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Table of Contents
Country Reports
Mauritania, Landmine Monitor Report 2004

Mauritania

Key developments since May 2003: Mauritania intends to complete destruction of its stockpile of 5,000 antipersonnel mines before the Nairobi Review Conference. Between 20 February and 20 March 2003, 6,210 square meters of land were cleared and 413 antipersonnel mines, 13 antivehicle mines and seven UXO were destroyed. In the first six months of 2004, 16,000 square meters of land were cleared in Nouadhibou and Bir Mogrein, destroying 223 antipersonnel mines, 54 antivehicle mines and 176 UXO.

Key developments since 1999: Mauritania ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on 21 July 2001 and became a State Party on 1 January 2001. Domestic implementation legislation was drafted in 2001, but has not been enacted. In 2001-2002, Mauritania destroyed 16,168 stockpiled mines. Instead of keeping its remaining 5,728 mines for training, Mauritania decided to destroy all but 728. The National Humanitarian Demining Office has been operational since April 2000, but was officially created in June 2002. A National Commission in charge of the mine issue and implementation of the treaty was created in July 2002. The Mines Advisory Group carried out an assessment mission in December 2001, and UNMAS in 2002. HAMAP-Deminers conducted a survey in Nouadhibou in February-March 2003. Minefield and battle area clearance reportedly freed 1.41 million square meters of land in 1999-2000. At least ten people were killed and nine injured in reported landmine incidents since 1999. In 1999, the Federation of the Specific National Associations of Disabled People was established to represent persons with disabilities.

Mine Ban Policy

After participating fully in the Ottawa process, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997. It ratified the treaty on 21 July 2000 and became a State Party on 1 January 2001. A National Commission has been in charge of the mine issue and the implementation of the treaty since July 2002.[1] Mauritania has not enacted national implementation legislation yet, although a law, including penal sanctions, was drafted in 2001 and sent to the Ministry of Justice in March 2003.[2]

Mauritania submitted its fourth Article 7 transparency report on 18 June 2004.[3]

Mauritania has attended all annual Meetings of States Parties, including the Fifth Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2003. Since 2000, it has attended all the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, including in February and June 2004. Mauritania participated in a seminar on mine action organized by France’s CNEMA (Commission Nationale pour l'Elimination des Mines Antipersonnel), in Paris, France, on 12-13 March 2004. Previously, it participated in regional landmine meetings in Tunisia (January 2002) and Mali (February 2001).

On 8 December 2003, Mauritania voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 58/53 supporting universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. It voted in favor of similar pro-ban UNGA resolutions since 1996, except 1999 and 2000, when it was absent from the vote.

Mauritania 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, Mauritania has not made known its views on issues related to 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.

Mauritania is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Destruction

Mauritania states it has never manufactured antipersonnel mines.[4] It is not known to have exported mines. It possesses a stockpile of 5,728 antipersonnel mines.[5] It plans to destroy 5,000 of them before the First Review Conference in Nairobi in November 2004 and to keep 728 for training purposes.[6] The cost of the destruction is budgeted at US$20,450 and Mauritania is seeking international assistance to meet the costs.[7]

In April 2004, the Director of the National Humanitarian Demining Office (NHDO) told Landmine Monitor that Mauritania destroyed 16,168 stockpiled mines in 2001 and 2002, all French APID 51 mines.[8]

Landmine Problem and Survey

The mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem in the north of Mauritania is the result of its involvement in the conflict over the disputed region of Western Sahara between 1975 and 1978. All parties to the conflict used mines extensively.

The National Humanitarian Demining Office estimates that about 310,000 square kilometers of land (one-third of the country) is affected or suspected to be affected by mines and UXO. Approximately 294,000 people (roughly 8.5 percent of the population) live in mine-affected areas, and nomads are particularly at risk. [9] Aside from actual minefields, many mines were laid so as to block access to vast desert areas.[10]

The British NGO Mines Advisory Group (MAG) carried out the first mine action assessment mission in December 2001.[11] UNMAS conducted another assessment mission in April 2002.[12] In February-March 2003, a survey was conducted by the French NGO, HAMAP (Halte aux Mines Antipersonnel)-Deminers, at the occasion of a mine clearance and sensitization mission in Nouadhibou. However, few records exist, and more information gathering must take place before a clearer picture is possible.

