Key developments since May 2002: The
Democratic Republic of Congo acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 2 May 2002. A
National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel Mines was created on 6 May 2002. The
DRC submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report on 30 April 2003. It
identified 165 mined or suspected mined areas in 11 provinces. Handicap
International Belgium conducted several preliminary landmine surveys and
emergency assessment missions. Between June 2001 and April 2003, HIB cleared
25,756 square meters of land in Kisangani and surrounding areas. Limited mine
clearance has been also been conducted by militaries and MONUC. In 2002 and
2003, HIB destroyed about 1,660 antipersonnel mines stockpiled by rebel forces.
There has been ongoing, and apparently increased, use of antipersonnel mines by
a number of rebel groups in 2002 and 2003.
Background
On 3 April 2003, in Sun City, South Africa,
participants in the inter-Congolese dialogue signed the Final Act of
negotiations, which had begun in October 2001. With this Act, they formally
endorsed a series of agreements to restore peace and national sovereignty to the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a transition period of two
years.[1] Also, in July 2002,
talks between the DRC and Rwanda resulted in an agreement to end the conflict
between the two countries.
The country remains split into three main zones of control. Most of the
north is controlled by the MLC (Mouvement de Liberation du Congo), with support
from Uganda. Much of the east is controlled by the RCD (Rassemblement Congolais
pour la Democratie), supported by the Rwandan army. The government controls the
west and south of the country, with military support from Angola, Zimbabwe and
Namibia. UN military observers from the United Nations Organization Mission in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) are deployed along the frontlines and
in other key locations.[2]
Despite relative calm along the frontlines, the situation in the eastern part
of the country has become more volatile since late 2002, with a proliferation of
armed groups and newly formed militias. According to the UN, “In
particular, fighting has continued between Lendu-based and Hema-based militias
in Ituri, and between RCD-Goma, Mai-Mai, and other armed groups in the
Kivus.”[3]
Humanitarian access is sporadic to non-existent in parts of the
east.[4]
Mine Ban Policy
The Democratic Republic of Congo acceded to the
Mine Ban Treaty on 2 May 2002, and the treaty entered into force for it on 1
November 2002. A National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel Mines was created
on 6 May 2002.[5] In February
2002 a commission was created within the Ministry of Justice to prepare national
implementation legislation.[6]
The DRC has asked for legal assistance from France, Zimbabwe, the UN Development
Program (UNDP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC).[7]
The DRC submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report on 30 April 2003.
An official from the National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel Mines emphasized
that the report is not complete, noting that the annual updates would be more
precise.[8]
The DRC participated in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban
Treaty in September 2002 and in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings
in February and May 2003 in Geneva, including in the Article 7 Contact Group.
It cosponsored but was absent from the November 2002 vote on UN General Assembly
Resolution 57/74 supporting the Mine Ban Treaty.
The DRC participated in the “Seminar on the Implementation of Article 7
of the Ottawa Treaty in Central Africa,” organized by the Belgian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, and held in
Brussels, on 12 and 13 November 2002.
Along with the Republic of Congo and Canada, the DRC organized a workshop on
the “Implementation of the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the DRC
and in the Republic of Congo,” in Brazzaville on 7 and 8 May 2003. The
objectives of the workshop were to inform representatives of the ministries in
charge of the mine issue about treaty obligations and to evaluate its
implementation in both countries. The workshop also sought to formulate
proposals for cooperation in stockpile destruction and mine
clearance.[9] The participants
stressed that the fight against landmines could not be an isolated action, but
needs to be included in the fight against
poverty.[10]
Members of the National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel Mines expressed
their doubts that all of the armed forces in the national territory have an
appropriate understanding of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[11] In May 2002, it had
been announced that the government, with the support of the Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC) and the ICRC, would organize a workshop to educate
the military about the Mine Ban
Treaty.[12] However, it has not
happened due to a lack of
funds.[13] On 15 March 2003,
the Minister of Defense issued a directive regarding stopping the use of
antipersonnel mines by military
forces.[14]
The DRC announced in June 2002 that it had completed internal procedures for
accession to the Convention on Conventional Weapons
(CCW).[15] In May 2003, an
official said they were still waiting for the president’s signature on the
documents.[16]
Non-State Actors Mine Ban Policy
As reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2002, at a May 2002 workshop on
the Mine Ban Treaty in Kinshasa, a representative of the armed opposition group
Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD)-Goma, stated that its forces adhere to the
principles of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[17] This assertion was
reiterated to Landmine Monitor in December
2002.[18] However, as described
below, there are allegations of continued use of antipersonnel mines in the
reporting period by RCD-Goma in joint combat operations with the Union of
Congolese Patriots (UPC) and Hema militias. The RCD is also alleged to have
provided antipersonnel mines to UPC
forces.[19]
In December 2002, the seventh brigade of the Armée Nationale
Congolaise/RCD-Goma handed over a stockpile of antipersonnel mines and
unexploded ordnance (UXO) from their camp in Lukusa to Handicap International
Belgium (HIB) in Kisangani.[20]
However, the ANC has refused to hand over maps of areas where it used mines in
the past, declaring them to be a military
secret.[21]
On 30 December 2002, a cease-fire agreement was signed in Gbadolite, between
the MLC, the RCD-National, and the RCD-MLwith the UN Secretary-General's
deputy special representative in the DRC. The three movements agreed to create
the conditions conducive to clear and destroy
mines.[22] Fighting between the
militias had erupted on 20 December 2002, three days after the signing of the
Pretoria Peace agreement on the formation of an all-inclusive government for the
DRC.[23] However, these forces
continue to use landmines, as described below.
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Stockpile Destruction
The DRC government is not known to have produced or
exported antipersonnel mines, but in the past acquired them from different
sources.[24] The commander of
Ugandan forces in Ituri, Brig. Kale Kayihura, told media that one reason Ugandan
troops seized the airport of Bunia in March 2003, was “to stop further air
shipments of mines.”[25]
Landmine Monitor was unable to find details regarding this assertion of mine
shipments.
