Key developments since May 2005: New national implementation
legislation has been drafted. Mine clearance resumed in early 2006 after being
suspended for the whole of 2005 due to lack of funds. In 2005, the National
Humanitarian Demining Office continued with marking, surveying and small-scale
explosive ordnance disposal; it released 960,000 square meters of suspected
hazardous areas and cleared 43 items of unexploded ordnance. Mauritania and the
UN mission in Western Sahara held a meeting to discuss further regional
cooperation in mine action.
Mine Ban Policy
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997, ratified on 21 July 2000, and became a State Party on 1 January 2001. A
national commission has been in charge of the landmine issue and implementation
of the Mine Ban Treaty since July 2002.[1]
Mauritania has not enacted national implementation
legislation.[2]In May 2006, a
Ministry of Defense official told Landmine Monitor that a new draft
implementation bill was submitted to the Ministry of Justice in
2005.[3]He said it was likely the
law would be approved at the end of 2007, following parliamentary elections
scheduled for March 2007. The draft law envisages penal sanctions of one to
five years imprisonment and a fine of up to one million MRO
(US$3,841).[4]
Mauritania submitted its sixth Article 7 transparency report on 27 April
2006, covering 30 April 2005 to 30 April
2006.[5]
Mauritania attended the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in
November-December 2005, but made no statements. It also attended the
intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2005 and May 2006. At the
May meeting, it made a presentation on its mine clearance and mine risk
education activities. Mauritania also made a statement on mines retained for
research and training, calling on other States Parties to reduce the number of
mines as much as possible.[6]
Mauritania has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties
have had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1
and 2. Thus, Mauritania has not made known its views on issues related to joint
military operations with non-States Parties, foreign stockpiling and transit of
antipersonnel mines, and antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling
devices.
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Destruction
Mauritania has reported that it has never manufactured antipersonnel mines
and does not possess any landmine production
facilities.[7]It is not known to
have exported mines.
Mauritania completed the destruction of its stockpile of 21,168 antipersonnel
mines on 5 December 2004, ahead of its deadline of 1 January 2005. It destroyed
16,168 French-made APID 51 mines in 2001 and
2002.[8]It destroyed the final 5,000
antipersonnel mines on 5 December 2004 (1,738 Soviet PMN mines, 1,728 French
Model 51 mines and 1,533 “MP” mines, which are most likely Yugoslav
PMA-3 mines).[9]
Mauritania has retained a stockpile of 728 antipersonnel mines for training
purposes: 100 PMN mines, 161 Model 51 mines and 467 MP
mines.[10]Mauritania did not
utilize the new expanded Form D on retained mines agreed by States Parties at
the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005.
Landmine and ERW Problem
The mine and explosive remnants of war
(ERW)[11]problem in the north of
Mauritania resulted from its involvement in the conflict over the disputed
region of Western Sahara between 1975 and 1978. All parties to the conflict
used mines extensively. Mauritania has tentatively estimated that as much as
one quarter (310,000 square kilometers) of its national territory could be
affected by hundreds of thousands of mines and ERW. However, as none of the
areas have been mapped and no countrywide survey has been conducted, Mauritania
expects the forthcoming Landmine Impact Survey to provide a more realistic
estimate as well as specific indications of the locations and nature of the
threat.[12]
The northern regions (wilaya) of Tiris Zemmour and Dakhlet Nouadhibou
are mine and ERW-affected, while the Adrar region, whose northern part borders
the two above mentioned regions, is suspected to be contaminated with mines and
ERW.[13] Affected areas are said to
be mainly around the urban centers of Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Zoueèrate, Bir Moghrein, Choum, F’Deèrik, Atar, Chinguetti and Boulenoir, as well as more
remote locations on the northern and western borders. Some 27 minefields have
been identified, which are said to be very poorly marked. In 2003, Mauritania
estimated that about 294,000 people live in or near these areas, and nomads are
believed to be particularly at
risk.[14]
It has been reported that landmines and ERW impede the grazing of livestock
and cultivation of agricultural land. Key industries, including metal and ore
extraction, fishing and tourism, have been affected by the presence of
mines.[15]
Mine Action Program
National Mine Action Authority: The National Committee for the
Implementation of the Ottawa Convention was established by decree in
2002.[16] The interministerial
committee includes members of the ministries of defense, foreign affairs and
cooperation, infrastructure, interior and justice. It reports to the Office of
the Prime Minister and is chaired by a representative of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.[17] The committee
