Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Amara Essy signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3
December 1997. Côte d’Ivoire has not yet ratified, but government
officials expect that ratification will occur in due course (before the States
Parties meeting in Maputo if possible), and state that there are no obstacles to
ratification.[1] Côte
d’Ivoire endorsed the Brussels Declaration and was a full participant to
the Oslo negotiations. It has supported the relevant 1996, 1997 and 1998 UN
General Assembly resolutions.
Côte d’Ivoire has not produced or exported antipersonnel mines.
Government officials describe the country as completely mine-free, with no
stockpiles of either AP or AT
mines.[2] Since independence in
1960, Côte d’Ivoire has been an island of relative stability in one
of the world’s most politically and militarily unstable regions. During
the early 1990s there were fears that western areas of Côte
d’Ivoire, particularly border villages adjoining Liberia, might be
contaminated by landmine use in the Liberian conflict. However, the ICRC has
recorded no landmine incidents on Ivoirian territory and in 1996, Côte
d’Ivoire was among countries where the ICRC deployed media specialists to
boost national awareness of the landmines
issue.[3]
A training centre for regional peacekeepers will soon open near the political
capital Yamoussoukro which will include a demining training capacity "to be put
at the disposition of any African country" that requests
it.[4] The government regards the
issue of demining as very important, "as it is we Africans who are most
affected."[5]
[1]LM Researcher telephone
interview with Eric Ndri, Côte d’Ivoire mission to the UN, New York,
1 April 1999.
[2]LM Researcher telephone
interviews with officials at Côte d’Ivoire Embassies in Ottawa and
Paris, 25 March 1999; telephone interview, Ndri, 1 April 1999.
[3]ICRC website. Search
“Cote d’Ivoire AND landmines.”