Key developments since May 2005: In November 2005, the Polisario
Front signed the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment renouncing antipersonnel mines.
Polisario destroyed over 3,000 of its stockpiled mines in February 2006.
Between April 2005 and April 2006, the UN mission in Western Sahara discovered
and marked 289 mines and unexploded ordnance, and monitored the destruction of
7,074 items of explosive ordnance, mostly stockpiled antipersonnel mines.
Landmine Action UK started an explosive ordnance disposal and technical survey
project in mid-2006. Antipersonnel mines caused at least two casualties in
2005, and there were at least eight mine casualties from January to May
2006.
Mine Ban Policy
The sovereignty of Western Sahara remains the subject of a dispute between
the government of Morocco and the Polisario Front (the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Saguía el Hamra and Río de Oro). The
Polisario’s Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is a member of the
African Union, but is not universally recognized. It has no official
representation in the UN, and thus is not eligible to accede to the Mine Ban
Treaty. Since 1999, Polisario officials have stated they would sign the Mine
Ban Treaty if permitted to do so. However, at the same time, they have spoken
of a possible need for antipersonnel
mines.[1]
On 3 November 2005, Polisario Minister of Defense Mohamed Lamine Buhali
signed the Swiss-based NGO Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment renouncing
antipersonnel mines.[2] The Deed of
Commitment calls for a comprehensive ban on the use, production, trade and
stockpiling of antipersonnel mines, and cooperation in mine action. Earlier,
from 3-10 June 2005, Geneva Call had conducted a field mission to Western Sahara
and received assurances that Polisario would either sign the Deed of Commitment
or declare a similar position.[3]
Production, Transfer, Use and Stockpiling
Polisario is not known to have produced or transferred antipersonnel mines.
Polisario officials have stated that they acquired antipersonnel mines in the
past by lifting them from Moroccan minefields (especially the defensive walls,
or berms).[4] Known antipersonnel
landmine types include those of Soviet, Italian, Belgian, French, Portuguese and
Yugoslav manufacture.[5] Both
Polisario and Moroccan forces used mines extensively in the past.
Polisario possesses a stockpile of antipersonnel mines which it has promised
to destroy in stages, in order to comply with the Deed of
Commitment.[6] A coordination
committee for mine action was established after the signing of the Deed, headed
by engineer Dah Bendir; this body has started to gather and classify all the
antipersonnel mines in stockpile. The Polisario’s Chief Engineer told
Landmine Monitor that the stockpile consists of more than 10,000 antipersonnel
and antivehicle landmines.[7] A media
source cited a Polisario stockpile of 6,000 antipersonnel
mines.[8]
Polisario reported destroying 3,172 antipersonnel mines and 144 antivehicle
mines in a public event on 27 February 2006 in the Tifariti region of Western
Sahara.[9] This event took place in
the presence of many international and local
observers.[10] Preparation and
funding of the destruction was done without outside financial assistance, but
with the technical advice of Norwegian People’s Aid and Landmine Action
UK, and facilitated by Geneva Call and the Saharawi Campaign to Ban
Landmines.[11]
In 2002, Polisario had informed Landmine Monitor in writing that it no longer
had a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, except for 1,606 disarmed mines on
display in a military
museum.[12]
Landmine and UXO Problem
Western Sahara is affected by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as a result
of years of colonial and post-colonial conflicts. The 1991 cease-fire resulted
in a territory that is divided between Polisario and Morocco by 2,400 kilometers
of defensive walls built by Morocco, known as berms (earthen walls of about
three meters in height) which Morocco fortified with antipersonnel and
antivehicle mines.[13] Despite the
mine/UXO problem, approximately 10,000 Saharawi nomads live in mine-affected
areas on both sides of the Moroccan
berms.[14]
Landmine Action UK undertook preliminary survey work by visiting the
Polisario-controlled area of Western Sahara in October 2005 and February-March
2006. A field assessment in the vicinity of Bir Lahlou, Tifariti and the berms
revealed that the densest concentrations of mines are in front of the berms.
