Key developments since May 2002: A
Landmine Impact Survey was completed in March 2003, which identified 357
affected communities, including 45 high impact and 102 medium impact. UNICEF
and Handicap International conducted a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices
survey on landmines and UXO in Somaliland in September and October 2002. Three
NGOs carried out demining activities in 2002, clearing 1.5 million square meters
of mined land, and 20 million square meters of battle area. A total of 2,372
stockpiled antipersonnel mines and 18 antivehicle mines were destroyed in
November 2002. Mine action coordination in Somaliland was seriously disrupted
in 2002. Eight donors reported providing about US$5.55 million for mine action
in Somaliland in 2002.
Mine Ban Policy
Somaliland is not recognized by the international
community as an independent state, and therefore cannot accede to the Mine Ban
Treaty.[1] As early as 1997,
Somaliland authorities expressed their commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty and on
1 March 1999, its House of Representatives passed a resolution in favor of a
total ban of landmines. No legally binding measures to prohibit use,
production, trade or stockpiling of antipersonnel mines have been taken.
On 14 November 2002, during a ceremony marking the handover of military
landmine stocks to the Danish Demining Group for destruction, the Commander of
the Somaliland Armed Forces said, “The army’s move was a practical
testimony to the willingness of Somaliland to implement international standards
for mine action and the Ottawa Mine Ban
Treaty.”[2]
Production, Transfer and Stockpiling
Somaliland does not produce landmines and there
have been no indications that it has exported or acquired new landmine stocks.
Somalia’s Transitional National Government in Mogadishu has accused
Ethiopia of supplying weapons including landmines to one of the Puntland
factions that use bases in
Somaliland.[3]
On 14 November 2002, the Ministry of Defense of Somaliland handed over 2,382
antipersonnel landmines and 16 antivehicle mines from central military stores to
the Danish Demining Group (DDG), which publicly destroyed the mines on 17
November 2002.[4] In 2001, DDG
had already destroyed 5,115 landmines Somaliland armed forces and police had
confiscated from militias.[5]
Ministry of Defense officials indicate that they have plans for the destruction
of all stockpiles, although accurate data on stockpiles is not available and the
timetable for further stockpile destruction has not been
announced.[6]
Mine Action Coordination
In 2002, mine action coordination in Somaliland
was seriously disrupted.[7]
Since 1996, humanitarian mine action has been nominally coordinated by the
National Demining Agency (NDA) established under the Ministry of Resettlement,
Rehabilitation and Reintegration (MRR&R). For the past three years, the
autonomous Somaliland Mine Action Center (SMAC)--established and supported by
the UN Development Programme (UNDP)--has been helping coordinate all
humanitarian mine action in Somaliland. The relationship between SMAC and NDA
was never clearly defined and claims of overlapping responsibilities have been a
major source of friction.
In the wake of repeated disagreements between MRR&R and UNDP,
SMAC’s contract with UNDP was not renewed after it expired on 28 February
2002. SMAC has now become a unit within MRR&R responsible for mine action
coordination and NDA is being reformed as a mine clearance unit. With the
expiration of SMAC’s contract, regional mine action officers lost their
contracts and all their positions were vacant as of
mid-2003.[8]
Senior UN and international agencies officials are concerned that the lack of
a clear coordination mechanism and the lack of agencies with defined legal
mandates will seriously hamper mine action, and donor interest, in Somaliland.
Mine Action Funding
In 2002, eight donors reported providing about
US$5.55 million for mine action in
Somaliland.[9] The UN Mine
Action Investments database identifies the following funding for
“Somalia” in 2002: Germany, $714,086 (mostly to SBF); Netherlands,
$535,000 (to HALO); France, $68,719 (to HI); and Switzerland, $35,000 (to
UNDP).[10] In addition, the
European Community donated $1,425,000 for mine clearance, capacity building and
the Landmine Impact Survey; the United States provided $1.2 million to
HALO;[11] Sweden contributed
$833,000 to DDG; and Denmark provided $735,000 to
DDG.[12] Donors generally
report funding simply to “Somalia,” but nearly all mine action
activities are taking place in Somaliland, and thus Landmine Monitor is
reporting the funding here.
