Humanitarian Mine Action refers to activities aimed
at significantly reducing or completely eliminating the threat and impact of
landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) upon civilians and their livelihoods.
This is achieved through minefield survey and marking, mine clearance, and mine
risk education. To increase efficiency and effectiveness, an increasingly
important aspect of mine action is priority setting and planning.
The number of mine-affected countries reporting organized mine clearance
operations continued to increase in 2002 and 2003, as did the reported areas of
mine-affected land that were cleared of landmines and UXO. Peace agreements and
cease-fires in Angola, Sri Lanka, and Sudan enabled the expansion of mine action
activities. Two more mine-affected countries joined the Mine Ban Treaty,
including Afghanistan, one of the world’s most mine and UXO contaminated
countries. Transparency reporting by mine-affected States Parties increased, as
did participation by these countries in key meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Landmine impact surveys continued in key mine-affected countries. More
generally, survey and assessments of the problem became more common. These
activities helped in the development of clearance priorities and strategic
national clearance plans. The number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
engaged in mine action increased, both internationally and nationally.
Coordination systems for mine action were established in a number of countries
during the reporting period.
Massive amounts of mine action funding and assistance in 2002 and 2003 were
devoted to Afghanistan and Iraq. Some saw this as a disproportionate amount of
resources, to the detriment of other mine-affected countries and areas. In July
2002, mine clearance in Eritrea was set back considerably when the government
disbanded its existing coordinating bodies, closed the national mine action NGO,
and expelled most international mine action NGOs.
Many States Parties are beginning to approach the mid-point for the ten-year
deadline for clearance of all mined areas, as required by Article 5 of the Mine
Ban Treaty. The first deadline will be 1 March 2009, for 14 of the first States
Parties to the treaty. Another 11 countries have deadlines later in 2009 and
eight have deadlines in 2010.[28]
Increased attention is being paid to these and other States Parties to assist
them in reaching their goal.
Some States Parties have confused the former “2010” demining
policy goal of the United States government with the ten-year treaty-mandated
deadline. Others have set clearance goals that stretch past their
treaty-mandated deadline. Elsewhere, there has not even been an acknowledgment
of the problem, let alone the treaty deadline.
It is instructive to look at the status of the 14 States Parties with the
first deadlines in March 2009: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark,
Djibouti, Honduras, FYR Macedonia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru, Senegal,
United Kingdom (Falklands/Malvinas), Yemen and Zimbabwe. Mine clearance is
underway in most, but not all of these countries.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers in April 2003 approved a
demining strategy for 2002 to 2010, which has the objective of freeing the
country from the threat of mines and UXO by 2010.
In May 2003, Croatia expressed its intention to be mine-free by March 2009.
The Skallingen peninsula in Denmark was heavily mine-contaminated in World
War II. It is now a protected natural reserve, and there are no mine clearance
programs at present.
Djibouti should be “mine-safe” by the end of 2003, according to
the US State Department.
The final clearance operation in Honduras is scheduled for completion by the
end of 2003.
Some mine clearance is occurring in FYR Macedonia, where the mine problem is
relatively limited. However, FYR Macedonia’s most recent Article 7
transparency reports provided no information on mined areas or mine
clearance.
Malawi acknowledged suspected mined areas along the border with Mozambique
in its initial Article 7 report submitted February 2003 and is seeking funds for
survey and demining activities.
According to Mozambique’s national mine action plan adopted in 2001,
the mission of the plan is to create a “mine-impact free” country
within ten years.
Recent fighting in the north has left Namibia with a mine problem. But,
Namibia still has not submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report,
originally due by 28 August 1999, and its long-term mine action plan remains
unknown.
In 2002, the Organization of American States (OAS) estimated that it will
take eight to nine years to complete mine clearance operations in Perú,
because of technical issues and extremely difficult conditions, and said the aim
is to declare Perú “mine safe” in 2010.
In Senegal, the director of the military engineers stated that a systematic
humanitarian mine clearance program remains impossible as long as there is no
peace agreement with rebel forces in Casemance. A mine clearance plan has been
developed, which would be carried out in three phases over a five-year
period.
Using the results of a Landmine Impact Survey, Yemen developed a five-year
strategic plan to clear the fourteen highly affected communities by 2004; by
the end of 2002, six of these communities had been cleared and declared safe.
In October 2001, the United Kingdom and Argentina agreed on a Memorandum of
Understanding on the establishment of a feasibility study on mine clearance in
the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands. No significant progress was made to initiate
the feasibility study during 2002 or the first half of 2003.