Mines were laid in zigzags up to one meter apart, and in some parts of the
berms, there are three rows of mines.[15] There are also berms in the Moroccan-controlled zone, around Dakhla and
stretching from Boujdour, including Smara on the Moroccan
border.[16]
However, mine-laying was not restricted to the vicinity of the berms;
occupied settlements throughout the Polisario-controlled areas, such as Bir
Lahlou and Tifariti, are ringed by mines laid by Moroccan forces. Antivehicle
mines in the vicinity of well-used tracks and antipersonnel mines around water
holes pose a threat to the local population ― nomadic pastoralists who
rely on the water wells and hinder the repatriation of Saharawi refugees
currently located in five camps in southwestern
Algeria.[17] Landmines in Western
Sahara are also a serious threat to illegal immigrants attempting to enter
Melilla, the Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast. If caught by the Moroccan
security forces, they are reportedly sent back to the berms and told to walk
straight through, without stepping left or right, across the
minefields.[18]
Landmine Action UK reported that there is also a serious threat from
unexploded ordnance (UXO), such as mortars, artillery shells and air-dropped
bombs, as well as significant contamination by air-dropped or ground-delivered
cluster munitions.[19]
Mine Action Program
There is no formal mine action program in Western Sahara. However, under
bilateral military agreements signed by Morocco and Polisario in early 1999,
both parties agreed to cooperate with MINURSO, the UN Mission for the Referendum
in Western Sahara, in the exchange of mine-related information, marking of mined
areas, and the clearance and destruction of mines and UXO in the presence of
MINURSO observers.[20] This
agreement does not cover minefields along the
berms.[21]
The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has provided technical advice to MINURSO
in order to address the mine/UXO threat. In November 2005, UNMAS conducted a
visit to MINURSO to review existing mine action information and discuss support
for further mine/UXO clearance in Polisario-controlled areas. The report
revealed that in many cases, information on known or suspected mine/UXO-affected
areas held by MINURSO had not been recently verified and the source of the
information was unknown. UNMAS recommended that MINURSO work jointly with
Polisario counterparts to verify and confirm the information, detect any
dangerous areas known by Polisario but not yet registered, and collect
additional information to facilitate prioritization and
tasking.[22]
UNMAS also found that “the amount of contamination [MINURSO] team sites
face is unacceptable.” Consequently, UNMAS recommended establishing
explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams to clear UXO that require immediate
action to ensure the safety of patrol tracks. Over the longer term, clearance
of minefields and battlefields (which are less of a priority to MINURSO) should
be ensured through capacity development of the Saharawi mine action NGO
community, with the support of an international NGO. Also, in order to ensure
the proper coordination and support for mine action activities, UNMAS
recommended that a mine action coordinator position be established in the
mission under UNMAS
direction.[23]
In April 2006, UNMAS signed a contract with Landmine Action UK for a project
to map hazardous areas, grade roads by level of threat and destroy
UXO.[24] In the short term, the
project aims at building a comprehensive picture of the mine threat in
Polisario-controlled areas of Western Sahara to ensure the disposal of UXO while
constructing an accurate and updated Information Management System for Mine
Action (IMSMA) database of mine and UXO-affected areas. In the long run,
Landmine Action UK plans to create a “professional cost-efficient local
NGO capable of engaging with both Polisario and
MINURSO.”[25]
To implement this project, Landmine Action UK planned to establish two small,
mobile survey/EOD teams as the nucleus of a local NGO in the
Polisario-controlled areas of Western
Sahara.[26] MINURSO’s
commitment to support the project, under negotiation since April, was considered
“imminent” in July 2006, as was an agreement between Landmine Action
UK and Polisario.[27] The UNMAS
contract (US$633,977) was scheduled to run from 15 April to 15 December 2006.
