Key developments since May 2002: A national
Landmine Impact Survey began in May 2002. In July 2002, the Eritrean government
announced the establishment of the Eritrean Demining Authority to manage and
coordinate mine action in Eritrea. The previous government coordinating bodies
were disbanded, the national mine action NGO closed, and most international mine
action NGOs were expelled from the country. United Nations demining support for
the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission began in late 2002. Eritrea has not
submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report, which was due on 31 July
2002.
Mine Ban Policy
Eritrea acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 27 August
2001, and the treaty entered into force for the country on 1 February 2002.
Eritrea has not initiated domestic legislation or other legal measures to
implement the Mine Ban Treaty. It has not submitted its initial Article 7
transparency report, which was due on 31 July 2002. Eritrean officials told
Landmine Monitor that the government’s reorganization of mine action in
July 2002 contributed to the inability to finish the Article 7
report.[1] The Eritrean
Commission for Cooperation with the Peacekeeping Mission now has responsibility
for final approval of the report, and was working on in it as of December
2002.[2]
Eritrea attended the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002 and
the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February and May 2003.
Eritrea voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/74 in November
2002, promoting universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Use
There have been no instances or allegations of use
of antipersonnel landmines in Eritrea since 2000. However, in 2002, twelve
antivehicle mine incidents were reported, according to the UN Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC). Many of
these incidents occurred on roads classified as cleared or well-traveled in the
southwest areas of the country within the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) between
Eritrea and Ethiopia. The UN reported that these mines were newly
planted.[3] A dissident group
claimed responsibility for a February 2003 mine blast that killed five Eritrean
militia in the TSZ near the town of Om
Hajer.[4] UNMEE said that the
mine was almost certainly newly laid as the road had been cleared several times
and investigations showed evidence that the mine was newly
planted.[5]
In March 2003, Eritrea's Commissioner for Coordination with the UN
peacekeeping force, Brigadier General Abrahaley Kifle, publicly accused the
government of Ethiopia of laying new antivehicle minesin the TSZ,
according to the Eritrean ruling party's Shaebia website. An Ethiopian foreign
ministry official said that General Abrahaley's remarks came as a
“surprise,” while UNMEE said it believed “dissident
groups” opposed to the Eritrean authorities were responsible for laying
new mines in the TSZ.[6]
Production, Transfer and Stockpiling
Eritrea states it has never produced or exported
antipersonnel mines and claims it obtained all the mines it used from Ethiopian
forces during the 1961-1991 wars for independence. Eritrean government
officials have estimated a stockpile of some 450,000 antipersonnel mines prior
to the 1998-2000 conflict.[7]
It is not known precisely how many mines were used by Eritrea in the border war,
although Landmine Monitor Report 2002 cited an estimated 240,000
mines.[8] However, the UNMEE
MACC Program Manager believes that Eritrea now has little or no mines
stockpiled.[9] An official with
the Eritrean Demining Authority would not confirm the number of stockpiled
antipersonnel mines during interviews with Landmine Monitor in December
2002.[10]Eritrea’s deadline for the destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel
mines is 1 February 2006.
Landmine Problem
After three decades of protracted war and two and a
half years of border conflict, Eritrea has a significant landmine and unexploded
ordnance problem. An Eritrean demining official estimated that up to 150,000
mines might have remained in the ground uncleared after the war for
independence.[11] The main
contamination is along the 1,000-kilometer border between Ethiopia and Eritrea,
due to the recent armed
conflict.[12] Eritrean forces
laid an estimated 240,000 mines, while Ethiopian forces laid an estimated
150,000 to 200,000 mines.[13]
The presence of landmines in Eritrea has a great social, economic and
humanitarian impact.[14] The
threat of widespread malnutrition and starvation due to the 2002 drought and
crop failures led some people to migrate to potentially mine-affected areas in
search of arable land.[15]
Moreover, the return of many thousands of refugees and Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) in 2002 and 2003 increased the danger of mines and affected mine
action planning in
Eritrea.[16]
Mine Action Assistance
For 2002, ten donors and the European Commission
have reported providing US$11.1 million to mine action in
Eritrea.[17] Those contributing
included the Netherlands ($3.5 million), United States ($1,752,000), Norway
($2.43 million), Denmark ($1.14 million), Ireland ($585,677), Switzerland
($488,000), Japan ($481,552), Sweden ($309,000), European Commission ($285,000),
Germany ($94,990), and Canada ($68,175).
