Key developments since May 2002: There
continue to be credible allegations of antipersonnel landmine use by government
and rebel forces. The government strongly denies the charges. On 2 December
2002, the transitional government of Burundi and the CNDD-FDD signed a
cease-fire agreement that prohibits all laying of mines by either party. It
also contains obligations for marking and mapping of minefields, as well as mine
clearance. On 25 March 2003, a draft law for ratification of the Mine Ban
Treaty was adopted by the Council of Ministers; it was then adopted by the
Senate on 18 June 2003. In 2002, there were at least 114 new civilian mine/UXO
casualties reported in Burundi.
Mine Ban Policy
Burundi signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997. At the January 2002 Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, the Burundi
delegate stated that his government would ratify the treaty by the Fourth
Meeting of States Parties in September
2002.[1] At that September
meeting, Burundi stated that a draft ratification decree was before the
Secretary General of the government and would be presented to the Council of
Ministers for analysis. The National Assembly would then send it to the
President for signature, before a seminar related to the Mine Ban Treaty in
Central Africa, held in Brussels on 12-13 November
2002.[2] At that November
seminar, the Burundi delegate stated that ratification of the treaty depended on
the signing of a cease-fire with all rebel
groups.[3]
On 2 December 2002, the transitional government of Burundi and the Conseil
National pour le Défense de la Démocratie - Forces pour la
Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD) signed a cease-fire agreement
that prohibits all laying of
mines.[4] It contains
obligations for demining, marking of contaminated areas, and provision of
minefield maps.[5] The
agreement also states that specific attention should be paid to combatants and
civilians disabled by the
war.[6]
On 25 March 2003, the draft law for ratification was adopted by the Council
of Ministers and sent to
Parliament.[7] On 18 June 2003,
the Senate adopted the draft ratification law.
In addition to the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002 and the
Brussels seminar in November 2002 mentioned above, Burundi also participated in
the Standing Committee meetings in February 2003 in Geneva; it did not, however,
attend the May 2003 Standing Committee meetings. On 22 November 2002, Burundi
co-sponsored and voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/74 in
November 2002, calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty.
On 6-8 February 2003, Burundi hosted a workshop on light weapons and small
arms, where the issue of antipersonnel mines was discussed. On 27 June 2003,
the Ministry of Interior and UNICEF organized a workshop in Bujumbura called,
“The Ottawa Treaty: What Implications for Burundi?” Other
participants included the Ministry of National Defense, the UN Office for
Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), the office of the representative
of the UN Secretary-General, Handicap International Belgium, and the
ICBL/Landmine Monitor (Burundi).
Production, Transfer and Stockpiling
Burundi is not known to have produced or exported
antipersonnel mines.[8] It has
stated that it has a stockpile of only 1,200 antipersonnel mines kept solely for
training purposes.[9]
Allegations of on-going use by the Burundi Army cast doubt on that claim.
Use
Landmine Monitor Report 2002 stated that
despite strong and repeated denials, it continued to receive troubling accounts
of ongoing use of antipersonnel landmines inside Burundi by both rebel and
government forces.[10] Such
allegations – and denials – continue to be the case for this
reporting period. At the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002, the
Burundi delegate stated that government forces have no interest whatsoever in
using mines. He said that “it would be irresponsible to lay mines in a
country that is entirely agricultural and where no difference can be made
between people working in the fields and moving rebels; that at an operational
level mines have become inefficient; and that Burundi faces a very fluid
rebellion that avoids contact, but desperately runs through the hills, a tactic
against which it is not convenient to lay
mines.”[11] Similar
arguments were given to deny that Burundian troops, protecting Lake Tanganyika
as a commercial corridor, would use antipersonnel mines in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.[12]
It is clear that antipersonnel mines continue to be used in Burundi. It is
difficult, however, to determine with certainty who is planting the mines. Most
observers believe that both the Army and rebels are using mines. Among those
alleging use by both sides are various United Nations sources, foreign
government officials, international humanitarian organizations, and local
populations. Several Burundi officers have at least tacitly acknowledged use of
antipersonnel mines by the Army.