Landmine Action also received a donation of £100,000 (some $182,000) from
the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund for this
project.[28]
Landmine Action UK was scheduled to move its project equipment and personnel
to Western Sahara in late July 2006, to recruit and train national staff in
August and to start operational work in
September.[29]
Also in May, a meeting in Nouadhibou between MINURSO and Mauritania’s
mine action authorities and operators agreed to continue exchanging information
and to move towards a regional approach to mine action that would engage
governments, Polisario, the UN and others. This would include mine risk
education for Saharawi children and nomads on both sides of the
border.[30]
MINURSO has IMSMA version 3. In March 2005, the Geneva International Centre
for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) provided IMSMA with training, but the
personnel trained left MINURSO in October; their replacements were not trained
to use IMSMA.[31] As a result,
MINURSO was using spreadsheets to record locations, types of munitions and dates
of discovery. The coordinates have been loaded into handheld and
vehicle-mounted global positioning by satellite receivers to provide team site
members with general location data for navigation purposes while on
patrol.[32]
In June 2006, GICHD received requests for two MINURSO officers and two
Landmine Action staff members to attend a training for version 4 of IMSMA in
September-October 2006.[33]
Demining
MINURSO carries out joint military operations with Polisario forces in
territory on the Western Sahara side of the berms and with the Royal Moroccan
Army (RMA) on the Moroccan side. When mines and UXO are discovered, MINURSO
marks them and then monitors their destruction by Polisario or RMA’s EOD
teams. MINURSO has reported that while the RMA has the capacity to address some
UXO issues in the areas it controls, no survey or clearance has been conducted
by the Polisario in areas east of the
berm.[34]
Identification of Mined Areas: Surveys and Assessments
No survey has been conducted in Western Sahara. Polisario provided MINURSO
with all maps and necessary information in 1991, but Morocco did
not.[35] Landmine Action UK
reported that Polisario engineers have a very clear idea of where the mines laid
by both parties to the conflict are
located.[36]
Marking and Fencing
As part of its activities, MINURSO marks locations of mines and UXO with
piles of stones up to half-a-meter high, painted red. In May 2006, MINURSO
planned to manufacture 450 standard mine and UXO warning
signs.[37] The Saharawi Campaign to
Ban Landmines (SCBL) reported having marked UXO by laying stones painted in red
in Tifariti and Bir Lahlou between October 2005 and January
2006.[38]
Mine and UXO Clearance
Between October 2005 and April 2006, MINURSO discovered and marked 29 mines
and UXO, and monitored the destruction of 3,381 antipersonnel mines. This
included the destruction by Polisario of 3,100 stockpiled antipersonnel mines on
27 February 2006, as well as another 281 stockpiled antipersonnel mines during a
destruction trial the day before.[39] Between April and October 2005, MINURSO discovered and marked 260 mines
and UXO, and monitored the destruction of 3,693 mines and UXO. Further details
were not available on the ordnance destroyed. During the same period, MINURSO
also monitored 40 EOD operations on the west side of the
berm.[40] The data reported did not
indicate what quantities were found and destroyed on each side of the berm.
Reporting in past years by MINURSO has been inconsistent in format, but
Landmine Monitor has recorded a total of 1,294 hazardous items marked, 831 sites
marked and the monitoring of the destruction of 37,629 mines and UXO since
1999.[41] MINURSO has not
disaggregated data between mines and UXO.
Mine Risk Education
In January 2005, Saharawi Campaign to Ban Landmines members started to
deliver ad hoc mine risk education (MRE) classes to the children in schools and
to some adults. There has been no funding to support or expand these
activities.[42] Some SCBL members
had been trained in conducting MRE through a Norwegian People’s Aid
project from 1998 to 2000.[43] In
March 2006, SCBL contacted UNICEF Algeria to assess the possibility of
recommencing MRE in the Saharawi refugee camps and in Western Sahara territory
under Polisario control.[44]
MINURSO provided landmine and UXO safety briefings for UN mission personnel
through the MINURSO training section. Team site staff also provided refresher
training. UNMAS observed in November 2005 that personnel adhered to safety
procedures to a satisfactory level.[45]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2005, there were at least two casualties, including one killed and one
injured, in Western Sahara. Both casualties were men and both incidents were
caused by antipersonnel mines. The SCBL reported both casualties; MINURSO was
also aware of the casualty occurring on the Moroccan side of the
berm.[46] The incident in
Polisario-controlled Western Sahara involved a 20-year-old man herding camels in
Tuezirfatin, in the Tiris region. In 2004, Landmine Monitor was not able to
confirm any casualties.[47]
Casualties continued to be reported in 2006, with at least eight new mine/UXO
casualties as of May 2006, including three killed and five injured. All of the
casualties were men; antipersonnel mines caused five incidents, antivehicle
mines caused two and the cause of one was unknown. On 27 January, a civilian
vehicle hit an antivehicle mine in the Akuadim region. The driver lost his leg
and two passengers were injured. At the end of January, a man lost his leg
while trying to cross the berm from Morocco into the Polisario-controlled side.
