Key
developments since March 1999: HALO Trust and the Abkhazia Mine Action
Center completed the nationwide minefield survey, and estimate 18,366,000 square
meters of potentially mine threatened land in Abkhazia. As of May 2000, 460,077
square meters of land had been cleared, and 2,448 antipersonnel mines destroyed.
Systematic mine awareness programs have been underway since early 1999 aimed at
school children in mine affected communities. It appears that there is on-going
use of mines in Abkhazia by Georgian armed groups. The Ministry of the Interior
reported thirty-three landmine casualties between January 1999 and May 2000.
Background
After the disintegration of the USSR, the
long-standing dispute over the political status of Abkhazia resulted in the
outbreak of war between Abkhazia and Georgia, with significant use of mines,
followed by a cease-fire agreement in May 1994. Peace negotiations are ongoing,
but no progress has been made on agreement on the political status of Abkhazia.
On 3 of November 1999 a national referendum took place, resulting in an
Abkhazian declaration of independence. However, the international community did
not recognize Abkhazian
independence.[1] Skirmishes
continue.
Mine Ban Policy
Abkhazia is not an internationally recognized
state; it cannot sign the Mine Ban Treaty. In early December 1999, in an
interview with Landmine Monitor, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the first
time expressed his support for the treaty and readiness to address landmine
issues in the context of the Abkhazia-Georgia peace
process.[2] In May 2000, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs clarified that Abkhazia would be ready to ban
landmines and any other weapons as soon as they are not necessary for the
defense of the national security of Abkhazia, depending on an appropriate
commitment from Georgia.[3]
Mines are still viewed as a legitimate and necessary weapon, and are used to
protect Abkhazia from infiltration of armed groups from Georgia.
Landmine issues are addressed during the Abkhazian-Georgian talks at the
governmental level mainly in the context of insurgent activities in the security
zone between Abkhazia and Georgia. Despite the importance of the landmine
problem no formal negotiations have taken place specifically concerned with the
issue of landmines.
The Abkhazian Committee of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
(AbCBL) was established in late 1999. In January 2000, AbCBL held a meeting
with representatives of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG),
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), HALO Trust (British demining
agency), Abkhazian Mine-Action Center (AMAC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Abkhazia and local NGOs. During the meeting AbCBL expressed its
determination to achieve a mine-free Abkhazia.
Production, Transfer, and Stockpiling
It is not believed that Abkhazia has produced or
exported antipersonnel mines. Abkhazia currently maintains a stockpile of
antipersonnel mines, though the size and composition are largely unknown. Most
mines used in the conflict have been of Soviet manufacture, and it is likely
that those types are now in the Abkhazian arsenal. These would include PMN-2,
PMN, MON-50 and MON-100
mines.[4] (For
information on transfer, see LM Report 1999, p. 837.)
Use
Both Georgian and Abkhazian forces used
antipersonnel landmines extensively during the war of 1992-93. Mines have
continued to be used in varying degree as the conflict heats up and cools down
again since the May 1994 cease-fire. (For information about earlier use, see
LM Report 1999, pp. 837-838.)
It appears that mines continue to be used in Abkhazia by armed groups that
infiltrate from Georgian territory. Abkhazia’s Ministry of the Interior
states that from January 1999 through May 2000 there were twenty-four mine
incidents on the territory of
Abkhazia.[5] UN sources have
confirmed to Landmine Monitor that in this time period there were numerous mine
attacks and ambushes targeting Abkhazian militia and civilians, killing and
injuring a significant number of militia, civilians, and CIS peacekeeping
troops.[6] On some occasions the
use of improvised explosive devices has also been
reported.[7]
The demining organization HALO Trust noted in March 2000 that
“incidents of current mine laying...are increasingly
rare.”[8]
There have been previous allegations of Abkhazian military groups or
partisans laying mines in
Georgia,[9] but Landmine Monitor
is unaware of any allegations in 1999 or 2000.