In Zimbabwe, a National Authority on Mine Action was established in 2002 to
formulate a national mine action plan.
Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty requires “destruction of all
anti-personnel mines in mined areas....” (emphasis added). The ICBL and
many others have for years used the term “mine-free” to describe the
central goal of eradication of antipersonnel landmines. Increasingly, other
terms are being used to describe the objective, such as “mine-safe,”
“risk-free,” and “impact-free.” In the coming years,
these terms need to be discussed more thoroughly, and there needs to be a better
articulation of precisely what the objective means, as the international
community continues to grapple with a solution to the landmine problem.
Landmine Problem
Landmine Monitor Report 2003 has identified
82 countries that are affected by the presence of uncleared landmines and
unexploded ordnance. In addition, Landmine Monitor identifies nine other areas
(noted in italics in the chart) that are not internationally recognized states,
but which Landmine Monitor researches and reports on because of their particular
mine-affected status.[29]
Landmine/UXO Problem in the World
Africa
Americas
Asia/Pacific
Europe/Central Asia
Middle East/
North Africa
Angola
Burundi
Chad
DR Congo
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Malawi
Mauritania
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Swaziland
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Somaliland
Chile
Colombia
Cuba
Ecuador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Peru
Venezuela
Falkland/Malvinas(UK)
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia
China
India
Korea, DPR
Korea, RO
Lao PDR
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Vietnam
Taiwan
Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia&Herzegovina
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Georgia
Greece
Kyrgyzstan
FYR Macedonia
Moldova
Poland
Russia
Serbia&Montenegro
Tajikistan
Turkey
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Abkhazia
Chechnya
Kosovo
Nagorno-Karabakh
Algeria
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Morocco
Oman
Syria
Tunisia
Yemen
Palestine
Western Sahara
Bold:Non-States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty
Landmine Monitor has removed nine countries from last year’s total of
90 countries, and added one. Costa Rica declared itself mine-free in December
2002. The Republic of Congo was removed from the list, as no known mined areas
were reported in the country, although its border with Angola may be
mine-affected. In El Salvador, Estonia, Hungary, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, and
Mongolia the problem is predominately, in some cases exclusively, due to UXO,
and very limited in its impact on the civilian population, with very few or no
casualties recorded in 2001, 2002 or 2003. There is still a need for explosive
ordnance disposal (EOD) in these countries.
Venezuela was added to the list of mine-affected countries after it
acknowledged in its initial Article 7 report that it has 1,063 antipersonnel
mines emplaced in six locations.
Over half (45) of the 82 mine-affected countries are States Parties to the
Mine Ban Treaty, including two that joined the treaty in the reporting period
(Afghanistan and Cyprus). Bangladesh stated in its Article 7 Report that
“No known mined areas exist within the territory of
Bangladesh.”[30] However,
landmines are found along a 208-kilometer-long area of the border with Burma, in
Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Philippines also indicated in its Article 7 Report
that it is not mine-affected, but it has stated that improvised mines,
booby-traps, and other explosive devices used by insurgent groups are cleared by
army ordnance and demolition
teams.[31] Landmine Monitor has
reported that new mines are laid each year and there are new casualties each
year.
Survey and Assessments
There is still a lack of knowledge in many
mine-affected countries as to the extent of the landmine problem, including
credible, detailed information as to the exact location of mined areas. In a
number of non-signatory countries with no humanitarian mine action programs,
there is very little publicly available information on the extent of the mine
problem. This is the case, for example, in Burma, India, Iran, Pakistan, and
Uzbekistan.
The extent of the landmine problem, including the location and impact of
mined areas, must be known in order to develop strategic mine action plans.
Various forms of landmine surveys or assessments are generally utilized to
assess the landmine problem.
A Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) is designed to look at the impact of landmines
on communities in order to help authorities develop strategic plans to reduce
impact. The Survey Working Group is the coordinating body for most LIS
operations, with the Survey Action Center (SAC) as the executing agency.
Landmine Impact Surveys were completed in Cambodia, Chad, Mozambique,
Thailand, and Yemen in 2000 and 2001, and a modified survey was carried out in
Kosovo. UNOPS reports that it completed an LIS in northern Iraq in 2002. LIS
began in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and
Somaliland in 2002. All are due for completion in 2003, except Eritrea, due in
2004. LIS got underway in Afghanistan and Angola in 2003. In Vietnam, the
Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) plans to start an LIS in 2003.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Somalia (Puntland), and Sudan are
under consideration for LIS.