On 5 February, a 47-year-old man was killed while herding animals in Wad Yderia,
north Benamera.[48] MINURSO
recorded two casualties in the Moroccan-controlled part of Western Sahara: on 12
February, a Moroccan soldier was killed on patrol; on 19 February, a Bedouin was
killed while driving a truck.[49] Early in May, a nomad lost a leg in a mine/UXO incident, which also
injured several of the camels he was
herding.[50] There reportedly are
daily incidents with camels and other cattle in animal grazing areas. Incidents
also tend to happen when people cross from Tindouf into Polisario-controlled
territory to herd animals and cultivate land during the rainy
season.[51]
The total number of mine casualties in Western Sahara is not known, as many
incidents are believed to take place in remote areas. In November 2005, SCBL
conducted a mine casualty survey and identified 347 survivors in the four main
refugee camps.[52] The Saharawi
Campaign to Ban Landmines works with eight volunteers to collect casualty
data.
The Moroccan Association of Mine Victims in Smara, Moroccan-controlled
Western Sahara, has collected information on 70 mine casualties, including 37
killed in Smara region.[53]
In October 2005, Polisario stated that 525 people from Western Sahara have
been injured and 30 killed since
2001.[54] Between March 2000 and
March 2001, Moroccan authorities registered 51 military mine/UXO casualties
(seven killed and 44 injured) in Western
Sahara.[55] Between 2000 and 2005,
MINURSO recorded 19 mine incidents, but the number of casualties is not known,
as reporting of casualties has not been comprehensive. However, there have
reportedly been more than 2,500 landmine casualties since
1975.[56]
In 2006, Landmine Action UK will collect casualty data as part of its survey
and clearance project in Western Sahara; this should lead to improved public
information on mine/UXO
casualties.[57]
Survivor Assistance
Access to emergency services, especially in remote areas, is limited to
military medical facilities. On the Polisario-controlled side, military bases
have small dispensaries providing first aid. There is a medical center in
Laayoune and two medical stations in Awsard and Smara on the Moroccan side of
the berm. Each of the four main refugee camps have medical centers. Mine
casualties can face a two or three-day drive to the national hospital in
Rabouni, near Tindouf, Algeria.[58] The Spanish NGO Médico El Mundo provides medical assistance in
Birlehlu.
The SCBL survey in November 2005 showed that many survivors had not received
rehabilitation assistance and prosthetic devices. Due to the difficult terrain,
prostheses are in constant need of repair. SCBL found that most of those who
received artificial limbs needed repairs or replacement
limbs.[59]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supported a prosthetic
workshop at the Ben Aknoun center in Algiers, Algeria to provide access to
physical rehabilitation for Saharawi amputees. ICRC support included the
provision of services for physically disabled Saharawis living in refugee camps
in Algeria, but this service was discontinued in the beginning of
2004.[60] In 2004 and 2005, the
center did not assist Saharawi
patients.[61] Reportedly, Polisario
and ICRC started discussing the need for a prosthetic workshop in the Saharawi
refugee camps, which would employ mine survivors as technicians. ICRC met with
the Polisario Ministry of Health in April 2006 to discuss this
further.[62]
The Chedid Chreif Center is the only rehabilitation center in the refugee
camps that provides shelter, medicines, basic supplies and socioeconomic
reintegration activities to mine survivors and other war victims. The director
of the center has established a self-help system, in which local authorities,
NGOs and individuals spend time with survivors and provide financial or material
aid, if needed. In 2005, 123 people were assisted and the center received 26
artificial eyes from a Spanish NGO. However, the center has been facing severe
financial difficulties.[63]
On 22 October 2005, the Saharawi Association of the Victims of Mines (SAVM)
was created to provide support to mine survivors and to raise awareness. The
association is based in the Chedid Chreif Center and all its members are mine
survivors. Its draft work plan aims to refer mine survivors to medical and
rehabilitation care, provide psychosocial support and liaise with authorities
