Key developments since May 2002: Chad
completed destruction of its stockpile of 4,490 antipersonnel landmines, and
decided to retain no mines for training. Chad has developed a “National
Strategic Plan to Fight Mines and UXO: 2002-2015.” The German NGO HELP
reports clearing 1,935,000 square meters of land in 2002, destroying 2,970 mines
and 6,904 UXO. The Military Hospital in N'djamena registered 200 new mine
casualties in 2002, of which 54 were civilians.
Mine Ban Policy
Chad signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 6 July 1998 and
ratified it on 6 May 1999. The treaty entered into force for Chad on 1 November
1999. Draft legislation to establish an Interministerial High Committee in
charge of the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty and the National Strategic
Plan to Fight Mines and UXO has not yet been
adopted.[1] As of July 2002, the
United Nations had not received Chad’s annual updated Article 7
transparency report, due on 30 April
2003.[2]
Chad participated in the Fourth Meeting of State Parties in September 2002,
and in the Standing Committee meetings in February 2003, but not the May
meetings. Chad co-sponsored but was absent from the vote on UN General Assembly
Resolution 57/74 on the universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty on 22 November 2002.
Production, Transfer and Use
Chad is not known to have produced or exported
antipersonnel mines. A former official from the Central African Republic said
that landmines were brought into the CAR from Chad during the coup attempt in
October 2002.[3] There is no
independent confirmation of this allegation.
Three incidents involving use of antivehicle mines in Chad were reported in
the media in 2002. On 21 April 2002, during Chad's parliamentary elections, the
car of a senior opposition figure, Gueti Mahamat, hit a landmine as he was
traveling on the road to Faya-Largeau airport. He died the next day. A second
mine was found nearby and defused. The authorities and the opposition Movement
for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJT) accused each other of having laid the
mines.[4] They also blamed each
other for the mine explosion on 27 August 2002 in the northern Ennedi region,
causing the death of MDJT leader Youssouf Togoimi and two of his
companions.[5] On 6 September
2002, two military staff of the MDJT were killed in a landmine explosion in the
northern Zouar region.[6]
Stockpiling and Destruction
Chad completed destruction of its antipersonnel
mine stockpile in January 2003, well in advance of its treaty-mandated deadline
of 1 November 2003. It destroyed a total of 4,490 mines in two phases, in
December 2002 and in January
2003.[7] This was 1,687 more
antipersonnel mines than Chad had previously reported in its April 2002 Article
7 report.[8] An additional 1,116
stockpiled antipersonnel mines had been discovered in the region of Ouaddi-Doum,
and another 286 in
Abéché.[9] The
origin of the other mines destroyed has not been reported.
Initially Chad planned to retain some antipersonnel mines for training
purposes, as permitted under Article 3 of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[10] However, it
subsequently decided to destroy all of its antipersonnel
mines.[11]
Landmine Problem, Survey and Assessment
A Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) was conducted in
Chad between December 1999 and May 2001. It identified 249 mine-affected
communities in 23 of the 28 departments surveyed, with 417 different areas
contaminated by mines and UXO, affecting a total of 1,081 square kilometers of
land.[12] The LIS found the
contamination directly interferes with the livelihood and safety of at least
284,435 persons.[13]
The LIS also discovered six active military firing ranges that constitute a
threat to 12 communities with 11,045 inhabitants, as well as information on 25
abandoned ammunition depots that are no longer in use or under control of the
authorities and are a constant danger for the surrounding
communities.[14]
It was impossible to survey the twenty-ninth department, Tibesti in the
north, because of security concerns. The LIS reports however, that Tibesti is
probably the region most heavily contaminated with both mines and
UXO.[15] The National High
Commission on Demining (HCND) planned an impact survey and a technical survey in
Tibesti in 2003.[16] Since the
survey, new mined areas have been discovered, particularly in the Lake region
and the regions of Borkou and
Ennedi.[17]
Mine Action Funding
In its fiscal year 2002 the United States
contributed $441,000 to Chad’s mine action program for emergency medical
air evacuation from remote field operations to
N’djamena.[18] Italy
donated €200,000 (US$190,000) through the UN Development Program
(UNDP).[19] Canada gave a total
of US$21,236 to Chad for stockpile destruction through
UNDP.[20] The German NGO HELP
received €322,272 (US$306,158) from the German government and US$371,430
from Switzerland.[21] In January
2003, HELP indicated that it had received US$1,139,547 from Germany, and
€509,595 from UNDP.[22] It
is not clear for what time period that support applies.