From 1September 2001 to 31 December 2002, the People’s
Republic of China (PRC) sent 14 demining experts to Eritrea to assist with
humanitarian mine clearance. A total of 60 Eritrean military personnel received
training in demining techniques and on-site demining instruction. The PRC
donated 20 sets of metal detectors, 44 sets of demining protective gear, 8 sets
of demining toolkits, 8 sets of demolition toolkits, 50 tons of demining
bangalore torpedoes, 18,000 electric detonators, and 600 kilograms of
TNT. China covered all costs associated with the training and shipment of
donated supplies. Eritrean deminers in the PRC training program cleared 90,000
square meters of mine-affected land in Saiba village (about 90 kilometers to the
south of Asmara) and destroyed approximately 400 landmines and 200 UXO within 14
days, according to the PRC. A second phase of the program was completed in June
2003, with 18 demining trainers sent from
China.[18]
Survey and Assessment
A UNDP Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) is under way in
Eritrea. In March 2002, the UNDP Senior Technical Advisor for the survey
arrived. LIS operational work officially began in May 2002. Changes in the
national program and the dissolution of the EMAP caused significant delays in
the LIS. In November 2002, the LIS began Phase II of implementation with the
commencement of senior LIS staff training in skills including use of Global
Positioning System (GPS), compass and communications equipment, map reading,
methodology and questionnaire skills training, and other skills related to mine
action. Training was conducted in cooperation with the UNMEE MACC Operations and
Medical departments. Mine risk education (MRE) was provided by the UNICEF MRE
Coordinator and LIS MRE-trained staff. Methodological training and use of the
questionnaire followed in conjunction with the Survey Action Center (SAC). In
December 2002, the LIS completed its community pre-testing in 12 communities in
three different provinces. This pre-test evaluated nine communities from the
30-year independence war and three from the 1998-2000 border conflict. Half of
the visited communities reported at least one victim in the last 24 months.
Severely mine-affected communities visited included Beleza, a former Ethiopian
base during the independence war that had more than a dozen dangerous areas, and
Senafe, a city captured by Ethiopia during the border conflict that witnessed
considerable damage and mine use.
As of January 2003, LIS Eritrea maintained a staff of over
40.[19] The UNDP Senior
Technical Advisor is the survey project manager. A local NGO, the Eritrea
Solidarity and Cooperation Association (ESCA), was contracted in September 2002
to be the implementing
agency.[20] UNMEE, UNMAS, SAC,
and Cranefield University Mine Action provide technical and material assistance
to the LIS. UNMAS provides quality assurance. Berne University provided
mapping services that will provide the project with properly geo-referenced maps
of the entire country by mid-2003.
As of June 2003, data collection was ongoing in all regions of the country,
with over 700 mine-suspected communities already
visited.[21] The survey is
scheduled to end by February
2004.[22] Data collected in the
LIS will enable Eritrean national authorities to identify specific needs;
improve mapping data; assist in aid distribution, as well as mine action; and
provide information to EDA authorities as they formulate a strategic national
mine action plan. The results will also assist the EDA to accurately fulfill
its Article 7transparency reporting
obligation.[23] The operational
budget for the LIS is $1.7 million, funded by the European Commission and the
government of
Canada.[24]
Mine Action Coordination
Since the cessation of hostilities between Eritrea
and Ethiopia in late 2000, UN mine action assistance in Eritrea has been
designed to address both the emergency problem in the Temporary Security Zone,
and to assist the government of Eritrea in strengthening its national and local
mine action capacity. In accordance with this strategy, the UNMEE MACC was
established in August 2000; UNICEF served as the focal point for Mine Risk
Education (MRE), and UNDP’s projects were designed to strengthen the
government’s ability to address the long-term consequences of landmines on
the local population.[25]
In July 2002, the Eritrean government announced the establishment of the
Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA) to manage and coordinate all mine action in
Eritrea, except for mine action in direct support of the UNMEE peacekeeping
mission and the Eritrean-Ethiopian Border
Commission.[26] The EDA
replaced the Eritrean Mine Action Program, which had been established in 2000.
Under the EDA, the new national mine action NGO is Eritrea Demining Operations
(EDO).[27]
Shortly after the July proclamation, notices were sent to all international
mine action organizations active in Eritrea directing them to cease all
activities; in some cases they were required to leave technical equipment in
Eritrea when departing the
country.[28] By early November
2002, at least three of these organizations — DanChurchAid, Danish
Demining Group, and Mines Awareness Trust — were largely gone from
Eritrea. The NGOs and the UNMEE MACC were not given advance notice of the
proclamation, nor of the order to NGOs to cease operations and depart. In
January 2003, Landmine Survivors Network also ceased operations in Eritrea. The
US commercial company RONCO and British NGO HALO Trust had been permitted to
continue their operations.[29]
However, on 5 June 2003, it was reported that the government had decided
“to order the largest international landmine-clearing organization
operating in Eritrea, HALO Trust of the United Kingdom, to leave the
country....”[30]
UNDP has continued its capacity building program, now working with the EDA.