UNICEF and Handicap International have become active in Mine Risk Reduction
projects in Somaliland, but Landmine Monitor is not aware of the funding
levels.
Landmine Problem, Survey and Assessment
A major problem that hampered mine action in
Somaliland over the years has been the lack of accurate information on the
impact in the contaminated areas. A number of surveys have been conducted, but
their scope has been limited and the information obtained has been generally
considered inconclusive.
To remedy this problem, the Danish Demining Group (DDG), under contract to
the Survey Action Center (SAC), began a comprehensive Landmine Impact Survey
throughout Somaliland on 23 March 2002. The survey was completed in March 2003.
The final report is expected in July 2003. Three hundred and fifty-seven impact
surveys were conducted in Awdal, Galbeed, Togdheer, Sahil and parts of Sanag.
Eastern Sanag and Sool were not surveyed due to security considerations. Survey
teams visited 563 communities and identified 357 affected ones, of which 45 were
high impact, 102 were medium impact and 210 were low impact
communities.[13]
Mine Clearance
In 2002, three international NGOs remained active
in Somaliland: DDG, the HALO Trust and the Santa Barbara Foundation
(SBF).[14] They cleared a total
of nearly 1.7 million square meters of mined land, and 20 million square meters
of battle area.
In 2002, HALO cleared a total of 19,856,500 square meters of battle area and
175,265 square meters of land through manual clearance. It destroyed 90
antipersonnel mines, 384 antivehicle mines and 998 UXO. From January-May 2003,
it cleared a total of 23,377,500 square meters of battle area and 61,658 square
meters of land through manual
clearance.[15]
DDG conducted clearance operations with approximately 67 deminers, as well as
mine detection dogs. In 2002, DDG cleared a total of 747,984 square meters of
land and destroyed 37,890 items (including UXO and mines). In 2003, as of May,
it had cleared a total of 857,094 square meters and destroyed 1,161
items.[16]
DDG decided to reorganize its demining teams from the traditional Two Man/One
Lane System to a One Man/One Lane System, with the rationale that in Somaliland,
smaller mine clearance teams could respond more efficiently to smaller tasks,
especially to instances of UXO and mines denying access to water or blocking
roads. The Landmine Impact Survey showed an acute need for clearance around
water reservoirs.[17]
SBF cleared 756,800 square meters of land and destroyed 298 antipersonnel
mines, 27 antivehicle mines, 776 UXO and 283 other items in
2002.[18] Although Santa
Barbara’s funding expired on 31 December 2002, it was awarded a contract
by the Somaliland Road Authority for clearance operations around eight bridges
along the road between Burao and Las
Anod.[19] These operations were
to start in March 2003, but had not as of the end of June
2003.[20]
According to the UN, between 1999 and 2002, demining organizations in
Somaliland destroyed 14,596 landmines and 220,874 pieces of UXO, and cleared
92,735,677 square meters of
land.[21]
Mine Risk Education
In 2002, Landmine Monitor reported that UNICEF had
produced a draft policy on mine risk education (MRE) in Somaliland, which it
presented to MRR&R for
approval.[22] As of mid-2003,
the policy still had not been adopted, pending resolution of issues regarding
the roles and responsibilities of Somaliland authorities on mine action.
According to UNICEF, a draft mine action policy for Somaliland is being
discussed and efforts are being made to link it with the policy framework
suggested on MRE.[23]
In September and October 2002, UNICEF and Handicap International (HI)
conducted a “Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices” (KAP) survey in
three regions of Somaliland: Awdal, Galbeed and Toghdheer. The budget for the
KAP survey was US$13,088.[24]
The survey covered 634 households, collecting information on the knowledge of
the public concerning landmine risk, their attitudes towards the problems posed
by landmines and their practices when confronted with landmine threats. The
survey found that 29 percent of the population was not able to identify the
potential risk.[25] UNICEF
noted, “An overwhelming percentage of people expressed the desire to
receive information on landmines/UXO, in particular on how communities live
safely in their mine-contaminated area and how, and to whom, landmines/UXO
should be reported.”[26]
Depending on funding, UNICEF and HI plan is to develop MRE in Somaliland and
then to extend it to
Somalia.[27] UNICEF received in
2002 a capacity building grant of $20,000 from the United Kingdom, which is
being used for a consultant to help implement their MRE
strategy.[28]
SBF ran a mine/UXO awareness program in August 2002 that reached 2,204 pupils
in Burao. SBF reported that after the training, reporting of hidden landmines
and UXO increased
significantly.[29]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2002, landmines continued to claim new
casualties in Somaliland. In one reported incident in November 2002, two people
were killed and another three injured in the Hargeisa
area.[30] Complete and accurate
data on new landmine and UXO casualties was not available. Although the SMAC
was collecting and recording casualty data using IMSMA, after losing UNDP
funding this activity was severely limited after 2001.
