Key developments since May 2002: A level
one survey was carried out October 2002-January 2003, which determined that 46
percent of Rwanda’s mined areas had been cleared. From 1995 to 2002, a
total of 1,220 mines and 27,791 UXO were cleared. No mine risk education
activities were conducted in 2002, due largely to a lack of funding. A
government committee was created in July 2002 to draft national implementation
legislation.
Mine Ban Policy
Rwanda signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997 and ratified it on 13 June 2000. The treaty entered into force for Rwanda
on 1 December 2000. Rwanda submitted its initial Article 7 report on 4
September 2001. Its first update was submitted on 22 April 2003, covering the
period May 2001 to April
2003.[1]
A presidential order of 24 December 1998 ordered the incorporation of the
Mine Ban Treaty into domestic law, but no specific implementation legislation
exists to date.[2] Rwanda
states that an existing law, Decree-Law 12/79, which prohibits illegal import,
use, transfer and possession of arms and ammunition, also covers mines, although
mines are not explicitly
mentioned.[3] A Coordination
Committee composed of members of the Ministry of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and
Justice was created in July 2002 to draft national implementation
legislation.[4]A
Defense Ministry official said the timing of the legislation will depend on when
the new Constitution for Rwanda is
adopted.[5] An official of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation stated there was no need
for specific legislation “as the country does not produce antipersonnel
mines.”[6]
Rwanda participated in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September
2002, as well as the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February and
May 2003. It also participated in a Seminar on the Implementation of Article 7
of the Ottawa Treaty in Central Africa, organized by the Belgian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Brussels, on 12 and 13 November 2002.
On 22 November 2002, Rwanda voted in favor of the UN General Assembly
Resolution 57/74 on the universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty.
Production, Transfer and Stockpiling
Rwanda reports that it has never produced
antipersonnel mines.[7] In the
past, Rwanda imported an unknown number of antipersonnel mines; some 35 types of
mines from at least eight countries have been found in
Rwanda.[8] Rwanda has stated
that it has no stockpiles of antipersonnel
mines.[9] In its April 2003
Article 7 report, the government maintains that in 1994 the former government
“fled into neighboring Congo with all arms and ammunitions.... The current
government has never imported antipersonnel mines, therefore no stockpiled
antipersonnel mines [are] in
Rwanda...”[10]
Rwanda reported in September 2001 that it had no mines retained for training
purposes, as permitted under Mine Ban Treaty Article
3.[11] However, in April 2003
it reports having 101 antipersonnel mines that had been “uprooted from
minefields and retained for training
purposes.”[12]
Rwanda has been accused in 2002 and 2003 of providing antipersonnel mines to
rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (See below)
Assisting Mine Use in the DRC
Since 1998, there has been no reported new use of
antipersonnel mines in Rwanda. However, in recent years there have been
allegations of mine use in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by various
fighting forces, including by Rwanda and opposition forces it
supports.[13] In this reporting
period, Landmine Monitor does not have evidence of new use of antipersonnel
mines by Rwandan forces in the DRC.
In 2002, Landmine Monitor expressed its concern that Rwanda could be at risk
of violating the Mine Ban Treaty by virtue of its close military cooperation,
including joint military operations, with RCD-Goma rebels fighting against the
government in the DRC. 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.”
Although Rwandan forces officially withdrew from the DRC, in this reporting
period, Rwanda has reportedly continued to support RCD-Goma and a number of
other rebel groups fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including UPC
and its Hema allies, all of whom have allegedly used antipersonnel mines in 2002
or 2003. The nature and extent of Rwanda’s support is unclear.
In various interviews with Landmine Monitor in late 2002, Rwandan officials
claimed that there is no interrelated military command structure between the
Rwanda Army and the RCD-Goma rebels, and that the relationship is only
political.[14] In September
2002, an official at the Ministry of Defense said Rwanda does not have the
military power to prevent RCD-Goma from using antipersonnel mines, but that he
would urge them not to use mines anymore in the
future.[15]
However, other officials in Kigali in October 2002 indicated that Rwanda was
unlikely to object to use of antipersonnel mines by its allies in the DRC.