The program’s goals include assisting the EDA “to develop and
strengthen the operational management capacity of the Authority, allowing it to
act as an independent, national mine action executive body based on the
International Mine Action
Standards.”[31] The
capacity building program is currently scheduled to continue through December
2004. In August 2002, UNICEF/UNMAS/UNDP sent a letter to the Eritrean
government advising of the guiding principles on which the UN could provide
capacity building support.[32]
The General Manager of the EDA replied in writing in March 2003 agreeing to the
principles.[33]
The UNMEE MACC maintains and manages the Information Management System for
Mine Action (IMSMA) database. Plans call for the eventual management of this
database by EDA once the UNMEE mission departs Eritrea; the UNDP capacity
building program includes helping EDA establish its capacity to maintain and
manage the national database. Discussions are underway with UNDP about
integrating the results of the UNDP Victims Assistance National Survey into
IMSMA.[34]
The EDA established its headquarters in Asmara in November 2002 and began
staffing its administration. A Major General in the Eritrean Defense Force was
appointed its General Manager, reporting directly to the President. The
EDA’s first objectives were to determine its administrative needs and
establish a national mine action
plan.[35] As of January 2003,
the EDA headquarters was functional, but none of the planned departments were
yet operational.[36]
Several government officials told Landmine Monitor that the reason for the
decisions to create a new coordinating and managing authority, and to expel
international demining NGOs, was because the NGOs worked slowly and did not
accomplish enough demining in the time they have been involved in Eritrea. The
UNMEE MACC Program Manager has countered by stating, “The international
and national NGOs were producing clearance results favourably comparable in
productivity and scope with any mine action programme in the
world.”[37]
In his December 2002 report to the UN Security Council, the Secretary-General
noted that the changes in mine action in Eritrea following the July 2002
Proclamation had resulted in the temporary cessation of all mine action. The
report said, “These events have led to the loss of humanitarian
mine-action capacity in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas, impeding
preparations on the ground for the return of internally displaced persons to
their homes in the Zone. Since no mine-risk education activities are taking
place in the Zone, the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center is
implementing an emergency mine-risk education operation to fill the
gap.”[38]
Following the events of July 2002, the UNMEE Mine Action Coordination Center
developed a revised work plan, restructuring mine action elements within the
center and UNMEE as a whole. The plan focuses on providing support to the UNMEE
force and military observers in the TSZ, while maintaining the capacity to
provide support to the coordination of humanitarian mine action activities in
the TSZ.[39]
Mine Clearance
The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) issued a final border
demarcation ruling in April 2002 and Ethiopia and Eritrea agreed to the ruling
in principle, effectively ending the border disputes remaining from their
1998-2000 war.On 14 August 2002, UNMEE’s mandate was extended to
include demining support to the
EEBC.[40] While details of the
demarcation remained to be negotiated, UNMEE MACC began demining support for the
EEBC in August 2002 with initial reconnaissance and preliminary route clearance,
focusing on clearing access roads to potential border post sites. UNMEE
demining assets have been placed under the control of the newly created Force
Mine Action Center for the EEBC demining support
project.[41] UNMEE Force
demining assets, consisting of Bangladeshi, Slovak, and Kenyan demining
companies, will conduct mine clearance in support of the EEBC. The operations
were scheduled to begin in May 2003, but had not as of July 2003 due to the
inability of the EEBC and the two parties to agree on certain aspects of
demarcation; the EEBC had yet to formally identify border post
sites.[42]
Clearance is anticipated at and around approximately 70-100 of the pillars
that will be erected along the new
border.[43] Each pillar site
will require 2,500 square meters of clearance, in addition to an estimated
20,000 to 30,000 square meters to clear the access routes leading to the
pillars.[44]
UXB, a private American company, was contracted by UNMEE MACC for dedicated
mechanical route clearance in support of UNMEE operations in the TSZ. The UXB
project began in June 2002. The third UXB project manager arrived in Asmara on
1 November 2002 and manages a staff of 40, including 24 Eritreans. The
UXB program in Eritrea has a particular focus on deeply buried
landmines.[45]
UXB conducts manual and mechanical clearance, including a Kinematics
Induction Magnetic Survey (KIMS) system that uses geophysics technology to
detect “sub-ground anomalies” as deep as 70 centimeters under the
ground.[46] Mine-protected
vehicles are fitted with KIMS technology and travel slowly on roads for initial
detection or post-clearance verification. Objects underground are detected and
their ground coordinates are instantly conveyed to GPS mapping units of manual
clearance teams that follow directly behind the vehicle. UXB teams (including
three dog teams) then immediately begin targeted demining activities.
UXB-Eritrea is among the only commercial demining companies in the world using
KIMS technology.[47]
Through January 2003, UXB teams had surveyed 3,703,350 square meters of road.
