Key developments since May 2003: Eritrea submitted its initial
Article 7 report in September 2003 and declared it has no stockpiled landmines.
The fieldwork for the countrywide Landmine Impact Survey was competed in June
2004. In 2003, the Eritrean Demining Authority (the new coordinating body) and
Eritrean Demining Operations (the new national demining agency) became
operational. In 2003, UNMEE MACC recorded the clearance of approximately 4.8
million square meters of land and 2,375 kilometers of road in the Temporary
Security Zone and adjacent areas, destroying 439 antipersonnel mines, 187
antivehicle mines, and 5,785 UXO. UNMEE MACC and UNICEF programs provided mine
risk education to 229,767 people from January 2003 to March 2004. In 2003,
there were at least 87 new mine/UXO casualties in Eritrea, including 23 people
killed and 64 injured.
Key developments since 1999: During the 1998–2000 border
conflict, Eritrean forces laid an estimated 240,000 mines, and Ethiopian forces
laid an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 mines. Eritrea acceded to the Mine Ban
Treaty on 27 August 2001, and it entered into force on 1 February 2002. It has
not enacted implementing legislation. Eritrea submitted its initial Article 7
report in September 2003 and declared it has no stockpiled landmines.
The United Nations Mission on Eritrea and Ethiopia Mine Action Coordination
Center was established in August 2000, following the cessation of hostilities.
It supported the development of the Eritrean Mine Action Program, as the
coordinating body to oversee mine action, and the creation of a national
demining NGO. Mine clearance and mine risk education activities increased
greatly. In July 2002, the government unexpectedly re-structured mine action in
Eritrea, replacing EMAP with the Eritrean Demining Authority, creating Eritrean
Demining Operations as the national demining implementing agency, and expelling
most international mine action groups. This resulted in a temporary cessation
of mine action activities.
A national Landmine Impact Survey began in May 2002, and fieldwork was
completed in June 2004. United Nations demining support for the
Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission began in late 2002. The EDO began demining
operations in December 2003. From 2001 to 28 September 2004, UNMEE MACC
coordinated the clearance of 47 million square meters of land and 3,946
kilometers of roads, including the destruction of 7,225 mines and 54,620 pieces
of unexploded ordnance in the TSZ and adjacent areas.
In April 2003, the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare endorsed the victim
assistance strategic plan for 2002-2006. As of 28 September 2004, UNMEE MAC had
recorded 257 mine incidents resulting in 402 casualties (111 people killed and
291 injured) since 2000.
Mine Ban Policy
Eritrea acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 27 August 2001, and it entered into
force on 1 February 2002. Eritrea explained its slow pace in embracing the Mine
Ban Treaty by citing the conflict with Ethiopia, and the numerous treaties and
conventions needing consideration by any young
nation.[1]
Eritrea has not initiated domestic legislation or other legal measures to
implement the Mine Ban Treaty. At a March 2004 regional landmine workshop,
Eritrea said it would, “take all the necessary measures to adopt
implementing
legislation.”[2] At that
workshop, an official also indicated to Landmine Monitor that the government has
“every intention of doing so as soon as
possible.”[3]
On 3 September 2003, Eritrea submitted its initial Article 7 transparency
report covering the period from 1 February 2002 to 3 September 2003. The report
was due on 31 July 2002. Eritrea has not submitted the annual update covering
calendar year 2003, which was due on 30 April 2004.
Eritrea engaged very little in the Ottawa Process, but it has voted in
support of every annual pro-ban UN General Assembly resolution since 1996.
Eritrea has attended three annual meetings of States Parties (2002 and 2003) as
well as the Fifth Meetings of States Parties in September 2003 and most
intersessional Standing Committee meeting since 2002, most recently in February
2004.[4] It has participated
regional workshops on landmines held in Kenya (March 2004), Djibouti (November
2000), and Mali (February 2001).
Eritrea 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, Eritrea has not made known its views on issues related to joint
military operations with non-States Parties, antivehicle mines with sensitive
fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for
training.
Eritrea is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
Use
There have been no instances or allegations of new use of antipersonnel
landmines in Eritrea since the end of the border conflict with Ethiopia in 2000.
However, there were reports of 12 antivehicle mine incidents in the Temporary
Security Zone (TSZ) between the two countries in
2002.[5] The UN Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC) reported
that there were 15 antivehicle incidents caused by newly laid mines between
January and July 2003; these were randomly scattered on roads in the TSZ that
were previously reported as cleared or
well-traveled.[6] A dissident
group claimed responsibility for one incident in February 2003, and Eritrea
publicly accused the government of Ethiopia in March 2003 of laying new
antivehicle mines in the TSZ.[7]
Various allegations as to the source and the motives persist, but remain
unsubstantiated.
In March 2004, the program manager of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
told Landmine Monitor that since July 2003, there have been no reports of newly
laid mines.[8] A UN Secretary
General report in July 2004 noted that preliminary investigations indicated that
from March to May 2004, there was one incident in Sector West of the TSZ
resulting from a newly laid mine, “the first such incident since July
2003.”[9]
Eritrea has acknowledged using antipersonnel mines during the 1998–2000
border conflict with Ethiopia, claiming this was for tactical defensive purposes
only, and that all minefields were carefully recorded for later
removal.[10] UNMEE MACC
estimated that Eritrea laid about 240,000 mines during this
conflict.[11] Eritrea also laid
a large number of mines during the war of independence from 1961 to 1991.
Production, Transfer and Stockpiling
Eritrea states it has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines, and
that all the mines used in past conflicts were obtained from Ethiopian forces
(either from minefields or storage facilities) during the 1961-1991 war of
independence.[12] Eritrean
officials acknowledged in 2001 that its troops had made booby-traps and other
improvised explosive
devices.[13]
Eritrea reports that all of approximately 450,000 mines it obtained from
Ethiopia during the 1961-1991 war were subsequently laid during the 1998-2000
border conflict, except for those that were unusable, which were disposed of or
destroyed.[14] Thus, in its
Article 7 report, Eritrea claims to have no stockpiled mines, except for 222
antipersonnel mines retained by the Eritrean Demining Authority – National
Training Center for training and development
purposes.[15] Of the retained
mines, 113 are listed as “live” and the rest as “inert.”