According to MAG, “Given the size and density of the minefields MAG saw,” the prior estimate of 50,000 to 100,000 mines remaining in the ground, “does not seem unreasonable.” The most frequently encountered mines are low metal French APID 51 antipersonnel mines and ACID 51 antivehicle mines, used in the past by the army.[13]

Affected areas are located in the northern regions of Dakhlet, Nouadhibou, Adrar, and Tiris Zemour; generally around the urban centers of Nouadhibou, Zoueratt and Bir Moghrein.[14] The towns of Choum, F’derick, Atar, Chinguetti, and Boulenoir, as well as more remote locations along the northern and western borders, are also mine-affected.[15] Erosion, shifting of dunes, instability of soils and the absence of natural barriers increase the danger for the civilian population and make access to those regions difficult for clearance operations.[16]

Although relatively few casualties are reported, the impact of mines is substantial. Major economic activities are hindered by the presence of mines and UXO including iron ore extraction, coastal fishing, trade through the overland route from Morocco, and tourism in coastal and desert areas. Mines restrict the development of the richest regions of the country, causing urban overpopulation as rural areas depopulate.[17]

Even the south of the country has suffered from the mines in the north. Instead of taking their herds to the north for some months of the year, most herders stay in the south and the grazing lands cannot regenerate properly from one season to another.[18] Following three years of drought, rainfall returned to the desert regions of the north and west in 2003, making the regions more attractive for grazing large herds of camels. However, the mine contamination makes them high risk for both animals and nomadic herders.[19]

Nouadhibou, the economic capital of Mauritania, is highly affected by mines and UXO. However, people are increasingly being attracted to the city in search of work on the railway, in the fisheries, or in tourism. With the construction of the new trans-Saharan highway connecting Nouakchott and Nouadhibou expected to be finished by 2005, the number of people moving towards Nouadhibou is likely to increase even more in the near future.

It is also expected that landmines will affect even more people with the voluntary repatriation of the 165,000 Sarahouis refugees currently living in the Tindouf region of southern Algeria, following a political settlement of the Western Sahara issue.[20] On their way home, many of these refugees, particularly those who come from the south of Western Sahara are expected to pass through mined areas in Mauritania, including Bir Moghrein and Zoueratt. [21] The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has in place a mine risk education plan to minimize the dangers in case of repatriation.[22]

The possibility of incidents increases with exploration for oil, gas, and ore on the rise since the announcement of the first oil discovery in the country in late 2003.[23]

Coordination and Planning

On 22 July 2002, Mauritania created a National Commission in charge of the mine issue.[24] The National Humanitarian Demining Office (NHDO) has been operational since April 2000, but was officially created in June 2002. Its regional office in Nouadhibou was inaugurated in October 2002. NHDO coordinates all mine-related activities for the country. It also runs the school for demining. [25] By early 2004, 120 deminers had been trained.[26] IMSMA has reportedly been installed in this reporting period.[27]

Since 1999, the priority areas for clearance are around Zoueratt and Nouadhibou, where the peninsula leading to the city is heavily mined.[28] Humanitarian mine clearance is considered to be a component of the overall plan for development and the fight against poverty in the country.[29]

Mine Clearance

According to its most recent Article 7 report, between 30 April 2003 and 30 April 2004, Mauritania destroyed 211 antipersonnel mines and 152 UXO in mine-affected areas.[30]

Between 20 February and 20 March 2003, with the support of HAMAP-Deminers, 6,210 square meters of land were cleared and 413 antipersonnel mines, 13 antivehicle mines and seven UXO were destroyed.[31]