In its own reporting for 2002, the HCND figures are somewhat different. It
reports having received $300,000 from the US; €200,000 each from Germany
and Switzerland; €100,000 from UNDP; US$18,000 from Canada; and
€560,000 from Chad’s own
budget.[23]
For 2003, Chad’s budget for planned mine action activities is
US$3,718,000, of which $1,469,000 had been guaranteed by the government, UNDP,
Canada and Switzerland. As of February 2003, there was still a shortfall of
US$2.25 million.[24] The budget
does not include the planned activities in Tibesti. Those are budgeted
separately for a total of US$8,500,000 for a three-year period
(2003-2005).[25]
Coordination and Planning
The National High Commission on Demining, created
in 1998 as part of the Ministry of Economic Promotion and Development, has
headquarters in N'djamena, and regional offices in Faya Largeau, Fada and
Bardaï. The national training school for demining in N'djamena is attached
to the HCND.[26] A Donors
Committee provides advice and guarantees transparency in
management.[27]
HCND’s role is to prioritize, coordinate, and plan mine action
activities, and assure quality
control.[28] After the Landmine
Impact Survey was completed, in June 2002, Chad developed a “National
Strategic Plan to Fight Mines and UXO: 2002-2015,” to be implemented
through Annual Action Plans, with the goal of freeing the country of the impact
of mines and UXO before the end of
2015.[29]
The National Strategic Plan is tentative as there is no mine-related
information on the Tibesti region and because the information from the LIS needs
to be verified by a technical
survey.[30] The National
Strategic Plan to Fight Mines and UXO is also one of the components of the
“National Strategy to Reduce Poverty:
2001-2015.”[31]
The objectives for the first phase of the national plan (2002-2005), called
the “transitory phase,” are capacity building to define mine policy,
a technical survey and marking of mine-affected areas, mine clearance of the
highly impacted areas, mine risk education in those areas and victim
assistance.[32] It also targets
the reopening of the most important corridors in the Tibesti region and carrying
out a Landmine Impact Survey in that region, and organizing medical air
evacuation.[33]
Since June 1998, UNDP has provided technical assistance and capacity building
to government and HCND staff responsible for the implementation of the National
Strategic Plans.[34] Since August
2002, the HCND has been assisted by a chief technical advisor of the UNDP/UN
Office for Project Services (UNOPS) humanitarian demining
project.[35] The UN reports that
Mine Action Plans are fully integrated and there is a high level of coordination
between government ministries, local authorities, international agencies and
NGOs.[36]
UNDP, through HCND, UNOPS, HELP and Handicap International, continues its
support for the Mine Action Program in Chad in 2003, through capacity building
activities with the HCND, the integration of the results of the LIS into a
long-term strategic plan, the implementation of the Information Management
System for Mine Action (IMSMA), the maintenance of the Regional Mine Action
Center in Faya Largeau, the design and implementation of a Mine Risk Education
(MRE) program and of a victim assistance program, and clearing landmines and UXO
in Ounianga Kebir, Fada and
Iriba.[37] A new technical
advisor was recruited in January 2003 to work on IMSMA, which had not been
operational in the country since
mid-2001.[38]
Mine Clearance
The HCND was created in 1998 as part of a first
National Mine Action Plan.[39]
Initiatives taken by local people to clear mines and UXO themselves constituted
the most important “mine action” activity in the two years prior to
the completion of the Landmine Impact Survey. The results of the LIS were used
to determine Chad's priorities for mine clearance, in areas classified as
“highly impacted.”[40]
The German NGO HELP, in Chad since 2000, is still the only implementing
partner carrying out mine action programs, employing 70 local deminers and one
international supervisor.[41]