UNMEE MACC had previously told Landmine Monitor that it believed that Eritrea
had few if any mines
stockpiled.[16]
Landmine Problem
The legacy of World War II, three decades of a protracted struggle for
independence, and over two years of border conflict with Ethiopia, have left
Eritrea with a significant landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem. The
main area of contamination is along the 1,000-kilometer border between Ethiopia
and Eritrea, due to the 1998–2000 conflict. In June 2004, Eritrea noted
that the national Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) had been completed, and stated,
“It is now known that every region of the country is impacted by mines,
the most serious contamination occurring in provinces bordering Ethiopia and the
Northeastern portion of the country. According to the LIS, over 655,000 people
are impacted in 481 communities, which collectively contain nearly one thousand
mined areas. 33 of those communities have been classified as high impact, 100
medium impact and 348 low impact.” The LIS also identified 914 Suspected
Hazardous Areas and 113 UXO-contaminated sites requiring 140 spot clearance task
orders.. Nearly 90 percent of the affected communities are located in the four
zobas of Debub, Gash Barka, Anseba, and Semienawi Keih
Bahri.[17]
In the 1998-2000 border conflict, Eritrean forces laid an estimated 240,000
mines, and Ethiopian forces, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000
mines.[18]
In its 2003 Article 7 report, Eritrea stated that based on current
information, it could account for approximately 150,000 antipersonnel mines
still in minefields.[19] In
May 2001, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported that 313 Eritrean records
of some 1,000 mined areas — up to 40 percent thought to be in
Ethiopian-controlled territory — had been provided to UNMEE MACC in
Asmara.[20]
The presence of landmines in Eritrea has significant social, economic and
humanitarian impact. During the border war, landmines were laid in some of the
most populated and agriculturally fertile land in the country, namely in the
Debub and Gash Barka
regions.[21] UNMEE MACC reports
that populations in Shilalo appear to be the most affected by the threat of
mines and UXO.[22] There are
also particularly high levels of contamination in the central and north-central
regions of Eritrea.[23] UNMEE
MACC asked Eritrean authorities for the specific locations of the contaminated
communities to which IDPs were waiting to return, in order to begin mine action,
but as of March 2004 had not received the
information.[24]
The 2002 drought and crop failures led some people to migrate to potentially
mine-affected areas in search of arable
land.[25] Moreover, the return
of many thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 2002
and 2003, increased exposure to the danger of mine incidents and affected mine
action planning in Eritrea. In 2004, the UN Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) claimed that there were about 60,000 IDPs remaining
in camps in Eritrea, prevented from returning home due to — among other
factors — the threat of
landmines.[26]
Survey and Assessment
Fieldwork for the countrywide Landmine Impact Survey, which began in May
2002, was completed in June 2004. A total of 1,676 potentially impacted
communities were visited, and 481 were positively identified as
mine/UXO-affected. Statistical analysis showed that “a 90% level of
confidence that [the survey] found all of the country’s impacted
communities.”[27] All
LIS-collected information has been entered into the Information Management
System for Mine Action (IMSMA) at UNMEE MACC.
A local NGO, Eritrea Solidarity and Cooperation Association (ESCA), was
UNDP's implementing partner for the LIS. During the height of information
collection in mid-2003, 98 people were employed, about 40 percent of whom were
women—a very high rate of female employment in humanitarian mine action
work. UNDP, UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UNMEE MACC, Survey Action
Center, Bern University, Cranfield University Mine Action, provided technical
and material assistance to the
LIS.[28] The UN Mine Action
Service (UNMAS) provided quality
assurance.[29] The European
Commission and the government of Canada provided funding, which totaled just
over US$2 million over a period of two and a half years. Transportation
equipment valued at $414,665 remained with the Eritrean Demining
Authority.[30]
Final data analysis and report writing was underway by July
2004.[31] In mid-September
2004, the government was reviewing the report. The complete LIS report will be
available before the end of the year. In March 2004, UNDP told Landmine Monitor
that post-clearance impact assessment surveys should complement the LIS, to
assist the Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA) in continuing to overcome the huge
obstacles that remain for many of Eritrea's landmine-affected communities. In
March 2004, initial discussions regarding such surveys were reportedly
underway.[32]
Following the cessation of hostilities in 2000, HALO Trust undertook a rapid
assessment survey of danger areas in Eritrea, in anticipation of the return of
IDPs and refugees. By February 2001, that survey had identified 120 dangerous
areas, located mostly outside the
TSZ.[33] In 2001, the Survey
Action Center did an advance survey for the LIS, and the Danish Demining Group
carried out a series of general surveys.
Mine Action Coordination and Planning
The UNMEE Mine Action Coordination Center was established in August 2000,
following the cessation of hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia, to address
both the emergency problem in the TSZ and to assist the government of Eritrea in
strengthening its national and local mine action capacity. It helped to
develop the Eritrean Mine Action Program as the national coordinating body, and
the Eritrean Demining Agency as the national demining NGO.
In 2002, mine action in Eritrea began a period of major reorganization. In
July, the government proclaimed the establishment of the Eritrean Demining
Authority to oversee all mine action in Eritrea, except for mine action in
direct support of the UNMEE peacekeeping mission and the Eritrean-Ethiopian
Border Commission.[34] The EDA
replaced the Eritrean Mine Action Program and Eritrean Demining Operations (EDO)
became the new national mine action implementing
agency.[35]
The July proclamation was followed shortly by notices asking all active
international mine action groups to cease
operations.[36] These unexpected
developments resulted in a temporary cessation of all mine action activities.
UNMEE MACC developed a revised work plan, focusing on providing support to the
UNMEE force and military observers in the TSZ, while maintaining the capacity to
provide support to the coordination of humanitarian mine action activities in
the TSZ. [37]
In 2003, EDA and EDO both became operational. The Eritrean Demining
Authority assumed responsibility for countrywide mine action planning and
coordination, and established a quality assurance team and one technical survey
team.[38] It also formally
committed to operating within international mine action
standards.[39] In January 2003,
the headquarters of EDA and EDO were established, and they approved the
“Interim Eritrean Mine Action
Framework.”[40] A
National Mine Action Strategic Planning Process is underway, with assistance
from Cranefield University and Price Waterhouse
Cooper.[41] EDA’s
Management, Operations and Information/Mapping departments were still in the
formative stage as of March
2004.[42]
Following the July 2002 proclamation, UNDP assumed primary responsibility for
assisting national authorities, and especially EDA, in building capacity and
developing comprehensive strategic national plans that include demining,
survivor assistance and mine risk education. UNDP’s mine action projects
have been designed to strengthen the government’s ability to address the
landmine problem over the long
term.[43] In 2003, UNDP’s
mine action capacity building program (CBP) produced a revised three-year plan,
in collaboration with national and international
partners.[44] Since late 2002,
a senior UNDP technical advisor has been working with the Ministry of Labor and
Human Welfare, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, UNMEE MACC and other
partners to look at integrating the UNDP Capacity Building Program for Victim
Assistance with other sectors of mine action and with national development
policies.
