Every
one of the 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa is a State Party or signatory to
the Mine Ban Treaty, except Somalia, which does not have a functioning
government. During the reporting period, Africa accounted for five of the nine
countries that became States Parties. Three African nations ratified: Cameroon
(19 September 2002), The Gambia (23 September 2002) and São Tomé e
Principe (31 March 2003). Two acceded: Comoros (19 September 2002) and Central
African Republic (8 November 2002).
Burundi, Ethiopia and Sudan have signed, but not yet ratified the treaty. In
Burundi, a draft law for ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty was adopted by the
Council of Ministers on 25 March 2003 and then by the Senate on 18 June 2003.
The Council of Ministers of Sudan officially endorsed the Mine Ban Treaty in May
2003 and transmitted it to the Parliament for ratification. Ethiopian officials
reaffirmed their support for the Mine Ban Treaty, but no steps toward
ratification were undertaken. Somalia has remained without a central government
since 1991, but on 12 November 2002, representatives of 16 Somali factions
meeting in Eldoret, Kenya, signed the Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment
banning antipersonnel mines.
No country completed domestic legislation to implement the Mine Ban Treaty.
Eleven African States Parties have indicated that implementation legislation is
in the process of being enacted, including three which initiated the process in
this reporting period (Benin, Republic of Congo, and Togo). Others include
Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, and
Zambia. The South African Parliament passed implementation legislation in April
2003. Only four African States have domestic legislation in place: Burkina
Faso, Mali, Mauritius and Zimbabwe. Senegal and Tanzania have joined Lesotho,
Namibia, and Rwanda as countries that deem existing law as sufficient.
Compliance with the Mine Ban Treaty’s transparency reporting
requirement continued to improve. During the reporting period, 12 of the 21
States Parties that submitted initial Article 7 reports were from Africa:
Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, The Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Niger, Seychelles, Tanzania, and Togo. At the
same time, 10 of the 15 States Parties that still had not submitted an initial
Article 7 reports were from Africa: Angola, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire,
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
The report was due as long ago as 1999 for Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, and
Namibia.
No African country voted against or abstained from voting on UN General
Assembly Resolution 57/74 on 22 November 2002, supporting implementation and
universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Delegations from 32 African governments attended the Fourth Meeting of States
Parties in Geneva, in September 2002, including non-States Parties Burundi,
Ethiopia, The Gambia (which ratified later in September), Sudan and Central
African Republic (which acceded in November). Fourteen African States Parties
did not attend. At the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Kenya became co-chair
of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies.
Representatives of 35 African governments attended at least one of the
intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in February and May 2003,
including signatories Burundi, Ethiopia and Sudan. Twenty-seven of the
governments attended both meetings.
In November 2002, seven African governments (Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania) participated in a Seminar on
Implementation of Article 7 of the Ottawa Treaty, organized by Belgium,
President of the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, and held in Brussels. In
December 2002, an Ethiopian NGO, RaDO, hosted the ICBL/Landmine Monitor’s
annual Africa-wide researchers’ meeting in Addis Ababa.
Pending formal approval in September 2003, Kenya will host the First Review
Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty at UN facilities in Nairobi from 29 November
to 3 December 2004.
Use
In this reporting period, Landmine Monitor has found
no concrete evidence of use of antipersonnel mines by any African State Party,
but there were ever-more compelling reports of use of antipersonnel mines by
government forces in Burundi, a treaty signatory, as well as by rebels. In
Sudan, another treaty signatory, there were numerous reports of use of
antipersonnel mines by government and rebel forces. Officials in Burundi and
Sudan deny any use of antipersonnel mines.Several rebel groups
used antipersonnel mines in DR Congo, as did various factions in Somalia.
Production and Transfer
No country in sub-Saharan Africa is known to produce
antipersonnel mines. Past and present use of antipersonnel mines in the region
raises concerns about illicit cross-border transfers of mines, but Landmine
Monitor has not been able to document specific cases.
Stockpiling and Destruction
Four African States Parties completed destruction of
their antipersonnel mine stockpiles in this reporting period: Chad, Djibouti,
Mozambique and Uganda. This brings the total of African countries to have done
so to ten. Gabon revealed for the first time that it had previously destroyed
its stockpile, thus joining Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, South Africa and
Zimbabwe.