Recovered ordnance included an Russian made PMD-6 antipersonnel mine and
fragments from hand grenades, artillery and bombs at depths of 10 to 75
cm.[48] UXB ceased operations
in June 2003 and a new route clearance company is being
contracted.[49]
Prior to the July 2002 proclamation and the expulsion of international mine
action NGOs, the Danish Demining Group (DDG) had conducted extensive mechanical
and manual clearance activities. From January to July 2002, DDG cleared a total
of 154,000 square meters and conducted 181 EOD tasks. A total of 5,717 items
were destroyed (including mines and
UXO).[50] DDG employed over 80
staff, mostly Eritreans, in their programs. Its work in 2002 was concentrated
on EOD and battle area clearance, and humanitarian mine clearance and
verification. DDG also incorporated training into their programs to assist the
Eritrean government in building its own demining capacity. During the first
half of 2002, DDG teams had cleared farming and grazing sites, particularly
around Shilalo, which were then returned to farmers. In Bushuka village, DDG
cleared access routes for an ICRC water rehabilitation project that now enables
that village regular access to water from the Gash
River.[51]
A mine clearance and training program by DanChurchAid (DCA) started on 1 June
2001 and was halted in July 2002, instead of ending in November 2002 as
originally scheduled. In total, DCA cleared 250,500 square meters of
mine-affected land and destroyed 408 landmines and 937
UXO.[52] In one area near the
Shilalo-Sheshibit road, DCA cleared paths and grazing fields now in use by
shepherds.[53] DCA also trained
eight EDA headquarters staff, two EDA demining teams (totaling 120 persons), and
two EDA medical teams (11 persons in
total).[54]
The unexpected closure of the program led to the dismantling of the DCA/EDA
clearance teams, and DCA considers the capacity it built within the EDA
management as “lost.” DCA’s donor, DANIDA, accepted a
recommendation that DCA reallocate the Eritrea program assets to a newly
developed program in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. The remaining months of the
project implementation time were used to close the operation and transfer mine
clearance equipment to Sudan.
In July 2002, the government informed HALO Trust that its assistance would no
longer be required, but after protracted negotiations, government approval was
given to remain.[55] HALO
worked with the new EDA throughout the remainder of 2002 and during 2003,
assisting where possible with its establishment and work procedures according to
IMAS requirements.
In 2003, HALO continued to work in western Eritrea in the TSZ, but as in
2002, HALO also deployed assets as needed throughout the country. At the start
of 2003, HALO had the capacity to deploy ten manual teams, nine mechanical
clearance units, a LIS survey team, a survey/EOD team, and two technical survey
teams. Four manual demining teams were eliminated when the EDA could not
provide sufficient manpower. HALO also deployed two mine detection vehicles
(Husky and Meerkat). HALO received funding for its 2003 activities from
Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the European Commission.
In May 2003, the EDA instructed HALO to stop clearance operations. According
to HALO, the government made this order “because of uncertainty associated
with the peace process with Ethiopia” and it formally thanked HALO for its
contribution to humanitarian mine clearance in Eritrea.
From 2001 to May 2003, HALO teams cleared 1,138,512 square meters of land
manually, conducted battle area clearance on 8,777,382 square meters of land and
cleared 49,582 square meters mechanically. Another 3,238,990 square meters of
land was reduced mechanically. HALO destroyed 2,480 antipersonnel mines, 379
antivehicle mines, and 11,577 items of UXO. It also cleared 3,929 kilometers of
road. A total of 39 priority minefields were cleared and returned to
communities. All of HALO’s clearance records are stored in the IMSMA
database, with additional hard copies held by the EDA.
According to the UNMEE MACC, from the cessation of hostilities in late 2000
until the end of June 2003, a total of 5,737 mines and 47,091 UXO had been
destroyed, and 42,078,470 square meters of land in the TSZ had been
cleared.[56] The UNMEE MACC
reports that as a result of demining during this period over 45,000 refugees
returned to their homes and land released for grazing, agricultural production
and other economic
activities.[57]
Mine Risk Education
Between December 2001 and August 2002, UNMEE,
UNICEF and NGOs carried out mine risk education (MRE) programs in the TSZ,
reaching 97,000 people, and trained 245 volunteer MRE facilitators. In
addition, 268 teachers were trained in MRE and were giving lessons during school
hours. A total of 320 personnel from national and international NGOs received
landmine and UXO safety
training.[58]
The July 2002 proclamation disbanding NGO mine action activities in Eritrea
adversely affected MRE.[59] In
order to maintain an MRE presence in the field, the UNMEE MACC with assistance
from UNICEF recruited, trained, equipped and deployed two MRE teams in the TSZ
(in Gash Barka and Debub) as an interim MRE
measure.[60] Funds provided for
UNICEF MRE programs in 2002 totaled
$465,158.[61]
In 2002, the National Training Center trained 268 teachers in collaboration
with the Ministry of Education and with the support of UNICEF and UNMEE MACC.