In 2003 and 2004, the UNMEE MACC information section assisted the Landmine
Impact Survey in applying quality control to all incoming data and entering the
data into the IMSMA database, which UNMEE MACC
maintains.[45] In 2003,
together with UNDP and UNICEF, UNMEE MACC began training the Eritrean Demining
Authority for its eventual takeover of the IMSMA. In February 2004, a technical
advisor began acting as liaison between EDA and UNMEE MACC to synchronize all
mine action data management. The goal is to maintain one national mine action
management database for
Eritrea.[46]
During 2003, UNMEE MACC set up a Demining Coordination Center in Shilalo in
the western sector of the TSZ — the third UNMEE MACC regional coordination
center in Eritrea.
Since 2000, UNICEF has been the focal point for Mine Risk Education (MRE) in
Eritrea. During 2003, UNICEF entered into a formal agreement with EDO, thereby
reviving mine risk education work in Eritrea.
Mine Clearance
The Mine Ban Treaty requires that Eritrea clear all mined areas as soon as
possible, but not later than February 2012. Following the end of the border
conflict in 2000, mine clearance activities expanded significantly in 2001 and
2002, until mid-2002 when the Eritrean government asked international NGOs to
cease mine action
operations.[47]
According to UNMEE MACC, a total of 4,766,000 square meters of land was
cleared in 2003, as well as 2,375 kilometers of road in the TSZ and adjacent
areas. A total of 439 antipersonnel mines, 187 antivehicle mines and 5,785 UXO
were destroyed.[48] Between 1
January and 28 September 2004, a total of 2,378,000 square meters was cleared,
as well as 1,571 kilometers of road; 1,293 mines and 2,960 UXO were destroyed.
From 2001 to 28 September 2004, a total of 47,014,000 square meters of land and
3,946 kilometers of road were cleared, and 7,225 mines and 54,620 UXO were
destroyed.[49]
The newly formed EDO began demining operations in December 2003. As of March
2004, EDO had cleared 68,807 square meters of land, and destroyed 60
antipersonnel mines, 56 antivehicle mines and 74 UXO. EDO deployed three
manual clearance teams and six mine risk education teams in the field. The
clearance teams are based in Senafe and Shilalo. Each team consists of 40
deminers and 26 support staff, including medical support technicians. EDO
staffed its field operations with experienced Eritrean deminers who had
previously been deployed in Eritrea with international demining NGOs. EDO told
Landmine Monitor that the most common antipersonnel mines its teams have found
in the TSZ are PMN, PMD-6, POMZ-2, and M-35
mines.[50]
EDO demining operations were integrated with the US-based commercial firm
RONCO, which has worked in Eritrea since 2001. RONCO maintains two operational
clearance teams, each consisting of 45 deminers and support crew, and 18 mine
detecting dogs.
UNMEE MACC coordinates the UNMEE demining force, consisting of UN demining
units from Kenya, Bangladesh and Slovakvia, that operated primarily in the
minefields of the Shilalo region in 2003, and the contracted commercial agencies
Mechem and RONCO.
Mechem began operations in the TSZ in August 2003, under the direction of
UNMEE MACC, with one mechanical route survey team and two manual route clearance
teams, and explosive detection dog (EDD) teams. In 2003, Mechem cleared 792
kilometers of roads; and from January to 3 March 2004, Mechem cleared 493
kilometers of roads. In an emergency request from UNMEE MACC, Mechem teams also
discovered and destroyed 27 antivehicle mines in the Mai Hbey minefield in the
Shilalo area. Mechem received a refresher explosive ordnance disposal training
course in March 2004 from UNMEE
MACC.[51]
According to UNMEE MACC, since the cessation of hostilities in 2000 through
2002, mine action had helped over 45,000 refugees return to their homes and
land.[52]
The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) issued its final border
demarcation ruling in April 2002. In August 2002, the UN Security Council
extended UNMEE MACC’s mandate to include demining support to the EEBC.
UNMEE MACC began preliminary work in 2002 and 2003, including allocating two
senior UN military officers to the project and conducting preliminary checks of
25 EEBC-identified border pillar sites within current Eritrean
territory.[53]
Although both Ethiopia and Eritrea pledged in advance to abide by the
EEBC’s decision, protests over the final ruling began almost immediately.
Final demarcation had yet to be finalized as of March 2004, and full UNMEE MACC
clearance operations in support of the EEBC remained on hold, pending the
results of this dispute.[54]
Following the July 2002 proclamation, HALO Trust negotiated to remain in
Eritrea, and worked with the new EDA until May 2003 when EDA instructed it to
stop clearance operations. Between 2001 and May 2003, HALO cleared 13,888,138
square meters of land, and conducted battle area clearance on 8,777,382 square
meters of land. It destroyed 2,488 antipersonnel mines, 380 antivehicle mines,
and 1,711 items of UXO, 9,950 items of SA stray ammunition and 28,239 items of
small arms ammunition.[55] A
total of 39 priority minefields were cleared and returned to communities. All
of HALO’s clearance records are stored in the IMSMA
database.[56]
From September 2002 to June 2003, the Chinese government sent two teams of
demining trainers to Eritrea, who trained 120 Eritrean
deminers.[57]
UXB, a private American company, carried out an UNMEE contract between June
2002 and June 2003, providing mechanical route clearance in support of UNMEE
operations in the TSZ, with a particular focus on deeply buried landmines.
DanChurchAid (DCA) cleared 250,500 square meters of mine-affected land
between June 2001 and July 2002, and destroyed 408 landmines and 937
UXO.[58]
The Danish Demining Group (DDG) worked in Eritrea between 2001 and July 2002.
In that period, it cleared approximately 502,000 square meters of land and
destroyed 77,127 mines and UXO. From January to July 2002, DDG conducted 181
EOD tasks, and destroyed 7,717 items (including mines and
UXO).[59]
According to EDO, Eritrean military deminers, with the assistance of the US
State Department, cleared “tens of thousands” of mines between 1995
and the onset of the 1998–2000 conflict with
Ethiopia.[60] In 2000, Landmine
Monitor reported the National Demining Headquarters’ assertion that as
many as 500,000 landmines were removed between 1977 and
1994.[61]
Mine Risk Education
Since the cessation of hostilities in 2000 and the beginning of UNMEE MACC
operations in Eritrea, over 214,000 people have received mine risk education
from a number of providers.[62]
In 2003 and through March 2004, UNMEE MACC programs provided mine risk education
to 133,347 people.[63]
In July 2003, EDO and UNICEF signed a Project Cooperation Agreement whereby
UNICEF would administer mine risk education programs, which the EDO would
implement.[64] This agreement
represented an important step forward on the part of the government, since with
the departure of most international NGOs during the fall of 2002, the MRE
program had been suspended, with the exception of two MRE teams working near the
border.