In 2001, 33 people were killed and 70 injured, including 44 children, in 98
reported landmine/UXO
incidents.[31] The rate of
casualties declined substantially from two to three casualties a day in Hargeisa
alone in 1992 to around nine casualties per month throughout Somaliland in 2001.
However, it is believed that the number of landmine casualties is under-reported
as many incidents take place in remote areas. There is no requirement or
procedure for reporting incidents to the police or to mine action officers.
The Landmine Impact Survey identified 276 mine/UXO casualties in the last two
years, of which 92 were killed and 184 injured. Children under the age
of 14 years accounted for over half (147) of the casualties. The majority of
casualties, 77 percent, were male. The fatality rate was higher for males (35
percent) than for females (27 percent). Of the 184 survivors, 47 required an
amputation, 18 were fully or partially blind, and the remaining 119 suffered
other injuries. Most of the survivors received emergency medical care soon
after being injured, but very few received rehabilitation or vocational
training.[32] The Somaliland
Mine Action Center database contains an additional 2,651 mine casualties from
before 2000 which were identified by the Landmine Impact Survey; 1,114 people
were killed and 1,537
injured.[33]
The Survey covered four of the six Administrative Regions of Somaliland.
However, the highly mine-affected region of Sool has not been surveyed and the
number of mine casualties is not
known.[34]
Survivor Assistance
Public health facilities with the capacity to
assist landmine casualties in Somaliland are reportedly minimal. Hospitals are
poorly equipped and poorly staffed. Mine casualties are often treated at the
Hargeisa General Hospital or at the ICRC-equipped surgical hospital in Berbera.
The Berbera hospital, however, is on the northern coast of Somaliland and is far
from regions where landmines are most prevalent. First aid is available and
there is transport to take casualties to the nearest medical facility. However,
the average travel time to a suitably equipped hospital is over six
hours.[35]
Mine clearance organizations (HALO, DDG and SBF) train paramedics to work
with their mine clearance teams and have medical equipment and ambulances for
use in emergencies. In 2002, SBF held a 3-week training program for
paramedics.[36]
The majority of people in Somaliland are nomads and mobility is essential for
their livelihood, but there are reportedly no vocational training or economic
reintegration programs for landmine survivors.
The Somaliland Red Crescent Society (SRCS) and Action NordSud/Handicap
Internationalcontinue to provide survivor assistance in Somaliland.