Chad completed destruction of its 4,490 stockpiled antipersonnel landmines in
January 2003. Djibouti destroyed its stockpile of 1,118 antipersonnel mines on
2 March 2003. Mozambique completed destruction of its stockpile of 37,318
antipersonnel mines on 28 February 2003. Uganda completed destruction of its
stockpile of antipersonnel mines in July 2003.
Three African States Parties initiated their stockpile destruction during the
reporting period: DR Congo, Guinea-Bissau, and Tanzania. In the DR Congo, the
NGO Handicap International Belgium reported destroying 1,660 antipersonnel mines
from rebel stockpiles in 2002 and 2003. Guinea-Bissau destroyed 1,000 mines in
September 2002. Tanzania destroyed its first 9,837 antipersonnel mines in March
2003.
Two African States Parties--the Republic of Congo and Kenya--have not begun
the destruction process, but each has developed a plan to destroy their
stockpiles in advance of the treaty-mandated deadline.
Ten States Parties have not officially declared the presence or absence of
antipersonnel mine stockpiles because of their failure to submit transparency
measures reports on time: Angola, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial
Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The
stockpile destruction deadline for Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, and Namibia was 1
March 2003.
Eighteen States Parties in Africa have declared that they have no stockpile
of antipersonnel mines, except, in some instances, those retained for training
purposes: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, The Gambia, Ghana,
Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles,
Swaziland, Togo, and Zambia.
Of the three signatories, Burundi has stated it has a stockpile of only 1,200
antipersonnel mines, solely for training purposes, but allegations of ongoing
use by the Burundi Army cast doubts on that claim. For Ethiopia, stockpile
details are unknown. Sudan’s assertions that it has no stockpile
conflicts with allegations of recent and past use of antipersonnel mines. In
Somalia, which remains outside of the Mine Ban Treaty, militias and private
individuals are believed to possess large stocks of landmines.
Nineteen African States Parties have exercised, or intend to exercise, the
option, under Article 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty, to retain antipersonnel mines
for training and development purposes: Botswana (“few”), Burkina
Faso (“very few”), Cameroon (500), Central African Republic
(“very limited quantity”), Djibouti (2,996), Kenya (3,000), Mali
(2,000), Mauritania (843), Mauritius (93), Mozambique (1,427), Namibia (unknown
number), Republic of Congo (372), Rwanda (101), South Africa (4,400) Tanzania
(1,147), Togo (436), Uganda (1,764), Zambia (6,691), and Zimbabwe (700).
Several are retaining their entire stockpile of antipersonnel mines for
research and training purposes: Togo (436), Mauritius (93 mines), and Botswana
(unknown number). Zambia originally proposed retaining its entire stockpile of
6,691 antipersonnel mines under Article 3, but it has reconsidered its position
and announced that this total will be reduced.
During this reporting period, two African States Parties heeded the
ICBL’s call to reduce their retained stockpile number: Mauritania decided
to reduce from 5,728 to 843 and Uganda reportedly decided to reduce from 2,400
to 1,764.
Mine Action Funding
The primary donors to mine action programs in
sub-Saharan Africa during the reporting period were Canada, Denmark, the
European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands,
Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
According to the information available to Landmine Monitor, the largest
cumulative mine action funding recipients in Africa are Mozambique ($177
million), Angola ($92 million), and Eritrea ($25 million).
In 2002, donors provided $21.2 million in mine action funding for Angola,
$16.9 million for Mozambique, and $11.1 million for Eritrea, ranking them the
fourth, sixth, and eighth biggest recipients globally for the year.
Mine action funding was also provided for Somaliland ($5.6 million), Sudan
($5.1 million, Ethiopia ($4.9 million), DR Congo ($1.5 million), and Chad ($1.3
million), as well as smaller amounts for Benin, Burundi, Djibouti,
Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia. Total funding for
sub-Saharan Africa in the reporting period amounted to about $70 million.