UNICEF assisted the EDO in hiring, training and organizing six MRE teams.
From September 2003 through March 2004, these teams targeted 96,420 people,
including 54,771 children and 6,636 refugees and
IDPs.[65] In June 2004, Eritrea
reported that the six teams had provided MRE to over 132,450 people, of which
109,000 were children.[66] Each
MRE team consisted of four people, and they conducted their programs through
classroom and community presentations, puppet shows and teacher training.
Community volunteers were also recruited in nearly all of the estimated 60
sub-zobas (districts) to continue to disseminate MRE information in their
communities throughout the
year.[67]
The EDO program also included a teacher-training component, administered in
partnership with UNICEF. By February 2004, 229 teachers had participated in the
program, called “Training for Teachers (TOT).” The training was
held in Barentu, Tesseney and Mendefera, and included teachers from highly
affected landmine areas across
Eritrea.[68] The Ministry of
Education approved the inclusion of mine risk education, with UNICEF support,
into the primary school curriculum
nationwide.[69]
In 2003 and 2004, UNMEE MACC, with support from UNICEF and CARE, continued to
operate two MRE teams in the TSZ. Each team consists of three nationals (two
men, one woman), fluent in local languages. Two senior military personnel serve
as MRE coordinators, managing the teams in the field and providing MRE training
to all new UNMEE personnel (civilian and
military).[70] The teams used
posters, direct school presentations, direct community presentations, special
children’s activities, along with safety and mine/UXO print materials.
All activities in civilian communities were coordinated with local
authorities.[71]
In 2003, 27,927 people received MRE from UNMEE MACC; from January to March
2004, there were about 9,000 recipients. The field teams provided MRE in 2003
to civilian populations mostly in or around heavily mined areas in Gash Barka
and Debub. UNMEE MACC teams also provided follow-up MRE to
deminers.[72] MRE was also
provided to IDPs in the Wuran IDP camp in Tserons in October
2003.[73]
In 2004, UNMEE MACC began integrating MRE and demining activities. The MRE
teams can now travel with the Kenyan, Bangladesh and Slovak demining units, and
provide immediate post-clearance MRE in the communities.
In 2000, Landmine Monitor reported that mine awareness was undertaken by the
Demining Project Office, Department of Social Affairs and Eritrean War Disabled
Fighter Association. Other international providers of MRE and MRE training in
Eritrea in 2000 and 2001 included DanChurchAid, International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) and Mines Awareness
Trust.[74] The Ministry of
Information began broadcasting MRE programs on a weekly basis in November 2001
in Tigrinia, which were translated into eight
languages.[75]
Between December 2001 and August 2002, UNMEE, UNICEF and NGOs carried out MRE
programs in the TSZ, reaching 97,000 people and training 245 volunteer MRE
facilitators; 268 teachers were trained and giving MRE lessons during school
hours; and 320 personnel from national and international NGOs received landmine
and UXO safety training.[76]
Mine Action Funding and Assistance
According to information provided to Landmine Monitor, in 2003, eight donors
provided about US$6.85 million for mine action in
Eritrea.[77] In addition,
Eritrea reported its national contribution for mine action in 2003 was
$522,000.[78]
The United States was the largest donor to Eritrea mine action programs in
2003, providing US$2.4 million. The Netherlands provided US$1,655,093 to HALO
for its demining operations in
2003.[79] Norway contributed
NOK10 million (US$1,412,050) to UNDP mine action programs, including capacity
building. Sweden provided SEK4,400,000 (US$544,400) to the Swedish Rescue
Services Agency for mine action
coordination.[80] The European
Union contributed €300,000 (US$345,270) to the
LIS.[81] Switzerland
contributed US$201,000, including $65,000 for advisors to the UNMEE MACC,
$120,000 for supervision of mine clearance, and $16,000 for equipment. Canada
donated US$150,000 to UNMEE MACC for core support. Ireland provided
€75,000 ($84,860) for HALO Trust’s activities in Eritrea in
2003.[82] The United Kingdom
provided US$58,000, through the UN’s Voluntary Trust Fund, for victim
support programs.[83]
This appears to be a considerable drop in funding from 2002, when eleven
donors reported providing US$11.1 million to mine action in
Eritrea.[84] The decrease was
probably due mainly to Eritrea’s request in mid-2002 that all
international mine action organizations cease operations.
For 2001, ten donors provided at least US$8.4 million to mine action in
Eritrea.[85] In 2000, the MACC
budget, partly funded by UNMAS through the UN Voluntary Trust Fund, was
US$1,009,500. Prior to the suspension of demining support during the
Ethiopia-Eritrea border conflict, between 1993 and June 1998 the United States
provided approximately US$8 million to Eritrea’s mine action program,
including training and equipping nearly 400 military
deminers.[86]
Eritrea reports that its national contribution for mine action from 1999 to
2002 was $649,000.[87]
Landmine Casualties
The Landmine Impact Survey recorded 87 new mine/UXO casualties in Eritrea in
2003, including 23 people killed and 64
injured.[88] In the TSZ, UNMEE
MACC recorded 62 mine/UXO casualties, including 24 people killed and 38 injured;
at least eleven were children. Of these casualties, 46 occurred in the western
sector. This represents a significant decrease from the 85 new mine/UXO
casualties reported by UNMEE MACC in 2002 (16 killed and 62 injured, including
47 children), and 200 new casualties in 2001 (42 people killed and 158
injured).[89] In 2003, at least
five casualties in the TSZ were caused by antipersonnel mines, 39 by antivehicle
mines, 14 by UXO, and the cause of four casualties was
unknown.[90]
In 2004, mine casualties continue to be reported in the TSZ with 13 people
killed and 15 injured to 28
September.[91] Several
incidents reportedly occurred resulting in death or injury to herdsmen and their
livestock. In one incident in January 2004, near Adi Hakin village in Gash
Barka, three herdsmen were searching for a lost cow in a known minefield when
one stepped on a POM-Z antipersonnel mine and was killed; the other two were
seriously injured.[92]
As of 28 September 2004, UNMEE MAC had recorded 257 mine incidents resulting
in 402 casualties (111 people killed and 291 injured) since
2000.[93]
The Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), concluded in June 2004, presents the most
comprehensive data available on landmine casualties in Eritrea. It identifies a
total of 5,385 mine casualties, including 3,152 people killed and 2,233 injured.