reportedly met twice during 2005 to adopt the 2006 mine action plan and internal
regulations for the National Humanitarian Demining Office
(NHDO).[18]
Mine Action Center: The NHDO was also established by decree in 2002
to coordinate mine action in Mauritania under the Ministry of
Defense.[19] Demining has been
undertaken mainly by the Armed Forces Engineer Corps. The NHDO coordinates
survey, training of deminers, priority setting, resource mobilization and mine
risk education; it carries out quality assurance on clearance
operations.[20] The NHDO’s
main office is in the capital, Nouakchott, and a regional office is located in
Nouadhibou in the north.[21]
The NHDO has been equipped with the Information Management System for Mine
Action (IMSMA) version 3 since 2004.[22]As part of the implementation of the impact survey, the Geneva
International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) provided refresher
training in June 2006.[23]Information for IMSMA is said to be collected by both NHDO and other
operators, and to be accessible to
anyone.[24]
There is no mine action legislation in Mauritania. NHDO reported that
standing operating procedures based on the International Mine Action Standards
(IMAS) would be finalized in 2006 or
2007.[25]
Three Mauritanian Army Engineering Corps officers were trained in 2005 at the
regional demining school in Benin.[26] By June 2006, Mauritania had seconded an instructor to train students at
the school.[27]
Strategic Planning and Progress
Mauritania’s mine action strategy was drafted in 2002 and revised in
2004 prior to the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[28]For the period
2005-2009, Mauritania identified three objectives for demining: identify all
mine-affected areas and mark those that cannot be cleared; clear all high and
medium-impact areas; and support training of personnel in demining, survey and
marking activities.[29]
Demining and mine risk education (MRE) have been conducted on a small scale,
falling short of a more systematic mine action program, mainly as a consequence
of lack of national and international
resources.[30] The mine action
strategy aimed to enhance NHDO’s planning, coordination and implementation
capacity, with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), so that it can
address the mine and ERW problem with little or no assistance from the
international community.[31] In
November 2005, UNDP deployed a chief technical advisor, as previously
recommended by a UNDP mission in
2004.[32]
Mauritania’s 2005 action plan obtained support from Canada for an MRE
program implemented by UNICEF, NHDO and local NGOs. In 2005, due to shortage of
funding, the NHDO conducted only small-scale battle area clearance and technical
survey in Tiris Zemmour and Dakhlet
Nouadhibou.[33] In 2006, it planned
to continue operations in the two affected regions, prioritizing the
identification and clearance of mined areas in Dakhlet Nouadhibou that represent
a serious risk to the population or hamper economic development; areas cleared
were to be used for grazing, urban development, tourism and
fishing.[34]
In 2006, Mauritania also expected to undertake a limited Landmine Impact
Survey (LIS), covering three areas in northern Mauritania suspected to be
mine-affected: Tiris Zemmour, Dakhlet Nouadhibou and Adrar. The LIS will be
based on Survey Action Center protocols and is expected to obtain UN
certification. Data will to be collected by five teams from national NGOs. The
LIS is expected to serve as the baseline for clearing all landmines in
Mauritania by 2011, in accordance with its Mine Ban Treaty
obligations.[35]
Mauritania applied to the UNDP Completion Initiative in 2005, but its
application was not included in the first selection. It planned to revise its
mine action strategy in light of the LIS results and then
reapply.[36]
The 2006 action plan also envisaged changing the mine action management
structure by transferring NHDO from the Ministry of Defense to a civilian
ministry. A proposal had been received positively by the Ministry of Economic
Affairs and Development, which is not part of the implementing National
Committee and was under review by the Ministry of Defense. The new structure
was expected to help integrate mine action with other national plans and
priorities, while the Ministry of Defense would continue to provide army
engineers for demining
operations.[37]
In May 2006, a meeting in Nouadhibou between Mauritania’s mine action
authorities and operators and the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western
Sahara (MINURSO) agreed to continue exchanging information and to move towards a
regional approach to mine action. This would include mine risk education for
Saharawi children and nomads on both sides of the
border.[38]
Summary of Efforts to Comply with Article 5
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Mauritania must destroy all
antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as
possible, but no later than 1 January 2011. At the First Review Conference,
Mauritania stated that its “objective is to be mine-free by
2011.”[39] However, at the
Standing Committee meetings in June 2005 and May 2006, Mauritania declared that
it would be “free from the impact of mines by
2011.”[40] An end-state of
“mine impact-free” does not fulfill the requirements of Article 5.