In 2002 and early 2003, Landmine Monitor recorded other general surveys and
assessments of the mine problem in 32 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola,
Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Croatia, DR Congo,
Ecuador, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Serbia and Montenegro, Sudan, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Vietnam, and Yemen, as well as Abkhazia and
Nagorno-Karabakh. In many instances, surveys preceded clearance operations,
while others represent an initial assessment or survey to gain a better picture
of the problem from which to plan a response.
Among the notable survey and assessment developments in 2002 and 2003 are the
following. HALO Trust surveyed three former Soviet army military bases in
Georgia in June 2002. In Armenia, deminers conducted a survey in one of the most
mine-affected regions in the country. In Iraq, UN Office for Project Services
(UNOPS), the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), VVAF, and MineTech are conducting
emergency surveys/assessments. In Tunisia, MAG conducted an assessment of the
country’s landmine problem in December 2002, while UN Mine Action Service
(UNMAS) undertook an assessment mission there in January 2003. In 2002, UNMAS
also conducted an assessment mission to Mauritania and a technical mission to
Cyprus. In Vietnam, several local surveys were conducted by the Canadian
company Hatfield Consultants, in partnership with an office of Vietnam’s
Ministry of Health.
The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) assists mine action
programs with data collection and mapping of information collected on affected
areas, mine clearance, mine casualties and other relevant information.
According to the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD),
IMSMA has been installed in 29 countries, including Albania, Armenia, Chile,
Colombia, Cyprus, DR Congo, Guatemala, Honduras, Sudan, and Zambia in 2002.
Version 3 of IMSMA became available in 2003.
A total of 38 of the 45 mine-affected States Parties had submitted
transparency reports as required under Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty, as of
31 July 2002. Angola, Eritrea, Liberia, Namibia, and Sierra Leone are late
submitting their initial Article 7 reports. Article 7 reports for Afghanistan
and Cyprus are not due yet.
Mine Clearance
Some form of mine clearance was reported to have
taken place in 2002 and the first half of 2003 in 63 countries identified as
mine-affected.[32] There is
humanitarian mine clearance underway in at least 35 countries and instances of
limited mine clearance in 32 countries. No mine clearance was recorded in 16
mine-affected countries.
Humanitarian Mine Clearance Activities
Humanitarian mine clearance by international, national, and non-governmental
actors was underway in at least 35 countries in 2002 and 2003. This includes 24
States Parties: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia,
Chad, Costa Rica, Croatia, Djibouti, DR Congo, Ecuador, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau,
Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, FYR Macedonia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua,
Peru, Rwanda, Thailand, and Yemen. It also includes 11 non-States Parties:
Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Sudan, and Vietnam. There are also humanitarian mine clearance programs in
Abkhazia, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Somaliland.
Transparent reporting on developments relating to demining is essential for
efficient deployment of resources to high priority areas. Inconsistent
reporting makes it difficult to identify the accumulated land cleared and
returned to communities. There are often significant differences in the mine
clearance figures provided in a country’s Article 7 report, provided by
the national coordination body, and provided by various demining NGOs. Landmine
Monitor had particular difficulty in obtaining comprehensive and consistent
figures for clearance in 2002 in Afghanistan, Angola, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, and
Mozambique.
In some instances, international non-governmental organizations were
primarily responsible for the humanitarian mine clearance, in cooperation with
local authorities. In 2002, NGOs increased their demining activities in a
number of countries, most notably in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. Major
international demining NGOs include DanChurchAid (DCA), the Danish Demining
Group (DDG), the HALO Trust (HALO), Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Norwegian
People's Aid (NPA), and Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD).
In Abkhazia, HALO cleared 858,688 square meters of mine-affected land in
2002.
In Albania, DCA and FSD conducted impact surveys that resulted in the
release of almost six million square meters of suspected dangerous land in 2002,
while technical survey released a further 675,000 square meters, and clearance
freed up 450,000 square meters of mined land.
In Angola, mine action NGOs reported the clearance of more than 2.8 million
square meters in 2002 and the first quarter of 2003.
In Chad, the NGO HELP reported that it cleared a total surface area of
1,935,000 square meters in 2002, destroying 2,970 mines and 6,904 UXO.
In Eritrea, DDG cleared a total of 154,000 square meters of land from
January until the July 2002 proclamation expelling mine action NGOs. DCA
cleared 250,500 square meters of mine-affected land between 1 June 2001 and July
2002. HALO was asked to cease operations in May 2003, after having been
permitted to continue their operations after July 2002.
In Mozambique, the National Institute for Demining (IND) reports that 8.9
million square meters of land was cleared in 2002, a slight increase from 8.7
million square meters cleared in 2001. Conflicting numbers were reported by
various demining NGOs, however.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, HALO cleared 380,386 square meters of land in 2002. In
2003, activities increased dramatically resulting in 810,743 square meters of
land cleared between 1 January 2003 and 1 June 2003.