The UN Security Council has repeatedly adopted resolutions in which it
“condemns the activities by armed groups, including the continued
laying of mines, which endanger the civilian population, impede the work of the
humanitarian organizations and seriously delay the normalization of the
situation in the Galii region, and deplores the lack of serious efforts
made by the parties to bring an end to those
activities...”[10]
It has been reported that engineering units of the Russian Federation
Ministry of Defense as a part of the CIS Peacekeeping Forces use antipersonnel
landmines in the security zone between Abkhazia and Georgia in accordance with
their mandate for protection of dislocation posts, strategic infrastructure
sites and control posts.[11]
Landmine Problem
After concluding their nationwide survey, HALO
Trust, a British non-governmental demining organization, and the Abkhazia Mine
Action Center in March 2000 estimated that there are 18,366,000 square meters of
potentially mine-threatened land in
Abkhazia.[12] About 7% of this
land is considered Priority 1 (land next to human habitation, pressure for use
of land is great), about 23% is Priority 2 (land close to human habitation,
cleared land likely to be used), about 22% is Priority 3 (land not close to
human habitation, cleared land may be used), and about 48% is Priority 4 (land
not close to human habitation, cleared land is unlikely to be
used).[13]
In January 1999, the Government of Abkhazia estimated that there were between
30,000-35,000 landmines scattered in approximately 500 mined locations
throughout Abkhazia.[14] HALO
Trust had estimated in 1998 that there were close to 50,000 landmines in
Abkhazia but further clearance work and extensive survey has now led them to
conclude that the maximum number of mines in Abkhazia was never more than
15,000.[15]
The mine threat is restricted to four regions in Abkhazia: Sukhum, Gulripsh,
Ochamchira and Gali. The worst affected areas are the banks of the Gumista and
Ingur Rivers which formed the front lines at the beginning and end of the war,
and along the M-27 highway between Gali and Sukhum where there were movements of
troops and supplies and where the pre-war population was ethnically mixed. HALO
survey teams found no evidence of mines northwest of the Gumista
River.[16] According to the UN,
landmines are estimated to affect at least 2,000 hectares of arable farmland, as
well as schools, hospitals, and administrative buildings in the Ochamchira
region.[17]
From its survey information, HALO has noted that in general: (1) Barrier
minefields were used extensively on the banks of the Gumista and Ingur rivers to
hamper full-scale military assaults. The Gumista River had over 5,000 mines laid
on its banks. Mines are frequently washed downriver. HALO plans to clear this
area by the end of the year 2000. (2) Defensive minefields were laid around
military encampments, bridges and along access roads adjacent to M-27, to deny
freedom of movement to opposition forces. Currently, HALO is only marking the
positions of these minefields. (3) In the Ochamchira region, village people laid
mines at the boundaries of their villages to protect against adjacent ethnically
different communities.[18]
Use of landmines has affected the return and reintegration of refugees and
internally displaced persons, as people are afraid of going to potentially mined
areas.[19]
Mine Action Coordination and Funding
In January 1999, in cooperation with Abkhazian
authorities, HALO Trust established the Abkhazian Mine Action Center (AMAC) to
supervise and coordinate mine action in the territory of Abkhazia. Recognized
by the UN as a coordinating body for all mine action in Abkhazia, AMAC maintains
a database of all information related to mines within Abkhazia, including the
collation, translation and duplication of all wartime maps. These maps can be
superimposed over existing ordnance survey maps to highlight danger areas; this
information is all computerized. All mapping work is the responsibility of
Abkhazian personnel.
AMAC is funded through HALO Trust by the governments of the UK, Germany, the
Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Finland and the private foundations Pro Victimis and
Anti-Landmyn Stichtung.[20]
Survey and Assessment
Starting in 1999, survey and mine-marking teams
were deployed to carry out an in depth survey of the extent of the mine/UXO
problem in Abkhazia. In March 2000, HALO and AMAC reported the results of that
survey.[21] HALO noted that
“AMAC has proven in a remarkably short time to be an international model
for a successful fully integrated Mine Action Center. One of the first specific
tasks that AMAC set itself was to locate and map each and every minefield in the
territory. This report is the fulfillment of that task. Researched, compiled
and written by local staff with a minimum of expatriate involvement it
represents the establishment of a truly indigenous
capacity.”[22]
Mine Clearance
HALO Trust and the Commonwealth of Independent
States Collective Peacekeeping Forces (CIS CPKF) are conducting demining
operations in Abkhazia. HALO Trust started demining operations in 1997 with two
demining platoons and now has five twenty-one man manual mine clearance teams
working in Abkhazia; two teams are based in Gali and three in Sukhum. As of 1
May 2000, 460,077 square meters of land had been cleared, and 2,448
antipersonnel mines, 93 antitank mines, and 1,795 UXOs
destroyed.[23]
HALO has applied to the U.S. government for support for an additional three
teams to operate in Ochamchira. HALO will employ 385 local staff and four
expatriates in 2000. Manual teams concentrate on agricultural land and on sites
where mechanical access is difficult. The manual mine clearance teams are all
managed by local staff. HALO Trust has four Volvo vehicles, based in Sukhum, to
support manual mine
clearance.[24]
The mine action priorities of HALO Trust and AMAC are as follows: 1. Return
or resettlement of refugees and IDPs; 2. Agricultural land; 3. Infrastructure -
schools, bridges, water, power and sewerage, road projects. There are some
mountain areas where demining is not yet planned due to difficult mountain
terrain, dense vegetation and lack of financial resources.