In this reporting period, the government did not carry out an inventory or
assessment of its antipersonnel mine
stockpiles.[26] According to
officials, the partition of the country during the war has impeded access to
information from territories not under control of the central government until
April 2003, when the country was
unified.[27] They also stated
that respecting the transparency obligation of the treaty collides with the
desire for military secrecy by those who are responsible for landmine
stockpiles.[28]
On 2 November 2002, the Minister of National Defense asked the General
Commissioner of the Government to urge all signatories of the Lusaka Peace
Agreements to communicate precise information on types, quantities and location
of stockpiled antipersonnel
mines.[29] Further, on 19
February 2003, he asked the Chef d'Etat-Major Interarmées of the
Congolese Armed Forces to communicate as soon as possible the numbers and
categories of mines owned by the Congolese Armed Forces, the progress of
destruction programs and the location of mined
areas.[30] The DRC has asked
the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) for technical
assistance for its future stockpile
destruction.[31]
At the May 2003 meeting of the Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on
Stockpile Destruction, the DRC representative stated that his country would not
wait until the submission of its next transparency report on 30 April 2004 to
publicly reveal new information. He also noted that they are aware “of
the existence of several small stocks isolated in certain parts of the
country...that need to be integrated in the global inventory of stockpiles and
to be destroyed.” He said that this could only be done “at the
rhythm of the return of
peace.”[32]
In December 2002, HIB destroyed 15 antipersonnel mines found in an old
ammunition depot in
Bangboka.[33] Also in December
2002, the seventh brigade of the ANC/RCD-Goma handed over a stockpile of
antipersonnel mines and UXO to HIB in Kisangani. According to the DRC's Article
7 Report, the stockpile contained these mines: 398 PMA2s, 81 TS50s, 62 M2A4s, 6
Claymore Z1s and 115
PRBMs.[34]According to
HIB, there were 20 fewer M2A4
mines.[35] These mines were
destroyed between 9 and 15 December 2002; 62 antivehicle mines of RCD's
stockpile were destroyed at the same
time.[36] National media
covered the stockpile destruction. However, RCD-Goma has not publicly revealed
more information on other stockpiles, considering the information a military
secret.[37]
According to the Article 7 Report, HIB destroyed another 675 Claymore Z1s,
274 PRBMs and 5 POMZs on 4 April 2003 in Bunia in Ituri
district.[38] These mines had
been handed over to MONUC by the Ugandan army after they seized them from the
UPC.[39] According to HIB, the
mines destroyed also included 64 TS50s, along with 57 antivehicle
mines.[40]
Thus, in 2002 and 2003, HIB reports destroying from rebel stockpiles 1,660
antipersonnel mines and 119 antivehicle mines, as well as thousands of pieces of
UXO.[41]
Other non-state actors reportedly also possess stockpiles of antipersonnel
mines.
The RCD-ML claims to have discovered an MLC weapons arsenal, which included
antipersonnel mines during the fighting in Mambassa in October
2002.[42] During a
confrontation in March 2003, a stockpile of antipersonnel mines was abandoned by
the MLC (backed by RCD-National) and seized by the RCD-ML in Komanda. Other
stocks of antipersonnel mines were reportedly abandoned in Bunia, Bogoro,
Mambassa and Mandro after various
confrontations.[43]
Use
Landmines have been, and continue to be, a
significant feature in the DRC conflict. All past Landmine Monitor Reports
have cited allegations of use by virtually all forces fighting in the DRC
since 1998. In the past, there were persistent allegations of mine use by the
forces of the DRC government and the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD),
as well as the forces of the governments of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and
Zimbabwe.[44]
In each of its reports, Landmine Monitor has stressed that while it was clear
mines were being laid, it was impossible to verify responsibility for that use,
particularly in view of charges, counter-charges and denials by all parties.
Moreover, it is often difficult to determine when mines were
laid.[45] In its 2003
“Portfolio of Mine-Related Projects,” the United Nations states,
“It appears certain that most of the belligerents, including all
international allies, have laid landmines extensively, especially along the
successive confrontation
lines.”[46]
Mines continued to be used in the DRC in this reporting period, especially in
and around Bunia since the end of 2002. A number of mine casualties have
occurred and stockpiles of mines have been found in places where no mines or
casualties had formerly been reported, such as in the Ituri district of Oriental
province, where savage fighting has been taking place since December
2002.[47] In his May 2003
report on the DRC to the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General states,
“The [MONUC] mission will also advocate that all parties stop the use of
landmines and provide information on mined
areas.”[48]
The DRC states that it has ceased using antipersonnel mines in the
territories under government control since its accession to the Mine Ban
Treaty.[49] Landmine Monitor
has not received any allegations of mine use by government forces in the past
two years. An official said it had been impossible for the government to stop
or punish use of antipersonnel mines by other forces engaged in the ongoing
fighting in the east of the
country.[50] Under Article 9 of
the Mine Ban Treaty, a State Party must take all appropriate measures “to
prevent and suppress” use of antipersonnel mines “by persons or on
territory under its jurisdiction or control.”
Allegations of Use by Non-state Actors
As reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2002, on 3 May 2002, at a mine
ban workshop in Kinshasa, the RCD-Goma admitted having used mines, but stated
that “it adhered to the principles of the Mine Ban Treaty and would try to
respect it.”[51] However,
since then Landmine Monitor has gathered information from numerous sources
regarding the ongoing use of antipersonnel mines by RCD-Goma, in joint combat
operations with the UPC.
In October 2002, the UN Secretary-General said, “Reportedly, UPC has
used mines in the recent fighting around
Bunia.”[52] In his report
of February 2003, the Secretary-General stated, “The period since my last
report has seen a worrying increase in the use of mines and improvised explosive
devices in the north-east both in Ituri and in the recent operations between
RCD-K/ML and MLC in the Isiro-Beni area. Specific reports have been received of
mine-related incidents in Bunia, Nyankunde, Rethy, Oicha, and
Manguina.”[53]
A DRC-based NGO reported from Bunia that the RCD-ML accused the UPC of
having used landmines in Ituri during fighting between the two forces in
2002.[54] Numerous sources have
stated that RCD-Goma, together with UPC and the Armée Patriotique
Rwandaise (APR), systematically mined the city of Bunia before their retreat in
March 2003.[55] When an
Agence France Presse journalist visited Bunia in April 2003, about a
dozen people were being treated in the hospital for landmine injuries sustained
on the outskirts of the
town.[56] On 19 May 2003, a
25-year-old man lost his right hand when a mine exploded in the central
marketplace of Bunia.[57]
The UPC/RCD-Goma coalition reportedly also used mines in Mandro, Mwanga,
Mahagi, Ngongo and Tsai.[58]
Between January and March 2003, after the UPC left Lendu Ngiti between Gety and
Bogoro, they are reported to have planted mines along the
road.[59] In April 2003, it was
reported that a Ugandan soldier died in early 2003 from a mine blast in Irumu,
40 kilometers west of Bunia.[60]
When the UPC attacked the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) tactical
headquarters at the airport, they reportedly planted four mines across the
airport road.[61] In return,
the UPC has accused the Lendu militia, supported by the RCD-ML, of using
antivehicle and antipersonnel mines in the city of Bunia, on the road between
Bunia-Nyakunde-Komanda and also in Nyakundu, in January
2003.[62]
In October 2002, the RCD-ML accused the MLC of using antipersonnel mines in
Mambassa. RCD-ML claims to have found stocks of antipersonnel mines abandoned by
the MLC during its retreat from
Mambasa.[63] Various sources
have alleged that the MLC and the RCD-National used antipersonnel mines between
May and September 2002 in Gombari over a five-kilometer area between the
military base of Gombari and the Indula River, and in Wamba, at the
Betongwe-Wamba crossroad.[64]
According to health personnel of the Haut Uélé district, both
antivehicle mines and antipersonnel mines were
used.[65]
Rwanda
Rwanda has reportedly supported RCD-Goma, UPC and its Hema allies, all of
whom have allegedly used antipersonnel mines in the reporting period. The
nature and extent of Rwanda’s support is not clear. Under Article 1 of
the Mine Ban Treaty, a State Party may not “under any
circumstance...assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any
activity that is prohibited to a State Party under this Convention.”