In Somaliland, three NGOs (DDG, HALO, and the Santa Barbara Foundation)
carried out demining activities in 2002, clearing nearly 1.7 million square
meters of mined land, and 20 million square meters of battle area.
Indigenous or national non-governmental demining organizations operated in a
number of countries in 2002.
In Afghanistan, demining activities by national and international NGOs
expanded dramatically as the mine action budget more than quadrupled. In 2002,
mine action agencies cleared 22.5 million square meters of mined land, and 88.6
million square meters of former battlefields, compared to 15.6 million square
meters of land cleared in 2001.
In Azerbaijan, two national mine clearance NGOs cleared a total of 1,118,000
square meters of land in 2002.
Ethiopia’s first humanitarian demining NGO, Ethiopian Mine Action
Office (EMAO), began demining operations in mid-2002 and by January 2003, it had
cleared 396,555 square meters of land.
In Guinea-Bissau, the mine action coordination center CAAMI reported in June
2003 that 390,000 square meters of land had been cleared since 2000. According
to the UN Development Program (UNDP), the demining NGO HUMAID cleared 333,240
square meters of land between November 2000 and February 2003. A second
domestic mine clearance NGO, LUTCAM, started field operations in February
2003.
In Iraq, mine action programs were initiated for the first time in southern
Iraq after the main fighting ceased in April 2003. Before this, four local NGOs
operating with UN support, MAG and NPA were conducting mine clearance in Kurdish
areas in the north of the country. NGOs DCA, FSD, and MineTech started demining
activities in 2003.
A local NGO Community Motivation and Development Organization (CMDO)
launched a new humanitarian pilot mine clearance program in one part of Pakistan
in early 2003.
In Sudan, mine clearance activities expanded in 2002. Those active included
DCA and Landmine Action, local NGOs Operation Save Innocent Lives (OSIL), and
Sudan Integrated Mine Action Service (SIMAS), and, for a limited period, the
US’s Quick Reaction Demining Force (QRDF).
In a number of countries, humanitarian mine clearance is carried out by a
combination of NGOs and national army or police deminers.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Mine Action Center reported in February 2003
that approximately 6 million square meters of land was cleared in 2002, compared
with 5.5 million square meters in 2001. The total amount cleared in 2002 was
still significantly less than planned.
The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) reports
that approximately 34.7 million square meters of land was cleared in 2002, as
compared to 21.9 million square meters of land cleared in 2001. The increase
was primarily due to expanded clearance by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
The Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC) reported that 60 million square
meters of mined land was deemed mine-free in 2002, including approximately 31
million square meters cleared in demining operations. In 2001, 13.6 million
square meters of land was cleared, to a large extent using mechanical
devices.
In DR Congo, between June 2001 and April 2003, Handicap International
Belgium cleared 25,756 square meters of land in and around Kisangani. In May
2003, it was forced to stop demining activities due to a lack of funds. Limited
mine clearance has been also been conducted by militaries and the UN.
In Laos, a funding crisis led to significantly scaled-back clearance
operations in mid-2002 and to the lay-off of nearly half of UXO LAO’s
operational capacity. Operations have since gradually been resumed and staff
re-hired. In 2002, 8.4 million square meters of land was cleared and 98,963
items of UXO destroyed.
In Lebanon, the Army reported demining 1.7 million square meters of land in
2002. As part of the $50 million United Arab Emirates “Operation Emirates
Solidarity,” two commercial companies cleared 3.9 million square meters of
land in South Lebanon in 2002.
In FYR Macedonia, a total of nearly 3.9 million square meters of land was
cleared in 2002, by various actors including NATO and Macedonian security
forces, Handicap International and MineTech.
The Sri Lankan Army Engineers report that approximately 16.36 million square
meters of land was cleared in 2002. The February 2002 cease-fire increased the
number of mine action NGOs in the country from none in 2001 to five in 2002 and
2003 (DDG, FSD, HALO, MAG, and NPA).
The People’s Army of Vietnam is the primary agency involved in
clearance in that country, but others engaged include border guards, commercial
military companies, and five international NGOs.
National armies and police conduct mine clearance in a number of countries.
In almost all of the following instances, the clearance could be viewed as
humanitarian, but more information is required, especially on quality assurance
procedures.
A unit of the army of Djibouti, together with US commercial contractor
RONCO, cleared 4,986 square meters of land in 2002.