According to HCND, in 2002, 43,019 square meters of land were demined,
90,185,750 square meters “dépollué” and 56,227 square
meters “controlled.” A total of 1,283 antipersonnel mines, 433
antivehicle mines and 5,041 UXO were
destroyed.[42] Clearance
activities in 2002 were mainly concentrated on the regions of Fada, Ounianga
Kebir and Guereda and
Massenya.[43]
However, according to HELP, in 2002, it cleared a total surface area of
1,935,000 square meters, destroying 2,970 mines and 6,904 UXO. Clearance took
place in the area around the airport, a house near to the airport, a minefield
on the route to Gouro, two minefields on the hills of Ahtie and Chime, a house
near an ammunition depot of the military caserne in Ounianga Kebir, and the main
road between Ounianga Kebir and Wadi
Doum.[44] On 21 May 2002, these
were “handed over” to the local
authorities.[45] According to
HELP, the cost for the destruction of one mine or piece of UXO is €30, and
the cost to clear one square meter of land is
€2.[46]
Mine Risk Education
In the two years prior to the Landmine Impact
Survey, only five out of the 249 contaminated communities reportedly benefited
from any kind of mine risk
education.[47] The LIS reported
that many people sustain injuries as a result of tampering with weapons,
especially UXO, and concluded that there is a need for a focused MRE program to
reduce tampering with munitions, and a targeted effort to destroy highly
concentrated UXO
“caches.”[48]
At the Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee meeting on Mine Clearance in Geneva
on 29 May 2002, the head of the Chadian Delegation stated that all clearance
should be accompanied by mine risk education programs, with MRE experts
integrated in all mine action
teams.[49] HCND reported that in
2002, MRE activities reduced the number of
casualties.[50] However, MRE
activities were only focused on the sites where clearance took place and
surrounding areas, such as in Fada, Ounianga-Kébir and
Tiné.[51]
Two innovative initiatives, although not yet evaluated, are noteworthy. The
regional HCND offices now have volunteers as focal points in the mine-affected
communities, who pass on messages regarding the danger of mines, as well as
reporting information to the offices on mines or
UXO.[52] The International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) broadcasts messages on Radiodiffusion
Nationale Tchadienne to stress the importance of mine survivors reporting
themselves so they can receive
treatment.[53]
UNICEF plans to help HCND develop an effective MRE strategy, based on the
results of the Landmine Impact Survey, particularly focusing on
children.[54]
The United Nations Landmine and UXO Safety Project (LSP) will hold a workshop
for humanitarian professionals and peacekeepers in Chad in August 2003. The aim
is “to provide UN and NGO staff with safety information, materials and
training that will allow them 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.”[55]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, comprehensive data on new mine/UXO
casualties is not available. HCND occasionally receives reports on incidents,
but up until January 2003 lacked trained personnel to maintain the IMSMA
database.[56] In 2002, HCND
recorded twenty new mine casualties, of which one person was killed and 19
injured.[57]
The Military Hospital in N'djamena registered 200 new mine casualties in
2002, of which 53 were killed, 131 injured and another 16 military personnel
evacuated to Egypt or Sudan. Of the total casualties, 180 were men, 13 were
women, and seven were children; 146 were military personnel. Antipersonnel
mines were the cause of 91 civilian casualties and 20 military, antivehicle
mines caused 77 military casualties, and 12 civilian casualties were the result
of UXO explosions.[58]
According to the ICRC, the Faya Largeau Hospital also treated a
“significant number” of mine casualties in
2002.[59]
Three mine incidents were reported in the media. On 21 April 2002, during
Chad's parliamentary elections, a senior opposition figure was killed after his
car hit a landmine.[60] In