Mauritania's 2004 national mine action plan calls for eight mine clearance operations of approximately 5,000 square meters each, six in Nouadhibou and two in Zoueratt.[32] In the first six months of 2004, three mine clearance operations took place. Between 30 December and 14 January, 6,000 square meters were cleared in Bir Mogrein, destroying six antipersonnel, seven antivehicle mines and 24 UXO, while some battle area clearance took place in Zoueratt, F'derick and Atar. Between 22 March and 8 April, with the support of the HAMAP, 5,000 square meters were cleared in Nouadhibou, destroying 174 antipersonnel, 37 antivehicle mines and 152 UXO; between18 May and 7 June another 5,000 square meters were cleared in Nouadhibou, destroying 43 antipersonnel and 10 antivehicle mines.[33]

In April and October 2003, NHDO provided refresher training to its deminers.[34] Between 3 November and 12 December 2003, two soldiers were trained in demining techniques at the regional mine clearance training center for ECOWAS member states in Ouidah, Benin.[35] One was trained as a team leader, and the other was trained as an instructor.[36] Since 2000, the US has provided ongoing mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and mine risk education (MRE) training. In September-October 2003, nine US instructors gave refresher training to seven deminers in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, also providing MRE teaching materials.[37]

NHDO has not compiled annual totals of land cleared and mines and UXO destroyed. Only partial information is available.

In 2002, 161,200 square meters of land were cleared in Zoueratt, destroying 227 antipersonnel mines, 193 antivehicle mines and six grenades. In Bir Moghrein, 83 antipersonnel mines, 26 antivehicle mines and nine grenades were destroyed. During battle area clearance in Nouakchott, 2,531 antipersonnel mines and 37 antivehicle mines were destroyed, and 30 UXO in Nema. At the end of 2002 the sides of eight kilometers of the key road east of Nouadibhou, connecting Mauritania to Morocco and north Africa, were cleared to a distance of 25 meters on either side of the road.[38]

In 2001, some battle area clearance took place in Tazazmout and El Ghalawiya (Adrar) destroying 162 UXO, as well as at PK 24 in Nouadhibou and in F'derick (Tiris-Zemour), where 2,384 UXO were destroyed.[39] In October 2001, a joint Moroccan-Mauritanian demining operation took place on the road used for the Paris-Dakar Rally.[40] In November 2001, 8,500 square meters were cleared of 30 antipersonnel and two antivehicle mines in Dakhlet Nouadhibou.[41]

In 2000, mine clearance and battle area clearance took place in Adrar (at least 57,650 square meters), in Dakhlet Nouadhibou (22,940 square meters, destroying 554 antipersonnel mines, 529 antivehicle mines and 291 UXO), in Tiris-Zemour (number of square meters unknown, but destroying 143 antipersonnel mines and 49 antivehicle mines and 1,102 UXO). In Brakna, EOD activities destroyed 124 UXO.[42]

In 1999-2000, NHDO cleared and freed for productive use 141 hectares (1,410,000 square meters) of land and 202 kilometers of roads.[43]

Mine Risk Education

In 2003 and 2004, NHDO carried out mine risk education in Boulenoire.[44] Between 20 February and 20 March 2003, NHDO, with HAMAP–Deminers, carried out MRE in Nouadhibou, where they distributed 300 t-shirts, 300 posters, 300 brochures, 400 booklets and four signs.[45]

UNICEF's mine risk education projects, originally planned for 2003-2004, were to be carried out in 2004-2005.[46] Canada, through UNICEF, made US$226,000 available to NHDO for a two-year MRE project involving local NGOs.[47]

As noted above, UNHCR has in place a mine risk education plan to minimize the dangers of possible repatriation through Mauritania of Sarahouis refugees living in southern Algeria, following a political settlement of the Western Sahara issue.[48]

Mine Action Funding

Mauritania has no budget for humanitarian mine action. In December 2003, the National Commission in charge of the mine issue recommended that the national budget of Mauritania include funds for humanitarian demining.[49]