In Guatemala, clearance operations in San Marcos department were completed
on 15 December 2002, with 8,342 square meters of land returned to communities.
In 2002, the Greek Army demined 66,000 square meters of land in its northern
regions, as part of an ongoing clearance operation.
The Royal Jordanian Corps of Engineers cleared 20 minefields in 2002, which
allowed a major national irrigation project to proceed.
The Kosovo Protection Corps operations cleared 203,360 square meters of land
in 2002. Fourteen new dangerous areas were discovered.
In Mauritania, a total of 5,294 mines and 5,098 UXO were cleared and
destroyed between April 2000 and April 2003 by the government’s National
Humanitarian Demining Office.
In Rwanda, deminers from the National Demining Office, under the Ministry of
Defense, cleared a total of 1,220 mines and 27,791 UXO from 1995 to 2002.
The Thailand Mine Action Center reported the clearance of 368,351 square
meters of land in 2002.
In Yemen, the National Mine Action Committee reports that in 2002 seven mine
clearance teams cleared 18 known mine-affected areas covering approximately 1.18
million square meters.
The Mine Action Program (AICMA) of the OAS works with national armies in
Central and South America.
In December 2002, Costa Rica declared itself mine-free. According to an OAS
update, a total of 338 landmines were removed from along the Nicaraguan border
from 130,000 square meters of land.
Engineer units of the Ecuadorian Army conducting mine clearance have cleared
a total of 4,573 mines since commencing operations.
In Honduras, the Army and OAS are responsible for demining operations,
clearing a total of 16,700 square meters of mine-affected land in 2002.
The Engineer Corps of the Nicaraguan Army cleared 339,032 square meters of
land in 2002, destroying 5,479 antipersonnel mines.
Peruvian Army Engineers completed mine clearance of the Zarumilla Canal in
2002, as well as its source at La Palma and the area leading to the
international bridge at Aguas Verdes. National Police and deminers hired by the
Industrial Services of the Navy cleared and destroyed 17,651 mines from around
668 high-tension electrical towers between June 2002 and May 2003.
Other Mine Clearance Activities
Limited mine clearance was underway in at least 32 countries in 2002 and
2003, including ten States Parties (Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Namibia,
the Philippines, Serbia and Montenegro, Tajikistan, Uganda, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe) and 22 non-States Parties (Armenia, Belarus, Burma, Burundi, China,
Egypt, Georgia, India, Israel, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal,
North Korea, Oman, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, and
Uzbekistan), as well as in Chechnya, Taiwan and Western Sahara.
Limited clearance by military and other entities, such as explosive ordnance
disposal (EOD) units of national police responding to emergencies necessitating
the clearance of landmines or UXO, was recorded in Belarus, Czech Republic,
Georgia, Kuwait, Moldova, Oman, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.
Some countries during this reporting period conducted mine clearance
operations to facilitate military operations. Limited military mine clearance
for tactical purposes was noted in Burma, Burundi, Russia (Chechnya), Colombia,
Nepal, Philippines, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.
Limited mine clearance to maintain minefields was noted in Cyprus and
Israel.
In Burma (Myanmar), the practice of so-called atrocity demining continued as
the military forced civilians to walk in front of them in order to detonate
mines.
In December 2002, China reported that new mine clearance activities had
started along its border with Vietnam following the signing of a bilateral
border agreement, in which the two counties agreed to complete technical surveys
of mined areas by 2005.
The armies of India and Pakistan apparently began systematic clearance along
the border in October 2002, following the withdrawal of their troops from the
area. Pakistan states that it has cleared most of the minefields, while India
states that 85 percent of the mines it laid have been retrieved.
In 2002, the Kyrgyz military reportedly began clearance in some areas, but,
according to the Kyrgyz Border Guard Service, stopped due to disputes about the
border.
Starting in September 2002, North and South Korea both undertook mine
clearance in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to prepare for a transportation
project. This is believed to be the first mine clearance inside the DMZ.
In southern Serbia, the Army and Ministry of the Interior deactivated or
destroyed 6,654 mines and 223,058 items of UXO, including cluster bombs, from
May 2001 to December 2002.
Demining by the Turkish Army of the border with Bulgaria border was
completed in mid-2002.
In Egypt, commercial companies undertook some limited mine clearance for
economic development purposes.
In Namibia, the Namibia Development Corporation funded the clearance in 2002
of dozens of 30-hectare plots in the West Caprivi region.
In Taiwan, a commercial company (BATEC) removed a total of 5,165
antipersonnel mines from an area of 66,362 square meters on the southern side of
the Shang-Yi airport on Kinmen Island in 2002. According to reports the
Ministry of National Defense there are no more mined areas left in inland parts
of the island.