It defines two sets of casualties: a “recent” casualty is defined
as an individual killed or injured during the two-year period prior to the
survey. “Less recent casualties” are from incidents more than two
years prior to the survey.
The survey recorded 295 “recent” mine casualties, including 77
people killed and 218 injured: 23 killed and 64 injured in 2003, 26 killed and
90 injured in 2002, 26 killed and 55 injured in 2001; the year of 11 casualties
(two killed and nine injured) was not recorded. Males accounted for 84 percent
of casualties, and casualties were predominately young adults between 15 and 29
years of age; 38 percent of casualties were children aged between five and 14.
Only two casualties were recorded as military personnel. More than 66 percent
of “recent” casualties were herding or farming at the time of the
mine incident, while tampering accounted for only three percent. The LIS also
identified 5,090 “less recent” mine casualties, of which 3,075
people were killed and another 2,015
injured.[94]
It is acknowledged that casualties recorded by UNMEE MACC in the TSZ may not
reflect the total number of landmine casualties as many incidents are believed
to go unreported. Casualty data in the TSZ is reported primarily by military
observers, UNMEE MACC officers, the ICRC, or other NGOs in the field, but rarely
by farmers or local administrators. Prior to the completion of the LIS there
were no official figures on the number of mine-related injuries and deaths
outside the TSZ.[95]
Landmines in the TSZ have also killed or injured nationals from other
countries. In 2002, five Ethiopian civilians were killed and seven injured when
the truck they were traveling in detonated an antivehicle mine just across the
border in Ethiopia, and an UNMEE Military Observer from Croatia and a local
interpreter sustained injuries when their vehicle struck a landmine in the same
area.[96] In 2001, a Canadian
peacekeeper and eight Jordanians were injured, and one Ethiopian soldier was
killed and six others injured, in three separate incidents after their vehicles
set off landmines. An operator was also injured, and a mechanical flail
partially destroyed, by an antivehicle mine during a Danish Demining Group mine
clearance operation.[97]
Survivor Assistance
After decades of armed conflict, the healthcare infrastructure in Eritrea is
unable to adequately assist the large number of war-disabled, including mine
survivors.[98] There are few
medical and rehabilitation facilities and the capacity for emergency and
post-operative care is limited. In regions outside of Asmara, including the
heavily mined Gash Barka region, landmine survivors rarely receive support
beyond emergency medical care after the mine
incident.[99] The Ministry of
Health covers the cost of treatment and rehabilitation for mine casualties if
the mine survivor can demonstrate economic
hardship.[100]
Since 1999, the ICRC has been supporting medical facilities by providing
medical supplies, equipment, surgical instruments and medicines to treat the
war-wounded, including mine/UXO casualties, repairing damaged healthcare
facilities, and providing resources and training to upgrade ambulance services.
About 270 doctors, anesthetists, nurses, and healthcare professionals have
participated in trauma management courses and war-surgery seminars organized in
cooperation with the Ministry of Health since 1999, including 32 in 2003;
another eight Eritrean medical staff were trained to be
trainers.[101]
According to the LIS, 94 percent of all mine survivors received some form of
emergency care; however, 60 percent of “less recent” casualties died
as a result of the mine incident. Only three percent of survivors reported
receiving rehabilitation assistance. The majority of survivors reported
injuries other than amputation or loss of sight; 39 percent suffered an
amputation.[102]
The government reports that there are at least 100,000 people with a
disability in Eritrea.[103] The
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare (MLHW) is responsible for assistance to
people with disabilities, including landmine survivors. Assistance is available
to all disabled people regardless of the cause of the
disability.[104] The MLHW
administers a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program, through the
Department of Social Affairs. The CBR program is part of the MLHW’s
“Transitional Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy.” According to
UNDP officials in Asmara, the program could represent the “most
comprehensive landmine victim support program in the
world.”[105] As of March
2004, 21 sub-regions (about 40 percent of the country) had CBR programs in
place; 41,209 people are participating in the
program.[106]
The CBR program distributes prosthetic and orthotic devices, mostly through
the administration of three orthopedic workshops in Asmara, Keren and Assab.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2001 the total number of
orthopedic and assistive devices produced in Eritrea was 584, including 241
lower-limb prostheses, 212 crutches, and 21
wheelchairs.[107] In 2003, EDO,
with support from UNDP, deployed a mobile support unit to provide transport for
mine survivors to the orthopedic workshops. Access to care for landmine
survivors from rural areas is one of the biggest obstacles to providing survivor
assistance in Eritrea.[108]
In November 2001, the ICRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a physical
rehabilitation program to address the unmet demand for services. In March 2002,
the ICRC resumed its assistance to the Keren Prosthetic and Orthotic Center and
provided training for ten technicians in the manufacture of polypropylene
prostheses. In 2002, 68 prostheses were fitted; at least 27 were for mine
survivors.[109] In 2003,
assistance was extended to the Asmara and Assab workshops and new personnel
trained; however, after eight months the program was discontinued, mainly due to
difficulties with the MLHW. Production statistics for 2003 were not
available.[110] However, the
director of the Asmara workshop told Landmine Monitor that most amputees using
the workshop are landmine
survivors.[111] In January
2002, the ICRC sponsored a disabilities workshop, with the University of Asmara.
More than 4,500 medical professionals, UN and NGO representatives, and
government officials
attended.[112] Since 1999, the
ICRC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, has provided physiotherapy
training for 42 students.[113]
In 1999, the MLHW approved the establishment and construction of a new
National Orthopedic Center outside of
Asmara.[114] The Center will
include an orthopedic workshop, production facilities for components,
wheelchairs and other devices, a physiotherapy department, kitchen facilities
and limited accommodation for patients. The total cost of the center is
estimated at US$500,000, with much of the funding coming from the World Health
Organization. In mid-2004, three buildings became
operational.[115]
There is reportedly a lack of funds to meet the demands of people with a
disability in need of high quality, long-lasting prosthetics and other assistive
devices. Previously, high-quality devices and components were mostly imported
and this limited their availability, as the majority of disabled people are from
poor rural communities. Many mobility devices are reportedly sub-standard,
painful to use, and difficult to maintain. For example, standard wheelchairs
are inappropriate for local conditions, in particular the unpaved, rocky roads
and paths that many rural landmine survivors, and other users, must travel.