Allegations of Army Use
In its 2003 portfolio of mine-related projects, the United Nations wrote,
“Landmine contamination is the product of the ongoing civil war. Although
there is no accurate data regarding the scope of contamination, it is believed
that both the military and rebel groups have used landmines. The continued
fighting also leaves increasing amount of UXO.... 2002 saw an escalation of the
conflict, and increases in mine use in provinces such as Gitega and
Mwaro.”[13]
During a meeting with the governor of Rural Bujumbura in October 2002, the
representative of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (New
York) expressed her concern about “landmines laid by military for their
own protection but causing victims among
civilians.”[14]
The US Department of State, in its annual human rights reports released on 31
March 2003 stated, “Landmines placed by government or rebel forces
continued to result in civilian deaths and injuries. There were reports that the
Government continued to lay landmines during the
year.”[15]
It is particularly difficult to determine who is laying mines in territories
controlled during the daytime by the military and at night by rebels, such as
the Kibira Forest, Zina Mountains, and in Gasarara since June 2002. However,
when landmine incidents occur during curfew in territories controlled by the
military at night, local residents believe the mines are laid by
soldiers.[16] According to a
UNICEF report, it appears that most mine incidents happen during the curfew, and
“many witnesses (victims or family members of the victims) insist on the
fact that mines were laid during the evening and lifted in the
morning.”[17]
In June 2003, Colonel Nimbesha, the General Director of Public Security,
acknowledged that “mine incidents often occur during curfew,” and
then offered the explanation that “around military positions one has to
protect himself. The civilian and military authorities always warn the
population, but people pass
anyway.”[18]
During a Landmine Monitor field trip to Burundi in November 2002, numerous
humanitarian relief providers and diplomats interviewed expressed their concern
that since mid-2002, there had been an increase in mine use – by rebel
groups, but mostly by the Burundi
Army.[19] The following
incidents give credence to the allegations. Some of the incidents point to
continued use of mines by both sides even after the December 2002 cease-fire
agreement prohibiting mine use.
On 2 October 2002 around 7:00 p.m., an antipersonnel mine explosion killed
the 28-year-old man who stepped on it, and injured five
others.[20] They were walking on
Mbare Hill looking for food, on a path they did not know and where access had
been prohibited by the military. Immediately after the mine explosion, soldiers
shot at the injured, but they escaped to Nyabibondo, where they were treated by
Medecins sans Frontières-Switzerland. It was only after hours of
negotiation and after the intervention of Antoine Gerard, Head of OCHA, with the
military commander of the region that MSF was allowed to evacuate the casualties
to Bujumbura.[21]
On 9 October 2002, an eight-year-old girl was injured in both legs by a mine
explosion on a path used daily in Bubanza, when she went to get water at a
fountain close to her house. Her family blamed the military, who they say mined
the area where FDD rebels infiltrate from the Democratic Republic of Congo on
their way to the Kibira Mountains. They said the mines were laid in the evening
and removed in the morning. The incident occurred at
5:00am.[22]
The CNDD-FDD accused the Army of having laid antipersonnel mines around the
city of Bujumbura in November
2002.[23] People living in
Gasenyi and Mugoboka also said that mines were laid on roads leading to the
capital.[24] An Army official,
Col. Nicodème Nduhirubusa, denied these allegations stating,
“Whoever said that, does not know the terrain in Burundi.” However,
Col. Nduhirubusa conceded to Landmine Monitor that each soldier
“might” protect himself with “a kind of
mine.”[25]
After a landmine incident on a footpath in Rugazi commune, Bubanza province,
on 26 November 2002, the survivor said the military later came and asked
“why we had used the road at that time [before 6:00am] as they demined the
area after 6:00am.”[26]
On 13 February 2003, one man was killed and another lost his leg in a mine
incident near Burundi's hydroelectric dam in Rwegura in the Kibira forest. The
local administration blamed the rebels of the CNDD-FDD, but local residents
accused the Army of having laid the
mine.[27]
On 19 March 2003, in Rubindi, in the commune of Kayogoro in Makamba
province, a 69-year-old man was seriously injured in both legs by an
antipersonnel mine when he went into the fields with other people. Various
people from the commune interviewed on Radio Publique Africaine expressed
concern because the mine incident occurred on a frequently used path; they
assumed it had been recently laid. When asked about the incident, the communal
administrator of Kayogoro said the mine was laid by the military as “a
normal trap against the aggressors.” He added that soldiers were urged to
make sure no civilians would get
killed.[28]
According to a UN officer, the border with Tanzania has been mined “to
halt the infiltration of rebels based in
Tanzania.”[29] However,
the period in which the mines were laid is unknown.