Landmine Problem
There are 23 mine-affected countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, including all four non-States Parties: Angola, Burundi, Chad, DR Congo,
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan,
Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, plus Somaliland. Republic of Congo and
Kenya are no longer listed as mine-affected by Landmine Monitor.
Six African States Parties are among the group of 14 mine-affected States
Parties facing the March 2009 deadline for clearance of all mined areas, as
required by Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty: Djibouti, Malawi, Mozambique,
Namibia, Senegal and Zimbabwe.
Djibouti should be “mine-safe” by the end of 2003, according to
the US State Department. Malawi acknowledged suspected mined areas along the
border with Mozambique in its initial Article 7 report submitted February 2003
and is seeking funds for survey and demining activities. According to
Mozambique’s national mine action plan adopted in 2001, the objective is
to create a “mine-impact free” country within ten years. Recent
fighting in the north has left Namibia with a mine problem. In Zimbabwe, a
National Authority on Mine Action was established in 2002 to formulate a
national mine action plan.
Recent fighting has left Namibia with a mine problem, but its long-term mine
action plan is unknown. In Senegal, the director of the military engineers
stated that a systematic humanitarian mine clearance program remains impossible
as long as there is no peace agreement with rebel forces in Casamance. A mine
clearance plan has been developed, which would be carried out in three phases
over a five-year period.
Landmine Impact Surveys (LIS) were completed in Chad and Mozambique in 2001.
LIS are scheduled for completion in Ethiopia and Somaliland in 2003 and in
Eritrea in 2004. A LIS got underway Angola in this reporting period. The DR
Congo, Somalia (Puntland), and Sudan are under consideration for LIS.
Landmine Monitor recorded other general surveys and assessments of the mine
problem in Angola, Chad, DR Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique,
Rwanda, Sudan, and Uganda in 2002 and early 2003.
In 2002, the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA), which
assists mine action programs with data collection and mapping of information,
was installed in DR Congo, Sudan, and Zambia. Others that have the system
include Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and
Somaliland.
Mine Clearance
Humanitarian mine clearance by international,
national, and non-governmental actors was underway in at least eleven countries
of the region in 2002 and 2003. This includes nine States Parties (Angola,
Chad, Djibouti, DR Congo, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique, and
Rwanda) and two signatories (Ethiopia and Sudan). There are also humanitarian
mine clearance programs in Somaliland.
In Angola, mine action NGOs reported the clearance of more than 2.6 million
square meters in 2002 and the first quarter of 2003.
In Chad, the NGO HELP reported that it cleared a total surface area of
1,935,000 square meters in 2002, destroying 2,970 mines and 6,904 UXO.
A unit of the army of Djibouti, together with US commercial contractor
RONCO, cleared 4,986 square meters of land in 2002.
In DR Congo, between June 2001 and April 2003, Handicap International
Belgium cleared 25,756 square meters of land in and around Kisangani. In May
2003, it was forced to stop demining activities due to a lack of funds. Limited
mine clearance has been also been conducted by militaries and the UN.
In Eritrea, DDG cleared a total of 154,000 square meters of land from
January until the July 2002 proclamation expelling most mine action NGOs. DCA
cleared 250,500 square meters of mine-affected land between 1 June 2001 and July
2002. HALO was asked to leave the country in June 2003, after having been
permitted to continue their operations after July 2002.
Ethiopia’s first humanitarian NGO, Ethiopian Mine Action Office
(EMAO), began demining operations in mid-2002 and by January 2003, it had
cleared 396,555 square meters of land.
In Guinea-Bissau, the mine action coordination center CAAMI reported in June
2003 that 390,000 square meters of land had been cleared since 2000. A second
domestic mine clearance NGO, LUTCAM, started field operations in February 2003.
According to the UN Development Program (UNDP), the demining NGO HUMAID cleared
333,240 square meters of land between November 2000 and February 2003.
In Mauritania, a total of 5,294 mines and 5,098 UXO were cleared and
destroyed between April 2000 and April 2003 by the government’s National
Humanitarian Demining Office.
In Mozambique, the National Institute for Demining (IND) reports that 8.9
million square meters of land was cleared in 2002, a slight increase from 8.7
million square meters cleared in 2001. Conflicting numbers were reported by
various demining NGOs, however.