NHDO, as part of the Engineers Battalion, receives support for its personnel from the Ministry of Defense, but it has no working budget for mine action operations. It depends on international donors for the purchase and maintenance of mine clearance equipment and marking/fencing material, as well as to conduct mine action activities.[50] UNMAS has recommended a progressive transfer of demining responsibilities to a civilian body to facilitate involvement of national and international NGOs and to encourage donors to support Mauritania's mine action operations.[51]

The annual expenses for NHDO for 2003 were reportedly budgeted at $60,000, plus $21,000 per demining mission and $20,000 for two mine risk education missions in Atis Zemour and Nouadhibou. It is estimated that a nationwide Landmine Impact Survey would cost $950,000.[52]

The United States has been the largest mine action donor in Mauritania. In 2003, the US Department of Defense contributed $595,204.[53] Between 1998 and 2002, the US Department of Defense provided $4.58 million to train and equip deminers in Mauritania. The US Department of State also provided $1.39 million between 1999 and 2001.[54]

In 2003, the French NGO HAMAP provided €8,800 ($ 9,957) for a three-week mine risk education mission and mine clearance of 5,000 square meters in Nouadhibou.[55]

Canada provided US$18,922 in 2001 and US$2,227 in 2002.[56]

Landmine Casualties

In January 2003, an antivehicle mine incident injured three people; one was evacuated to the hospital in Nouakchott with two broken legs.[57] The UN reported a second incident in 2003 in which a young girl was killed while playing with an antipersonnel mine, but this case was not confirmed by the NHDO. The UN also reports that “two mine-related car accidents killed four people.”[58] There is no systematic casualty data collection mechanism in Mauritania. Because of the size of the country and the nomadic way of life of the population, it is believed that not all mine incidents are reported, and that the true number of mine casualties could be much higher.[59]

In 2002, three incidents involving antivehicle mines were reported. In May, one person was killed and three others injured when a mine exploded in Zoueratt. An unspecified number of people were injured in mine incidents in Atar on 28 September and in Nouadhibou on 4 December. In 2001, a Portuguese national was injured when his vehicle hit a landmine during the Paris-Dakar rally.[60]

Between 1978 and 2000, 343 people were killed and 239 seriously injured in reported landmine incidents; four people were killed and two injured in 1999 and 2000.[61] More than 580 camels and donkeys have also been killed by mines and UXO.[62]

Survivor Assistance and Disability Policy and Practice

Government policy makes no distinction between landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities. Emergency cases are sent to Nouakchott or to regional hospitals, but the capacity of facilities is limited. There is a lack of basic equipment, supplies and adequately trained staff. Of the four civilian trauma surgeons in Mauritania, all work at the National Central Hospital (NCH) in Nouakchott.[63] Community-based rehabilitation programs have been set up in the country. However, specialized facilities for rehabilitation are based in Nouakchott and are therefore inaccessible to the majority of the population.[64] The NHDO does not provide assistance and no specific survivor assistance plan or policy exists.[65] In 2004, UNICEF proposed a program for mine survivor assistance in Mauritania.[66]

The National Orthopedic Center for Physical Rehabilitation (CNORF), based in Nouakchott, is the only center of its kind in Mauritania, and is supported by the Ministry of Health, with prosthetic equipment, components and training provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The center has the capacity to provide above and below knee prostheses and physiotherapy services. In 2003, the center produced 182 prostheses. No statistics on mine survivors is maintained by CNORF. The ICRC also supported the training of two prosthetic technicians from the center in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in 2003; four were trained in 2000. In 2003, specialists conducted two missions to Zoueratt and Nouadhibou to meet and measure amputees, who had been referred by local doctors, for prostheses. CNORF reports that unstable and shifting sands make the use of prostheses and wheelchairs challenging, and breakages are reportedly common.[67]

In 1999, the Federation of the Specific National Associations of Disabled People (FSNADP) was established to represent persons with disabilities in the country.[68]

