Key developments since May 2003: Algeria has served as co-rapporteur
of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies since September 2003. In June 2004, Algeria said a long-term
demining program is being prepared. Algeria also stated in June 2004 that
stockpile destruction would begin in September 2004. The government has accused
“terrorists” of using improvised mines.
Key developments since 1999: Algeria ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on
9 October 2001 and it entered into force on 1 April 2002. Algeria issued a
presidential decree in May 2002 to establish an interministerial committee to
oversee implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, but it still did not exist as of
mid-2004. Algeria submitted its initial Article 7 report, due September 2002,
on 1 May 2003, for the first time declaring a stockpile of 165,080 antipersonnel
mines. Algeria intends to retain 15,030 mines, one of the highest totals for any
State Party. Algeria has served as co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on
Mine Clearance since September 2003. Algeria has accused
“terrorists” of continuing to use improvised mines.
Mine Ban Policy
Algeria signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified it on 9
October 2001, and the treaty entered into force on 1 April 2002. Algeria has
not adopted any new national implementation measures for the Mine Ban Treaty.
It cites Law Number 97-06 on war material, arms, and munitions (enacted on 21
January 1997) and Executive Order Number 98-96 (18 March 1998) implementing Law
97-06 as relevant legal
measures.[1]
Algeria participated in the Ottawa Process, though initially as an observer.
It has voted for every pro-ban UN General Assembly resolution since 1996,
including UNGA Resolution 58/53 on 8 December 2003. The delay in ratification
did not appear to be the result of any opposition, but rather bureaucratic
procedures and priorities.
Algeria has attended every annual Meeting of States Parties, including the
Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2003. It has participated in every
set of intersessional Standing Committee meetings since December 2000. Algeria
has served as co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine
Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies since September 2003, together with
Sweden.
On 8 May 2003, Algeria issued a presidential decree to establish an
interministerial committee to oversee its compliance with the Mine Ban
Treaty.[2] However, as of July
2004 this committee was still not yet in
existence.[3]
On 11 May 2004, Algeria submitted its second Article 7 transparency report,
covering an unspecified period.[4]
It submitted its initial Article 7 report, due September 2002, on 1 May 2003.
Algeria has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties have
had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2,
and 3. Thus, it has not made known its views on the issues of joint military
operations with non-States Parties, foreign stockpiling and transit of
antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling
devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training. (See below
regarding mines retained.)
Algeria is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
Production, Transfer, Use
Algeria is not known to have produced or exported antipersonnel landmines.
Since Landmine Monitor began reporting in 1999, Algeria has from time to time
accused insurgents or “terrorist groups” of using homemade mines
(improvised explosive devices) against the
government.[5] Landmine Monitor
has received only one specific report of use of antipersonnel mines by
insurgents since May 2003. In July 2003, two soldiers died after stepping on
landmines near Timgad, in the district of Batna, and authorities blamed the
Groupe Salafiste pour la Predication et le
Combat.[6] The US State
Department reported that during 2002, “In rural areas, terrorists
continued to plant bombs and mines, which often targeted security force
personnel.”[7]
According to the government, landmines were used before 1962 by the
“colonial army” along its
frontiers.[8]
Stockpiling and Destruction
In its May 2003 Article 7 report, Algeria for the first time revealed
details about the size and composition of its stockpile of antipersonnel mines.
It declared 165,080 mines of eleven
types.[9]
Algeria’s treaty-mandated deadline for completion of stockpile
destruction is 1 April 2006. In February 2004, Algeria reported to States
Parties that destruction would begin in May 2004, with 3,030 mines destroyed in
a public ceremony, and that destruction would be completed by the April 2006
deadline.[11] At a Standing
Committee meeting in June 2004, Algeria reported that it has a plan in place for
stockpile destruction, which will begin on 14 September 2004 (delayed from the
May date). Mines have been withdrawn from territories to a central location.
The destruction site has been selected and is being
prepared.[12] The Landmine
Monitor researcher for Algeria has been invited to attend the initial
destruction event.
In May 2003, Algeria revealed its intent to retain 15,030 mines for training
under Article 3 of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[13] This is the fourth
highest number retained by any State Party. Algeria has not reported why it has
special requirements for a large number of retained mines, the precise intended
purposes for which it is retaining the mines, or how the number was determined.