The current pace of mine clearance indicates that Mauritania is not on course
to meeting its Article 5 obligations. Only a very small portion of the 230,000
square kilometers suspected to be mine-affected has been cleared or released
(26,000 square meters were cleared in 2004, 960,000 square meters were reduced
in 2005, and 20,000 square meters were cleared during the first half of 2006).
The LIS may reduce significantly the overall size of suspected mined area.
Demining
By the end of 2005, only the NHDO with the Army Engineers Corps were involved
in demining operations in Mauritania. In 2005, following successive coup
d’état attempts in Mauritania, the French NGO, Halte Aux Mines
Antipersonnel (HAMAP) Démineurs, stopped its mine clearance operations on
the mine belt north of the Nouadhibou peninsula on the border with Western
Sahara; it resumed clearance activities in
2006.[41]
Identification of Mined Areas: Surveys and Assessments
NHDO started a technical survey in May 2005 with two survey teams of six
personnel each, in Tiris Zemmour and Dakhlet Nouadhibou regions. A total of
1,240,000 square meters of affected areas were surveyed, and 960,000 square
meters were cancelled; the survey was nationally
funded.[42]
Marking and Fencing
Between August 2004 and November 2005, a UNICEF-sponsored project was
implemented by the NHDO and local NGOs to raise awareness among the local
population of the risk from mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), and to mark
suspected mined areas. Between August and November 2005, the perimeters of some
2.5 square kilometers of suspected mined areas were marked with concrete poles
and warning signs. However, it was thought that the marking signs were placed
too far away from one another. In 2006, the NHDO planned to improve the
visibility of the markings by adding more warning
signs.[43]
Mine and ERW Clearance
In 2005, only limited battle area clearance/explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
operations took place in Zoueèrate and
Nouadhibou. Two EOD operations were conducted in Zoueèrate and six in Nouadhibou, destroying in total 43
items of UXO.[44] Manual mine
clearance was not conducted, due to shortage of funds.