There is no law protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in Mauritania, although a draft law has been waiting to pass through the House of Assembly since 1991. FSNADP sent a letter to the Minister of Health on 15 January 2003 to urge progress of the law, and received assurances that the Minister would push the matter forward.[69]


[1] The Commission was created by Decree No. 786/MAEC/MDN, 22 July 2002. See Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2003. Its members were confirmed by Decree No 1358/MAEC/MDN, Ministry of Defense, 3 December 2002.
[2] For details on the draft law, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 343.
[3] See Article 7 Reports submitted: 20 June 2001 (for the period 1 June – 1 November 2001);12 June 2002, (for the period 1 June 2001 – 1 June 2002); 30 April 2003, (for the period 1 June 2002 – 30 April 2003); 18 June 2004, dated 29 April 2004 (for the period 30 April 2003 – 30 April 2004).
[4] Article 7 Report, Form E, 20 June 2001.
[5] Ibid., Form B. The stock includes 1,890 French “model 51” (APID 51) mines, 1,838 Soviet PMN mines, and 2,000 “MP” mines (likely Yugoslav PMA-3 mines).
[6] Interview with Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, Director, National Humanitarian Demining Office, and Lt. Col. Mohamed O. Moghdad, Director of the Engineers Battalion, Ministry of Defense, Geneva, 12 February 2004; email from Major Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, 27 April 2004.
[7] A copy of the budget proposal was given to Landmine Monitor by Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, Director, National Humanitarian Demining Office, Nouakchott, 12 January 2004. Canada has expressed an interest in funding. Email sent to Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, by Lt. John MacBride, Program Coordinator, Mine Action Team, Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, 20 October 2003.
[8] Email from Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 27 April 2004; Article 7 Report, Form G, 30 April 2003. Mauritania’s Article 7 reports and various official statements have given changing and confusing information regarding the status of stockpile destruction and its completion, the number of mines destroyed, when they were destroyed, and the number of mines retained, or intended to be retained, for training purposes. See Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 331, and earlier editions of Landmine Monitor Report.
[9] Interview with Col. Abdi Ahmed Tfeil, NHDO, 22 December 2002.
[10] NHDO, “Mission de Sensibilisation et de Déminage,” 20 February-20 March 2003.
[11] Mines Advisory Group, “Mauritania: Assessment Report on behalf of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT),” December 2001.
[12] UNMAS, “Evaluation Mission of the Mine/UXO Problem in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania,” December 2002, Annex A, Terms of Reference, p. 22.
[13] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 332.
[14] Mines found in those regions are the French APID 51, Russian PNM, Italian VS50, and Czech PPM:SR; see Article 7 Report, Form C1, 18 June 2004.
[15] MAG, “Assessment Report,” December 2001, p. 2.
[16] NHDO, “Unissons nos Efforts pour une Terre sans Mines,” May 2003, p. 2.
[17] Interview with Moulaye Moulaye Omar, President, Association Mauritanienne des Ingénieurs Agronomes et Filières Associées, Nouakchott, 10 February 2001.
[18] Ibid.
[19] UNMAS, “Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2004,” December 2003.
[20] UNMAS, “Evaluation Mission,” December 2002, p. 10.
[21] Interview with Dr. Hamdi Bukhari, Head of Mission, UNHCR, Nouakchott, 26 January 2004.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Country Profile: Mauritania, UN E-Mine website.
[24] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 333. The Commission is composed of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, two deputies of the National Assembly and two representatives of NGOs.
[25] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 333. NHDO has four sections: sensitization, administration and logistics, data gathering and analysis, training and operation.
[26] Interview with Capt. Job Diop, Company Team Leader and Assistant to the Director, NHDO, Nouakchott, 18 January 2004.
[27] Telephone interview with Alan Arnold, IMSMA Project Manager, GICHD, 13 May 2004; Statement by Mauritania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2004.