Landmine Problem, Survey and Assessment
No nationwide survey or assessment has been
conducted in the DRC. Officials have stressed the need for an urgent Landmine
Impact Survey.[66] A technical
survey, to be carried out with the Republic of Congo and Angola on their common
borders, is also
contemplated.[67]
The DRC's first Article 7 Report gives information on suspected
mine-contaminated areas on its territory, which was provided by the Mine Action
Coordination Center (MACC), established under
MONUC.[68] But, the MACC has
emphasized that their maps are only as good as the underlying information, which
is not confirmed in most
cases.[69] The report lists 165
sites in 11 of the provinces of the country. Areas mined or suspected to be
mined include:
Bandundu Province: Kahungula and Tembo (Kwango district).
Bas-Congo Province: Yema (Boma district); Kimpangu, Kindopolo and Songololo
(Cataractes district); Kasangulu, Mvululu and Tampa (Lukaya district); and Ango
Ango (Matadi district).
Equateur Province: Basankusu, Bolomba, Bolongo, Bomongo, Boso-Semodja,
Edugulu-Libaha, Losombo and Mondjo (Equateur district); Mbandaka (Mbandake
district); Akula and Lisala (Mongala district); Businga, Gbadolite, Karawa and
Popolo (Ubangi North district); Budjala, Gemena and Libenge (Ubangi South
district); and Anzi, Befori, Boende, Bokungu, Bomandja, Bongoi, Bulukutu, Ene,
Ikeal, Maboka, Monde, Mondombe, Pombo, Yalusaka and Yayenga (Tshuapa
district).
Western Kasai Province: Domiongo and Tshikapa (Kasi district); and
Bena-Leka, Beya-Bwanga, Bululu, Dimbelenge, Diomba, Mpoyi, Mwetshi and Tshimbadi
(Lulua district).
Eastern Kasai Province: Gandajika, Kabinda, Kamana, Kileta, Kitenge, Lubap,
Senteri, Tangala and Tunda (Kabinda district); Mbuji-Mayi (Mbuji-Maji district);
Lusambo and Pumbu (Sankuru district); and Kadimadiba and Miabi (Tshilenge
district).
North Kivu Province: Beni, Eringite, Goma, Muhanga and Walikale (North Kivu
district).
Orientale Province: Aketi, Bili, Buta, Dingila and Kumu (Bas-Uele district);
Bambu and Watsa (Haut-Uele district); Aru, Badiya, Bambu, Bogoro, Bule, Bunia,
Chai, Dele, Fataki, Irumu, Itende, Komanda, Lengabo, Mahagi, Mambasa, Moanga,
Mongbwalu, Ndrele, Nizi, Nyakunde, Rethy, Songolo and Zumbe (Ituri district);
Bangboka and Kisangani (Kisangani district); and Bafwasende, Banalia, Basoko,
Bengamisa, Lobolo, Maiko, Mombongo, Opala, Simba, Ubundu, Wanie-Rukula, Yahila
and Yahuma (Tshopo district).
South Kivu Province: Baraka, Fizi, Lueba, Runingo, Shabunda, Uvira and
Walungu (South Kivu district).
Handicap International Belgium also provided information on mine-affected
areas in the DRC, which has been gathered through several preliminary landmine
impact surveys and emergency assessment missions carried out in 2002 and 2003.
Between June and November 2002, HIB conducted a socio-economic landmine impact
survey in five mine-affected areas around the city of Kisangani, Oriental
Province: Kandangba, Ngene Ngene, La Forestière, Bangboka and
Batiebombe.[70]
Between July 2002 and March 2003, HIB also carried out a Landmine Impact
Survey in Kisangani,[71] and
several preliminary impact surveys/emergency assessment missions, including: on
the corridors between Kisangani-Banalia and
Kisangani-Isangi;[72] between
Kisangani-Bafwasende;[73] in
Ikela;[74] in
Kindu[75] on the
Kindu-Kalima-Shabunda
corridor,[76] and in Djolu and
Bokungu.[77] The objectives of
those missions were to locate mine/UXO-affected areas, to evaluate the
socio-economic impact of mines and UXO on the population and to make a census of
the victims.[78] At the same
time, minefields or suspected areas were marked and antipersonnel mines and UXO
were recorded and photographed to facilitate future clearance
operations.[79]
In addition to the sites reported by the MACC in the DRC Article 7 report,
HIB found an additional 22 suspected mine-affected sites in seven of the same
provinces.[80]
These include:
Equateur Province: Bumba-Ndobo (railway bridge) and Businga.
South Kivu Province: It is believed that Makobolo and the Ruzizi Valley
near the border with Burundi, are mined
too.[83]
Information from HIB’s reports gives snapshots of the landmine problem
in some of the mine-affected sites. For example, in Bokungu and Boende, in
Equateur Province, in the Boende-Bokungu corridor, on both sides of the
Tshuapa River, eleven areas are suspected to be mined. In 2002, one of them,
Bowe, was only partially cleared by the Congolese Armed Forces. Areas that have
been abandoned due as they are suspected mined include a palm plantation in
Yakomba, the Momata harbor in Bokungu, and the forest between Isambo harbor and
the village of Elongo in
Boanga.[84]
In Kindu, in Maniema Province, the population suspects former Rwandese
positions to be contaminated with antipersonnel mines. Although Mechem verified
the proximity of the airstrips of Kindu as being mine-free, people abandoned
vast areas surrounding the airport. The city of Kindu and its surroundings are
polluted by UXO.[85]
Between June and November 2002, the socio-economic impact survey carried out
by HIB in five mine-affected areas around the city of Kisangani, in Oriental
Province -- Bangboka, Batiebombe, Kandangba, La Forestière, and
Ngene Ngene – provided information about the impact of the mines. In the
area surveyed, antipersonnel mines were laid in 1997 by Mobutu’s army and
Yugoslav mercenaries mainly on routes to halt the progression of Kabila's AFDL
(Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo),
and to protect strategic points. After Kabila seized power, areas were partially
cleared between May and August 1998 by AFDL deminers, but when RCD took control
of the region, mine clearance
ceased.[86] So far two
minefields have been identified in Kandangba: four hectares north of a former
base camp of Yugoslav mercenaries, and another 30 hectares to the right of PK
21[87] coming from
Kisangani.[88] Yugoslav PMA2s,
Belgian M35s, American M2A4s, Italian TS50s and Chinese 72 mines have been
found.[89]
Some 17,000 Ugandan soldiers had been stationed in La Forestière, and
in 2000, they allegedly mined the access routes to their three camps.The majority of mines were removed when they left La Forestière,
however landmine incidents have continued to
happen.[90] Uganda has denied
using mines in the DRC. Over the five areas surveyed around Kisangani, a total
of 1,310 hectares of land are suspected to be mined and an estimated 17,000
people are exposed to the danger of mines between Kisangani and PK
21.[91] More than 90 percent of
the people who enter dangerous areas do so to tend
crops.[92] Between 85 and 98
percent of the persons who enter mined areas are aware of the presence of mines,
but have only an approximate knowledge of their location. So, while taking
risks, they also often avoid vast areas or entire roads, although there may only
be a few mines. At least 1,000 persons have had to abandon cultivated
fields.[93]
Other suspected sites in Oriental Province include the Kisangani-Bafwasende
corridor, where twelve villages were mined by Mobutu’s army in 1997. The
inhabitants have abandoned forests, water wells, a graveyard, plantations and
other cultivatable fields.[94]
InIkela, at least 100 hectares of fertile soil and two water wells have
been abandoned.[95] In
Bengamisa,mines were allegedly laid by the Rwandans in 1998 to protect a
mass grave of refugees from Biaro, and approximately one hectare has been
abandoned, which used to be used for hunting and foraging. An access site to the
Lindi River for fishing also is no longer
used.[96] Finally, in Ituri
district, mines reportedly planted by the UPC, and earlier by the Armée
Populaire du Congo, have caused humanitarian agencies to limit the reach of
their operational areas.[97]
For example, on 24 May 2003, a spokeswoman of UN investigators looking into
allegations of massacres said, “We have received information about new
corpses, but in a place we can not reach because of
landmines.”[98] Thousands
of people fleeing the fighting in this area are on the move, camping out in
forests littered with
landmines.[99] Mines have also
reportedly been placed around wells, maiming people who have gone to fetch
water.[100]
Mine Action Funding
The DRC has no national budget for mine action. An
official said it will be considered when a national action plan is
formulated.[101]
A January 2002 UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) program, “Mine Action
Assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” was funded through the UN