Allegations of Rebel Use
In October 2002, the Minister of Defense accused the rebels of using mines.
He said that “the rebels cannot pretend to be defending the interests of
the population, and at the same time...lay mines against that same
population.”[30]
According to one diplomat, the FDD and FNL have acknowledged laying mines
around their ammunition depots since October 2002. They have also admitted to
laying mines around their training centers in Rugembe and Muhuta, as well as to
protect their positions against armed forces in Kabezi between 25 October and 5
November 2002.[31]
On 18 March 2003, an antivehicle mine exploded in Mugoboka, Rural Bujumbura,
but no one was injured. The Army accused the FNL-PALIPEHUTU of Agathon Rwasa of
having laid the mine.[32] On 1
May 2003, an antipersonnel mine killed a child and a cow on the hill of Taba,
commune of Rango, Kayanza province. The mine was reportedly laid by CNDD-FDD
rebels.[33] On 10 May 2003,
another antipersonnel mine, allegedly laid by CNDD-FDD, killed two people and
injured three others, also on Taba hill in
Rango.[34]
Landmine Problem and Mine Action
The most heavily mined province is Bujumbura
Rural. Others where mine incidents occur include Makamba, Rutana, Ruyigi,
Bubanza, and Cibitoke.[35] All
communes surrounding the city of Bujumbura are
mine-affected.[36] In 2002,
casualties occurred in eight new communes, a 53 percent increase over 2001.
This brings the number of mine-affected communes in different parts of the
country to 23.[37]
Landmine Monitor has been told some electrical infrastructure is protected by
antipersonnel mines. The pillars along the line between Bubanza and Bujumbura,
and the line between Bubanza and Ndava, are reportedly surrounded by electric
wire fencing, with antipersonnel mines inside the fence lines. This electrical
infrastructure is said to be under the protection of an Israeli firm, AD
Consultants.[38] A child
playing near an electrical pylon in Kabezi commune, Rural Bujumbura, was
seriously injured by a mine on 22 December
2002.[39]
The Cease-Fire Agreement between the Burundi government and the CNDD-FDD of 2
December 2002 obliges the parties to mark mined areas, to provide maps, and to
demine. It did not appear that either side had begun this process by July
2003.
Except for a victim-oriented study by UNICEF described below, no survey or
assessment on the landmine problem has been conducted in Burundi. The only
clearance activity that took place in 2002 was the destruction by the Army of 20
antivehicle mines discovered by local residents on the main road between Gitega
and Kibumbu.[40]
The UN Mine Action Service has identified the Department of Civil Protection
(DCP) of the Ministry of Interior as the most suitable mine action coordination
body, but has also stated that DCP does “not yet have the capacity to
implement or coordinate mine action in line with international
standards.”[41]
Mine Risk Education
Only limited mine risk education (MRE) activities
have been carried out in Burundi. UNICEF believes that the need for MRE is
likely to increase if peace comes to the country, as a number of refugees might
return to Burundi and the internally displaced would have more freedom of
movement.[42]
UNICEF continues to support the Department of Civil Protection to implement
prevention campaigns in areas most affected by mines and unexploded ordnance.