another incident on 27 August 2002 in the northern Ennedi region, three people
died as a result of their injuries, including the MDJT leader, after their
vehicle hit a landmine.[61] On 6
September 2002, two MDJT military personnel were killed in a landmine explosion
in the northern Zouar region.[62]
No deminers were killed or injured in mine accidents in
2002.[63]
The Landmine Impact Survey recorded 339 new mine casualties between 1998 and
2001, of which 122 were killed and 217 injured. The number of “victims of
less recent date” totaled 1,349 casualties, of which 703 were killed and
646 injured.[64]
Casualties continue to be reported in 2003. On 6 March, four people were
injured in a mine explosion, and on 7 March, six people were killed, including
four men, a woman and a baby, and two others injured when their car hit an
antivehicle mine.[65]
Survivor Assistance
In Chad, medical care and rehabilitation services
for mine casualties remain rudimentary. According to the Landmine Impact
Survey, of recent casualties not killed immediately, 181 received some form of
emergency care; however no survivors reported receiving physical rehabilitation
or vocational training. There is reportedly a lack of resources to address the
needs of landmine survivors for physical and psychosocial rehabilitation and
economic reintegration.[66]
One of the objectives of the National Strategic Plan to Fight Landmines and
UXO is to improve mine victim
assistance.[67]
The HCND has an old ambulance to evacuate mine casualties to the hospital in
Faya Largeau. However, under an informal agreement, all Chadian and French
airplanes are obliged to carry landmine casualties free of charge. US funding
for Chad's mine action includes funds to support medical evacuation by air. The
French army operates a surgical unit at the military hospital in N’Djamena
with the capacity to assist mine casualties. The military hospital also
provides continuing medical care for mine survivors. Other hospitals and health
centers reportedly do not have the capacity to do
so.[68] In 2002, the military
hospital registered 200 mine casualties.
In 2002, the ICRC distributed emergency medical supplies to the military
hospital. In April, with approval of the Ministry of Health, the ICRC carried
out an assessment of health care facilities in N’Djamena and the Faya
Largeau region with a view to strengthening the surgical capacity at Faya
Largeau hospital.[69]
Secours Catholique pour le Développement(SECADEV), a Catholic
development organization, runs a prosthetic/orthotic center in N’Djamena.
In 2002, the center fit 90 mine survivors with artificial
limbs.[70] SECADEV is entirely
funded by the ICRC, which also provides material and other technical
support.[71]
The ICRC has also prepared twelve radio programs on the assistance available
for persons with disabilities, in French, Arab and Sara, which will be broadcast
on national and provincial radio in
2003.[72]
The Association for Mutual Aid of Physically Disabled of Chad (Association
d'Entraide des Handicappés Physiques du Tchad - AEHPT) supports persons
with disabilities, mainly in N'djamena. The AEHPT has 2,240 members, of which
118 are mine survivors.[73]
Disability Policy and Practice
There is no legislation protecting the rights of
persons with disabilities in Chad. The Ministry of Social Action and Family is
responsible for issues relating to persons with disabilities, and has developed
a national program.[74]
A National Day for the Disabled, on 7 February each year, is organized under
Decree n°136/PR/MCFAS/94, to promote the development of persons with
disabilities and their reintegration into
society.[75]
[1] Interview with Col. Mahamoud Adam
Béchir, Coordinator, National High Commission on Demining (HCND),
N'Djamena, 3 April 2003; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
163. [2] Landmine Monitor was told that
the report had been completed and given to UNDP Chad for transmittal to New
York. Chad's initial Article 7 Report was submitted on 12 December 2001 and its
first annual update was submitted on 29 April
2002. [3] Telephone interview with Col.