Voluntary Trust Fund for Mine Action (VTF). However, UNMAS subsequently
requested that funds be allocated under the MONUC Assessed Budget from July 2002
through June 2003, and a new project was established: “Mine Action in
support of MONUC.” Accordingly, UNMAS and UNOPS signed a memorandum of
agreement for this project in August 2002, which provided funding for four
international experts and three demining contracts. All other costs were
provided through VTF.[102]
Canada provided US$23,574 for conference support and $3,132 for mine risk
education activities in the
DRC.[103]
For 2002, HIB received €1,500,000 (US$1,450,000) from Belgium for its
program in Kisangani,[104] which
helped support five international staff and 62 local staff in
Kisangani.[105] In August 2002,
US AID, through the Omega program, allocated $792,024 to HIB to be spent over
three years on its rehabilitation work in
DRC.[106]
Coordination and Planning
The National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel
Mines was created on 6 May
2002.[107] In addition to
coordinating all mine action activities, its tasks include development of an
action plan, writing the Article 7 reports, promoting the understanding of the
Mine Ban Treaty, mobilizing international help and expertise, and educating the
public about the danger of
mines.[108] However, five years
of war have hindered the DRC’s ability to elaborate a mine action
plan.[109] The DRC has stressed
the need for an urgent national Landmine Impact Survey in order to be able to
create any realistic and efficient action plan or to set determining
priorities.[110]
Under UN Security Council Resolution 1291 of 2000, MONUC established a Mine
Action Coordination Center (MACC) in Kinshasa and a regional MACC office in
Kisangani in February 2002. The focal point for mine action in the DRC, MACC is
to provide expertise to MONUC, to the national authorities, and to the
humanitarian community, through coordination and assistance in implementing mine
action activities.[111] Its
primary objectives are to develop and maintain a reliable mine/UXO information
system, based on the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA); to
deploy several mobile survey teams to implement emergency surveys; to implement
emergency mine action activities; and to assist UNICEF in developing a
nationwide prevention
campaign.[112] MACC will also
assist MONUC in implementing urgent survey operations of suspected mined
airfields.[113] Its goal is
also “as soon as the situation allows, to assist the national authorities
in developing a medium to long term mine action plan.”
[114]
From May to December 2002, the MACC collected a number of mine-related
reports from various organizations, which were loaded into the Dangerous Area
module of IMSMA.[115] This form
was used in Form C of the Article 7 Report of 30 April 2003. All of these
reports require verification, which is to be one of the key tasks of the MACC in
2003.[116] On 29 January 2003,
DRC authorities delegated the power of accreditation of NGOs active in mine
action and of mine clearance quality control to the
MACC.[117]
Mine Clearance
Most parties to the conflict in the DRC conducted
military mine clearance in the past to facilitate the movement of their own
troops.[118] In 2002 this was
the case in Bunia and on the Bunia-Nyakunde-Komanda road, in Ituri District,
Oriental Province by UPC.[119]
In November 2002, the Army conducted clearance in Bowe, in the Boende to Bokungu
corridor, in Equateur
province.[120]
MONUC has cleared areas where UN observers operate in Ikela, Kindu and
Bunia.[121] In Kindu, the
immediate proximity of the runways of the airport has been verified as mine-free
by Mechem, the South African commercial demining
firm.[122] Mechem has also
cleared the Manono airport in Katanga, under MONUC
contract.[123]
Handicap International Belgium is the only NGO carrying out humanitarian mine
clearance in the DRC. In 2002, HIB's demining team was composed of 28 local
deminers, trained by HIB, one technical advisor and one senior technical
advisor.[124] Three more
deminers and one mechanic have been trained to use a vegetation cutter called
the Tempest, which reduces grass cutting time by up to 80 percent in areas of
heavy vegetation/swamp.[125] It
is produced in Cambodia by a non-profit organization, employing landmine
survivors.[126]
Between June 2001 and April 2003, HIB cleared 25,756 square meters in
Kisangani and surrounding areas: 1,424 square meters at the Mutumbi school;
2,764 square meters in La Forestière; and 21,568 square meters in
Kadangba. A total of 34 antipersonnel mines were
found.[127]
Since May 2003, HIB’s mine clearance, survey and data collection
programs have been suspended for lack of funds; personnel have been reduced to
15. MRE activities
continue.[128] During its
2002-2003 landmine surveys/assessments, dangerous areas were
marked.[129]
In Wamba, Watsha and Mungbere in Haut Uélé district, the local
population marked mined areas as
dangerous.[130] Local
populations have also cleared mines and UXO, as in the case in Kandangba and
Batiebombe (Kisangani, Oriental Province), where people threw them in holes or
in rivers.[131]
In March 2003, the Danish NGO DanChurchAid conducted an exploratory mission
to DRC, to evaluate the socio-economic impact of
landmines.[132] It is planning
a program for mine clearance, mine risk education and victim
assistance.[133]
Mine Risk Education
The DRC has no national mine risk education (MRE)
plan.[134] Handicap
International Belgium is the main actor providing MRE in the DRC, but only in
Kisangani and its surroundings up to 122
kilometers.[135] In 2002, HIB
conducted 99 sensitization sessions, reaching 34,109
people.[136] Additionally, in
October 2002, HIB conducted 16 sessions, which benefited 3,081 people in Ikela,
Oriental Province.[137] Between
January and March 2003, another 17 MRE sessions were held, for 1,739
persons.[138] Locations are
chosen for their proximity to combat zones, military bases and camps, and areas
where incidents took place or are suspected to be
mined.[139]
MRE activities are either “direct” (20 to 45 minute sessions
focused on raising awareness of the danger of mines and UXO and educating people
about appropriate behavior when facing mine danger) or “intensive”
(three consecutive days of training, focused on educating children and their
parents through creative workshops and
presentations).[140] Messages
about the danger of mines are also played on National Congolese Television and
Radio and on Tele Boyoma.[141]
The MRE sessions are considered successful, as no civilian casualties occurred
in Kisangani in the reporting
period.[142]
UNICEF has reported that it works through UNMAS to inform and educate
children and adults about the danger of landmines/UXO and to enhance community
based projects, especially in high impacted
areas.[143] UNICEF, UNHCR and
MACC are preparing a MRE project for Angolan refugees living in the DRC who are
expected to be repatriated to Angola in
2003.[144]
The Congolese Physicians for Peace have organized four training sessions on
the mine issue for NGOs in
Kisangani.[145] The
Kinshasa-based NGO Agence de Diffusion du Droit International Humanitaire en
Afrique Centrale conducted a few sensitization sessions through theater and
songs.[146]
Landmine Casualties
The DRC has no nation-wide data collection
mechanism[147] and instability
within the country makes comprehensive information on landmine/UXO casualties
difficult to obtain. In 2002, there were at least 32 new mine/UXO casualties
in the DRC. In April 2002, an antivehicle mine destroyed a minibus in Barraka,
South Kivu, causing 18 civilian
casualties.[148] An incident in
Ikela, on 13 May 2002, killed one peacekeeper, a colonel from Algeria, and
injured another, a major from
India.[149] In Kindu, Maniema
Province, at least one civilian was killed in a UXO
incident.[150] In December
2002, a Congolese deminer, working with HIB, lost a leg after stepping on a mine
in La Forestière. He was evacuated to a hospital in Nairobi,
Kenya.[151] Landmine Monitor
recorded another ten new mine casualties in
2002.[152]
The MACC database recorded 18 new mine casualties in
2002.[153]
In 2001, Landmine Monitor recorded 135 new mine casualties, including 92
military personnel,[154] whereas
the MACC recorded only 9 new mine casualties in the same
period,[155] giving an
indication of the difficulties in providing comprehensive statistics on mine
casualties in the DRC.