HALO, in cooperation with AMAC, maintains the reconstruction and development
of cleared areas. The arable land that was cleared along the Gumista River is
back in use by its previous private owners. Though this happens only in limited
areas, the psychological effect is great. The industrial sites cleared by HALO
Trust are not returning to production because of the lack of investment in small
businesses and because supplies and equipment were looted during the war.
Since 1994, the special engineering unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense
as a part of the CIS CPKF has been demining in Abkhazia. Roads, land and
infrastructure in Abkhazia and the south bank of the Ingur River have been
surveyed and demined by the Russians. According to the Russian Ministry of
Defense, some 23,000 explosive devices have been cleared since
1994.[25] HALO Trust states
that Russian engineers “have undertaken limited clearance of items in
Abkhazia,” particularly in Gumista minefields. HALO notes that
“some mines were missed and HALO had to re-clear some areas.” HALO
states that currently Russian engineers only deal with “increasingly
rare” incidents of new use, and check the stretch of M27 between Gali town
and Inguri bridge “several times each
day.”[26]
Mine Awareness
Since its establishment at the beginning of 1999,
the Abkhazia Mine Action Center has been running a mine awareness program in
Abkhazia. The program is aimed at schoolchildren in mine-affected communities
and is seen as an intrinsic part of survey and
assessment.[27] The ICRC has
supported AMAC and HALO in this effort. Mine awareness teams operate in Sukhum
and Gali. The Sukhum-based team covers Ochamchira, Gulripsh, Gagra, and Gudauta;
the Gali team also works in western Georgia. In addition to regular
presentations to schools the teams also talk to NGOs, factory groups, ICRC, and
to the various offices of the UN.
Mine Awareness presentations have been given to 3,078 recipients in Abkhazia
and Western Georgia. The mine awareness teams have distributed 4,000
schoolbooks with a mine awareness message to schools. In 2000, plans call for
providing every school child in Abkhazia with similar books. Posters with mine
awareness messages have been printed and distributed nationally. Traffic
billboards explaining the significance of minefield marking signs have been
erected in the city of Sukhum. The mines awareness program is entirely
Abkhazian managed.
Landmine Casualties
There is no systematic data collection on mine
victims in Abkhazia; thus information is sketchy at best. The local NGO
“Rehabilitation Center-AIS” is monitoring the problem and is
creating a database of mine victims. At the end of April 2000, they had
interviewed 153 amputees. The Center estimates that there are approximately
550-650 mine victims, with the number increasing each year. This NGO believes
the information collected by the government misrepresents the actual number of
victims.[28] The Ministry of
the Interior reported twenty-four landmine and UXO incidents from January 1999
to May 2000, in which there were thirty-three casualties – fourteen people
killed and nineteen
wounded.[29]
Survivor Assistance
The ICRC, in cooperation with the Ministry of
Health Care of Abkhazia, runs an orthopedic workshop for the disabled, many of
whom are landmine victims. According to the Abkhazian Social Security Foundation
in 1998, there were some 490 amputees in
Abkhazia[30] and by February
2000, some 450 of them had used the ICRC orthopedic workshop for free
prostheses. There is little available in terms of rehabilitation services in
Abkhazia. While medical personnel have the expertise to treat victims, at the
Republican Hospital in Sukhum adequate resources and equipment to treat landmine
injuries are generally not
available.[31]
[1] UN Security Council Resolution,
S/RES/1287, 31 January 2000, called the referendum “unacceptable and
illegitimate.” [2] Interview with
the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia Sergei Shamba,
Sukhum, Abkhazia, December 1999. [3]
Interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Shamba, Sukhum, Abkhazia,
5 May 2000. [4] Information provided to
the AbCBL by HALO Trust and Abkhazia Mine-Action Center, Sukhum, Abkhazia, May
2000; also, HALO Trust and Abkhazia Mine Action Center, “Abkhazia
Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, pp.