Nassin Niçaise, Officer in Charge of Security Matters, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Central African Republic, 4 February 2003. The mines were
reportedly used by forces loyal to General Bozize, who subsequently seized power
in March 2003. A very small number of antivehicle mines have been found. See
the Central African Republic report in this Landmine Monitor Report
2003. [4] “Interior Minister says
opposition head dies after hitting ‘terrorist’ mine,” Agence
France Presse, 22 April 2002; “Opposition parliamentary candidate killed
in landmine explosion,” Radio France Internationale (in French), 23 April
2002; “Government arrests ‘terrorists’ over killing of
opposition leader,” Agence France Presse, 23 April 2002; “Rebels
accuse regime over opposition leader's death,” Agence France Presse, 24
April 2002. [5] “Chadian rebels say
leader recovering after mine explosion,” Agence France Presse, 30 August
2002; “Chad officials not surprised about rebel leader's emergency
evacuation to Libya,” Radio France Internationale, 30 August 2002;
“Youssouf Togoimi: c'est Déby qui ne sait pas ce qi'il veut,”
l'Observateur, 4 September 2003, p. 2; “Togoimi: a-t-il été
assassiné?,” l'Observateur, 2 October 2003, p.
2. [6] “Army reports two rebel
military chiefs killed by landmine,” Agence France Presse, 10 September
2002; “Rébellion: après Togoimi, deux responsables du MDJT
sautent sur une mine,” Le Progrès, 12 September
2003. [7] HCND, Document number
002/MPDC/HCND/BND/OPS/03, signed by Tadjadine Douda Asskanit, 6 February 2003;
UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), “Report of the Technical Advisor
for Operations, HCND, Antipersonnel Mine Stockpile Destruction December
2002-January 2003,” February 2003, p.
3. [8] Article 7 Report, Form B, 29 April
2002. See also, Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 164 and footnote 11, regarding
addition error on Form B. [9] HCND,
Document 002/MPDC/HCND/BND/OPS/03, 6 February
2003. [10] Article 7 Report, Form D, 29
April 2002. [11] Statement of Mahamoud
Adam Béchir, Coordinator, National High Commission on Demining, Standing
Committee meeting on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 6 February 2003; UNOPS,
“Report of the Technical Advisor for Operations, HCND, Antipersonnel Mine
Stockpile Destruction December 2002-January 2003,” February 2003, p.
2. [12] For more details see Article 7
Report, Form C and Annex II, 12 December 2001 and Article 7 Report, Form C, 29
April 2002. [13] “Landmine Impact
Survey, Republic of Chad,” pp. 13-19,
37-40. [14] Ibid, pp.
25-27. [15] Ibid, p.
13. [16] Presentation on the mine problem
in Chad by Mahamoud Adam Béchir, Coordinator, National High Commission on
Demining, Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 3 February 2003, p.
7. [17] HCND, “National Strategic
Plan to Fight Mines and UXO: 2002-2015,” 21 January 2003, p.
4. [18] This includes $350,000 from the US
State Department and an estimated $91,000 from the Defense Department. US State
Department, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September
2002. [19] “Italy’s Statement
on Mine Action,” Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education
and Mine Action Technologies, 5 February 2003; UN Mine Action Investments
Database. [20] UN Mine Action Investments
Database. The presentation of Mahamoud Adam Béchir at the Standing
Committee meetings, Geneva, 3 February 2003 gave a figure of
US$18,000. [21] Email to the German
Initiative to Ban Landmines from the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 22
April 2003; UN Mine Action Investments Database (accessed on 27 June 2003).
[22] Interview with Peter Willers,
Coordinator, Demining Program, HELP, N'djamena, 25 January
2003. [23] HCND, “Annual Activity
Report 2002,” p. 7. [24]
Presentation by Mahamoud Adam Béchir, National High Commission on
Demining, 3 February 2003. [25]
Ibid. [26] HCND, “Annual Activity
Report 2002,” p. 3. [27] Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 166. [28] HCND,
“Annual Activity Report 2002,” p.
3. [29] HCND, “National Strategic
Plan,” 21 January 2003, p. 6; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
166. [30] HCND, “National Strategic
Plan,” 21 January 2003, pp.
4-5. [31] Ibid, pp.
5-6. [32] HCND, “Annual Activity
Report 2002.” [33] Ibid.; HCND,
“National Strategic Plan,” 21 January 2003, pp.
