LM Report 2001

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SWAZILAND

Mine Ban Policy

The Kingdom of Swaziland signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and deposited its instrument of ratification on the 23 December 1998. Thus, the treaty entered into force for Swaziland on 1 June 1999. In its first Article 7 transparency report, Swaziland reports that full implementation “[l]egislation is presently being drawn up.”^[1] Swaziland submitted the Article 7 report, which was due by 27 November 1999, on 16 February 2000, for the period from 1 July 1999 to 30 January 2000. A second report has not yet been submitted and was due on the 30 April 2001. According to officials, this report will be submitted soon,^[2] and certainly before the Third Meeting of States Parties in Nicaragua in September 2001.^[3] Swaziland voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution in November 2000 supporting the Mine Ban Treaty.

Swaziland did not attend the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in September 2000, nor did it attend the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in December 2000 and May 2001, "due to a shortage of funds."^[4]

The Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society continues to be involved in the movement to ban landmines, and works with the Swaziland government in ensuring that Swaziland is able to adhere to its Mine Ban Treaty commitments. It also prepares public mine awareness statements.^[5]

Swaziland is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Swaziland has not produced or exported antipersonnel mines. In its Article 7 report, Swaziland confirmed that it has never possessed antipersonnel landmines, including any retained for training.^[6]

Landmine Problem

As reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2000, a small minefield^[7] exists just east of the Lomahasha Customs point near the town of Mananga on the border with Mozambique in the northeast of the country.^[8] The minefield is approximately 10 kilometers long and 50 to 100 meters wide, and reportedly contains about 18 mines (including POMZ), booby-traps and unexploded ordnance. The extent of spillover along the whole of the Swaziland/Mozambique border minefields needs to be investigated and the Umbutfo Defence Force intends to do this as soon as possible.^[9]

Mine Action

On 1 June 1998, the US government’s Humanitarian Demining Interagency Working Group approved Swaziland for humanitarian demining assistance. The program is valued at $1,327,000. It is available to the government of Swaziland to support mine action undertaken by the Swaziland forces trained by the US military personnel. As of March 2001, Swaziland had not submitted a request to use these funds.^[10] The US Department of Defense allocated $289,000 in its fiscal year 2000 to cover the expenses of US personnel deployed to conduct demining training of Swaziland forces.^[11]

The US provided mine clearance training to members of the Umbutfo Defence Force in October 1999 and a refresher course was carried out in May 2000.^[12] However, no progress has been made toward clearing the area of mines.^[13] The United States is particularly concerned that no demining has taken place since it perceives that there are no logistical reasons for the delay – which is the reason cited by the Umbutfo Defence Force why no progress has been made.^[14]

Landmine Casualties

Interviews by the Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society with inhabitants near the Mozambique border and interviews by Landmine Monitor with various stakeholders in Swaziland confirm that there have been no injuries or deaths due to landmines in the last ten years or so.^[15] The death of a woman and injuries to several men prior to this period have been validated by authorities at the Good Shepherd Hospital.^[16]

There are no laws in Swaziland to protect the rights of the disabled. In December 1998, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare announced that a bill giving preferential treatment to disabled persons for building access and other needs was in the final stages of preparation for submission to Parliament. By late May 2001, the bill was still to be introduced in Parliament.^[17]

^[1] Article 7 report, Form A, submitted 16 February 2000; interview with Major Moses M. Fakudze, Umbutfo Defence Force, 17 April 2001.
^[2] Interview with Major Moses M. Fakudze, Umbutfo Defence Force, 17 April 2001.
^[3] Interview with Bernard Gumede, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 19 April 2001.
^[4] Interview with Major Moses M. Fakudze, Umbutfo Defence Force, 17 April 2001.
^[5] Interview with Khanya Mabuza, Director of the Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross, Society, 20 April 2001.
^[6] Article 7 report, Forms B and G, 16 February 2000.
^[7] Swaziland officials prefer to refer to this area as a "landmine identified area" and not a “minefield.”
^[8] Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 110.
^[9] Interview with Major Moses M. Fakudze, Umbutfo Defence Force, 17 April 2001.
^[10] Email from Deborah Netland, Program Manager, Humanitarian Demining Programs, US Department of State, 16 March 2001.
^[11] US Department of State, “Demining Program Financing History,” 24 October 2000.
^[12] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 111, for details.
^[13] Telephone interview with Tom Jung, US Embassy, Swaziland, 3 January 2001; interview with Tom Jung and Dale Land, US Embassy, Swaziland, 17 April 2001; telephone interview with Lt. Khanya Dlamini, Army Spokesperson, 3 January 2001; interview with Major Moses M. Fakudze, Umbutfo Defence Force, 17 April 2001; interview with the US State Department, Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs, Washington DC, March 2001.
^[14] Interview with Tom Jung and Dale Land, US Embassy, Swaziland, 17 April 2001; interview with Major Moses M. Fakudze, Umbutfo Defence Force, 17 April 2001.
^[15] Dlamini and Ginindza, “Update on the Situation of Landmines in Swaziland,” 5 May 2000, p. 1; Landmine Monitor researcher, Jette Hansen, Report of a Visit to Swaziland, April 2001.
^[16] Dlamini and Ginindza, “Update on the Situation of Landmines in Swaziland,” 5 May 2000, p. 1.
^[17] US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000: Swaziland (Washington: US Department of State, February 2001). http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/.

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