40-46. [5] Report of the Ministry of
Interior of the Republic of Abkhazia, April 2000. LM has information on
specific incidents available upon
request. [6] Information provided by UN
sources to LM/HRW by email, July 2000. Also, information provided by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia to the
AbCBL. [7] Report of the Ministry of
Interior, April 2000. [8] HALO Trust and
Abkhazia Mine Action Center, “Abkhazia Minefield Survey Report,”
March 2000, p. 26. [9] 1999 Landmine
Monitor interview with M. Rapava, Head of Criminal Police Department of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of
Abkhazia. [10] UN Security Council
Resolution, S/RES/1225, 28 January 1999. See also, UN Security Council
Resolution, S/RES/1187, 30 July 1998; UN Security Council Resolution,
S/RES/1150, 30 January 1998; UN Security Council Resolution, S/RES/1124, 31 July
1997; UN Security Council Resolution, S/RES/1096, 30 January 1997; UN Security
Council Resolution, S/RES/1065, 12 July
1996. [11] LM Monitor 1999 report on
Russian Federation. [12] HALO Trust and
Abkhazia Mine Action Center, “Abkhazia Minefield Survey Report,”
March 2000, p. 22. Also, HALO Trust assessment report, dated 11 April 2000,
provided to AbCBL in Sukhum,
Abkhazia. [13] HALO/AMAC,
“Abkhazia Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p.
22. [14] Statement on the Situation with
Landmines in Abkhazia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia,
No. 11, 22 January 1999. [15] United
Nations Development Program, “United Nations Needs Assessment Mission to
Abkhazia, Georgia,” March 1998. Email from Richard Boulter, Caucasus Desk
Officer, HALO to Landmine Monitor (Mary Wareham, Human Rights Watch), 28 July
2000. [16] HALO/AMAC, “Abkhazia
Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p.
24. [17] UNDP, Needs Assessment Mission,
March 1998 [18] HALO Trust assessment
report, 11 April 2000; HALO/AMAC, “Abkhazia Minefield Survey
Report,” March 2000, pp.
24-26. [19] UN Security Council
Resolution, S/RES/1287, 31 January 2000 welcomed the establishment of a new
mechanism between Georgia and Abkhazia on 18-19 January 2000 for joint
investigation of violations of the cease-fire of 1994 and the preparation of a
new protocol on return of refugees to the Galii region, which is one of the
seriously mined areas of the
region. [20] Information provided by
HALO Trust to the AbCBL, 25 January 2000. Also, HALO/AMAC, “Abkhazia
Minefield Survey Report,” p.
4. [21] HALO Trust and Abkhazia Mine
Action Center, “Abkhazia Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p.
11. [22] Ibid., p. 2. Preface by Simon
Conway, HALO Trust. [23] Information
provided by HALO Trust to the AbCBL, May 2000. Locations, start and finish
dates, and purpose of clearance are all available to the interested reader. The
March survey report (p. 6) indicated 415,158 square meters of land cleared, and
2,310 AP mines, 83 AT mines, and 1,770 UXOs
destroyed. [24] “Abkhazia
Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p.
32. [25] A.Nizhalovsky, Deputy-Commander
of the Engineering Forces, Russian Ministry of Defense: presentation at the
IPPNW-ICBL Landmine Conference. Moscow. 27 May
1998. [26] HALO/AMAC, “Abkhazia
Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p.
26. [27] “Abkhazia Minefield
Survey Report,” March 2000, p.
14. [28] “Rehabilitation Center
– AIS” database, May
2000. [29] Report of the Ministry of the
Interior, April 2000. HALO however states that “almost all of those
injured by mines in Abkhazia have been victims of anti-tank mines, many of them
serving military, to the best of our knowledge there were only seven civilians
injured by anti-personnel mines in Abkhazia in the period stated.” Email
from Richard Boulter, Caucasus Desk Officer, HALO to Landmine Monitor (Mary
Wareham, Human Rights Watch), 28 July
2000. [30] Interview with the head of
the “Foundation for Medical Insurance,” Center for Humanitarian
Programs, August 1998. [31] UNDP,
“Needs Assessment Mission,” March 1998.
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