and NGOs to create vocational training and capacity-building opportunities, as
well as raising awareness for the rights of persons with disabilities in Western
Sahara and internationally.[64]
The French NGO Triangle has provided assistance to people with disabilities
in the Dakhla refugee camp for Saharawi people. Services include several
community and welcome centers, awareness raising and
education.[65]
Some Spanish and Italian NGOs reportedly have provided funding for artificial
limbs for amputees in Western Sahara. On occasion, mine survivors accompany
children participating in summer camps in Spain as guardians, and are provided
with prosthetic devices when possible. In 2005, eight mine survivors, including
one woman, received a prosthetic device in this way. Organizations providing
this support are the Catalunia Association of Solidarity with the Saharawi
People and the Murcia Association of Solidarity with the People of Western
Sahara.[66]
Since 2005, the Moroccan Association of Mine Victims active in Smara,
Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, has collected casualty information, raised
awareness on the rights of mine survivors and advocated for their reintegration
into society, in cooperation with other organizations. However, the
organization does not have the funds to implement reintegration and assistance
projects.[67]
[1] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 947; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1240. [2] Geneva Call Newsletter, Vol. 4,
No. 1, February 2006, p. 3. [3] Geneva Call met with the
Saharawi President and Polisario Secretary General, the Minister of Defense,
MINURSO, NGOs, and mine survivors. The President gave them the assurances of
support for a ban. Interview with Pascal Bongard, Programme Director for
Africa, Geneva Call, Geneva, 17 June 2005; Geneva Call Press Release,
“Geneva Call’s mission in disputed Western Sahara: New Progress in
the fight against landmines,” Geneva, 15 June 2005. [4] They may have acquired mines
from other sources as well. Some of the mines Polisario destroyed in February
2006 are not known to have been in Morocco’s arsenal, such as those of
Belgian, Portuguese and Yugoslav origin. [5] “Observations made during
field mission by Landmine Action UK,” email of 3 May 2006; list of mines
destroyed in February 2006 provided to Landmine Monitor by a Polisario military
officer—this list also included mines thought to be of Israeli and German
origin. [6] Interview with Mohamed Lamine
Bouhali, Polisario Minister of Defense, Tifariti (Second Military Region), 3
March 2006. [7] Interview with Mhd. Fadel
Sidna, Chief Engineer, Second Military Regiment, Tifariti (Second Military
Region), 15 January 2006. [8] “Polisario signs
agreement banning use of anti-personnel mines,” British Broadcasting
Corporation, 6 November 2005, citing Algerian TV. [9] The numbers and types of
antipersonnel mines destroyed: 2,220 VS-50 (Italy); 500 PMD-6M (USSR); 180
PROM-1 (Yugoslavia); 137 VS-33 (unknown type, presumably Italian); 33 PMD-6
(USSR); 32 M-35 (Belgium); 22 M966 (Portugal); 20 POMZ-2M (USSR); nine
“NEGRO” (unknown type, attributed to Israeli origin); six E-58
(unknown type, attributed to German origin); six PMN (USSR); four Mk.-1 (UK);
and, three FMP-1 (unknown type, attributed to French origin). It also destroyed
144 K-1 antivehicle mines, also known as PM-60 (East Germany). A list of
numbers and types destroyed was provided to Landmine Monitor by a Polisario
military officer. The list cites a total of 3,177 antipersonnel mines, but the
individual totals add up to 3,172. [10] The event was led by
Saharawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz. Also in attendance were Algerian Minister
Muyahidin, several ambassadors of countries which recognize the Saharawi Arab
Democratic Republic, and representatives of MINURSO, Saharawi Campaign to Ban
Landmines (SCBL), Saharawi Association for Mine Victims, Geneva Call, Landmine
Action UK, Spanish Committees of Support to Western Sahara people, Landmine
Monitor and other NGOs. See Geneva Call Press Release, “The Polisario
Front starts to destroy its landmine stockpile,” 1 March 2006. [11] Interview with Simon Conway,
Director, Landmine Action UK, Geneva, 10 May 2006. In April, Geneva Call
sponsored participation by a Polisario engineer in an International Mine Action
Standards (IMAS) training courses given by the Swedish EOD and Demining Center.