The National Training Center also developed training manuals. EDA had MRE teams
working in three regions: Debub, Gash Barka and
Asab.[62] Mines Awareness Trust
(MAT) continued its programs of developing community-based MRE teams in Gash
Barka, including training over 120 community leaders until August 2002. The
former program manager for Mines Awareness Trust told Landmine Monitor that
teachers and community leaders who previously received training are still
incorporating the MRE curriculum into their local
programs.[63]
In May 2003, it was reported to Landmine Monitor that UNICEF's MRE
coordinator was now based at both UNICEF and Eritrea Demining Operations
offices, and by August 2003, UNICEF planned to deploy six UNICEF MRE teams, each
consisting of three facilitators and one team
leader.[64]
Up until July 2002, the Eritrean Ministry of Information, with the support of
UNICEF, conducted MRE, trained community facilitators, and developed MRE
training manuals; MRE radio programming continued on a weekly basis, in eight
languages; and children’s radio programming began broadcasting every two
weeks. Full-color MRE road billboards were designed and erected in 12 high-risk
areas in the TSZ.[65] The radio
programs are still
ongoing.[66]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, 78 new mine/UXO casualties from 45
mine-related incidents in the TSZ were reported to the UNMEE MACC. Of the 78
casualties, 16 people were killed and 62 injured; 47 casualties were under the
age of 18, and 73 were male. Of the 45 reported incidents, 34 involved
antipersonnel landmines, UXO, or reported as unknown, and 11 involved antitank
mines.[67]
Reported casualties in the TSZ involved not only Eritrean nationals but
others too. For example, in June 2002, five Ethiopian civilians were killed and
seven injured when the truck they were traveling in detonated an antivehicle
mine just across the border in Ethiopia. Also in June a UNMEE Military Observer
from Croatia and a local interpreter sustained injuries when their vehicle
struck a landmine in the same area.[68]
Previous studies and the recent UNMEE MACC statistics suggest that a high
percentage of landmine/UXO casualties in Eritrea are children and young people
under 20 years.[69] The
reported casualties may not reflect the actual total, as a number of landmine
incidents and casualties in the TSZ are believed to go unreported. There are
no official figures on the number of mine-related injuries and deaths outside
the TSZ, although unofficial accounts of landmine incidents are common. The
monitoring and reporting of mine incidents in the TSZ has suffered significantly
since the demining NGOs were expelled from Eritrea at the end of August 2002.
Casualty data in the TSZ is reported primarily by military observers, UNMEE MACC
officers, the ICRC, or other NGOs in the field, but rarely by farmers or local
administrators.[70] A new
landmine incident reporting system that would include the entire country,
including outside the TSZ, is under discussion among Eritrean government
authorities, UNMEE, and
UNDP.[71]
Between January 2001 and November 2002, reports indicate that 164 people were
injured and 64 reported killed by landmines in the
TSZ.[72]
UNMEE MACC reported at least 13 new mine/UXO incidents resulting in 13 deaths
from January to May
2003.[73]
Survivor Assistance
Decades of war severely damaged Eritrea’s
health care infrastructure. There are few medical and rehabilitation facilities
and the capacity for emergency and post-operative care is
limited.[74] In regions outside
of Asmara, including the heavily mined Gash Barka region, landmine survivors
rarely receive support beyond emergency medical care after the mine incident.
The Ministry of Health covers the cost of treatment and rehabilitation for mine
casualties if the mine survivor can demonstrate economic
hardship.[75]
The Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare (MLHW) administers Eritrean
government assistance to people with disabilities, including landmine survivors.
According to a senior official of the MLHW there are about 150,000 people with
disabilities in Eritrea.[76] A
UNDP survey indicated there were more than 30,000 in the Gash Barka area
alone.[77] No comprehensive
nationwide data is available on actual numbers of mine survivors. There are
reports that about 40,000 people need to be fitted with orthopedic or prosthetic
devices.[78]
The MLHW administers a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program, through
the Department of Social Affairs, that provides direct services to PWDs. The
CBR program distributes prosthetic and orthotic devices, mostly through the
administration of three orthopedic workshops in Asmara, Karen and Assab.
In 2001, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total number
of orthopedic devices produced in Eritrea was 584, including: 241 lower-limb
prostheses, 212 crutches, and 21
wheelchairs.[79] The MLHW
reports 1,710 devices produced in the same
period.[80]
Since February 2002, the ICRC has been providing technical assistance to the
Keren Ortho Workshop and is training 10 ortho-technicians in the manufacture of
polypropylene prostheses.[81] In
2003, assistance may also be extended to the Asmara and Asab
workshops.[82] In January 2002,
the ICRC sponsored a disabilities workshop, with the University of Asmara. More
than 4,500 medical professionals, UN and NGO representatives, and government
officials attended. The program included segments about mine casualties, access
to prosthetics, and national disability legislation. The ICRC, in partnership
with the Ministry of Health, also sponsored a war surgery seminar in March 2002,
for over 130 Eritrean trauma practitioners. Landmine survivors were a major
focus of the seminar.[83] In
November 2002, the ICRC conducted a four-day trauma management course, in
cooperation with the Ministry of Health, for 24 doctors, nurses, midwifes and
other health professionals in Asmara. The aim of the course was to increase
knowledge and practical skills in major trauma management. In addition, twenty
physiotherapy assistants were trained by the ICRC, in cooperation with the
Ministry of Health. The ICRC also donated orthopedic material to the Asmara
orthopedic center.[84]
There is reportedly a lack of funds to meet the demands of PWDs in need of
high quality, long-lasting prosthetics and other assistive devices. Previously,
high-quality devices and components were mostly imported and this limited their
availability, as the majority of PWDs were from poor rural communities. Many
mobility devices were sub-standard, painful to use, and difficult to maintain.