Several noted that since Rwandan troops had withdrawn from DRC, RCD-Goma’s
security is at stake, and they would not try to influence RCD-Goma in order to
avoid disturbing the balance of forces in the
DRC.[16] An official with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs opined that since RCD-Goma is rebelling against a
state, it does not have the same obligations as a
state.[17]
Landmine Problem and Survey
Between October 2002 and January 2003, the
National Demining Office (NDO) carried out a level one survey with the support
of RONCO Consulting Corporation, a US-based commercial demining
agency.[18] RONCO reports that
“there is much more of a mine problem remaining then previously
thought;” RONCO identified 19 minefields left in the country, of which two
are “very large” (hundreds of thousands of square meters), two are
"fairly large" (tens of thousands of square meters), and the rest are
“manageable.”[19]
According to Rwanda's April 2003 Article 7 report, there are 18 minefields in
the provinces of Byumba, Gisenyi, Kigali and Ruhengeri, with a total of 974,673
square meters left to clear.[20]
The affected areas are mainly farmland and thick forests in the Volcanoes
National Park. But in the city of Kigali, there is a minefield of 3,633 square
meters.[21]
Mined areas are marked by warning signs and sometimes fenced, depending on
the availability of resources. The fences range from temporary to more
permanent, depending on how quickly the NDO can start its demining
activities.[22] Deminers have
told Landmine Monitor that local residents often remove fences, as well as the
wooden sticks used as indicators inside the minefields, and use them for other
purposes.[23]
Mine Action Coordination, Funding and Clearance
Rwanda has had a National Demining office since
1995, under the Ministry of Defense. The NDO is composed of a coordination unit,
survey teams and operational
teams.[24] It is financed by
Rwanda through the Ministry of Defense. The United States has been the only
external donor to the program. The US State Department contributed $350,000 in
2002, for mine risk education, clearance operations and to purchase demining
equipment.[25]
The main functions of the NDO are to propose mine action policies and
strategies to the government, develop and supervise a sustainable and integrated
mine action plan, coordinate demining activities in the country and maintain a
national database.[26] It has
used the IMSMA system since June
2001.[27] Priority criteria for
demining are the number of people at risk and the economic impact of clearance,
such as the accessibility to roads for
transport.[28]
In October 2002, an official noted that no overall mine action plan had been
developed for 2002 or 2003, as the NDO was waiting for the output of the level 1
survey.[29]
The October 2002-January 2003 level one survey determined that 46 percent of
the mine-affected areas have been
cleared.[30] In its Article 7
update, Rwanda reported that “the remaining 54% are located in complicated
terrain needing significant means and expertise.” Further, it also said
that for the remaining 974,438 square meters (54%) that need to be cleared,
“taking into consideration the size of the remaining minefields,
mechanical clearance devices should be considered.” Finally,
the government reported on its need for international assistance in demining
“in order to have a mine-free nation as soon as
possible.”[31]
From 1995 to 2002, a total of 1,220 mines and 27,791 pieces of unexploded
ordnance (UXO) were cleared; in the first three months of 2003, an additional
486 mines and UXO were
cleared.[32] Rwanda stated that
the UXO problem in the country is more widespread than the mine
problem.[33]
RONCO has provided assistance to NDO since 1997, particularly in introducing
mine detection dogs (MDD) into the program. RONCO reports that “the
Rwandan program has grown to a fully developed team of 19 MDDs.” In
January 2002, RONCO also began providing assistance and refresher training to
the NDO. During the first phase of training, a RONCO manager accompanied three
members of the NDO to the Mozambican National Institute for Demining to observe
operational methods. After the visit, the NDO, with RONCO's assistance, made
adjustments to the NDO's operating procedures and plan of
operation.[34]
Mine Risk Education
Mine risk education (MRE) activities started
immediately after the establishment of the NDO in 1995. Until 2001 the NDO
carried out MRE through media, lectures, theater, and by distributing
educational material in every province of the
country.[35] However, in 2002,
no MRE activities have been conducted at all, due largely to a lack of specific
MRE funding for the NDO. As a result, ORINFOR, the Ministry of Information, is
no longer willing to participate in MRE, except for announcing on the radio when
and where demining activities will take
place.[36]
During demining operations, the danger of mines is explained to the local
population. However, according to several deminers, people rarely take into
consideration the risk of entering mine-affected areas, which mainly are
pastureland vital in an overpopulated agricultural country such as
Rwanda.[37] Landmine Monitor
witnessed farmers cross a marked and fenced
minefield.[38]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, there were at least five new mine and UXO
casualties in Rwanda. In the first half of 2002, two mine casualties were
registered in Byumba and in Kigali
rural.[39] In September 2002, a
mine incident injured the lower limb of a male adult while he was cutting a tree
in Gisenyi. In October 2002, an explosion killed an adult male in
Kigali,[40] and a mine incident
in Kigali center (Nyamirambo) killed a 15-year-old
boy.[41] In 2001, 23 landmine
casualties were
recorded.[42]
The National Demining Office has been collecting and recording mine casualty
data using IMSMA since June 2001. However, the NDO expresses concern that not
all mine casualties are
reported.[43] NDO data on mine
casualties reported in 2002 was not made available to Landmine
Monitor.[44] Rwanda reports
that up to the end of 2002, 650 mine casualties have been recorded, including
271 people killed.[45]
No accidents have been reported during mine clearance operations since
1997.[46]
Survivor Assistance
The National Demining Office has a stand-by team
that includes medical personnel, to evacuate mine casualties to the nearest
hospital.[47] There are four
specialized orthopedic centers; at the Kigali Hospital, the military hospital,
the Gatagara Center, and the center operated by the NGO Japan Mulindi One Love.