Limited demining operations resumed in 2006; by 30 April, 85 antipersonnel
mines, six antivehicle mines and 177 UXO had been
destroyed.[45]Operations were
carried out by the army in Nouadhibou, funded by HAMAP. In February,
HAMAP resumed its own clearance activities; by mid-May, three operations had
been conducted on the PK 24 mine belt in Nouadhibou with some 20,000 square
meters of mine-affected land cleared, and 137 antipersonnel mines and three
antivehicle mines destroyed.[46]
A fourth HAMAP operation had started by mid-May and was planned to last until
June 2006. HAMAP expected to conduct another four operations in Tmeimichatt
during the second half of
2006.[47]
Quality assurance of cleared land is achieved by sampling, using manual
methods; cleared land is then usually handed over to the local governor with a
certificate. NHDO believed that after mine and battle area clearance, land has
been used swiftly by the population. The NHDO did not report any demining
undertaken by villagers.[48]
Mine Risk Education
Mine risk education (MRE) has been coordinated and conducted by NHDO, with
UNICEF and HAMAP also undertaking some activities. In June 2005, Mauritania
reported that MRE was based on a needs assessment among the at-risk population
in known danger areas.[49]
MRE activities have been conducted on a small scale only, mainly because of
lack of resources, and came to an end in November
2005.[50] Until then, a network of
160 community activists conducted MRE for nomads and villagers in the
mine-affected areas. Mauritania reported that 8,265 nomads from a target
population of 10,650 in the regions of Dakhlet Nouadhibou and Tiris Zemmour
received MRE.[51]
UNICEF also implemented a national MRE program for teachers and children, in
partnership with NHDO, regional authorities, local and national education
departments. The activities targeted the 17,500 primary school students in
Tiris Zemmour and Dakhlet Nouadhibou; 28 teachers were trained from an original
400 planned.[52] Canada financially
supported NHDO and NGOs to implement MRE in 2005; it had previously conducted
MRE in 2004 in the Nouadhibou region.[53]
UNICEF also incorporated an MRE component into the school curriculum; MRE
messages were delivered as part of the school curriculum throughout all schools
in Zoueèrate and Bir Moghrein on 4 April
2006.[54] During 2005, 35,000
school books, 15,000 posters (according to the UN, 33,000 posters) and 18,000
stickers were distributed.[55]
At the end of 2005, UNICEF undertook an evaluation of MRE conducted by NHDO
and local NGOs between August 2004 and November 2005. The evaluation concluded
that: MRE must focus on nomads; product delivery and messages could be improved;
and MRE should be included regularly in school
curricula.[56]
Funding and Assistance
The only donor to report a funding contribution for mine action in Mauritania
in 2005 was Canada, with a C$140,000 ($115,559) donation to UNICEF for
MRE.[57] By comparison, some
$389,373 in international funding was received in
2004.[58]
Mauritania received $749,000 through the UN Portfolio of Mine Action Projects
in 2005 for NHDO capacity-building and MRE; no funds were received through the
Portfolio for demining.[59]This was 43 percent of its total appeal of
$1,312,000.[60]
In 2005, NHDO
reported that the Ministry of Defense had covered NHDO salaries, medical
insurance and equipment maintenance since 2001, and that the annual budget was
about 50 million MRO (some
$187,000).[61]For 2006,
NHDO requested a budget of $800,000 through Mauritania’s appeal in the
2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects. The budget was to cover operational
costs, national staff costs, health insurance, equipment and maintenance.
The total appeal for Mauritania as reported in the 2006 Portfolio was
$1,500,000, including the NHDO
request.[62]
HAMAP had budgeted for expenditure €50,000 ($62,245) in 2005, of which
€30,000 ($37,347) was contributed from HAMAP’s own
funds.[63] The remainder was
expected to be donated by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; however
funding was not received.[64]
The UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) was to contribute
$190,000 to the UNDP Project to Reinforce Capacities for Humanitarian Demining
for 2006.[65] Sweden contributed
$200,000 in 2006 for a mine survivor needs assessment, LIS, MRE, marking,
technical survey and capacity development.