Between June 2002 and April 2003, HIB conducted a survey on mine and UXO
casualties in Kisangani and areas within a 150-kilometer radius. The survey
recorded a total of 87 mine/UXO casualties, of which 53 occurred in 1997, six in
1998, two in 1999, 21 in 2000, two in 2001, and three in 2002. The majority of
incidents, 76 percent, occurred on tracks in the bush. Civilians accounted for
88 percent of the casualties, and 42 percent were fleeing a conflict or
returning to their homes after a
conflict.[156]
The MACC database contains records on 257 mine casualties including 42
children, since 1965; 120 people were killed, 136 injured, and one reported no
physical injuries. The majority, 219 casualties, occurred in the period from
1997 to June 2003.[157]
The MACC recorded ten new mine casualties to June
2003.[158] Reported incidents
include a Ugandan soldier killed in a mine blast in Irumu, 40 kilometers west of
Bunia, in early 2003.[159] On 26
April 2003, a Russian military observer with the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) was
killed and another seriously injured when their vehicle drove over a mine at
Komanda, 60 kilometers south of Bunia. The survivor was evacuated to
Kisangani.[160]
Survivor Assistance
The health care system in the DRC has deteriorated,
facilities are limited if not destroyed, there are insufficient medical and
paramedical personnel to meet the needs, and there is a lack of equipment and
medicines.[161] Two out of
three casualties reportedly die because of the lack of appropriate
assistance.[162] Of the
estimated 400 health centers in the DRC, 212 have reportedly been
closed.[163]
The ICRC works with the Red Cross Society of Democratic Republic of the Congo
(RCDRC) to train first-aid volunteers and stretcher-bearers. In 2002, this
program trained 2,200 first aid volunteers and 500 army stretcher-bearers in
first-aid. The ICRC supplied 9 first aid posts, and treated 188
war-wounded.[164]
Although the cease-fire made the military situation calmer than in previous
years, hospitals in the DRC still lacked the materials and skilled staff needed
to give the war-wounded appropriate treatment. In the east, the ICRC continued
its regular support for hospitals in Kisangani, Uvira and Kalemie, and gave ad
hoc support to other facilities. It also assisted hospitals treating the war
wounded in Kinshasa, Kamina and Lubumbashi, in the west. An ICRC surgeon spent
one month working with Congolese surgeons and giving on-the-job training in
government controlled areas, while another made several teaching missions to
cities in the East. The ICRC is assisting seven hospitals on an ongoing basis.
In 2002, these hospitals admitted over 12,700 patients including over 590
war-wounded (one percent of which were
mine-injured).[165]
In Kinshasa, the RCDRC, in cooperation with the ICRC, run the Kalembe-Lembe
prosthetic/orthotic workshop. In 2002, the center produced 182 prostheses, 14
orthoses, and distributed 222 pairs of
crutches.[166] Two prostheses
and two orthoses were for mine survivors. People pay for services according to
their income. The production cost for prostheses is US$600-700, but most people
pay only about one-third of the
cost.[167] Since 1 January
2003, the RCDRC has managed the workshop, but the ICRC continues to provide
direct assistance to war
amputees.[168]
In Goma, the Shirika la Umoja center provides physical rehabilitation and
socio-economic reintegration for persons with disabilities, including landmine
survivors.[169]
In Mbuji-Mayi, HIB supports a rehabilitation center based in the Saint
Jean-Baptiste Hospital. In 2002, the center produced 217 orthoses, 15 crutches
and other assistive devices. The center provided assistance to about 1,000
people, but few landmine survivors are reported in the area. The project is
funded by the European Union, in the framework of the PATS
program.[170]
In Kisangani, the Simana Rehabilitation Center provides physical
rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration for persons with disabilities,
including mine survivors. In 2002, the center assisted eight mine survivors.
Three received tricycles and wheelchairs, and the other five received crutches
and benefited from physiotherapy treatments. MONUC bought tricycles for two
mine survivors and three war victims. In 2002, the center received U.S.$15,000
from MONUC.[171]
NGOs and other agencies also supported individual mine survivors. Caritas
Kisangani provides financial support to the families of two mine
survivors,[172] and the ICRC
assisted a thirteen-year-old girl who lost both legs after a mine incident. She
was transferred to the Shirika la Umoja rehabilitation center in Goma to be
fitted with prostheses.[173]
At the local level persons with disabilities are assisted by CENAPHI
(National Center of Professional Training for the Physically Disabled –
Centre National d'Apprentissage Professionnel pour Handicapés et
Invalides Physiques), INAV (National Institute for Bline Men – Institut
National pour les Aveugles), ISMK (Institute for the Deaf – Institut pour
les Sourds-Muets), CAP (Women’s Center for Professional Training –
Centre d'Apprenstissage Professionnel), the Kikesa center (professional training
and income generating activities) and FECOPEHA (Congolese Federation for Persons
with Disabilities – Fédération Congolaise des Personnes
Handicapées).[174]
Disability Police and Practice
The DRC has no specific legislation for mine
survivors, but acknowledges their obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty to
provide assistance, and reportedly seeks legal advice to draft appropriate
legislation.[175] On 3 May
2002, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative stated that, according to a
decree of the transitional government, all persons with disabilities have access
to healthcare, education and jobs within the
administration.[176] Mine
survivors are classified under the category “vulnerable” without
distinction to the cause of their
disability.[177]
The Ministry of Defense is responsible for issues relating to disabled
military personnel. The Coordination Department of Rehabilitation Activities
for People with Disabilities (DICOREPHA, Direction de Coordination des
activités de réadaptation des personnes handicapées), under
the aegis of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Family, is responsible for
all issues relating to persons with
disabilities.[178]
In February 2002, a social fund for mine survivors was created at the level
of the Presidency of the
DRC.[179]
[1] For more information about the
agreements, see “Second special report of the Secretary-General on the
United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo,” UN Security Council, S/2003/566, 27 May
2003. [2] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects: 2003,” October 2002, p. 98, available at
www.mineaction.org. [3]
“Second special report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” UN Security
Council, S/2003/566, 27 May 2003. [4]
UN, “Portfolio of Mine-Related Projects: 2003,” October 2002, p.