The UN reported that in the Western Sahara, the Royal Moroccan Army carried
out 36 mine disposal operations and the Polisario Front carried out nine such
operations between April 2002 and January 2003. In May 2003, the UN reported
that the Royal Moroccan Army had carried out another 16 mine disposal operations
in Western Sahara.
Zambian Army deminers, in consultation with RONCO, began clearance
operations in May 2002 clearing roads along Lake Kariba to open up the area for
a US$50 million World Bank development project.
In addition, clearance initiatives conducted or implemented by villagers or
mine-affected communities were recorded in countries including Afghanistan,
Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Nicaragua, and Pakistan. In Cambodia and Laos,
governmental mine action agencies requested such initiatives be banned.
No Clearance Activities
No mine clearance of any type was noted in 2002 in 16 mine-affected
countries, including 12 States Parties (Algeria, Bangladesh, Chile, Denmark,
Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tunisia, and
Venezuela) and four non-States Parties (Cuba, Libya, Somalia, and Syria), as
well as Palestine and the Falkland/Malvinas (UK).
Planning for humanitarian mine clearance is underway in States Parties
Algeria, Chile, Niger, Tunisia, and Venezuela.
Emergency Clearance
The UN Mine Action Service continued its emergency response programs in
Eritrea, FYR Macedonia and South Lebanon in 2002. It also established new
emergency coordinating programs in DR Congo and Sudan. UNMAS also took
responsibility for coordinating the UN Mine Action Program in Afghanistan, and
for coordinating the UN response to the emergency in Iraq. The US Quick
Reaction Demining Force, based in Mozambique, was deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq,
Sri Lanka, and Sudan during 2002 and 2003.
Planning and Coordination
In 2002 and 2003, increased attention was paid to
the development aspect of mine action, instead of viewing it as just an
emergency and humanitarian aid activity. Donors and mine-affected countries are
acknowledging that mine action activities must be part of other rehabilitation
and long-term efforts, and that these activities must dictate much of the
priority setting within humanitarian mine clearance.
In this reporting period, there has been increased focus and attention paid
to planning and coordination needs. Most donor countries are now emphasizing
the need for mine-affected countries to develop a strategic mine action plan
focusing on priorities for clearance, and to accurately document overall
progress. Without information from surveys, planning systems, and a
well-structured coordination body, mine-affected countries and donor countries
will continue to experience a lack of accuracy in mine action data. This in turn
leads to difficulties in measuring effectiveness and efficiency of mine action
activities.
Landmine Monitor 2003 noted some form of coordination and planning
body in place in 37 of the 82 mine-affected countries: Afghanistan, Angola,
Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, Colombia,
Croatia, Djibouti, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau,
Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mauritania, Mozambique,
Nicaragua, Peru, Rwanda, Serbia and Montenegro, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand,
Tajikistan, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. There are also such bodies in
Abkhazia, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, Palestine, and Somaliland.
Some coordination developments in the reporting period include:
In May 2002, Chile’s National Demining Commission was established by
an official decree. It was not, however, officially constituted until 19 August
2002.
In July 2002, Eritrea announced the establishment of the governmental
Eritrean Demining Authority to manage and coordinate mine action activities in
the country. At the same time, NGOs such as DCA, DDG and the Mine Awareness
Trust were expelled from the country and, in June 2003, HALO was also asked to
leave.
In Palestine, a national Mine Action Committee was created in August 2002
consisting of Palestinian Authority agencies, the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC), UNICEF, UN Relief and Works Agency, and relevant NGOs.
The Peruvian Center for Mine Action, “Contraminas” (Centro
Peruano de Acción contra las Minas Antipersonales) was officially created
in December 2002.
In Sri Lanka, the National Steering Committee on Mine Action (NSCMA) was
established in late 2002.
UNMAS established a National Mine Action Center in Khartoum, Sudan in
February 2003.
In Zimbabwe, a National Authority on Mine Action was established in early
2002, in addition to the Zimbabwe Mine Action Center.
National mine action plans are important planning tools to help meet
clearance deadlines for mine-affected States Parties. National mine action plans
can also help ensure that clearance benefits the most heavily impacted
mine-affected populations and supports the national socio-economic development
of the country. A mine action plan also enhances transparency with donors, and
provides a base for accountability with the mine-affected communities.
During this reporting period, Landmine Monitor recorded a national mine
action plan in 22 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Egypt, Guinea
Bissau, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Senegal, Sudan, Thailand,
Zimbabwe, and Yemen. A number of countries were in the process of drafting and
approving plans.