[66]In a May 2006 update on
mine action in Mauritania, UNDP reported that a key challenge was obtaining
donor funding to supply NHDO with ambulance and medical
equipment.[67]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2005, five new mine and UXO casualties were recorded in two incidents,
including two killed and three injured. This is the same number of casualties
as in 2004, when five new casualties (three killed and two injured) were
reported in three incidents.[68]
In January 2005, a nine-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy were killed while
they were playing with an antipersonnel mine in the town of Zoueèrate.[69] Three male civilians were injured in a mine incident in
Nouadhibou.[70]
On 4 April 2005, a Mauritanian man was killed in a border minefield between
Greece and Turkey.[71]
Casualties continued to be reported in 2006, with one person killed and four
injured in two incidents by May. In January, two Qatari nationals were
seriously injured and one Mauritanian was killed when their car struck a
landmine near Bir Moghrein.[72] In
March, a man was injured by a landmine in Bir Moghrein. In May, a 25-year-old
man was injured by a mine in
Nouadhibou.[73]
The number of reported casualties is likely understated due to the size of
the country and the nomadic way of life of the population. In August 2004,
Mauritania started collecting casualty data within the framework of the mine
clearance and MRE program, in cooperation with UNICEF. Local authorities,
medical centers and NGOs transmitted information on mine incidents to NHDO. As
of 15 September 2005, data collection was complete in Tiris Zemmour and Dakhlet
Nouadhibou. Analysis of entered data indicated 122 mine/UXO casualties (46
people killed, 76 injured) recorded, including 28 children and one
woman;[74]the 10 casualties
occurring in 2005 to May 2006 have been added to this
total.[75]UNICEF conducted a
survey of disabled children in mine-affected areas, but did not record any child
mine survivors.[76]
The total number of mine casualties in Mauritania is not known. Between 1978
and 2003, at least 345 people were killed and 246 injured in reported landmine
incidents.[77]
No demining accidents were reported in 2005 or through May
2006.[78]
Survivor Assistance, Disability Policy and Practice
NHDO does not provide assistance to mine casualties and has no specific
survivor assistance plan or policy.[79]The 2005 Mauritania National Completion Plan contained similar objectives
for 2005-2009 to those presented to the First Review Conference in
November-December 2004: “create a national capacity to treat mine/ERW
survivors, providing medical assistance, physical rehabilitation, prostheses,
and counseling... facilitate the socio-economic reintegration of mine/ERW
survivors into their communities.” This would be done through the
development of a community-based rehabilitation network and by ensuring that
mine survivors “are recognized and included in disability polices,
strategies and plans.”[80]
Mauritania did not use voluntary Form J in its Article 7 report submitted in
April 2006 to provide information on victim assistance.
In 2006, NHDO was scheduled to start a study on national needs and capacities
in victim assistance, and on how to put a victim assistance plan in
action.[81]
NHDO, together with UNICEF, has sought funding to implement a survivor
assistance program.[82]However,
due to lack of national resources and international funding, the workplan, which
originally covered the period 2003-2004, has been repeatedly
postponed.[83]
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has responsibility for mine
survivors and disability issues, and provides some services in cooperation with
disability organizations.[84]
Mauritania has a network of basic health centers. Emergency cases are sent
to the only major hospital in the country, in Nouakchott and sometimes to
regional hospitals, where assistance is free of
charge.[85]However, the capacity
of these facilities has been limited by a lack of basic equipment, supplies and
adequately trained staff. There is also a private healthcare network, which is
not free of charge. Until 31 May 2006, the Spanish NGO Médicos del Mundo
provided primary healthcare in
Nouadhibou.[86]The Mauritanian Red
Crescent Society has run an emergency and first aid program in Dakhlet
Nouadhibou and Tiris Zemmour.[87]
On 1 June 2006, the World Bank approved a $10 million credit to strengthen
the health network in Mauritania. The main aim is to improve nationwide access
to affordable, good-quality healthcare for the poorest and most vulnerable
groups in society, by training health personnel, strengthening management
capacity, ensuring adequate financing and allocating resources to expand the
network to areas without proper healthcare. The credit will be extended within
the framework of the National Health and Social Action Policy 2005-2015 and the
National Nutrition Development Policy
2005-2010.[88]
Specialized rehabilitation facilities are based in Nouakchott, and are
therefore inaccessible to the majority of the population; the services are in
principle free of charge.[89]There
is a satellite rehabilitation unit in Zoueèrate
and some hospitals have physical rehabilitation services, such as in Nouadhibou,
but these tend to be very basic. Community-based rehabilitation programs have
also been set up under the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. The programs
have identified people with disabilities, paid family visits, facilitated and
organized referral and access to services, and have prioritized mine-affected
areas.[90]Unstable and shifting
sands reportedly make the use of prostheses and wheelchairs challenging, and
breakages are common.[91]
The National Orthopedic Center for Physical Rehabilitation (Centre National
d’Orthopédie et de Réadaptation Fonctionelle, CNORF) in
Nouakchott, supported by the Ministry of Health, provides prostheses and
physiotherapy services. The center was renovated and expanded in 2005. The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Special Fund for the Disabled
(SFD) supported the center with raw materials and polypropylene components, as
well as on-the-job follow-up training for two technicians and an administrator
who attended technical and management courses at the SFD regional training
center in Addis Ababa in 2005. CNORF produced prostheses and orthoses for 394
people with disabilities in 2005.[92]The center has not maintained statistics on the number of mine survivors
assisted.