At the February 2004 intersessional Standing Committee meeting, Algeria stated
that there needed to be more discussion among States Parties before an agreement
could be reached on a common understanding regarding Article 3 and the
permissible number of mines retained for training, but that Algeria hoped
language acceptable to all could be found, and it intended to contribute to the
discussion.[14]
Landmine Problem
Algeria is mine-affected from World War II, the conflict to end French
colonial occupation, and the current insurgency. The government has estimated
that 3,064,180 mines remain emplaced in 5,676 square hectares and an unknown
number of mines are located in the north of the
country.[15] The colonial army
laid French-manufactured APID-51 and APMB-51/5 mines on the Morice and Challe
lines, along the eastern border area with Tunisia and along the western border
area with Morocco.[16] In
addition, insurgent groups have mined some areas in the north.
The eastern Algerian border area contains 1,223,780 million mines covering
3,036 hectares along the Morice line, which runs 460 kilometers from Annaba to
Negrine through Souk-Ahras, Tebessa, Elma Labiod, and Bir Elater. It also
includes the Challe line from Oum Tboul to Souk Ahras through El-Ayoun, Ain
El-Assel, Taref, and Bouhadjar and extends to the south from El-Kouf to
Negrine.[17]
The western Algerian border area contains 1,840,400 million mines covering
2,640 hectares, again including both Morice and Challe lines, which extend for
700 kilometers from Marsat Ben M’Hidi to Bechar through El-Aricha,
Mechria, Ain Sefra, Djenien Bouregue, and Beni
Ounif.[18]
Mine Action
There is no national mine action plan or budget in
Algeria.[19] In June 2004,
Algeria stated that a long-term demining program is being
prepared.[20] Authorities are
analyzing available information on areas mined in the past, in addition to
collecting information on areas newly mined by insurgent
groups.[21] Algeria has stated
that a coordination committee will be established to serve as the focal point
for mine action.[22]
The Algerian Army undertakes occasional mine clearance
operations.[23] According to the
government, demining operations over the past 25 years have resulted in the
clearance of 7,819,120 antipersonnel mines from an area 1,482 kilometers long,
which it calculates means that 50,006 square hectares have been cleared. It
estimates that 58 percent of the mined land remains affected by 3,064,180
antipersonnel mines.[24]
In February 2004, Algeria expressed a need for assistance to carry out mine
action programs, but it did not make any specific
requests.[25] It approached the
United States for funding in the past, but was not
successful.[26]
There are no mine risk education programs in Algeria.
Landmine Casualties
In July 2003, two soldiers were killed after stepping on landmines near
Timgad, in the district of
Batna.[27] Algerian officials
state that landmines continue to maim the civilian population in spite of the
efforts made by the authorities to identify and forbid access to mined
areas.[28] However, there is no
official or comprehensive mechanism to collect information on landmine
casualties in Algeria. The Ministry of War Veterans has a database on military
mine casualties, but this information was not made available to Landmine
Monitor.[29] The media is the
principal source of information on mine casualties.
Since September 1998, at least 57 landmine casualties were reported in the
media: 44 (12 killed and 32 injured) in 2002; 12 (six killed and six injured) in
2000; and a farmer lost both legs in a mine incident in 1998. The majority of
reported incidents involve military
personnel.[30] It is estimated
that since 1962, landmines caused 3,600 casualties in the region of
Tibessa.[31]
In Iraq, an Algerian working for a Polish television crew was killed in May
2004 together with another crew member; reports on the incident differed, but
according to one witness their vehicle hit a
landmine.[32] In the Democratic
Republic of Congo, an Algerian peacekeeper was killed in a landmine incident in
May 2002.[33]
Survivor Assistance and Disability Policy and Practice
Civilians have free access to government hospitals and medical centers, with
the Ministry of Health providing survivor assistance at the national and local
levels. The social and economic reintegration of mine survivors is part of the
government’s general social action program for persons with
disabilities.[34]
Since 2001, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has supported
a prosthetic workshop at the Ben Aknoun center in Algiers, primarily to provide
access to physical rehabilitation for Sahrawi amputees and Algerians not covered
by health insurance. The program includes transportation costs, technical
assistance, and training for one Sahrawi technician. More than 60 Sahrawis and
35 Algerians received physical rehabilitation since 2001, including eleven
prostheses fitted in 2003 (two for mine survivors), and 77 fitted in 2002 (61
for mine survivors).[35]
Handicap International has supported the establishment of a rehabilitation
center in Blida and conducts a program for persons with disabilities, including
rehabilitation, improving training of rehabilitation workers, psychosocial
support, support for associations, and raising awareness on the rights and needs
of persons with disabilities.[36]
Algeria has legislation to protect the rights of persons with disabilities,
including legislation passed in 2002. According to this law, persons with
disabilities receive benefits including specialized hospitals, prostheses in
centers in Bel-Abbes, Annaba, and Algiers, free transportation, tax-free
specially adapted cars, and social assistance. Victims of explosives, including
landmine survivors, are also guaranteed a minimum income and assistance with
housing. Algeria offers vocational training and a 50 percent reduction in
social security fees to companies employing persons with disabilities. The
government has established a National Council for Disabled Persons within the
Ministry of Social Protection. The budget for persons with disabilities
represents one third of the total budget for the Ministry of Social Protection.