Some planning developments in the reporting period include:
In Afghanistan, a strategic plan released in early 2003 proposes that with
adequate funding all mines in high-priority areas can be removed in five years
under an accelerated demining program.
In Albania, a national mine action plan was developed during 2002, with the
assistance of UNDP, with the aim of completing mine clearance by 2006.
In Angola, joint UN/NGO/government assessment teams conducted the first
phase of a Rapid Assessment of Critical Needs process, in which teams visited 28
locations where internally displaced persons (IDPs) had returned to previously
inaccessible areas. They found that 26 of the 28 locations were seriously
mine-affected.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers approved a demining
strategy with the objective of freeing the country from mines and UXO by
2010.
In Cambodia, a mine action activity plan has been prepared for integration
into the country’s National Poverty Reduction Strategy and policy
guidelines have been developed for a long-term mine action strategy.
In Chad, a National Strategic Plan for the period 2002-2015 was developed in
2002, using the results of the Landmine Impact Survey completed in May 2001. It
forms part of the country’s National Strategy to Reduce Poverty:
2001-2015.
In 2003, the DR Congo submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report
identifying 165 mined or suspected mined areas in 11 provinces.
In Ecuador, a National Mine Clearance Plan for 2003-2004 was approved in
December 2002.
In March 2003, the Egyptian Cabinet agreed on a national plan to clear mines
and develop the country’s northwest coast.
In Iraq, several surveys and assessments were either planned or underway by
June 2003 to make up for a lack of contamination data on the south and center of
the country prior to March 2003.
In Mozambique, a Five-Year National Mine Action Plan was developed for the
period 2002-2006, using the findings of the Landmine Impact Survey completed in
August 2001. Mozambique reports that mine action is integrated into the
government’s Absolute Poverty Reduction Plan.
In Tajikistan, the State Mine Clearance Program (SMCP) was formed in 2002 in
order to develop a mine action plan.
International Developments – Coordination and Information
The Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk
Education and Related Technologies met in February and May 2003. Belgium and
Kenya acted as co-chairs. Cambodia and Japan were co-rapporteurs; they will
become co-chairs in September 2003. During the 2003 meetings, the Committee
focused on developments in and activities of mine-affected States Parties. At
the February 2003 meeting, seventeen States Parties provided updates on mine
action implementation plans and progress. In May 2003, sixteen State Parties
made presentations.[33] Four
mine-affected countries that have not joined the Mine Ban Treaty also presented
on mine action activities: Iraq (presented by UNMAS), Sri Lanka, Sudan, and
Turkey. Documents presented at the Standing Committees are available at
www.gichd.ch.
In May 2003, a new “tool” was introduced to assist mine-affected
States Parties in reporting on their activities. The “4P” approach,
developed by the Implementation Support Unit (ISU), calls for reporting on
Problems, Plans, Progress, and Priorities. The Committee co-chairs hope that
the 4P approach will improve efforts to measure mine action progress and to
identify challenges, especially as the States Parties increasingly focus on the
need for compliance with the ten-year deadline for mine clearance.
The ICBL Mine Action Working Group (MAWG), chaired by NPA, presented at both
the February and May Standing Committee meetings. The MAWG stressed the
importance of participation by mine-affected States Parties in the
intersessional work program. In addition, MAWG underlined the continued need
for transparency in reporting on mine action results. MAWG highlighted the
ten-year timeframe for complete clearance of all mined areas and the importance
of effectively measuring progress and assessing remaining challenges.
The Steering Committee on Mine Action (SCMA), chaired by UNMAS with
participation from various demining NGOs, the UN, International Committee of the
Red Cross, and others, met three times during 2002 to discuss issues of
priorities in mine action, country developments (in Afghanistan, Angola, Sri
Lanka, and Vietnam, as well as Chechnya), and the establishment of the Rapid
Response initiative. The SCMA formed an ad-hoc task force to investigate growing
differences between the UN and mine action NGOs in the field. UNMAS also
chaired the UN Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, an internal UN
group that met monthly during 2002 to coordinate UN mine action response.
The UN Mine Action strategy was updated in July 2003 after consultations
within the mine action community, and with mine-affected and donor governments.
Among other items, the revised strategy reflects technical and methodological
developments, the increased involvement of mine-affected countries in planning,
coordinating and executing humanitarian mine action programs, and the important
role of mine-affected communities themselves.
