic of Congo side of the border,” but MAG hoped to carry out additional spot verification to validate the results. This did not subsequently occur.[4]

In May 2009, Congo informed the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies that surveys had not identified any new mine victims since the 1970s, although the indigenous populations had claimed, “without much evidence,” that mines were present.[5] In 2006, it was reported that civilians in the suspected areas were reluctant to return to their communities to carry out forestry and farming, as “they have not received any guarantees for their security from the authorities.”[6] Given the uncertainty, in June 2011, Congo declared that it would seek an extension to its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline to enable it to conduct the necessary surveys of the suspected region.[7]

Cluster munition remnants

The explosive threat has included cluster munition remnants,[8] although the extent of any residual contamination is not known.[9] Between December 2007 and May 2008, MAG destroyed 18 cluster munitions, containing submunitions, during stockpile destruction activities.[10] In July 2010, the Ministry of National Defense informed the Monitor that some of its stockpiles of Russian cluster munitions exploded during the 1997–1998 civil conflict. In addition, at an ammunition storage area (ASA) in Maya-Maya a member of the armed forces was killed in 2009 after detonating a submunition.[11] In February 2011, MAG re-established its program in Congo and was preparing to clear the Maya-Maya site of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and ammunition.[12]

Other explosive remnants of war

Congo is significantly contaminated with explosive remnants of war (ERW), both abandoned explosive ordnance and UXO. The problem results from civil conflict in 1993–1999.[13] There are many areas of ERW contamination, and in 2008 even the capital, Brazzaville, was reported to have an area of 260,000m² still contaminated with UXO. In December 2009, MAG reported that in the two years it had been operating in Congo it had destroyed 771,162 ERW.[14]

MAG, the only international demining operator in Congo, has conducted surveys in Brazzaville and Dolisie on sites where civilian incidents have occurred as a result of ERW. Preliminary findings indicated that incidents continued to occur due to the encroachment of communities onto contaminated land for housing, agriculture, and other livelihood activities.

At the Maya-Maya site, items of UXO, including unexploded submunitions, were scattered on open ground being cultivated.[15] Unsafe explosive ordnance storage conditions also increase the likelihood of fires or explosions at ASAs; these have already occurred several times.[16] Indeed, MAG has noted that unsafe storage conditions “were partly responsible for the explosion at the Maya-Maya ammunition depot that scattered explosive material on 26 hectares of land adjacent to the Brazzaville International Airport, contaminated land that will need clearance.”[17]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

There is no national mine action authority or mine action center, although a colonel within the Ministry of National Defense has served as the national mine action focal point.

MAG is the only international clearance operator in Congo. It has been conducting capacity building for Congolese armed forces personnel.[18]

Land Release

No land release occurred in 2010. At the Second Review Conference in Cartagena, Congo reported that as a consequence of the insecurity in the enclave of Cabinda, it had not been possible to carry out either a detailed assessment or technical survey of the suspected mined areas. Congo had requested the assistance of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), but a mission planned for October 2009 had been postponed until the first quarter of 2010.[19] This had not occurred as of June 2011.

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Congo is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 November 2011. At the Second Review Conference in Cartagena, Congo stated that the planned mission by GICHD in the first quarter of 2010 would assist it to determine the necessary actions to comply with Article 5. It further declared that “before the expiry of the treaty deadline, with the assistance of the GICHD, Congo will fulfill all the obligations of the Mine Ban Treaty, in particular the obligation under Article 5.”[20]

In November 2010 at the Tenth Meeting of States Parties, however, the President of the Second Review Conference stated that: “The Republic of Congo has an Article 5 deadline on 1 November 2011. It has not yet indicated that it will be able to comply by its deadline. If it now believes that it will not be able to meet its deadline, it will be non-compliant with the Convention as of 1 November 2011.”[21] Congo did not participate in the Tenth Meeting of States Parties.

In June 2011, at the Standing Committee meetings, Congo declared that it would seek an extension of one-year to its Article 5 deadline to enable it to conduct the necessary surveys of the suspected region.[22] As of the beginning of August 2011, however, no extension request had yet been submitted.