On 20 February 2003, UNICEF and the DCP organized a mine awareness day in the
commune of Kayogoro, Makamba Province. A two-week-long training session, ending
on 12 June 2003, was organized by the DCP and financed by UNICEF. The training
targeted representatives from the government, the police, various NGOs, the
Burundian Red Cross, UN agencies and the media, in order to create a group of
resource people for a MRE project. The goal would be to reach communities in
the most affected provinces in the country. The responsible provincial
coordinators also
participated.[43]
At the 27 June 2003 workshop in Bujumbura on the Mine Ban Treaty, the
Ministry of Interior presented its 2003 action plan for mine risk
education.[44]
A workshop for humanitarian professionals and peacekeepers, carried out by
the Landmine and UXO Safety Project of the UN, will be held in Burundi in August
2003.[45] The aim will be
“to provide UN and NGO staff with safety information, materials and
training that will allow the to fulfill their mandates in a safer way, more
specifically by helping them to recognize the local mine/UXO threat, establish
proper safety procedures, avoid contacts with mines/UXO, take appropriate
actions in mine/UXO emergencies, and take appropriate action in case of
accidental entry in a mined
area.”[46]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, there were at least 114 new civilian
mine/UXO casualties reported in Burundi, of which 26 were killed and 88 injured,
including 23 children. Of the total casualties, 87 were caused by antipersonnel
mines, eight by antivehicle mines, and 19 by
UXO.[47]
There is no systematic data collection mechanism in Burundi, however, between
November 2002 and January 2003 UNICEF conducted a survey to determine the extent
of the mine and UXO problem in the country. The survey collected data on
incidents occurring between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2002, from various
sources including mine survivors and families of those killed in the incidents,
hospitals, the ICRC, international NGOs, UN agencies, the general population,
and district and provincial
administrators.[48] The
national survey was not exhaustive and it is believed that not all mine/UXO
casualties were reported. According to other humanitarian actors, mine
incidents in 2002 were “more and more
frequent.”[49]
In 2001, 116 new civilian mine/UXO casualties were reported in the UNICEF
survey, of which 18 were killed and 98 injured, including 18 children. All the
casualties were caused by antipersonnel
mines.[50]
The UNICEF survey only included civilian casualties, as military casualties
and other combatants were excluded. The Ministry of National Defense reportedly
has statistics on military casualties, but this information is not publicly
available. On 28 November 2002 one soldier was reportedly injured by an
antipersonnel mine in Bukeye commune, Muramvya
province.[51]
According to UNICEF, there were 21 reported mine casualties at the border
with Tanzania in 2002, compared to 52 casualties in 2001. However,
underreporting is likely, as it is believed that many casualties die alone in
isolated places.[52]
Casualties continue to be reported in 2003. In three mine incidents reported
in the UNICEF survey up to 11 January, two people were killed and three
injured.[53] On 23 January, a
mine explosion in Makamba province at the southern border with Tanzania killed
three refugees returning to
Burundi.[54] On 13 February, in
Kayanza province, one person was killed and another lost his leg due to a mine
explosion while grazing their
cattle.[55] On 9 March, an old
woman was killed when she stepped on an antipersonnel mine in Makamba
province,[56] and a 69-year-old
man was seriously injured by an antipersonnel mine on 19 March in the same
commune.[57] On 1 May, an
antipersonnel mine killed a child and a cow in Kayanza
province,[58] and on 10 May,
another antipersonnel mine killed two people and injured three others in the
same place.[59]
According to the Ministry of National Defense, from 1994 to 1998, 80 people
were killed and 187 seriously injured in mine-related incidents. Other sources
claim that between 1993 and 2000 there were 791 deaths in mine-related
incidents.[60]
Survivor Assistance
Burundi's health care system has deteriorated
since 1993, and the availability of qualified staff, basic medical supplies and
medicines is limited. In 2002, the ICRC provided medicines and medical supplies
to six hospitals and 12 health care centers in Bujumbura, Gitega, Kirundo,