In Rwanda, deminers from the National Demining Office, under the Ministry of
Defense, cleared a total of 1,220 mines and 27,791 UXO from 1995 to 2002.
In Sudan, mine clearance activities expanded in 2002. Those active included
DCA and Landmine Action, local NGOs Operation Save Innocent Lives (OSIL) and
Sudan Integrated Mine Action Service (SIMAS), and, for a limited period, the
US’s Quick Reaction Demining Force (QRDF).
In Somaliland, three NGOs (DDG, HALO, and the Santa Barbara Foundation)
carried out demining activities in 2002, clearing 1.5 million square meters of
mined land, and 20 million square meters of battle area.
In addition, limited mine clearance was underway in at least five African
countries in 2002 and 2003, including four States Parties (Namibia, Uganda,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe) and one signatory (Burundi). The Namibia Development
Corporation funded the clearance in 2002 of dozens of 30-hectare plots in the
West Caprivi region. Zambian Army deminers, in consultation with RONCO, began
clearance operations in May 2002 clearing roads along Lake Kariba to open up the
area for a US$50 million World Bank development project. In Zimbabwe, 85
kilometers of the Victoria Falls minefield were cleared, destroying 16,000
mines. Limited military mine clearance for tactical purposes took place in
Burundi and Uganda.
No mine clearance of any type was noted in 2002 in seven mine-affected
countries, including six States Parties (Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, and Swaziland) and Somalia. Malawi and Niger are planning to conduct
humanitarian mine clearance, but no information is available in the other
countries.
Mine Action Coordination and Planning
Landmine Monitornoted some form of
coordination and planning body in place in 13 of Africa’s 23 mine-affected
countries (Angola, Chad, Djibouti, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau,
Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), as well as
Somaliland.
In July 2002, the Eritrean government announced the establishment of the
Eritrean Demining Authority to manage and coordinate mine action in Eritrea.
The previous government coordinating bodies were disbanded, the national mine
action NGO closed, and most international mine action NGOs were expelled from
the country. In Somalia, the UN abandoned efforts to set up mine action offices
due to insecurity there. During 2002, Somaliland mine action agencies underwent
reorganization, and UN and other international agencies expressed concern
regarding possible negative consequences of a lack of a clear coordination
mechanism there.
In September 2002, a memorandum of understanding was agreed to by the
government of Sudan, the SPLA and UNMAS regarding UN mine action support to
Sudan. UNMAS set up a Mine Action Center in Khartoum in September and
established a southern Mine Action Coordination Office in February 2003. In
Zimbabwe, a National Authority on Mine Action was established in early 2002, in
addition to the Zimbabwe Mine Action Center.
During this reporting period, Landmine Monitor noted the existence of a
national mine action plan in just six of Africa’s 23 mine-affected
countries (Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Senegal, Sudan, and Zimbabwe). A
number of countries were in the process of drafting and approving plans.
In Angola, joint UN/NGO/government assessment teams conducted the first phase
of a Rapid Assessment of Critical Needs process, in which teams visited 28
locations where internally displaced persons (IDPs) had returned to previously
inaccessible areas. They found that 26 of the 28 locations were seriously
mine-affected. In Chad, a National Strategic Plan for the period 2002-2015 was
developed in 2002, using the results of the Landmine Impact Survey completed in
2001. It forms part of the country’s National Strategy to Reduce Poverty:
2001-2015. In 2003, the DR Congo submitted its initial Article 7 transparency
report identifying 165 mined or suspected mined areas in 11 provinces. In
Mozambique, a Five-Year National Mine Action Plan was developed for the period
2002-2006, using the findings of the Landmine Impact Survey completed in August
2001. Mozambique reports that mine action is integrated into the
government’s Absolute Poverty Reduction Plan.
During the February and May 2003 meetings of the Standing Committee on Mine
Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Related Technologies, mine-affected States
Parties provided updates on their developments, activities and needs in mine
action, including eight from Africa (Chad, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Malawi,
Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, and Zambia).