4-5. [34] Ministry of Economic Promotion
and UNDP, “Support for the Implementation of the National Strategic Plan
to Fight Mines and UXO: 2002-2015, Project
Document.” [35] Mine Action Support
Group, “Newsletter: October 2002,” p.
13. [36] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects: 2003,” October 2002, p.
82. [37] Ibid, pp.
83-84. [38] Interview with Michel
Verrault, Chief Technical Advisor at HCND, UNDP/UNOPS, 14 January
2003. [39] HCND, “National Strategic
Plan,” 21 January 2003. [40]
“Landmine Impact Survey, Republic of Chad,” p. 44; Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 167. [41] Interview with
Peter Willers, Coordinator Demining Program, HELP, N'djamena, 25 January
2003. [42] HCND, “Annual Activity
Report 2002,” p. 5. Apparently the term
“dépollué” is used for clearance of unexploded
ordnance, and the term “controlled” refers to area reduction or
checking, not including clearance. [43]
Ibid. [44] Interview with Peter Willers,
HELP, 25 January 2003. [45] HELP,
“Final Report - Ounianga Kebir and Guereda,” undated; interview with
Peter Willers, HELP, 25 January 2003. [46]
HELP, “Final Report - Ounianga Kebir and
Guereda.” [47] “Landmine
Impact Survey, Republic of Chad,” p.
42. [48] “Landmine Impact Survey,
Republic of Chad, Executive summary,” pp. 3-4,
7. [49] Statement of Lt. Col. Mahamoud
Adam Bechir, Coordinator, HCND, Geneva, 29 May
2002. [50] HCND, “Annual Activity
Report 2002,” p. 6. [51]
Ibid. [52] Interview with M. Kebbir,
Information Officer, HCND Faya Regional Center, Faya, 24 January
2003. [53] Statement of Paul-Henri Arni,
Head of Mission, ICRC Chad, at the meeting of the Donors Committee, N'djamena,
23 January 2003. [54] UN, “Portfolio
of Mine-Related Projects: 2003,” October 2002, p.
82. [55] Email to Landmine Monitor from
Sebastian Kasack, MRE Focal Point, UNMAS, 18 February
2003. [56] Interview with Michel Verrault,
UNDP/UNOPS, 14 January 2003. [57] HCND,
“Annual Activity Report
2002.” [58] Statistics from the
Military Hospital, N'djamena, given to Landmine Monitor on 3 February
2003. [59] ICRC, “Annual Report
2002,” Geneva, June 2003, p.
139. [60] “Interior Minister says
opposition head dies after hitting ‘terrorist’ mine,” Agence
France Presse, 22 April 2002. [61]
“Chadian rebels say leader recovering after mine explosion,” Agence
France Presse, 30 August 2002; and Abakar Saleh, “Rebel Leader Youssouf
Togoimi Dies,” Associated Press, 25 September 2002.
[62] “Army reports two rebel
military chiefs killed by landmine,” Agence France Presse, 10 September
2002. [63] Interview with Peter Willers,
HELP, 25 January 2003. [64] Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, pp. 168-169. [65]
Reports from the regional office of HCND in Faya Largeau to the Head Office in
N'Djamena, 13 March 2003 and 2 April
2003. [66] For more details see Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 169. [67] HCND,
“National Strategic Plan,” 21 January
2003. [68] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 169. [69] ICRC, “Annual Report
2002,” p. 139. [70]
Ibid. [71] Interview with Pierre Sou,
General Director, SECADEV, N'djamena, 24 January
2003. [72] Statement of Paul-Henri Arni,
Head of Mission, ICRC Chad, at a meeting of the Donors Committee, N'djamena, 23
January 2003. [73] Interview with
Abdoulaye Ad Djedid, Secretary General, AEHPT, Ati (Batha), 27 January
2003. [74] Handicap International,
“Landmine Victim Assistance: World Report 2002,” Lyon, December
2002, p. 72. [75] Article 3 of Decree
n°136/PR/MCFAS/94.
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