However, the existing programs reportedly need to be strengthened to meet the
needs of persons with disabilities, including mine
survivors.[48]
In 2002, the National Prosthesis and Orthopedic Rehabilitation Service at the
Kigali Hospital fitted prostheses for three male mine survivors from the
Democratic Republic of
Congo.[49] In addition, with
the support of Handicap International (HI), the center produced 526 prostheses,
but only fitted 236, and produced 647 crutches. The number of Rwandan mine
survivors assisted is not
known.[50] In 2001, the center
assisted 289 amputees, including 120 mine
survivors.[51]
Handicap International supports the orthopedic workshop, trains
physiotherapists and technicians, and produces prostheses and crutches. In
2002, HI assisted 1,543 people at the orthopedic center at Kigali Hospital and
the decentralized units in Cyangugu, Gahini, Ruhengeri and Butare. HI also
provided training for 29 physiotherapy assistants and orthopedic
assistants.[52]
The Gatagara Center produces artificial limbs and provides primary and
secondary education for people with a disability. The government, the ICRC, and
the Dutch NGO Memisa support the
center.[53]
The Mulindi Japan One Love Project (MJOLP) is a joint Rwandan/Japanese NGO
that produces prostheses and orthoses free of charge for persons with
disabilities and promotes their socio-economic
reintegration.[54] In February
2002, MJLOP began a mobile workshop service to reach people in remote
areas.[55] MJOLP receives part
of its budget from the Ministry of Local Government and Social
Affairs.[56]
Disability Policy and Practice
The Ministry of Health is responsible for issues
relating to persons with disabilities. Following a workshop in June 2002, a
national plan for the rehabilitation persons with a physical disability was
drafted in October 2002, with the support of Handicap
International.[57] The
objectives of the plan are to fight the causes of disability, to assure
infrastructure and equipment, to train personnel, and facilitate the
socio-economic reintegration of the
disabled.[58] Mine survivors
are not specifically mentioned in the plan but come under the category of
disability caused by trauma.[59]
[1] The initial Article 7 report covers the
period from 1 February 2001 to 31 August 2001. Rwanda did not submit an annual
update, due 30 April 2002. An official told Landmine Monitor that it had been
sent to the Permanent Mission of Rwanda in New York, but was never submitted to
the United Nations. Interviews with Major Ferdinand Safari, Director,
Operations Unit, Ministry of Defense, Geneva, 27 September 2002, and Kigali, 28
October 2002. [2] Order of the
President, nr. 38/01, 24 December 1998; Article 7 Report, Form A, 22 April
2003. [3] Article 7 Report, Form A, 22
April 2003; interview with Major Ferdinand Safari, Director Operations Unit,
Ministry of Defense, Kigali, 28 October
2002. [4] Interview with Major Ferdinand
Safari, Ministry of Defense, 28 October
2002. [5] Telephone interview with Major
Ferdinand Safari, Ministry of Defense, 7 March
2003. [6] Interview with Augustin
Mukama, Director, Bilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional
Cooperation, Kigali, 29 October
2002. [7] Article 7 Reports, Form E, 4
September 2001 and 22 April 2003. [8]
See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
162. [9] Article 7 Reports, Form B, 4
September 2001 and 22 April 2003. [10]
Article 7 Report, Form B, 22 April 2003. Similar statements were made in
interviews with Lt. Col. Jogn Zigira, Coordinator, National Demining Office,
Kigali, 29 October 2002, and with Charles Kayonga, Kigali, Army Chief of Staff,
Kigali, 30 October 2002. [11] Article 7
Report, Form D, 4 September 2001. [12]
Article 7 Report, Form D, 22 April
2003. [13] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, pp. 132-134. [14] Interview with
Major Ferdinand Safari, Ministry of Defense, 27 September 2002; interview with
Augustin Mukama, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29 October 2002; interview with
Charles Kayonga, Army Chief of Staff, 30 October
2002. [15] Interview with Major
Ferdinand Safari, Ministry of Defense, 27 September
2002. [16] Interview with Augustin
Mukama, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29 October 2002; interview with Charles
Kayonga, Army Chief of Staff, 30 October
2002. [17] Interview with Augustin
Mukama, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29 October
2002. [18] Interview with Lt. Col. John
Zigira, NDO, 29 October 2002; interview with Wayne Bellinger, Contractor, RONCO,
Kigali, 30 October 2002. [19] Email from
Wayne Bellinger, Contractor, RONCO, 5 March
2003. [20] Article 7 Report, Form J, 22
April 2003. [21] Article 7 Report, Annex
C, 22 April 2003. [22] Interview with
Lt. Col. John Zigira, NDO, 29 October 2002; interview with Lt. André
Kayumba, Head of Deminers, NDO, Kigali, 29 October
2002. [23] Interviews with deminers,
minefield in Byumba, 30 0ctober
2002. [24] Interview with Lt. Col. John
Zigira, NDO, 29 October 2002. The coordination unit is composed of a
coordinator, a deputy-coordinator and support staff for administration,
logistics, database, communication and mine risk education. The operational
teams are composed of deminers, detectors, dog handlers, logistical and medical
staff. [25] US Department of State,
“To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September
2002. [26] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 426. [27] Interview with Lt. Col.