UNDP suggested that specialized wheelchairs with traction wheels may be better
suited to the needs and living
conditions.[116]
The CBR program is seeking to address these problems, with financial and
technical assistance from NGOs and donor governments, in particular the ICRC and
Norwegian Aid for the Disabled
(NAD).[117]
The CBR program includes income generation and sustainable livelihood
programs, based on the guiding principles of the United Nation’s
Millennium Development Goals. This includes the provision of small grants to
persons with disabilities for small-scale businesses. The CBR program also
promotes land distribution and employment; about 42,000 persons with
disabilities have received land and 413 have gained employment as a result of
the program.[118]
Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) established an office in Eritrea in August
2000 to provide outreach and peer support services to landmine survivors,
including home and hospital visits, vocational training, mobility training,
supply of herd animals and building materials, and assistance in income
generation. Since 2000, LSN Eritrea assisted more than 148 mine survivors,
including 23 mine survivors who received assistance in income-generating
projects in 2002. In June 2002, the MLHW instructed LSN to suspend all of its
field programs until a formal, direct working relationship with the Ministry and
an integrated policy framework was established. A preliminary Memorandum of
Understanding was agreed with the MLHW in December 2002; however, in February
2003, LSN was ordered to cease all operations and close its
offices.[119]
The UNDP Capacity Building Program for Mine Action in Eritrea includes a
mandate for survivor assistance and since October 2002, assistance is
coordinated by a UNDP technical advisor. The program is working with the
government to help strengthen the national capacity to provide adequate
assistance to mine survivors. Vocational training is a major component; the
UNDP has initiated discussions with the International Labor Organization (ILO)
on income generation development for persons with disabilities in Eritrea.
Other goals of the program include the creation of a working group composed of
NGOs and the MLHW for program coordination, assisting the MLHW in creating a
national policy for rehabilitation and disability, and assisting in the
establishment of a surgical center, and prosthetic and rehabilitative centers,
that are adequately equipped. As part of the program, an Eritrean sign language
is being developed; this has potential benefits for mine survivors suffering
hearing loss. The program is planned to run for 24 months from January 2003
until December 2004, with a budget of $600,000 per year provided by the
government of Norway.[120]
Two Eritrean mine survivors participated in the Raising the Voices training
program in 2002.
Disability Policy and Practice
Mine victim assistance is reportedly the main pillar of mine action in
Eritrea. The long-awaited revised national disability policy remains under
review. However, in April 2003, the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare (MLHW)
endorsed the victim assistance strategic plan for 2002-2006: “Direction to
Establish a Model of Victim Support Utilizing Community Based Rehabilitation in
Eritrea.” The strategy includes all aspects of mine victim assistance.
The program includes three core components: changing community attitudes towards
persons with disabilities; using CBR to realize priorities relating to persons
with disabilities within national development plans; and improving access to
services including rehabilitation, education and income generation activities.
The MLHW is developing work plans in collaboration with the Ministry of Health
and the Ministry of Education. Plans include training in emergency care,
physical rehabilitation and the production of upper limb prostheses, and
strengthening peer support networks for psychosocial
support.[121]
In September 2002, the UNDP started preparatory work on the National Survey
of Persons with Disabilities in Eritrea, as part of the UNDP Capacity Building
Program in Victim Assistance. The survey was implemented through a partnership
with UNICEF and the MLHW. Data collection for the National Survey was
completed in 2002. As of March 2004 the data on 100,000 persons with
disabilities was under analysis by the MLHW. The analysis is due to be
completed by June 2005. The survey will establish a permanent, ongoing record
of the history, treatment, and future needs for each person with a disability in
Eritrea. Survey results will be used as a baseline to formulate the first
comprehensive national policy on persons with disabilities, and be included in a
proposed national database on persons with disabilities that will include, for
the first time in Eritrea, indicators to monitor the ongoing social
reintegration of landmine
survivors.[122]
[1] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
246. [2] “Report and
Recommendations,” Workshop on Landmines and the Convention on the
Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines in East Africa, the Great Lakes and the Horn
of Africa Regions, Nairobi, Kenya, 2-4 March
2004. [3] Interview with Habtoum
Seguid, Assistant Manager, Eritrean Demining Authority, Nairobi, 4 March
2004. [4] Previously, Eritrea attended
intersessional meetings in May 2001, February 2002, and May
2002. [5] Landmine Monitor Report
2003, p. 246. [6] Interview with Phil
Lewis, Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 11 March
2004. [7] See Landmine Monitor Report
2003, p. 246, for further details. [8]
Interview with Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 10 March
2004. [9] UN Secretary-General,
“Progress report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,”
S/2004/543, 7 July 2004, p. 5. [10]
See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 204-205, and Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
pp.247-249, for further details about mine use during the Eritrea–Ethiopia
border conflict, and by the Eritrean Islamic Salvation movement along the
Sudanese border in western
Eritrea. [11] Interview with Phil
Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 18 January
2002. [12] Article 7 Report, Forms B
and E, 3 September 2003. [13]
Interview with Habtom Ghebremichael, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt. Col.
Russom Semere, Associate Commissioner-Demining, at the Bamako Seminar on
Landmines, Mali, 16 February
2001. [14] Article 7 Report, Form B, 3
September 2003. At the January 2002 intersessional meetings, the Eritrean
delegation claimed that 40,000 mines had been destroyed by the Eritrean Defense
Force following the end of the liberation war. MACC could not confirm this.
See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 249.
[15] Article 7 Report, Form D, 3
September 2003. While a total of 222 is cited, the numbers for individual types
of mines add to 214. The types of antipersonnel mines retained include a mix of
PMN, PMD6, M16, POMZ2, PPM2, OZM, MON100, MON200, M14, M35, M69 and M2A2
mines. [16] Email from Phil Lewis,
UNMEE MACC, 14 July 2003. [17]
Executive Summary, “Landmine Impact Survey: Final Report for
Eritrea;” email from Mike Kendellen, Director for Survey, Survey Action
Center, 28 September 2004; email from Mike Kendellen, Survey Action Center, 14
July 2004; Statement by Eritrea, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk
Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June
2004. [18] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 250, citing maps and minefield records provided to UNMEE MACC by
Eritrea in May 2001, and by Ethiopia in April
2002. [19] Article 7 Report, Form B, 3
September 2003. [20] UNDP Emergencies
Unit for Ethiopia, “Ethiopia Humanitarian Update 17 May 2001’”
email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 23 July
2001. [21] Report of the Joint
Government of the State of Eritrea-United Nations Annual Needs Assessment for
Humanitarian Assistance to Eritrea, January 2001, p.