For example, standard wheelchairs were inappropriate for local conditions, in
particular the unpaved, rocky roads and paths that many rural landmine
survivors, and other users, must travel. UNDP suggested that specialized
wheelchairs with traction wheels may be better suited to the needs and living
conditions.[85]
The CBR program is seeking to address these problems, with financial and
technical assistance from NGOs and donor governments, in particular the ICRC and
Norwegian Aid for the Disabled
(NAD).[86] The MLHW approved,
in 1999, the establishment and construction of a new National Orthopedic Center
outside of Asmara. The Center will include an orthopedic workshop, a store,
production sites for components, wheelchairs and other devices, a physiotherapy
department and teaching facilities. The total cost of the center is U.S.
$500,000, with much of the funding coming from the World Health Organization.
The expected completion date is the end of
2003.[87]
Landmine Survivors Network Eritrea (LSN) continued to provide outreach and
peer support services to landmine survivors during the first half of 2002, which
included home and hospital visits, vocational training, mobility training,
supply of herd animals and building materials, and assistance in income
generation. LSN also conducted a training workshop in Asmara for its four
community outreach staff, and began discussions with UNMACC and UNICEF on
expanding LSN’s programs into Gash Barka and the TSZ in collaboration with
existing MRE programs in these areas. Since 2000, LSN Eritrea has conducted 31
hospital and 1,091 home visits, and made 83 referrals for mobility devices,
medical treatment, and economic assistance. In 2002, 23 mine survivors received
assistance in income-generating
projects.[88] LSN has provided
direct assistance to 148 direct landmine survivors, including 18 under the age
of 20. LSN also distributed 70 wheelchairs, 253 crutches, and various other
materials donated by the Kale Hiwot Church in
2002.[89]
On 24 June 2002, the MLHW instructed LSN to suspend all of its field programs
until a formal, direct working relationship with the Ministry, and an integrated
policy framework, was
established.[90] In December
2002, LSN and the Division of Social Services within the MLHW agreed on a
preliminary Memorandum of Understanding on the incorporation of LSN’s
programs under authority of the MLHW. In February 2003, LSN was ordered to
cease all operations and close its offices. LSN’s clients and survivor
programs were not incorporated by the MLHW, according to a former LSN staff
person.[91]
The UNDP’s Capacity Building Program for Mine Action in Eritrea
includes a mandate for survivor assistance. In October 2002, a UNDP technical
advisor for victim assistance arrived. The project will work with the
government to help strengthen the national capacity to provide adequate
assistance to mine survivors. Employment training for persons with
disabilities, including landmine survivors, will be a major component; the UNDP
has initiated discussions with the International Labor Organization (ILO) on
income generation development for PWDs in Eritrea. Other goals of the program
include the creation of a working group composed of NGOs and the MLHW for
program coordination, assisting the MLHW in creating a national policy for
rehabilitation and disability, and assisting in the establishment of a surgical
center, and prosthetic and rehabilitative centers, that are adequately equipped.
The program is planned to run for 24 months from January 2003 until December
2004, with a budget of $600,000 per year that will be provided by the Government
of Norway.[92]
The Norwegian Association for Disabled (NAD) provided Nakfa(Nfa)$4 million to
the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare for its Community Based Rehabilitation
Program, which includes landmine victim assistance, in
2002.[93]
Disability Policy and Practice
The long-awaited revised national disability policy
remains under review.[94]
In September 2002, the UNDP started preparatory work on the National Survey
of Persons with Disabilities in Eritrea, as part of the UNDP Capacity Building
Program in Victim Assistance. The survey will be implemented through a
partnership with UNICEF and the MLHW. Once complete, the survey will have
established a permanent, ongoing record of the history, treatment, and future
needs for each PWD in Eritrea. Survey results will be used as a baseline to
formulate the first comprehensive national policy on persons with disabilities.
Data collection for the National Survey was completed in 2002. The next phase
will analyze the data and enter it into an electronic data base system.