98. [5] Ministerial Decree No. 0001 of 6
May 2002, reported in Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. [6] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30
April 2003. [7] Interview with
Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, Director, International Organizations,
DRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Brazzaville
(Republic of Congo), 8 May 2003; see also, Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. [8] Interview with Capt. Emmanuel
Kanyamukenge, Vice-President of the DRC National Commission to Fight
Antipersonnel Mines, Brazzaville (Republic of Congo), 7 May
2003. [9] Invitation to the ICBL to the
workshop, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Francophonie
of the Republic of Congo and the Canadian Embassy in the Republic of Congo, 9
April 2003. [10] Press release after the
workshop on the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo, 8 May 2003. [11]
Interview with Capt. Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, 7 May 2003; interview with
Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, Director of International Organizations,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Capt.
Kanyamukenge, Vice-President of the DRC National Commission to Fight
Antipersonnel Mines, during the Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 14 May
2003. [12] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 195. [13] Interview with Capt.
Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, 7 May 2003. [14]
Ministerial Note n° MDN/CAB/11/903/2003; Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. [15] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 195. [16] Interview with Capt.
Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, 7 May 2003. [17]
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
195-196. [18] Interview with Col. Ngizo,
RCD-Goma, Kinshasa, December 2002; interview with Jean-Pierre Lola Kisanga,
Spokesman, RCD-Goma, Goma, 25 December
2002. [19] Interviews with refugees from
Ituri refugee camp in Kampala, April 2003; José Deschartes (journalist),
on Radio Okapi, discussing MONUC mission report, April 2003.
[20] Interviews with Stephane Jooris,
Program Director, and Jerome Cassou, Coordinator, Survey and Data Collection
Program, Handicap International Belgium, Kisangani, 20 March 2003; HIB, Table:
“Bilan enlèvements et destructions de stocks de munitions par HIB
entre 11/2002 et 05/2003,” May
2003. [21] Interview with military
officers of RCD-Goma, Kisangani, February
2003. [22] “Rival Militias Sign
Cease Fire Deal,” IRIN, 31 December 2002. Signing the cease-fire were
Jean-Pierre Bemba for MLC, Roger Lumbala for RCD-N, and Mbusa Nyamwisi for
RCD-ML. [23] “Rival Militias Sign
Cease Fire Deal,” IRIN, 31 December
2002. [24] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 196. [25] “UN blows up
mines,” IRIN, 7 April 2003. [26]
Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. [27] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, Director of International Organizations, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, at the Standing Committee
meeting on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 May 2003; interview with Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi and Capt. Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, Geneva, 14 May
2003. [28] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 15 May 2003; interview with Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi and Capt. Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, 14 May
2003. [29] Presentation by Capt.
Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, Vice-President of the National Commission to Fight
Antipersonnel Mines, at the workshop on the Implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 7 May 2003; Ministerial Note
n° MDN/CAB/02/3176/2002; Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. [30] Presentation by Capt.
Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, 7 May 2003; Ministerial note MDN/CAB/11/628/2003; Article
7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2003. [31]
Presentation by Capt. Emmanuel Kanyamukenge, 7 May
2003. [32] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 15 May
2003. [33] Email to Landmine Monitor
from Jerome Cassou, Survey Manager, HIB, 4 June 2003; HIB, “Bilan UXO
trouvés à Kisangani en
2002.” [34] Article 7 Report, Form
G, 30 April 2003. [35] Interview with
Mark Russel, Head Office Senior Technical Advisor, HIB, Brussels, 4 June 2003;
HIB, Table: “Bilan enlèvements et destructions de stocks de
munitions par HIB entre 11/2002 et 05/2003,” May
2003. [36] HIB, Table: “Bilan
enlèvements et destructions de stocks de munitions par HIB entre 11/2002
et 05/2003,” May 2003. [37]
Several interviews with political and military leaders of the RCD-Goma in Goma
and in Kisangani in December 2002 and January 2003; interview with an unnamed
ANC Battalion Commander, Yahuma, 7 December
2002. [38] Article 7 Report, Form G, 30
April 2003. [39] Ibid.; “UN
soldier killed, another wounded, in DR Congo mine blast,” Agence France
Presse, 26 April 2003; information given by MONUC on Radio Okapi, 18 March 2003;
interview with Ugandan military in Bunia, March
2003. [40] HIB, Table, May
2003. [41] HIB, “Bilan des
Activités EOD,” May
2003. [42] “Dirigente anuncia uso
de minas anti-pessoal pelo MLC” (Leader announces use of antipersonnel
mines by MLC), IRIN, 29 October
2002. [43] Report by José
Deschartes, Radio Okapi, April 2003; interviews with members of eight families
of antipersonnel mine victims in Ituri, between January and April 2003; letter
to Landmine Monitor (CCP), from Bernnard Mbula Lombhe Musongela, member of
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War/DRC, 30 March
2003. [44] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
pp. 196-198. [45]
Ibid. [46] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects: 2003,” October 2002, p.
99. [47] “Second Special Report of
the Secretary General on the UNO mission in the Democratic Republic of
Congo,” UN Security Council, S/2003/566, 27 May 2003, par. 14. The
report states, “On 26 April 2003 at Komanda, one military observer has
been killed and another wounded in a landmine accident on a road that had
previously been used by MONUC patrols. The team has been evacuated for the time
being because of...mine
threats.” [48] UN Security
Council, S/2003/566, 27 May 2003, par.
65. [49] Interview with Jean-Paul Yamba
Kanzi, Political Advisor at the DRC Embassy, Kampala, Uganda, 10 February 2003;
telephone interview with Noel Obotela Rachid, Governor of Oriental Province,
based in Kinshasa, 15 January 2003; email from Noel Obotela Rachid, Governor of
Oriental Province, 15 January 2003. [50]
Interview with Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, and Capt. Emmanuel
Kanyamukenge, 14 May 2003. [51] Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, pp. 195-196. [52]
“Twelfth Report of the Secretary-General on the UNO Mission in the
Democratic Republic of Congo,” UN Security Council, S/2002/1180, 18
October 2002, p. 14. [53]
“Thirteenth report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” UN Security
Council, S/2003/211, 21 February 2003, p.