Muyinga, Ngozi and Ruyigi. The ICRC also organized a seminar on war surgery in
collaboration with the Prince Régent Charles Hospital and the Ministry of
Health for 24 Burundian and expatriate specialists in Bujumbura on 11 and 12
July 2002.[61]
Médecins sans Frontières provides basic medical and surgical
care to civilians in the Bujumbura, Bujumbura Rural, Cankuzo, Karuzi, Kayanza,
and Makamba provinces.[62]
Eight Burundian mine survivors were treated in hospitals in Tanzania in 2002,
whereas 43 were assisted in
2001.[63]
Military casualties are treated in the military hospital, where orthopedic
services are also available. Military casualties are sent to hospitals in
Nairobi (Kenya) or in Johannesburg (South Africa) if
necessary.[64]
Burundi has nine physical rehabilitation centers; however, their capacity to
provide assistance varies. Three of these centers also provide vocational
training.[65] There are
physiotherapists and prosthetic technicians available. The quality of some
prostheses is reportedly
poor.[66]
Handicap International Belgium (HIB) has a program to assist people with
disabilities including war victims and mine survivors. HIB supports three
orthopedic workshops, the Saint Kitizo Institute in Bujumbura, the National
Rehabilitation Center in Gitega, and the Center Saint Jean-Bosco in Muyinga.
The centers provide physiotherapy, prosthetics, crutches, and tricycles. In
2002, the three centers assisted 4,668 people, produced 41 prostheses and
distributed 80 tricycles. Specific records are not kept on the number of mine
survivors assisted. In addition, 24 prosthetic technicians and 41
physiotherapists received
training.[67]
In May 2002 a newly established South African company, African Medical
Assistance, entered into an agreement with the Institute of National Social
Security for the supply of prostheses, linked to a physical rehabilitation
training program and support for local
authorities.[68]
Jaipur Limb is developing a three-year project for the production of
prosthetic limbs in
Burundi.[69]
The Burundi Army provides vocational training for military war victims, in
fields such as computer skills, electrics, masonry and carpentry to reintegrate
the soldiers back into the
Army.[70]
Disability Policy and Practice
No specific disability law exists. Only two
provisions relate to people with disabilities, the social security law 1/010 of
16 June 1999, and the decree-law 1/024 of April 1993 Reforming the Persons and
Family Code, art
359-370.[71]
The Cease-fire Agreement between the Burundi government and the CNDD-FDD of 2
December 2002, in its article 1.1.14 of Annex 1, proscribes that particular
attention should be paid to combatants and civilians disabled and mutilated by
the war.[72]
Military mine survivors who cannot be reintegrated into the Army are sent
back to their family and receive a pension paid by the Ministry of National
Defense. Civilian survivors employed by the government are entitled to a
pension from the agency for which they were working, if they paid their INSS
contributions regularly. Farmers do not get any
compensation.[73]
[1] Statement by Ambassador Adolphe Nahayo,
Representative of the Permanent Mission of Burundi in Geneva, Standing Committee
meetings, Geneva, 31 January 2002. [2]
Statement by Col. Nicodème Nduhirubusa, Counsellor, Cabinet of the
Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, Fourth Meeting of States
Parties, Geneva, 19 September 2002. [3]
Statement of the Burundi delegate at the Seminar on the Implementation of
Article 7 of the Ottawa Convention in Central Africa, Brussels, 12 November
2002. [4] Article II.1.5 of the Cease
Fire Agreement of 2 December 2002. [5]
Articles B.1.6 and B.1.12 of Annex 1 to the Cease Fire Agreement of 2 December
2002. [6] Article 1.1.14 of Annex 1 to
the Cease Fire Agreement of 2 December
2002. [7] “Compte Rendu du Conseil
des Ministres du 25 Mars 2003,” available at
www.burundi.gov.bi/vingt-cinq-mars.htm. [8]
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
538. [9] Letter to Landmine Monitor
(Mary Wareham, HRW) from Thérence Sinunguruza, Minister of External
Relations and Cooperation, 23 October
2002. [10] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 539. [11] Statement by
Nicodème Nduhirubusa, Fourth Meeting of States Parties, 19 September
2002. [12]
Ibid. [13] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002, pp. 66-67, available at
www.mineaction.org. [14]
Report of the Contact Group Meeting, coordinated by OCHA Burundi, Bujumbura, 23
October 2002. The quotation is from the report, paraphrasing the UN official.