Discussions are underway with the UNMEE MACC and with the UNDP Landmine Impact
Survey, on linking the eventual disability database to the IMSMA database
system. According to the UNDP Technical Advisor, the survey could also serve as
a Level II Victim Survey. The program budget for the survey is $118,802, of
which $50,000 was received as of December
2002.[95]
[1] Interview with Habtom Ghebremicaiel,
Director, Europe Division, Euro-America & International Organizations
Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Asmara, 19 December 2002; interview
with Habtom Siguid, Deputy Director, Eritrean Demining Authority, Asmara, 30
December 2002. [2] Interview with
Eritrean Demining Authority staff requesting anonymity, Asmara, 23 December
2002. [3] “Progress Report of the
Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” United Nations Security
Council, ref. S/2003/257, 6 March 2003; email from Brian Drayner, Field Security
Coordination Officer, UN, 20 January 2003; interview with Gerhard Bechtold,
IMSMA Program Officer, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 23 December 2002; email to Landmine
Monitor (HRW) from Phil Lewis, Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, 14 July
2003. [4] “Islamic group says it
planted mines,” UN Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), 21
March 2003, available at
www.irinnews.org. The Eritrean
Islamic Jihad Movement claimed on the Internet that the “Mujahedin”
were behind the landmine ambush. [5]
Ibid; email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14 July
2003. [6] “Ethiopia rejects
accusations of laying mines,” IRIN, 21 March
2003. [7] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 250. [8] Ibid, citing maps
and minefield records provided to UNMEE MACC by Eritrea in May 2001 and by
Ethiopia in April 2002. [9] Email from
Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14 July
2003. [10] Interview with Habtom Siguid,
Eritrean Demining Authority, 30 December
2002. [11] Interview with Russom Semere,
Eritrea Mine Action Program, 17 January 2002, cited in Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 250. [12] Statement by Eritrea,
intersessional Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 29 January
2002. [13] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 250, citing maps and minefield records provided to UNMEE MACC by Eritrea in
May 2001 and by Ethiopia in April 2002.
[14] For example, on 18 December 2002,
during a trip to Tisha Beth village (population about 2,000) near Senafe in
Debub province, Landmine Monitor was shown an area that contained a natural well
water source with the capacity to meet all the water needs of the village. The
well, however, was inaccessible because of the high threat of landmine
contamination from the 1998-2000 border war. The village was forced to import
water from a nearby village. [15]
Interview with Habtom Ghebremicaiel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 19 December
2002. [16] UNDP Eritrea Landmine Impact
Survey, “Senior Staff Training and Pretest Report,” 9 January
2002. [17] All figures were reported by
the donors, and are from the individual country studies in this Landmine Monitor
Report. In some cases, funding is for the country’s fiscal year, and not
the calendar year. Currency exchange done by Landmine
Monitor. [18] Email from Chunsen Gong,
Department of Disarmament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic
of China, 6 March 2003; email to Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Phil Lewis, Program
Manager, UNMEE MACC, 14 July 2003. [19]
Interview with Justin Brady, Project Manager, Landmine Impact Survey, UNDP,
Asmara, 18 December 2002. [20] Email
from Justin Brady, UNDP, 7 February
2003. [21] Survey Action Center,
“Newsletter,” Vol. 2: 6, June
2003. [22] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Justin Brady, UNDP, Asmara, 31 July
2003. [23] Interview with Justin Brady,
UNDP, 18 December 2002. [24] Email from
Justin Brady, UNDP, 7 February
2003. [25] UNMAS website:
www.mineaction.org. [26]
Government of Eritrea, “A Proclamation to Establish the Eritrean Demining
Authority, No. 123/2002,” The Gazette of Eritrean Laws, Volume 11/2002,
No. 4, 8 July 2002. [27] UN,
“Portfolio of Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002. The EDO
was initially called the Eritrean Demining Agency, but was renamed. Email from
Lejla Susic, MRE Coordinator, UNICEF Eritrea, 5 May
2003. [28] Interview with Marlene Unrau,
UNMEE MACC, 23 December 2002. [29] Email
from Phil Lewis, Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, 31 January
2003. [30] “Eritrea: Decision To
Send Deminers Away Causes Concern,” IRIN (Nairobi ), 5 June
2003. [31] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October
2002. [32] Interview with Leila
Blacking, UNICEF Eritrea, 20 December
2002. [33] Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE
MACC, 14 July 2003. [34] Interview with
Jane Brouillette, Technical Advisor for Capacity Building in Victim Assistance,
UNDP, Asmara, 23 December 2002. [35]
Interview with Habtom Siguid, Eritrean Demining Authority, 30 December
2002. [36] Interview with Joe Wenkoff,
Technical Advisor for Capacity Building, UNDP, Asmara, 23 December 2002;
interview with Habtom Siguid, Eritrean Demining Authority, 30 December
2002. [37] Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE
MACC, 14 July 2003. [38] UN Security
Council (UNSC), “Progress Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and
Eritrea,” ref. S/2002/1393, 20 December
2002. [39]
Ibid. [40] UNSC Resolution, ref.