John Zigira, National Demining Office, 29 October
2002. [28]
Ibid. [29]
Ibid. [30] Article 7 Report, Form J and
Annex C, 22 April 2003. [31]
Ibid. [32] Article 7 Report, Annexes A
and B, 22 April 2003; Email from Major Ferdinand Safari, Director Operations
Unit, Ministry of Defense, Kigali, 8 July
2003. [33] Article 7 Report, Form J, 22
April 2003. [34] Ronco Consulting
Corporation website,
www.roncoconsulting.com [35] Article 7
Report, Form I, 4 September 2001. [36]
Interview with Lt. Col. John Zigira, NDO, 29 October 2002; interview with
Charles Kayonga, Army Chief of Staff, 30 October
2002. [37] Interview with Underlt.
Alexis Gakwaya, Head of Administration, NDO, and several deminers, Byumba, 31
October 2002. [38] The incident took
place in Byumba, 31 October 2002. [39]
The casualty figures provided did not distinguish between killed or injured; see
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
427. [40] It was not clear if the
incident was caused by an antipersonnel mine or
UXO. [41] Information provided by Lt.
André Kayumba, NDO, Kigali, 29 October
2002. [42] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 427. [43] Interview with Lt. Col.
John Zigira, NDO, 29 October 2002; interview with Underlt. Alexis Gakwaya, Head
of Administration, NDO, Byumba, 31 October
2002. [44] In July 2002, Landmine
Monitor received information from the Rwandan Embassy in Brussels that the NDO
database contained information on 617 mine casualties since 1990. Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 427. The NDO has now recorded 650 mine casualties;
however, Landmine Monitor was not informed of the years in which the additional
33 casualties occurred. [45] Email from
Major Ferdinand Safari, Director, Operations Unit, Ministry of Defense, 8 July
2003. [46] Interview with Underlt.
Alexis Gakwaya, NDO, 31 October
2002. [47] Interview with Lt. Col. John
Zigira, National Demining Office, 29 October
2002. [48] “Rwanda, National
Update,” presentation to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 4 February
2003. [49] Due to a lack of resources
the center does not have the capacity to keep detailed statistics on patients.
Interview with Fidèle Butera, Head of the Prosthesis and Orthopedic
Rehabilitation Service, Kigali Hospital, Kigali, 13 March
2003. [50] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Handicap International, Rwanda, 7 March
2003. [51] Email from
Hélène Pouget, Coordinator Rehabilitation Program, Handicap
International, 23 July 2002. [52]
Response by HI, 7 March 2003; HI, “Review of activities 2001-2002,”
pp. 22-23. [53] Rwanda presentation to
the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, 4 February
2003. [54] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 137; Mulindi Japan One Love Project brochure provided to Landmine Monitor in
December 2002. [55] One Love Tsushin,
n° 22, May 2002. [56] Rwanda
presentation to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, 4 February
2003. [57] Interview with Déo
Butera, Program Director, Handicap International, Kigali, 29 October
2002. [58] Ministry of Health,
“Plan National de Réadaptation des Handicaps Physiques”
(National Rehabilitation Plan for the Physically Disabled), October 2002, pp.
12-17. [59] Interview with Valentine
Kilibazayire, Head of the Rehabilitation Department, Ministry of Health, Kigali,
20 March 2003; Ministry of Health, “National Rehabilitation Plan for the
Physically Disabled,” October 2002, pp. 13-14.
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