14. [54] Email to Landmine Monitor from
M. Honore, Director, NGO Justice Plus, Bunia, 16 June
2003. [55] Information given by MONUC on
Radio Okapi, 14 March 2003; telephone interviews with Bernard Mbula Lombhe
Musongela, Anaclet Timambwenda Bashara and Bishop Banga, Delegates of the Civil
Society of Ituri, 25 March 2003; interview with Dieudonné Upira,
representative of the NGO “Malaria Plus,” Kisangani, 20 March 2003;
interviews with leaders of the Hema and Lendu communities, based in Kisangani,
between January and March 2003. [56]
“Civilian wounded as landmine explodes in Bunia,” Agence France
Presse, 19 May 2003. [57] Ibid;
“Two UN Observers ‘savagely’ killed in DRC's Ituri
Region,” Agence France Presse, 19 May
2003. [58] Interviews with refugees from
Ituri refugee camp in Kampala, April 2003; Letter from Bernard Bula Musongela,
Congolese Physicians for Peace,
Bunia. [59] “Ituri Braces for
Ugandan Pullout,” IRIN, 17 April
2003. [60]
Ibid. [61]
Ibid. [62] Ibid; interviews with local
population of Nyakunde and Komanda, January 2003; interview with UPC member,
Kisangani, 22 January 2003; interview with two student representatives from
Ituri, Kisangani, 22 January 2003; interview with Monseigneur Banga from Buta,
Kisangani, 22 January 2003. [63]
“Dirigente anuncia uso de minas anti-pessoal pelo MLC” (Leader
announces use of antipersonnel mines by MLC), IRIN, 29 October
2002. [64] Interviews with health
personnel of the Haut Uélé district during the yearly health
review organized by UNICEF, Kisangani, December 2002; information given by the
Delegates of the Civil Society of the Haut Uélé district at the
General Assembly of the Civil Society of the Oriental Province, Kisangani,
January 2003. [65]
Ibid. [66] Presentation of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, Director of International Organizations, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, at the workshop on the
Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 7
May 2003; Statement of Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 14 May
2003. [67] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 14 May
2003. [68] Article 7 Report, Form C and
attachments, 30 April 2003. [69] UN,
“Annual Report 2002 for the Mine Action Assistance Programme to the
Democratic Republic of Congo,” available at
www.mineaction.org (accessed 1 May
2003). [70] HIB, “Rapport sur
l'impact socio-économique des mines/UXO à Kisangani: choix des
sites à déminer en priorité,” December
2002. [71] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation des Mines/UXO à Kisangani,” April
2003. [72] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation de Mines/UXO sur les axes Kisangani-Banalia (jusqu'au PK 62) et
Kisangani-Isangi (PK 125), Province Orientale,” February
2003. [73] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation de Mines/UXO sur l'Axe Kisangani-Bafwasende (PK21 à 122),
Province Orientale,” February
2003. [74] HIB, “Rapport de
Mission, Ikela, 19-25 July
2002.” [75] HIB, “Rapport
sur la Situation de Mines/UXO à Kindu, Province du Maniema,”
January 2003. [76] HIB, “Rapport
sur la Situation de Mines/UXO sur l'Axe Kindu-Kalima-Shabunda, Province du
Maniema et Sud Kivu,” April
2003. [77] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation de Mines/UXO dans les Territoires de Djolu et Bokungu, Province de
l'Equateur,” April 2003. [78]
Interviews with Stephane Jooris and Jerome Cassou, HIB, 20 March
2003. [79]
Ibid. [80] HIB, “Zones
polluées/suspctées polluées par mines et UXO en RDC,”
April 2003. [81] “Ituri Braces for
Ugandan Pullout,” IRIN, 17 April
2003. [82] Information given by health
personnel of the Haut Uélé district at the annual health review
organized by UNICEF in December
2002. [83] “Twelfth Report of the
Secretary-General on The UNO Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo,”
UN Security Council, S/2002/1180, 18 October 2002, p.
14. [84] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation de Mines/UXO dans les Territoires de Djolu et Bokungu, Province de
l'Equateur,” April 2003. [85] HIB,
“Rapport sur la Situation de Mines/UXO à Kindu, Province du
Maniema,” January 2003. [86] HIB,
“Rapport sur l'impact socio-économique des mines/UXO à
Kisangani,” December 2002, pp.
5-6. [87] PK 21 indicates a point 21
kilometers along a road out of
Kisangani. [88] HIB, “Rapport sur
l'impact socio-économique des mines/UXO à Kisangani,”
December 2002, pp. 5-6. [89] HIB,
“Rapport sur la Situation de Mines/UXO à Kisangani,” April
2003, p. 3. [90] HIB, “Rapport sur
l'impact socio-économique des mines/UXO à Kisangani,”
December 2002, pp. 5-6. [91] Ibid, pp.
3-4. In Kandangba, 100 hectares are considered mine-affected; in Ngene Ngene, 30
hectares; in La Forestière, 150 hectares; in Bangboka, 1,000 hectares;
and in Batiebombe, 30 hectares. [92]
Ibid, pp. 7-8. [93] Ibid, pp.
8-11. [94] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation de Mines/UXO sur l'Axe Kisangani-Bafwasende (PK21 à 122),
Province Orientale,” February
2003. [95] HIB, “Rapport de
Mission, Ikela, 19-25 July
2002.” [96] HIB, “Rapport
sur la Situation de Mines/UXO sur les axes Kisangani-Banalia (jusqu'au PK 62) et
Kisangani-Isangi (PK 125), Province Orientale,” February
2003. [97] “Ituri Braces for
Ugandan Pullout,” IRIN, 17 April 2003; “UN blows up mines,”
IRIN, 7 April 2003. [98] “UN
investigators reach site of DR Congo clashes,” Agence France Presse, 24
May 2003. [99] “Congo town ready
for French, anyone, to end war,” Reuters, 16 May
2003. [100] “Ituri Braces for
Ugandan Pullout,” IRIN, 17 April
2003. [101] Interview with Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 8 May
2003. [102] UN, “Annual Report
2002.” [103] UN Mine Action
Investments Database. [104] Email to
Landmine Monitor from Koen Baetens, Assistant, Mine Ban Policy Unit, HIB, 2 May
2003. [105] Email to Landmine Monitor
from Jerome Cassou, Survey Manager, HIB, 4 June
2003. [106] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from William Brown, Program Administrator, Vietnam Veterans of America
Foundation, 17 July 2003. [107]
Ministerial Decree n° 0001 of 6 May 2002; Article 7 Report, Form A, 30
April 2003. [108] Presentation by
Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 7 May
2003. [109]
Ibid. [110] Ibid; Statement of
Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 14 May
2003. [111] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002, p.
99. [112] Ibid; “Landmines in
Africa”, Journal of Mine Action, Issue 6.2, 2002, pp.