S/2002/1430, 14 August 2002; UNSC, “Progress Report of the
Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” ref. S/2002/977, 30 August
2002. [41] Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE
MACC, 4 December 2002. [42] Ibid;
email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14 July
2003. [43] Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE
MACC, 4 December 2002; interview with Major Tarasov Stanislav, UNMEE MACC
Military Observer and Field Mine Action Liaison Officer for the EEBC, Asmara, 26
December 2002. [44] Email from Phil
Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 4 December 2002. [45]
Interview with Paul Le Pou, Special Projects Manager, UXB, Asmara, 26 December
2002; Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14 July
2003. [46] Email from Paul Le Pou,
Special Projects Manager, UXB Asmara, 6 January
2003. [47]
Ibid. [48]
Ibid. [49] Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE
MACC, 14 July 2003. [50] Email from DDG,
19 May 2003. [51] Interview with Marlene
Unrau, UNMEE MACC, 23 December
2002. [52] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Lennart Skov-Hansen, Emergency Coordinator, DanChurchAid, 21 July
2003. [53] Interview with Marlene Unrau,
UNMEE MACC, 23 December 2002. [54] Email
from Lennart Skov-Hansen, DanChurchAid, 21 July
2003. [55] All information in this
section on HALO activities is from email to HALO (UK HQ) from Alan Macdonald,
Eritrea Programme Manager, HALO Trust, 20 June 2003, provided to Landmine
Monitor (HRW) on 28 July 2003. [56]
Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14 July
2003. [57] UNMEE MACC, UN Mine Action In
Eritrea Since 2000, December 2002. [58]
UNSC, “Progress Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and
Eritrea,” ref. S/2002/977, 30 August
2002. [59] UNSC, “Progress Report
of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” ref. S/2002/1393, 20
December 2002. [60] Interview with
Hanoch Bar-Levi, MRE Coordinator, UNICEF Eritrea, Asmara, 17 December 2002;
email to Landmine Monitor (HIB) from Leila Blacking, Chief Communications
Officer, UNICEF Eritrea, 21 July 2003; email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14
July 2003. [61] Email from Leila
Blacking, Chief Communications Officer, UNICEF Eritrea, 14 January
2003. [62] Email from Hanoch Bar-Levi,
former MRE Coordinator, UNICEF Eritrea, Asmara, 24 July
2003. [63] Email from Andrew Moore,
Program Manager, Mines Awareness Trust, Khartoum (Sudan), 3 January
2003. [64] Email from Lejla Susic, MRE
Coordinator, UNICEF Eritrea, 5 June 2003; email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 14
July 2003. [65] Email to Landmine
Monitor (HIB) from Leila Blacking, Chief Communications Officer, UNICEF Eritrea,
21 July 2003. [66]
Ibid. [67] Statistics from the IMSMA
Database, UNMEE MACC, provided to Landmine Monitor, 27 December
2002. [68] “UN observer, Eritrean
national wounded in landmine explosion,” IRIN, 25 June
2002. [69] Kurt Hanevik and Gunnar
Kvale, “Landmine Injuries in Eritrea,” British Medical Journal,
November 2000; interview with Gerhard Bechtold, UNMEE MACC, 27 December
2002. [70] Interview with Gerhard
Bechtold, UNMEE MACC, 27 December 2002; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 257. [71] Interviews with Jane
Brouillette, UNDP, 23 December 2002, and Gerhard Bechtold, UNMEE MACC, 27
December 2002. [72] “64 Said
Killed By Mines in Buffer Zone Since January 2001,” IRIN, 27 November
2002. [73] UNMEE MACC, Victim Statistics
Report, May 2003. [74] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2000, pp. 208-209; see also Landmine Survivors Rehabilitation
Services Database, available at
www.lsndatabase.org. [75]
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
254. [76] Interview with Habtom Seyoum,
Director of Rehabilitation Division, Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare,
Asmara, 26 December 2002. [77] Interview
with Jane Brouillette, UNDP, 23 December 2002, commenting on the data recorded
in 2002 for the National Survey for People with Disabilities in Eritrea.
[78] Interview with Habtom Seyoum,
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 26 December
2002. [79] World Health Organization,
“Assessment of Prosthetics and Orthotics Services in Eritrea,”
Mission Report, 17-26 September
2002. [80] Interview with Habtom Seyoum,
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 26 December
2002. [81] Update of ICRC activities in
Eritrea, 19 August 2002, www.icrc.org (7
June 2003). [82] ICRC Physical
Rehabilitation Programs, “Annual Report 2002,” Geneva, June
2003. [83] Interview with Paul
Conneally, Communications Delegate, ICRC, Asmara, 27 March
2002. [84] ICRC Operational update,
“Eritrea: January 2003,” 21 February
2003. [85] Interview with Friedrun
Mebert Le Borgne, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Asmara, 27 December
2002. [86] Interview with Habtom Seyoum,
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 26 December
2002. [87] “The ICRC in Eritrea,
Update, January–March 2002,” ICRC
Newsletter. [88] Interview with Tedla
Gebrehiwot, Executive Director, Landmine Survivors Network Eritrea, Asmara, 24
December 2002. [89] LSN, Eritrea
Network Summary, December 2002. [90]
Interview with Tedla Gebrehiwot, LSN, 24 December 2002; interview with Habtom
Seyoum, Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 23 December
2002. [91] Interview with Tedla
Gebrehiwot, Asmara, 23 May 2003. [92]
Interview with Jane Brouillette, UNDP, 23 December
2002. [93] Interview with Habtom Seyoum,
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 20 December
2002. [94] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 259. [95] Interview with Jane
Brouillette, UNDP, 23 December 2002.
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