SRCS runs a lower limb prosthetic and component manufacturing center in
Hargeisa, funded principally by the Norwegian Red Cross. The center has the
capacity to make 26 devices a month. Since 1999, the center has operated a
mobile clinic that makes periodic visits to regions outside of Hargeisa. Between
1994 and July 2002, the center provided 1,246 mobility devices, of which 448
were for landmine survivors. In 2002, the SRCS center assisted 291 new patients
with mobility devices, including 93 mine survivors. The center produced 165
prostheses, 50 orthoses, and repaired 109
prostheses.[37]
Action NordSud/Handicap International (AN/HI) runs a physiotherapy center and
a low cost prostheses workshop that also makes crutches and wheelchairs. In
2002, the center assisted five landmine and eight UXO survivors with
physiotherapy treatments.[38]AN/HI requires that patients pay a small fee and most amputees
reportedly prefer to go to SRCS center, which does not charge a
fee.[39]
[1] Because Somaliland considers itself to
be a state, authorities are reluctant to sign the Geneva Call “Deed of
Commitment” for non-state actors, pledging commitment to a total
prohibition on antipersonnel mines. [2]
UNDP/OPS, “Annual Report: Achievements of the Mine Action Program in
Somaliland,” Hargeisa, December
2002. [3] Militia loyal to Jama Ali Jama
and led by Cadde Muse Boqor are camped at El-Afweyne in Sanaag region,
Somaliland. For the Somalia TNG allegations, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 743. [4] UNDP/OPS, “Annual
Report: Mine Action Program in Somaliland,” December
2002. [5] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 852. [6] Interviews with military
officers and Ministry of Defense officials, Hargeisa, January and February
2003. [7] Interviews with various
Somaliland and international officials concerned with mine action between 23
January and 10 February 2003. [8]
Interview with John Dingley, Chief Technical Advisor for Mine Action, UNDP,
Hargeisa, 10 February 2003. [9] Landmine
Monitor identified $4.3 million in mine action funding for 2001. See individual
donor country reports in this Landmine Monitor Report for funding details and
sources. [10] UNMAS Mine Action
Investment database. [11] US State
Department, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September
2002. [12] Email from Ulrik Enemark
Petersen, Head of Foreign and Security Policy Department, Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, 28 March 2003. The amount in DKK is 5.8
million. [13] Memo from Mike Kendellen,
Director for Surveys, Survey Action Center, 27 May
2003. [14] In 2001, these three groups
demined 387,944 square meters of land, plus an additional 21,172,500 square
meters surface battle area cleared. [15]
Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Neil Ferrao, HALO Trust Horn of Africa
Desk, 5 August 2003. [16] Email from
Danish Demining Group, 19 May 2003. [17]
Ibid. [18] Document provided by Burkhard
Von Buttlar, Somaliland Program Manager, SBF, 10 February
2003. [19] Interview with Burkhard Von
Buttlar, Somaliland Program Manager, SBF, 10 February 2003. According to von
Buttlar, the bridge clearance activity will be funded by the German Federal
Agency for Technical Relief. [20]
Interview with Mohamed Osman, SMAC Manager, Hargeisa, 7 February
2003. [21] “UNDP/OPS Annual
Report,” December 2002. The data reported here does not include clearance
activities by Rimfire (before 1999), Greenfield Associates and Mine
Tech. [22] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 855. [23] Email from Silvia Danailov,
Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Somalia Support Center, 16 June
2003. [24] Email from Silvia Danailov,
UNICEF, 20 June 2003; telephone interview with Nathalie Martin, MRE Coordinator,
HI, Lyon, 17 June 2003. [25]
UNICEF/Handicap International, “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices
Related to Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance,” November
2002. [26] UNICEF Somalia Support
Center, "Mines Awareness, Funding Proposal June 2003-December 2004," undated, p.
4. [27] Email from Silvia Danailov,
UNICEF, 16 June 2003; telephone interview with Nathalie Martin, HI, 10 June
2003. [28] Email from Silvia Danailov,
UNICEF, 20 June 2003; funding is from the UK’s Department for
International Development, see
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/. [29]
Interview with Burkhard Von Buttlar, SBF, 10 February
2003. [30] “Two killed by
landmine in Hargeysa District,” Radio Hargeysa, 1 November
2002. [31] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 855-856. [32] Memo from Mike
Kendellen, Survey Action Center, 27 May 2003; email to Landmine Monitor (HIB)
from Mohamed Osman Ahmed, Somaliland Mine Action Center, 1 July
2003. [33] Email from Mohamed Osman
Ahmed, Somaliland Mine Action Center, 1 July
2003. [34]
Ibid. [35]
Ibid. [36] Interview with Burkhard Von
Buttlar, SBF, 10 February 2003. [37]
Information provided to Landmine Monitor by the Somaliland Red Crescent Society,
Hargeisa, February 2003. [38]
Information provided to Landmine Monitor by Handicap International, Hargeisa,
February 2003. [39] Interview with
Florence Thun, Handicap International, 3 March 2002.
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