[28] Interview with Capt. Job Diop, NHDO, 21 January 2004.
[29] Article 7 Report, Form I, 30 April 2003.
[30] Article 7 Report, Form G3, 18 June 2004.
[31] NHDO, “Mission de Sensibilisation et de Déminage,” 20 February-20 March 2003. HAMAP-Deminers gave slightly different figures, reporting that in March 2003, 4,975 square meters were cleared, and 410 AP mines, 13 AV mines and six UXO destroyed. “Compte rendu de Pierre Casoli - Mission de déminage en Mauritanie 1° semestre 2003,” p. 10.
[32] Email from Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 26 May 2004.
[33] Email from Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 9 June 2004.
[34] Interview with Capt. Job Diop, NHDO, 18 January 2004.
[35] “Benin Mine Clearance Training Center,” document provided to Landmine Monitor by Thomas Adoumasse, Deputy Director, Department of International Organizations, Benin Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 2004.
[36] Interview with Col. Remy, Military Attaché, French Embassy, Nouakchott, 13 January 2004.
[37] Interview with Maj. Jeffrey S. Miller, Military Attaché, US Embassy, Nouakchott, 20 January 2004.
[38] Email from Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, 27 April 2004.
[39] Répertoire de toutes les Missions du BNDH [NHDO], “Situation Générale des Opérations de Déminage et de Sensibilisation.”
[40] Ibid; email from Cdr. Ouliane Ould Mennane, NHDO, 22 June 2002.
[41] NHDO, “Situation Générale des Opérations de Déminage et de Sensibilisation.”
[42] Ibid.
[43] US State Department (DOS), “Report on landmines and mine action in Mauritania,” February 2000; see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 100-101.
[44] Statement by Mauritania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[45] NHDO, “Situation Générale des Opérations de Déminage et de Sensibilisation.”
[46] UN, “Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2004,” December 2003.
[47] Statement by Mauritania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004.
[48] Interview with Dr. Hamdi Bukhari, UNHCR, Nouakchott, 26 January 2004.
[49] Minutes of meeting of the National Commission in charge of the mine issue, Nouakchott, 12 December 2003.
[50] Interview with Maj. Alioune O. Mohamed El Hacen, NHDO, Nouakchott, 12 January 2004.
[51] UNMAS, “Evaluation Mission,” December 2002, p. 5.
[52] HAMAP-Demineurs, “Rapport de Mission in Mauritanie du 20 Fevrier au 13 Mars 2003.”
[53] US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, “Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program of the Department of Defense for Fiscal Year 2003,” Report to Congress submitted on 1 March 2004, pp. 4-6.
[54] US State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September 2002; US DOS, “To Walk the Earth,” November 2001, p. 8; US DOS, “Demining Program History,” 24 October 2001.
[55] “Convention entre l'association HAMAP démineurs et le bureau national de Déminage humanitaire mauritanien,” 2003, pp. 9-10.
[56] Mine Action Investments database.
[57] Interview with Capt. Job Diop, NHDO, 24 January 2004; interview with Col. Abdi Ahmed Tfeil, NHDO, 16 May 2003.
[58] UN, “Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2004,” December 2003, p. 273.
[59] UNMAS, “Evaluation Mission,” May 2003.
[60] Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 334.
[61] UNMAS, “Evaluation Mission,” May 2003; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 104; Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 63.
[62] MAG, “Assessment Report,” December 2001, p. 2.
[63] Interview with Dr. Camara Silly, General Surgeon and Head of Trauma Department, National Central Hospital, Nouakchott, 14 January 2004.
[64] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 104-105.
[65] NHDO, “Mission de Sensibilisation et de Déminage,” 20 February-20 March 2003.
[66] UNMAS, “Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2004,” December 2003, p. 278.
[67] Interview with Ahmed Fallould Hemody, Assistant Director, CNORF, Nouakchott, 15 January 2004; interview with Salemould Mohamud, Senior Orthopedic Technician, CNORF, Nouakchott, 15 January 2004.
[68] Interview with Lehboussould El Id, President of the National Association for Motor Disability; President of the Federation of the Specific National Associations of Disabled People (FSNADP), Nouakchott, 22 January 2004.
[69] Ibid.