7. [22] UNMEE MACC Weekly Update, 15
March 2004. [23] Interview with Habtom
Bairu, Director, Eritrean Demining Organization (EDO), Asmara, 16 March 2004;
interview with Jane Brouliette, Technical Advisor for Victim Assistance, UNDP,
Asmara, March 15, 2004; interview with Michael Hands, Program Manager, Landmine
Impact Survey, Asmara, 12 March 2004; interview with Mussael Tesfazion, Chief,
Information and Mapping, EDO, Asmara, 16 March
2004. [24] Interview with Phil Lewis,
UNMEE MACC, 11 March 2004. [25]
Interview with Habtom Ghebremicaiel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 19 December
2002. [26] “Eritrea: IDPs
Continuing to Suffer War and Drought Consequences,” IRIN, 16 February
2004. [27] Executive Summary,
“Landmine Impact Survey:
Eritrea.” [28] Berne University
provided mapping services that have vastly improved upon existing maps. The
mapping services acquired through the LIS have led to the first detailed and
accurate maps ever produced for certain parts of Eritrea.
[29] Interview with Michael Hands,
Landmine Impact Survey, 12 March 2004; email from Michael Hands, 23 March
2004. [30] Executive Summary,
“Landmine Impact Survey:
Eritrea.” [31] Email from Rita
Mazzocchi, Program Manager, UNDP, Asmara, 23 July 2004.
[32] Interview with Joe Wenkoff,
Senior Technical Advisor, UNDP, Asmara, 12 March
2004. [33] Landmine Monitor Report
2001, pp. 252-253. The Eritrean government would not allow HALO Trust full
access to the proposed TSZ until it was formally established.
[34] Government of Eritrea, “A
Proclamation to Establish the Eritrean Demining Authority, No. 123/2002,”
The Gazette of Eritrean Laws, Volume 11/2002, No. 4, 8 July
2002. [35] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002. EDO was initially called the
Eritrean Demining Agency, but was
renamed. [36] This led to the
withdrawal of DanChurchAid, Danish Demining Group and Mines Awareness Trust by
November 2002, and Landmine Survivors Network in January 2003. HALO Trust, the
largest international mine clearance group in Eritrea, was permitted to continue
operations with RONCO until May
2003. [37] See Landmine Monitor Report
2003, pp. 249-250, for further details.
[38] UNDP Update to the
intersessional Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, February
2004. [39] Interview with Habtom
Bairu, EDO, 16 March 2004. [40]
Statement by Eritrea, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June
2004. [41] Email from Rita Mazzocchi,
UNDP, 23 July 2004. The strategic plan is expected to be completed by October
2004. Statement by Eritrea, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[42] Interview with Habtom Bairu,
EDO, 16 March 2004. [43] For example,
UNDP included HIV education in its CAP program in 2003, providing HIV awareness
and prevention education to the EDA and EDO, as well as to UNMEE peacekeeping
forces — the first UN peacekeeping force in the world to receive UNDP HIV
education programs. Interview with Jane Brouillette, UNDP, 16 March
2004. [44] Interview with Joe Wenkoff,
UNDP, 12 March 2004. [45] Interview
with Gerhard Bechtold, Chief of Information Section, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 12
March 2004; UNMEE MACC, Weekly Update, 15 March
2004. [46] UNMEE MACC, Weekly Update,
15 March 2004. [47] This did not
include groups working in direct support of UNMEE and the Eritrea-Ethiopian
Border Commission. [48] MACC-Eritrea,
“Mine Statistics,” 28 September 2004 in email from Phil Lewis,
Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, 28 September 2004. Lewis notes that the data is
being re-worked at present and may change by the end of the
year. [49]
Ibid. [50] Interview with Habtom
Bairu, EDO, 16 March 2004. [51]
Document provided to Landmine Monitor in Asmara by UNMEE MACC, 11 March
2004. [52] UNMEE MACC, “UN Mine
Action In Eritrea Since 2000,” December
2002. [53] Email from Phil Lewis,
Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 26 March
2004. [54] Interview with Phil Lewis,
Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 11 March
2004. [55] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Matthew Hovell, Caucasus and Balkans Desk Officer, HALO Trust, 3
September 2004. [56] Landmine Monitor
Report 2003, p. 252. [57]
“China’s Demining Assistance to Eritrea,” address by Col. Li
Zhilun, Ministry of Defense of China, Kunming, 26 April 2004.
[58] Email from Lennart Skov-Hansen,
Emergency Coordinator, DanChurchAid, 21 July
2003. [59] Email from DDG, 19 May
2003. [60] Interview with Habtom
Bairu, EDO, 16 March 2004. [61]
Interviews with National Demining Headquarters official, Asmara, 23 December
1999, 7 January 2000, 10 January 2000, and 14 January 2000; Eritrean Ministry of
Defense, “Answers to a Questionnaire Submitted by Landmine Monitor,”
16 May 2000. [62] Email from Phil
Lewis, Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 26 March
2004. [63] Interview with Leila
Blacking, Chief of Communications, UNICEF, Asmara, 12 March
2004. [64] Article 7 Report, Form I, 3
September 2003. Plans under this EDO/UNICEF agreement include the establishment
of a fully functional MRE department in the EDO, with the ministries of
Education and Information, and the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students
as the eventual implementing partners. The goals include maintaining an MRE
field presence, enlarging the mass media MRE component, and improving the
collection and analyses of MRE-related data for the national mine action
database, IMSMA. “Mine Risk Education,” UNICEF Eritrea Donor Update
Report, March 2004; interview with Leila Blacking, UNICEF, 12 March
2004. [65] UNICEF, Donor Report, March
2004; interview with Leila Blacking, UNICEF, 12 March
2004. [66] Statement by Eritrea,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June
2004. [67] UNICEF, Donor Report, March
2004; interview with Leila Blacking, UNICEF, 12 March 2004. Other plans within
this EDO/UNICEF agreement include the establishment of a fully functional MRE
department in the EDO, with the ministries of Education and Information, and the
National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students as the eventual implementing
partners. The goals include maintaining an MRE field presence, enlarging the
mass media MRE component, and improving the collection and analyses of
MRE-related data for the national mine action database,
IMSMA. [68] The information was drawn
from UNICEF, Donor Report, March 2004; interview with Leila Blacking, UNICEF, 12
March 2004. [69] Plans include the
production of 10,000 MRE notebooks and 10,000 MRE badges to support the MRE
lessons and presentations. The Ministry of Information has agreed to produce 48
MRE radio programs with assistance from UNICEF. Half of the programs are
intended for children. The radio programs will be broadcast in the nine most
widely spoken languages in
Eritrea. [70] Document provided by
UNMEE MACC, 11 March 2004. [71]
Interview with Lt. Col Suleiman Nyamwaya, Senior Mine Risk Education Officer,
UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 15 March
2004. [72] In March 2004, for example,
a second MRE briefing was provided to the Bangladeshi demining unit, seven
months after a previous briefing.