The Contact Group meets weekly at OCHA offices in Bujumbura to discuss issues of
concern and to coordinate activities; it is made up of local and international
NGOs, UN agencies, government representatives and other humanitarian relief
actors. [15] US Department of State,
“Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2002, Burundi,” Section
1.g, available at
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18171.htm. [16]
Interviews with residents of mine-affected communes between November 2002-April
2003; interviews with local and international NGOs during November 2002 Landmine
Monitor field trip. [17] UNICEF Burundi,
“Mine Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” 2003, pp.
26-27. [18] Remarks by Col. Nimbesha at
the workshop on the Mine Ban Treaty, Bujumbura, 27 June 2003. Notes taken by
Landmine Monitor researcher. [19] During
the November 2002 Landmine Monitor field trip, numerous discussions were held
with various humanitarian relief providers participating in the weekly Contact
Group Meetings at OCHA as well as with diplomats, who have received mine-related
information through their military and rebel sources.
[20] The survivors were interviewed in
the days immediately following the incident, while they were with
MSF-Switzerland. The survivors included females aged 32, 19, 17, and 15, and a
12-year-old boy. UNICEF Burundi, “Mine Victims in Burundi in
2001-2002,” 2003, p. 14. [21]
Interviews with various representatives of international NGOS, Medecins sans
Frontières, OCHA, and ITEKA (Ligue Burundaise des Droits de l'Homme)
during November 2002 Landmine Monitor field
trip. [22] Interview with representative
of an international NGO who had interviewed the survivor and her family,
Bujumbura, 2 November 2002; interview with ITEKA, 5 November
2002. [23] “L'Armée Etat et
le Gouvernement de Transition ceinturent Bujumbura par une bande de mines
antipersonnelles,” Burundi-Info, 15 November 2002, available at
www.Abarundi.org. [24]
Interviews with residents of Gasenyi and Mugoboka, who requested anonymity,
November 2002-April 2003. [25] Interview
with Col. Nicodème Nduhirubusa, Counsellor at the Cabinet of the Minister
of External Relations and Cooperation, Bujumbura, 15 November 2002.
[26] UNICEF Burundi, “Mine
Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” 2003, p.
15. [27] Information provided by Radio
Publique Africaine and Radio Bonesha, 14 February
2003. [28] Information provided by Radio
Publique Africaine, March 2003. It is only in 2003 that radio stations have
begun to broadcast information related to mine use and victims, after being
convinced of the importance of such information by landmine activists. Radio
Publique Africaine was the first to cover landmine
issues. [29] UNICEF Burundi, “Mine
Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” 2003, p.
29. [30] Cyrille Ndayirukiye, Minister
of Defense, reported in La Gazette (monthly magazine), October 2002.
[31] Interview with diplomat,
requesting anonymity, who received the information from sources within FDD-FNL,
Bujumbura, 8 November 2002. [32]
Announcement on national television by the Ministry of National Defense, 18
March 2003. [33] Information provided by
Radio Bonesha and Radio Publique Africaine, May 2003.