A major issue relating to mine action coordination during this reporting
period was the importance of integrating a country’s mine action plan into
a Development Plan or Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan. Landmine Monitor notes
that five countries are reporting mine clearance activities and mine action
plans as components of the country’s Development or Poverty Reduction
Strategy Plan: Cambodia, Chad, Mauritania, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
According to the United Nations Development Program, it is providing
assistance for the management of mine action programs in 23 countries:
Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia,
Chad, Colombia, Croatia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Iran, Jordan, Laos,
Lebanon, Mozambique, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Yemen.
The UNDP has also continued to develop and expand its Mine Action Exchange
program (MAX), which facilitates the exchange of expertise, information,
technology and facilities among mine-affected country programs. In 2002,
program participants came from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Croatia and Mozambique,
and in 2003, there are plans to expand the program to include Cambodia, Yemen
and other countries.
The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) are guidelines for mine action
activities aimed at helping practitioners and authorities monitor and conduct
mine action activities in accordance with internationally set standards and
safety levels. It is also hoped that the IMAS will constitute the basis for any
national mine action standards and standard operating procedures used by mine
action operators. The review board on IMAS met in January 2003 to review how
the international standards have been adopted and adapted as national standards.
Currently, the mine action community has endorsed 27 standards and another five
are under discussion. The IMAS can be viewed online at
www.mineactionstandards.org.
The Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining issued several mine
action studies in 2002 on topics including socio-economic approaches to mine
action, Mine Risk Education, mine action and mechanical demining equipment,
metal detectors, and Explosive Remnants of War.
In September 2002, UNMAS released an interactive CD-ROM containing numerous
important mine action and advocacy-related documents. In 2002, UNMAS
strengthened and expanded its Electronic Mine Information Network (E-MINE),
available at www.mineaction.org. The
stockpile destruction database developed by Canada was integrated into E-MINE.
The Mine Action Support Group (MASG), the New York-based group of mine action
donor governments, met almost every month during 2002 and 2003. The Permanent
Mission of Belgium to the UN chaired the MASG in 2002, while the Permanent
Mission of Germany was chair in 2003. In 2002, the MASG received briefings from
mine action teams from countries including Afghanistan, Angola, Eritrea and
Sudan, as well as UNICEF, UNDP and UNMAS. It initiated field visits by donors
to programs in Cambodia and Laos in 2002 and the Balkans in 2003. The MASG
issues a monthly newsletter detailing minutes of its meetings, donor activities,
and highlights from mine action programs.
An informal Resource Mobilization Contact Group was established during the
Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002, with Norway as chair. The
group is tasked with exploring all possible avenues for mobilizing resources to
achieve the humanitarian aim of the Mine Ban Treaty. The group focuses on
resource mobilization among traditional donors, multilateral agencies and
development banks, mine-affected States Parties, other mine-affected states and
non-traditional state donors, as well as the private sector. In May 2003, the
group looked at how mine action can be seen as both a humanitarian and a
development activity, providing opportunities for flexible financing.
Mine-affected States Parties were encouraged to integrate national mine action
plans with the country’s Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan.
Demining Technology Research and Development
Landmine Monitor Report 2003 notes various
research and development (R&D) projects by donor countries and mine-affected
countries. As in previous years, it is often difficult to demonstrate the
impact these projects have in the field.
In May 2003, Belgium presented a paper on mine action technologies, problems
and recommendations, which identified collaboration between end-users, donors
and technology experts as the major need in the R&D field. The paper
acknowledges that the R&D community must improve the manner in which real
needs are addressed, as opposed to assumed or presumed needs.
In 2002, Croatia established a Test and Evaluation Center and invited
interested states and actors to use its services. In cooperation with Sweden
and the GICHD, the Croatian Mine Action Center has taken responsibility for
establishing standards for testing of demining machines and techniques. In
2002, nine machines and 86 mine detection dogs were tested in Croatia.
In South Africa, a study is being undertaken to establish an integrated
regional capability linked to national programs and activities. The study
examines mine detection dog capability, electronic and mechanical equipment, and
technologies that support mine survivors.
[28] Those with deadlines later in 2009 include
Chad, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jordan, Malawi, Nicaragua, Niger, Swaziland, Thailand,
Uganda and Venezuela. Those with 2010 deadlines include Argentina, Cambodia,
Czech Republic, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Liberia, and the
Philippines. [29] Northern Iraq is no longer
being reported separately from the rest of
Iraq. [30] Bangladesh, Article 7 Report,
Form C, 29 April 2003. [31] Philippines,
Article 7 Report, Form C, 14 May 2003. [32]
This includes Costa Rica, which declared itself mine-free in December
2002. [33] Among those presenting at the
meetings were: Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, DR
Congo, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Jordan, FYR Macedonia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Peru,
Rwanda, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, and Zambia.
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