Mine Risk Education
MRE programs were conducted in 10 countries (Angola,
DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan,
and Uganda) and Somaliland. Basic or minimal MRE activities took place in seven
countries (Burundi, Chad, Djibouti, Malawi, Mauritania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
No MRE activities were recorded in six mine-affected countries (Liberia, Niger,
Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Swaziland). A pressing need for MRE, or
increased MRE, was apparent in Angola, Burundi, Chad, Mozambique, and
Somalia.
In Angola, a comprehensive report assessing MRE activities was produced in
2002, and MRE programs expanded during the year. The July 2002 proclamation
disbanding mine action NGOs in Eritrea negatively impacted MRE programs there.
In Mauritania, UNICEF plans MRE programs for 2003 to 2005, pending funding.
Lack of funds caused all MRE programs in Rwanda to cease in 2002, and hampered
MRE activities in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, a new school-teacher MRE training
program was undertaken in 2002 as part of Senegal’s large MRE program.
Mine Casualties
In 2002 and 2003, new landmine casualties were
reported in 20 of the 24 mine-affected countries in the sub-Saharan Africa
region: Angola, Burundi, Chad, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau,
Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia,
Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. New mine casualties were also reported in
Somaliland. The Republic of Congo and Nigeria reported new UXO-related
casualties in 2002. It is possible that mine incidents occurred in the other
mine-affected countries in the region, but there was a lack of tangible evidence
to indicate new casualties.
New mine/UXO casualties were reported in: Angola, with 287 casualties
recorded (the real total is thought to be much higher); Burundi, with 114 new
casualties; Chad, where one military hospital registered 200 mine casualties; DR
Congo, where at least 32 casualties were reported; Eritrea, with 78 casualties
reported in the Temporary Security Zone; Ethiopia, with 67 new casualties;
Guinea-Bissau, with at least 33 casualties; Mozambique, with at least 47 new
casualties; Senegal, where 56 casualties were reported; Somalia, with at least
53 casualties; and Sudan, with at least 68 new casualties.
In 2002-2003, mine/UXO casualties also included nationals from African
countries killed or injured while abroad engaged in military or demining
operations, peacekeeping, or other activities: Burundi, The Gambia, Mozambique,
Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Survivor Assistance
In many of the mine-affected countries in the
region, medical facilities and rehabilitation services are in poor condition,
mostly due to a lack of financial resources, and a lack of equipment, medicine,
and skilled personnel. Armed conflict, whether ongoing or in the past, has also
taken a heavy toll on the health infrastructure in several countries.
Consequently, in many instances the assistance available to landmine survivors
is inadequate.
In Angola, less than 30 percent of the population has access to health care,
and few facilities are available for mine survivors and other persons with
disabilities; however, the Ministry of Health is developing a national policy
for physical rehabilitation. In DR Congo, a social fund for mine survivors was
created at the level of the Presidency. In Eritrea, the UNDP Capacity Building
Program in Victim Assistance is working with the government to build national
capacity to provide adequate assistance to mine survivors. In Ethiopia, a
physiotherapy unit and gait-training area is being developed to expand and
improve the quality of services available at the Dessie orthopedic center. In
Guinea-Bissau, CAAMI organized its first meeting to elaborate a national plan of
action to support mine survivors.
In Mozambique, the IND’s Five Year National Mine Action Plan
(2002-2006) affirms its coordinating role in mine victim assistance. In
Namibia, the ICRC-upgraded Rundu prosthetic/orthotic workshop began production.
In Rwanda, a national plan for the rehabilitation of persons with a physical
disability was drafted. In Somalia, a Minister of Disabled and Rehabilitation
was named in the new cabinet of the Transitional National Government. In
Somaliland, the recent Landmine Impact Survey found that of 184 recent mine
survivors most had received emergency medical care but very few had received
rehabilitation. In Sudan, the National Mine Action Office has recruited a
Victim Assistance Officer to assist in capacity building and develop a plan of
action for victim assistance. In Zimbabwe, a Victims Assistance,
Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and Resettlement Office was established as part
of the Zimbabwe Mine Action Center.
In the Africa region, the voluntary Form J reporting attachment to the
Article 7 report was submitted by Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe
to report on victim assistance and other mine action activities. The DR Congo
and Rwanda used Form J to report on other issues.
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