[73] Interview with Lt. Col Suleiman
Nyamwaya, UNMEE MACC, 15 March 2004; email from Lt. Col Nyamwaya , 17 March
2004. [74] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 253, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp. 255-257, for further
details. [75] Article 7 Report, Form
I, 3 September 2003. [76]
“Progress Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,”
UN Security Council, S/2002/977, 30 August
2002. [77] Unless otherwise noted,
information comes from the individual country reports in this edition of
Landmine Monitor Report. In some cases, the funding was for the country’s
fiscal year, not calendar year 2003. Landmine Monitor has converted the
currencies and rounded off
numbers. [78] Resource Mobilization
Contact Group, “A review of resources to achieve the Convention's
Aims,” presented by Norway to Standing Committee on the General Status and
Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 25 June
2004. [79] The Netherlands initially
reported providing US$2,283,117 to HALO Trust for mine clearance in Eritrea in
2003, but when this program closed, part of the funds were moved to Kosovo. See
Netherlands country report. [80] SRSA
provided two in-kind technical advisors to UNMEE MACC, a medical coordinator and
an information management advisor for the IMSMA database. Interview with Phil
Lewis, Program Manager, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 11 March
2004. [81] HALO reported receiving
€698,380 from the EU for mine clearance activities. Email from Neil
Ferrao, Horn of Africa Desk Officer, HALO, 22 September
2004. [82]
Ibid. [83] Interview with Joe Wenkoff,
UNDP, 12 March 2004. [84] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2003. In addition, China sent 14 demining experts to Eritrea in
2002 to assist with humanitarian clearance, covering the costs of training local
deminers and shipping donated supplies. China reported donating $3 million in
demining equipment to Eritrea and Lebanon in
2002. [85] This total includes $2.2
million from Denmark, as reported to the UN. However, Denmark reported a
contribution of $5.1 million to Landmine Monitor. See Landmine Monitor Report
2002. [86] See Landmine Monitor Report
2000, p. 207. [87] “A review of
resources to achieve the Convention's Aims,” 25 June 2004. This contains
an annual breakdown since 1997. [88]
Landmine Monitor analysis of “recent” casualty data from Landmine
Impact Survey. [89] Statistics from
the IMSMA Database, UNMEE MACC, dated 28 September 2004 sent in email to
Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 28 September
2004. [90] Information provided by
UNMEE MACC Information Section, Asmara, 12 March
2004. [91] Statistics from the IMSMA
Database, UNMEE MACC, dated 28 September
2004. [92] UNMEE MACC, Weekly Update,
3 February 2004; interview with Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 11 March
2004. [93] Statistics from the IMSMA
Database, UNMEE MACC, dated 28 September
2004. [94] Survey Action Center,
“Landmine Impact Survey: Eritrea.” Landmine Monitor analysis of
“recent” casualty data.
[95] Interview with Gerhard Bechtold,
UNMEE MACC, 27 December 2002; “Progress Report of the Secretary-General on
Ethiopia and Eritrea,” 19 June
2001. [96] “UN observer,
Eritrean national wounded in landmine explosion,” IRIN, 25 June
2002. [97] Steven Edwards,
“Landmine blasts hit Canadians, forces ordered off road after second
explosion,” National Post, 15 March 2001; “Report of the
Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” 5 September 2001;
“Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” 13
December 2001; interview with Erik Willadsen, Program Manager, Danish Demining
Group, Asmara, 27 March 2002. [98]
ICRC, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, June 2004, p.
66. [99] Interview with Tedla
Gebrehiwot, Program Director, Landmine Survivors Network Eritrea, Asmara, 18
January 2002; LSN Eritrea, “Hospital Research Survey Report,”
January 2002; see also Landmine Survivors Rehabilitation Services Database,
available at www.lsndatabase.org. [100]
Interview with Dr Michael Gherbrehuwet, Director of Clinical Services, Ministry
of Health, Asmara, 1 March 2001. [101]
ICRC Special Reports, “Mine Action 2003,” Geneva, August 2004, pp.
22-23; “Mine Action 2002,” July 2003, p. 21; “Mine Action
2001,” July 2002, p. 18; “Mine Action 2000,” July 2001, p. 14;
“Mine Action 1999,” August 2000, p.
18. [102] Survey Action Center,
“Landmine Impact Survey: Eritrea;” emails from Mike Kendellen,
Survey Action Center, 14 July 2004 and 11 August 2004. It should be noted that
although a very high percentage of survivors report receiving some form of
emergency care this does not imply that there was a health facility in the
immediate vicinity. [103]
Presentation by Eritrea, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 23 June
2004. [104] Interview with Habtom
Seyoum, Director of Rehabilitation Division, Ministry of Labor and Human
Welfare, Asmara, 26 December
2002. [105] Interview with Joe
Wenkoff, UNDP, 12 March 2004. [106]
Interview with Jane Brouillette, UNDP, 16 March
2004. [107] World Health Organization,
“Assessment of Prosthetics and Orthotics Services in Eritrea,”
Mission Report, 17-26 September
2002. [108] Interview with Jane
Brouillette, UNDP, 16 March
2004. [109] ICRC Special Reports,
“Mine Action 2002,” July 2003, p. 22; “Mine Action
2001,” July 2002, p. 18. [110]
ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Program, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva,
9 March 2004, p. 8. [111] Interview
with Yemane Hagari, Director, Asmara Orthopedic Workshop, Asmara, 16 March
2004. [112] Interview with Paul
Conneally, Communications Delegate, ICRC, Asmara, 27 March
2002. [113] ICRC Special Report,
“Mine Action 2003,” August 2004, p.
23. [114] “The ICRC in Eritrea,
Update, January–March 2002,” ICRC
Newsletter. [115] Email from Jane
Brouilette, UNDP, 13 August
2004. [116] Interview with Friedrun
Mebert Le Borgne, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Asmara, 27 December
2002. [117] Interview with Habtom
Seyoum, Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 26 December
2002. [118] Information provided by
Jane Brouillette, UNDP, and Habtom Seyoum, Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare,
16 and 17 March 2004. [119] Interviews
with Tedla Gebrehiwot, LSN, 24 December 2002 and 23 May 2003; interview with
Habtom Seyoum, Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare, 23 December
2002. [120] Interviews with Jane
Brouillette, UNDP, 16 March 2004 and 23 December
2002. [121] Ibid; Presentation by
Eritrea, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, 23 June
2004. [122] Ibid; interviews with Jane
Brouillette, UNDP, 16 March 2004 and 23 December 2002.
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