Email from Pascal Bongard, Geneva Call, 15 June 2006; email from Anki
Sjöberg, Geneva Call, 6 July 2006. [12] Polisario Response to
Landmine Monitor, 27 June 2002. [13] See Landmine Monitor
Report 1999, pp. 921–924. [14] Interview with Maj. M.
Morrow, Mine Information Officer, MINURSO, Laayoune, 7 January 2001. [15] Landmine Action UK,
“Explosive Ordnance Disposal and technical survey in Polisario-controlled
areas of Western Sahara,” Project proposal, February 2006, p. 4. [16] Email from Simon Conway,
Landmine Action UK, 3 May 2006. [17] Landmine Action UK,
“Explosive Ordnance Disposal and technical survey in Polisario-controlled
areas of Western Sahara,” Project proposal, February 2006, p. 2. [18] Email from Simon Conway,
Landmine Action UK, 3 May 2006. [19] Landmine Action UK,
“Explosive Ordnance Disposal and technical survey in Polisario-controlled
areas of Western Sahara,” Project proposal, February 2006, p. 4; email
from Simon Conway, Landmine Action UK, 3 May 2006. Landmine Action UK found
only a threat from mines and UXO during its field assessment. It reported that,
as no comprehensive survey has been undertaken, it is too early to determine
whether contamination includes abandoned explosive ordnance. Email from Simon
Conway, Landmine Action UK, 29 May 2006. [20] Military agreement No. 3 on
the reduction of hazards from mines and UXO, 12 March 1999. [21] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 1072, 1241. [22] UNMAS, “Mission
Report, MINURSO visit,” New York, November 2005, pp. 1,2. [23] Ibid, pp. 3-4. [24] Email from Charlotte
McAulay, Landmine Action UK, 5 July 2006. [25] Landmine Action UK,
“Explosive Ordnance Disposal and technical survey in Polisario-controlled
areas of Western Sahara,” Project proposal, February 2006, pp. 1-9. [26] Ibid, p. 4; see, as well,
later section on “Demining progress in 2006.” [27] Email from Charlotte
McAulay, Desk Officer, Landmine Action UK, 5 July 2006. [28] Ibid. [29] Ibid. [30] Email from Joel Kaigre,
President, HAMAP Demineurs, 28 May 2006; email from Maj. Gen. Kurt Mosgaard,
Force Commander, MINURSO, 31 May 2006; email from Lt. Col. Alioune O. Mohamed El
Hacen, National Humanitarian Demining Office (NHDO), 4 June 2006; email from Jim
Sawatzky, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP/NHDO, 5 June 2006. [31] Email from Maj. Sherif
El-Desouky, Mine Action Coordinator, MINURSO, Laayoune, 24 May 2006; UNMAS,
“Mission Report, MINURSO visit,” New York, November 2005, p. 2. [32] UN Mines Action Service
(UNMAS), “Mission Report, MINURSO visit,” New York, November 2005,
p. 2. [33] Email from Charlotte
McAulay, Landmine Action UK, 5 July 2006. [34] UNMAS, “Mission
Report, MINURSO visit,” New York, November 2005, p. 1. [35] Presentation on Western
Sahara by Geneva Call, at Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 10 May 2006;
Polisario response to Landmine Monitor, 27 June 2002. [36] Email from Simon Conway,
Landmine Action UK, 3 May 2006. [37] Email from Maj. Sherif
El-Desouky, MINURSO, Laayoune, 20 May 2006. [38] Interview with Lefkir
Mohamed, member, SCBL, 29 January 2006. [39] “Report of the UN
Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara,” S/2006/249,
19 April 2006,
p. 3; email from Maj. Sherif El-Desouky, MINURSO, Laayoune, 20 May 2006. [40] “Report of the UN
Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara,” S/2005/648,
13 October 2005, p. 3. [41] As compiled from MINURSO
reports by Landmine Monitor (Human Rights Watch). For details, see report on
Morocco in this edition of Landmine Monitor. [42] Email from Boybat Cheikh