[34] Information provided by Radio
Publique Africaine, May 2003. [35] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 541; UNICEF Burundi, “Mine Victims in
Burundi in 2001-2002,” 2003, p.
24. [36] UNICEF Burundi, “Mine
Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” 2003, p.
25. [37] “Mine Victims in Burundi
in 2001-2002,” pp. 12 and
23-24. [38] Interview with technician of
REGIDESO (National Water and Electricity Company), who requested anonymity, 26
November 2002. He said, “One is told that the electricity lines are
protected by the Israelis, but in reality, they are protected by antipersonnel
mines.” Also, interview with staff of ITEKA, Bujumbura, 4 November 2002;
interview with diplomat, who requested anonymity, Bujumbura, November
2002. [39] “Mine Victims in
Burundi 2001 and 2002,” p.
15. [40] Interview with staff of ITEKA,
Bujumbura, 4 November 2002; interview with anonymous diplomat, Bujumbura, 5
November 2002. [41] UN, “Portfolio
of Mine-Related Projects 2003,” p.
67. [42] “Mine Victims in Burundi
in 2001-2002,” p. 3. [43] UN OCHA
Burundi, “Situation Report: 9-15 June 2003,” see:
www.ochaburundi.org. [44]
Landmine Monitor Burundi researcher attended this
meeting. [45] Email from Sebastian
Kasack, MRE Focal Point, UNMAS, 16 June 2003; UNMAS, “Landmine and UXO
Safety Project,” sent to Landmine Monitor by Sebastian Kasack, 18 February
2003. [46] UNMAS, “Landmine and
UXO Safety Project.” [47] UNICEF
Burundi, “Mine Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” 2003, pp.
11-12. [48] “Mine Victims in
Burundi in 2001-2002,” pp.
7-11. [49] Information exchanged by
humanitarian actors at the weekly UN security briefings; interview with Ann
Ottosson, Senior Nurse, MSF Belgium, Bujumbura, 5 November 2002; interview with
Nicolas Deborman, Cordaid, 2 November 2002; interview with Stephane Lobjois,
Program Director, HIB, 2 November
2002. [50] “Mine Victims in
Burundi in 2001-2002,” pp.
11-12. [51] Interviews with local
residents in Bukeye, November 2003.
[52] “Mine Victims in Burundi in
2001-2002,” p. 28. [53] Ibid., p.
16. [54] Interview with staff at Makamba
hospital, February 2003. [55]
Information provided by Radio Publique Africaine and Radio Isanganiro, February
2003. [56] Information provided by Radio
Publique Africaine, March 2003. [57]
Ibid. [58] Information provided by Radio
Bonesha and Radio Publique Africaine, May 2003.
[59] Information provided by Radio
Publique Africaine, May 2003. [60]
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
203. [61] Interview with Christophe
Beney, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Bujumbura, 6 November 2002; ICRC, “Annual
Report 2002,” p. 59. [62] Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 542. [63]
“Mine Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” p.
28. [64] Interview with Colonel
Nicodème Ndhuhiribusa, Counsellor at the Cabinet of the Minister of
External Relations and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bujumbura, 5
November 2002. [65] Handicap
International, Landmine Victim Assistance: World Report 2002, Lyon, December
2002, p. 69. [66] Interview with Colonel
Nicodème Ndhuhiribusa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 5 November
2002. [67] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HIB) from Stéphane Lobjois, Program Director, Handicap International
Burundi, 2 July 2003; interview with Robert Burny, Desk Officer, HIB, Brussels,
15 July 2003. [68] Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 542. [69] Interview with
Robert Burny, HIB, 15 July 2003. [70]
Interview with Colonel Ndhuhiribusa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 5 November
2002. [71] HI, World Report 2002, p.
67. [72] Article 1.1.14 of Annex 1 to
the Cease Fire Agreement of 2 December
2002. [73] Interview with Colonel
Ndhuhiribusa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 5 November 2002.
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