There were reportedly no programs supporting the socioeconomic reintegration
of landmine survivors.[93]However,
the French organization GRET has run the Twize program, which includes a
vocational training and micro-credit component for vulnerable groups in
Nouakchott. The organization has worked in partnership with the Commission on
Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Integration (CHRPAI). The program is
funded by the World Bank and CHRPAI until
2007.[94]It is not known if mine
survivors or other people with disabilities have benefited from this
project.
The Mauritanian Red Crescent Society has also provided vocational training
and micro-credit in its women’s promotion
centers.[95]Organizations working
with and for people with disabilities were noted in last year’s Landmine
Monitor.[96]
A law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in
education, employment and the provision of state services was ratified at the
end of 2005. However, there were no special provisions to facilitate access to
buildings, jobs and education. The Federation of Specific National Associations
of Disabled People represents all disabled people in Mauritania. As the
result of an awareness-raising campaign by UNICEF, national NGOs have become
more involved in mine-related issues, including survivor assistance, and
developed a national
campaign.[97]
[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 25
April 2005. The national commission has representatives from the ministries of
foreign affairs, national defense, interior and justice, as well as the National
Assembly and NGOs. [2] Mauritania has cited two
existing laws and a decree as relevant to implementation of the treaty: Law 99
Portant code minier (Ordonnance 85-156); Article No. 437 of the 1983 Penal Code
(Ordonnance 83-162); and 1993 Arrêté No. 152/PM portant sur les
mesures de restriction. See Article 7 Report, Form A, 26 April 2006, and
previous Article 7 reports. [3] Interview with Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, Director, National Humanitarian Demining Office (NHDO),
Ministry of Defense, and Jim Sawatzky, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP Mauritania,
Geneva, 10 May 2006. Landmine Monitor has a copy of the draft law. Mauritania
earlier reported that an implementation law was drafted in 2001 and sent to the
Ministry of Justice in March 2003, but no further action was reported. [4] Exchange rate: US$1 = 282.280
MRO, www.oanda.com, accessed 6 July 2006. [5] Previous Article 7 reports were
submitted on 20 June 2001, 12 June 2002, 30 April 2003, 18 June 2004 and 25
April 2005. [6] Statement by Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of
the Convention, Geneva, 12 May 2006 (notes by Landmine Monitor). [7] Article 7 Report, Forms E and
H, 27 April 2006. [8] Email from Maj. Alioune O.
Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 27 April 2004; Article 7 Report, Form G, 30 April 2003.
[9] Article 7 Report, Forms D and
G, 25 April 2005; statement by Mauritania, Standing Committee on Stockpile
Destruction, Geneva, 15 June 2005. The quantities provided for each type of
mine total 4,999, not 5,000. For details on the destruction ceremony and
funding, see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 422-423. [10] Article 7 Report, Forms B
and D, 27 April 2006. [11] Under Protocol V of the
Convention on Conventional Weapons, explosive remnants of war are defined as
unexploded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance. Mines are explicitly
excluded from the definition. There was no report of abandoned explosive
ordnance in 2005-2006. [12] See UN, “Country
Profile: Mauritania,” www.mineaction.org, accessed 2 June 2006;
Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 423; UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine
Action Projects,” New York, p. 267, www.minesaction.org; response to
Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO,
and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [13] Article 7 Report, Form C, 27
April 2006; response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O.
Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. Mines found
in these regions are French APID 51, Russian PNM, Italian VS50 and Czech PPMi
SR. [14] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 565-566; Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 423; UN,
“Country Profile: Mauritania.” [15] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, pp. 423-424; UN, “Country Profile: Mauritania,”
www.minesaction.org. [16] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 17 August 2005; UNDP Completion Initiative,
“Mauritania: Mine Action Completion Plan 2005-2009,” June 2005. [17] Article 7 Report, Form A, 27
April 2006; UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), “Mission d’Evaluation
des Nations Unies de la Problématique des Mines et Munitions Non
Explosées en République Islamique de Mauritanie,” May 2003.
[18] Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [19] Article 7 Report, Form A, 27
April 2006. [20] UNMAS, “Mission
d’Evaluation des Nations Unies de la Problématique des Mines et
Munitions Non Explosées en République Islamique de
Mauritanie,” May 2003. [21] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 424. [22] Ibid, p. 425. [23] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May
2006; email from Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 4 June 2006. [24] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [25] Ibid; interview with Lt.
Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen and Jim Sawatzky, Geneva, 12 May 2006. [26] Centre de Perfectionnement
aux Actions post-conflictuelles de Déminage et de Dépollution
(CPADD), “Bilan total du Centre de Perfectionnement aux Actions
post-conflictuelles de Déminage et de Dépollution (CPADD),”
April 2006. [27] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May
2006. [28] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 17 August 2005. [29] Statement by Mauritania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [30] UN, “Country Profile:
Mauritania,” www.minesaction.org. [31] UNDP Completion Initiative,
“Mauritania: Mine Action Completion Plan 2005-2009,” June 2005. [32] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 425. [33] UN, “Country Profile:
Mauritania,” www.minesaction.org; response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [34] Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [35] NHDO, “Work Plan
2006,” Mauritania, undated; email from Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, 5 June
2006. [36] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May
2006. [37] Ibid. [38] Email from Joël Kaigre,
President, HAMAP Deèmineurs, 28 May 2006; email
from Maj. Gen. Kurt Mosgaard, Force Commander, MINURSO, 31 May 2006; email from
Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 4 June 2006; email from Jim
Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, 5 June 2006. [39] UN, “Final Report,
First Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and on Their Destruction,” Nairobi, 29 November-3 December 2004,
APLC/CONF/2004/5, 9 February 2005, p. 60. [40] Statements by Mauritania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva, 14 June 2005 and 10 May 2006. [41] Email from Joël Kaigre,
HAMAP Démineurs, 26 March 2006. [42] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May
2006; emails from Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, 3 May and 5 June
2006. [43] Statement by Mauritania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006; interview with Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El
Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May 2006; see Landmine
Monitor Report 2005, p. 426. [44] Emails from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 3 May and 5 June 2006. [45] Article 7 Report, Form G, 27
April 2006. [46] Emails from Joël
Kaigre, HAMAP Démineurs, 26 March and 25 May 2006; email from Jim
Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, 22 July 2006. [47] Ibid. Twenty deminers from
the Engineer Corps conducted manual clearance with one HAMAP supervisor; two
HAMAP deminers joined the last days of each clearance operation to assist the
destruction of cleared mines and UXO. [48] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May
2006. [49] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 426. [50] UN, “Country Profile:
Mauritania,”www.minesaction.org. [51] Article 7 Report, Form I, 27
April 2006; presentation by Mauritania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance,
Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [52] Article 7 Report, Form I, 27
April 2006; email from Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 14 June
2006. [53] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 427. [54] Email from Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 19 June 2005, after a meeting with Mohamed Lemine Ould Ahmed Seyfer,
Coordinator, Special Protection Project, UNICEF Mauritania. [55] Article 7 Report, Form I, 27
April 2006. [56] Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [57] Mine Action Investments
database; email from Carly Volkes, (DFAIT), 7 June 2006. Average exchange rate
for 2005: US$1 = C$1.2115, used throughout this report. US Federal Reserve,
“List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006. [58] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 427. [59] “Revised End of year
Update,” (2005), received by email from Katrine Hoyer, Associate Expert,
UNMAS, 11 July 2006. [60] UNMAS, “2005 Portfolio
End-Year Review,” New York, pp. 2-5, www.mineaction.org, accessed 20 May 2005.