6-7. [113]
Ibid. [114]
Ibid. [115] UN, “Annual Report
2002.” [116]
Ibid. [117] Decision n°
131/131.10.1/00080/2003 of 29 January 2003; Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. [118] Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 200-201. [119] Interviews with
UPC members, Bunia, February 2003. [120]
HIB, “Rapport sur le Situation des Mines/UXO dans les Territoires de Djolu
et Bokungu, Province de l'Equateur,” April 2003, p.
4. [121] Information given by
José Deschartes Menga Mbula, Journalist, April 2003.
[122] HIB, “Rapport sur la
Situation de Mines/UXO à Kindu, Province de Maniama,” January 2003,
p. 5. [123] UN, “Annual Report
2002.” [124] Interviews with
Stephane Jooris, Program Director, and with Technical Advisor and local
deminers, HIB, Kisangani, 12 February 2003.
[125] Interview with Taz Khaliq, Head
of Mine Action Unit, HIB, Brazzaville, 8 May
2003. [126] Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 201. [127] HIB, “Bilan
des Activités EOD,” May
2003. [128] Interview with Mario Bucci,
Program Officer, HIB, Brussels, 13 June
2003. [129] Interview with Taz Khaliq,
Head of Mine Action Unit, HIB, at the workshop on the Implementation of the Mine
Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 8 May
2003. [130] Information given by health
personnel of the Haut Uélé district at the annual health review
organized by UNICEF in December
2002. [131] HIB, “Rapport sur
l'impact socio-économique des mines/UXO à Kisangani,”
December 2002, p. 15. [132] Interview
with Svend Michael Olsen, Technical Consultant, DanChurchAid, Kisangani, 25
March 2003. [133] Interview with Steven
Olejas, Coordinator, Humanitarian Mine Action, DanChurchAid, Geneva, 16 May
2003. [134] Presentation by Col.
Médard Unyon-Pewu, Cabinet Director, Ministry of National Defense, at the
Workshop on the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo, 7 May 2003. [135]
Interview with Taz Khaliq, Head of Mine Action Unit, HIB, Brazzaville, 8 May
2003. [136] HIB, “Bilan des
Activités de Sensibilisation,” April
2003. [137]
Ibid. [138]
Ibid. [139] Interview with Odette
Walungu, Coordinator, MRE Program, HIB, Kisangani, 14 January
2003. [140]
Ibid. [141]
Ibid. [142] Ibid; interviews with
children of the Mutumbi primary school and their parents, 29 January 2003;
interviews with populations of mine affected areas in Bangboka and La
Forestière, 29 January 2003; interviews with political and administrative
authorities of Kisangani, 12 January 2003; interviews with chiefs of
mine-affected villages along the Ituri-Lubutu road, January-March
2003. [143] Mine Action Support Group,
“Update from UNICEF” in “Newsletter: December 2002,” p.
22. [144]
Ibid. [145] Report of Congolese Campaign
to Ban Landmines, December 2002. [146]
Presentation by Col. Médard Unyon-Pewu, Cabinet Director, Ministry of
National Defense, at the workshop on the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty,
held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 7 May
2003. [147] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, Director, International Organizations, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, at the intersessional Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 13 May
2003. [148] UNICEF Burundi, “Mine
Victims in Burundi in 2001-2002,” footnote 24, pp.
24-25. [149] “UN Peacekeeper
killed by Landmine in the DRC,” Xinhua News Agency, 13 May
2002. [150] Email from Jerome Cassou,
Survey Manager, HIB, Kisangani, 4 June
2003. [151] Email from Taz Khaliq, Head
of Mine Action Unit, HIB, 23 December
2002. [152] Landmine Monitor analyzed
data from hospital records, UN and international agencies, NGOs, and the media
on incidents reported in the provinces of Equateur, Orientale, Maniema, South
Kivu, and West Kasai from January 2000 to June 2002; see Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 202. [153] Email to Landmine
Monitor (HIB) from Claude N. Mushid, IT Assistant, UNMACC-DRC, 7 July
2003. [154] Landmine Monitor analyzed
data from hospital records, UN and international agencies, NGOs, and the media
on incidents reported in the provinces of Equateur, Orientale, Maniema, South
Kivu, and West Kasai from January 2000 to June 2002; see Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 202. [155] Email from Claude N.
Mushid, UNMACC-DRC, 7 July 2003. [156]
HIB, “Rapport sur les Victimes de Mines/UXO à Kisangani et sa
Région,” (Report on the Victims of Mines/UXO in Kisangani and its
Region), April 2003, pp. 2-6. [157]
Email from Claude N. Mushid, UNMACC-DRC, 7 July
2003. [158]
Ibid. [159] “Ituri Braces for
Ugandan Pullout,” IRIN, 17 April
2003. [160] “UN soldier killed,
another wounded, in DR Congo mine blast,” Agence France Presse, 26 April
2003; “UN Mission observer killed in landmine explosion,” IRIN, 28
April 2003; “UN Envoy Condemns Violence in Wake of Historic Meeting in
Capital,” UN News Service, 30 April
2003. [161] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 13 May 2003; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 202; WHO, Emergency Preparedness and Response Highlights, n. 6, July 2002, p.
2. [162] Presentation by Mobile
Kampagna, Director, National Program for Emergencies and Humanitarian Action, at
the workshop on the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo, 7 May 2003. [163]
“Special Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” United
Nations Security Council, S/2003/566, 27 May
2003. [164] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Kathleen Lawand, Legal Advisor, International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC), 10 July 2003. [165]
Ibid. [166] Presentation by Maarten
Merkelbach, Head of Delegation, ICRC, at the workshop on the Implementation of
the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 7 May
2003. [167] Presentation by Veronique
Ntumba, Administrator of Health Institutions, DRC Red Cross, at the workshop on
the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of
Congo, 7 May 2003; ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programs, “Annual Report
2002,” Geneva, June 2003. [168]
Email from Kathleen Lawand, ICRC, 10 July
2003. [169] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 203. [170] Email from Benoit
Piret, Project Coordinator, HIB, 8 June
2003. [171] Interviews with Reverend
Martin Konings, Director, Simama Rehabilitation Center, Kisangani, 13 December
2002 and 19 February 2003; interview with Alioune Kane, Humanitarian Officer,
MONUC, Kisangani, 15 December 2002; interviews with mine survivors in Simama
Rehabilitation Center, Kisangani, 25 December
2002. [172] Interview with Sister
Monique Kabongo, Director, Caritas, Kisangani, 21 January
2003. [173] Interviews with Reverend
Martin Konings, Director, Simama Rehabilitation Center, and with
survivor’s family, Kisangani, 14 December
2002. [174] Presentation by Izun Okomba,
Director, Ministry of Social Affairs, at the workshop on the Implementation of
the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 7 May
2003. [175] Statement of Ambassador
Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 13 May
2003. [176] Statement by Mindia Monga,
Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kinshasa, 3 May
2002. [177] Presentation by Izun Okomba,
Director, Ministry of Social Affairs, at the workshop on the Implementation of
the Mine Ban Treaty, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 7 May
2003. [178] Ibid; HIB, “State of
the World’s Disabled People: Gathering information in 16 different
countries 2000-2001,” December 2002, p.
46. [179] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30
April 2003; Statement of Ambassador Fabien-Emmery Zulu Kilo-Abi, 13 May
2003.