Italy provided assistance in establishing the three prosthetic centers in
Bel-Abbes, Annaba, and
Algiers.[37]
[1] Article 7 Report, Paragraphs 1.1 and 1.2,
1 May 2003. [2] Article 7 Report, 11 May
2004. [3] Interviews with Algerian
delegate, Geneva, 11 February 2004 and 23 June
2004. [4] The report is dated 30 April
2004, but the United Nations indicates it was received on 11 May. The report is
a single page, addressing two points—the Presidential Decree for an
interministerial committee, and the anticipated initiation of stockpile
destruction. The initial Article 7 report submitted 1 May 2003 does not specify
the reporting period. [5] Interview with
Col. Hacène Gherabi, Algerian Ministry of Defense, Geneva, 11 February
2004. See earlier editions of Landmine Monitor
Report. [6] “Terrorists kill six
in Batna,” PANA (Algiers), 9 July
2003. [7] US Department of State,
“Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2002, Algeria," Online Version,
31 March 2003. [8] Article 7 Report,
Paragraph 3, 1 May 2003; Statement by Algeria, Standing Committee on Mine
Clearance, Mine Risk Education, and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 21 June
2004. [9] Article 7 Report, Paragraph 2,
1 May 2003. [10] Article 7 Report,
Paragraphs 2 and 4, 1 May 2003. [11]
Oral remarks, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 12 February
2004 (Landmine Monitor/HRW notes). See also, Article 7 Report, 11 May 2004, and
Article 7 Report, Paragraph 5.1, 1 May
2003. [12] Oral remarks, Standing
Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 24 June 2004 (Landmine Monitor/HRW
notes). [13] Article 7 Report, Paragraph
4, 1 May 2003. [14] Oral remarks by Abd
Elaziz Lahiuol, Director of International Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Geneva, 9 February 2004 (Landmine Monitor
notes). [15] Article 7 Report, Para. 3,
1 May 2003; Statement by Algeria, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 21 June
2004. [16] Article 7 Report, Para. 3, 1
May 2003. [17]
Ibid. [18]
Ibid. [19] Interview with Algerian
delegate, Geneva, February 2004. [20]
Statement by Algeria, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 21 June
2004. [21] Article 7 Report, Paragraph
5.2, 1 May 2003. [22] Statement by
Algeria, Fourth Meeting of States Parties, 18 September 2002; statement by Col.
Hacène Gherabi, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation, 16
May 2003. [23] Interview with Col.
Hacène Gherabi, Algerian Ministry of Defense, Geneva, 11 February
2004. [24] Statement by Algeria,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 21 June
2004. [25] Statement by Algeria,
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 12 February
2004. [26] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 997. [27] “Terrorists
kill six in Batna,” PANA (Algiers), 9 July
2003. [28] Statement by Algeria, Fourth
Meeting of States Parties, 18 September 2002; statement by Col. Hacène
Gherabi, Standing Committee on General Status, 16 May 2003; see also Landmine
Monitor Report 2000, p. 917. [29]
Interview with Col. Hacène Gherabi, Ministry of Defense, Geneva, 15 May
2003; interview with Lt. Col. Hacène Gherabi, Ministry of Defense,
Geneva, 30 January 2002. [30] For
details see Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 76; Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 997; and Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
872-873. [31] Interview with M. Ali
Halimi, President, National Association for the Protection of Environment and
Fight Against Pollution, Algiers, 3 July
2000. [32] “TV crew members killed
by landmine in Iraq – Polish official,” Polish Radio 1 (Iraq), 7 May
2004. [33] “UN Peacekeeper killed
by Landmine in the DRC,” Xinhua, 13 May
2002. [34] Interview with Col.
Hacène Gherabi, Ministry of Defense, 15 May 2003; Statement by Algeria,
Fourth Meeting of States Parties, 18 September 2002.
[35] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation
Programs, “Annual Report 2003,” 9 March 2004, p. 26; “Annual
Report 2002,” June 2003. [36]
Handicap International, “Program Summary: Algeria,” 1 December
2003. [37] Statement by Algeria,
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration,
Geneva, 10 February 2004.
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