This figure differs from the $1,210,000 reported as the total appeal for
Mauritania in UN, “2005 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New
York, p. 258, www.minesaction.org; and presented in Landmine Monitor Report
2005,
p. 427. [61] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 427. [62] UN, “2006 Portfolio of
Mine Action Projects,” New York, pp. 270-274, www.minesaction.org; UN,
“2005 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, pp. 261-265,
www.minesaction.org. [63] Email from Joël Kaigre,
HAMAP Deèmineurs, 13 June 2006. It was
previously reported that all HAMAP contributions for Mauritania were from
private sources, see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 427. [64] Email from Joël Kaigre,
HAMAP Deèmineurs, 13 June 2006. [65] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO; and Jim Sawatzky,
UNDP/NHDO, 15 April 2006. [66] Mine Action Support Group,
“MASG Newsletter-First Quarter of 2006,” Washington DC, 1 May 2006,
p. 7. [67] Ibid. [68] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 428. [69] “Afrique de
l’Ouest: Rapport sur la situation humanitaire No. 12, Janvier 2005,”
IRIN, 14 February 2005. [70] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 31 May 2006. [71] “Illegal immigrants
killed in Greece-Turkey border minefield,” Associated Press
(Kastanies), 4 April 2005”. [72] Ahmed Mohammed,
“Tourist vehicle hits land mine, kills one Mauritanian, wounds two
Qatari,” Associated Press (Nouakchott), 10 January 2006. [73] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 31 May 2006. [74] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 15 September 2005. [75] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 31 May 2006. [76] Interview with Mohamed
Lemine Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [77] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 569. [78] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, and Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, Geneva, 12 May
2006. [79] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, and Mohamed Lemine
Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [80] UNDP Completion Initiative,
“Mauritania: Mine Action Completion Plan 2005-2009,” June 2005, p.
5. [81] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, and Mohamed Lemine
Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [82] Ibid. [83] UN, “Country Profile:
Mauritania,”www.minesaction.org. [84] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, and Mohamed Lemine
Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva 10 May 2006. [85] Ibid. [86] Médicos del Mundo,
“Mauritania: proyectos finalizados,” www.medicosdelmundo.org,
accessed 6 July 2006; interview with Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO,
Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, and Mohamed Lemine Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva,
10 May 2006. [87] International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), “Mauritanian Red Crescent
Profile,” www.ifrc.org, accessed 9 June 2006. [88] World Bank, “Press
Release: Mauritania Receives US$10 million for Reforms in the Health
Sector,” Washington, DC, 1 June 2006. [89] Interview with Mohamed
Lemine Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva, 10 May 2006; see Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 569-570. [90] Interview with Lt. Col.
Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, Jim Sawatzky, UNDP/NHDO, and Mohamed Lemine
Ould Ahmed Seyfer, UNICEF, Geneva 10 May 2006. [91] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 570. [92] ICRC, “Special Fund
for the Disabled Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, 10 March 2006, p. 17. [93] Email from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 15 September 2005. [94] Groupe d'échange et
de recherche technologiques (GRET), “Mauritanie,” www.gret.org,
accessed 9 June 2006. [95] IFRC, “Mauritanian Red
Crescent Profile,” www.ifrc.org, accessed 9 June 2006. [96] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 429. [97] Emails from Lt. Col. Alioune
O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 20 August and 15 September 2005; US Department of
State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Mauritania,”
Washington DC, 8 March 2006.
About Us
Our Research Products