Abdelhay, SCBL, 7 March 2006. [43] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 1241. [44] Meeting of Boybat Cheikh
Abdelhay, SCBL, with Farid Boubekeur, UNICEF Education Project Officer in
Algiers, Rabouni, 6 March 2006. [45] UNMAS, “Mission
Report, MINURSO visit, 07-14 November 2005,” p. 5, received by email from
Justin Brady, Planning Officer, UNMAS, New York, 24 May 2006. [46] “Statistics For
Discovered & Destroyed UXOs/Mines: The Period from Jul 2003 to Jul
2005,” sent by Enrico Magnani, MINURSO, Laayoune, 7 September 2005; SCBL
extract of the Mine Victim Statistics Database, Rabouni (Tindouf), accessed 31
March 2006. SCBL keeps a database of casualties occurring in the
Polisario-controlled areas of Western Sahara; unless otherwise stated, casualty
information for the Polisario-controlled areas comes from the SCBL. [47] One casualty reported as
being injured in Western Sahara in 2004, was actually injured in Assa Zag
province, Morocco, bordering Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara; see Morocco
report in this edition of Landmine Monitor. Email from Fanja Rasolomanana,
Project Coordinator, Swiss Foundation for Landmine Victim Aid, Geneva, 26 May
2006. [48] SCBL extract of the Mine
Victim Statistics Database, Rabouni (Tindouf), accessed 31 March 2006. [49] Email from Maj. Sherif
El-Desouky, MINURSO, Tifariti, 5 May 2006. [50] Geneva Call and SCBL,
Presentation on Western Sahara and Deed of Commitment, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [51] Email from Boybat Cheikh
Abdelhay, SCBL, 24 March 2006. [52] SCBL extract of the Mine
Victim Statistics Database, Rabouni (Tindouf), accessed 31 March 2006. [53] Mohammed al-Moutaki,
“Citizens deplore the lack of assistance to mine victims in Smara,”
al-Ahdat al-Maghribiyya (Smara), 27 April 2006. [54] “WSahara’s
Polisario pledges landmine ban, appeals to Morocco,” Agence
France-Presse (Geneva), 1 November 2005. [55] For more information, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1072. [56] Email from Gaizi Nah Bachir,
researcher and anti-mines activist, Western Sahara, 3 September 2005. [57] Email from Charlotte
McAulay, Landmine Action UK, 5 May 2006. [58] Email from Gaizi Nah Bachir,
Western Sahara, 3 September 2005; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2004,
p. 1242. [59] SCBL extract of the Mine
Victim Statistics Database, Rabouni (Tindouf), accessed 31 March 2006. [60] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation
Program, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, draft received 19 May 2006,
p. 33. [61] Email from Boybat Cheikh
Abdelhay, SCBL, 24 March 2006. [62] Geneva Call and SCBL,
Presentation on Western Sahara and Deed of Commitment, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [63] Interview with Brahim Moulay Ahmed,
Director, Chedid Chreif Center, Tindouf, February 2006; email from Gaizi Nah
Bachir, 25 September 2005, with information provided by Brahim Moulay Ahmed,
Chedid Chreif Center; information from Melainin Lakhal, Secretary-General of the
Union of Saharawi Journalists and Writers (UPES), Western Sahara, 27 August
2005. [64] Saharawi Association of the
Victims of Mines, “Final Resolution for the creation of SAVM,” 22
October 2005, sent by Gaizi Nah Bachir, Western Sahara, 23 October 2005. [65] See Triangle Generation Humanitaire,
website, www.trianglegh.org. [66] Email from Boybat Cheikh
Abdelhay, SCBL, 24 March 2006; interview with Pascal Bongard, Geneva Call,
Geneva, 17 June 2005. [67] Mohammed al-Moutaki,
“Citizens deplore the lack of assistance to mine victims in Smara,”
al-Ahdat al-Maghribiyya (Smara), 27 April 2006.
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