Somalia

Background

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic was created under a 2004 charter, and has been engaged in various levels of armed combat ever since.^[1] Since early 2007, al-Shabaab (the Youth) and other armed groups have carried out attacks and at times engaged in intense fighting against the TFG, Ethiopian troops, and the African Union peacekeeping mission to Somalia (AMISOM). In April 2008, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia reported that al- Shabaab was steadily increasing its control of territory within Somalia.^[2]

Mine Ban Policy

The Somali Republic has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. The TFG prime minister attended as an observer the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in Nairobi in November–December 2004 where he stated the TFG’s intention to outlaw antipersonnel mines.^[3] The TFG did not attend any Mine Ban Treaty meetings in 2007 or 2008.

Several Somali factions have renounced use of antipersonnel landmines by signing the Deed of Commitment administered by the NGO Geneva Call. Most of these signatories are members of the Transitional Federal Institutions (Government and Parliament), but some may also continue to control independent militia forces and territory.^[4]

Production and Stockpiling

Somalia has never been known to manufacture landmines, but mines are thought to be widely available. Mines were reportedly being sold in the Bakaraaha arms market in the capital city, Mogadishu, in 2006 and 2007.^[5] As of early 2008, the Bakaraaha market had reportedly “moved underground,” with arms no longer advertised or displayed openly, and had been replaced by seven new arms markets. Landmines reportedly continued to be sold in at least one of the markets (Arjantin) as late as February 2008.^[6]

Most factions involved in armed conflict in Somalia are believed to possess some landmine stockpiles.^[7] In April 2008, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia reported that “a certain number” of weapons seized or discovered by or surrendered to the TFG and Ethiopian forces, including landmines, had been turned over to the Ugandan contingent of AMISOM.^[8] Ugandan MISOM forces were reported to have recovered 2,128 unspecified mines, among other weapons, in disarmament operations in Mogadishu in May 2007.^[9] Many of the weapons came from demobilizing militias, including some warlords who had previously been identified as having mine stockpiles.^[10]

In 2007, Geneva Call reported that the following factions had declared having stockpiles of mines but have not revealed the types or numbers or any action taken to destroy them: the Jowhar Administration (Mohamed Omar Habeeb “Dheere”), the Juba Valley Alliance, Rahanweyn Resistance Army, Somali National Front (SNF), and the United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance/Somali Reconstruction and Restoration Council (USC/SNA/SRRC), as well as the Puntland authorities (which govern the semi-autonomous northeastern territory of Puntland).^[11]

Geneva Call reported that, as of late 2007, the Puntland authorities and the SNF were making inventories of their mine stockpile in preparation for destruction.^[12] On 24 July 2008, the Puntland Mine Action Center (PMAC) destroyed 48 stockpiled PMP-71 antipersonnel mines near Garowe on behalf of the Puntland authorities. The UK-based NGO Mines Advisory Group (MAG) provided technical assistance to PMAC.^[13]

In August 2008, Geneva Call informed Landmine Monitor that the SNF had reportedly completed their inventory and had approached the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Baidoa to request technical assistance for the destruction of their stockpile.^[14]

Transfer

Since 2002, the UN group monitoring the arms embargo on Somalia has published a number of reports with allegations of the transfer of antipersonnel and other mines from a number of countries to various Somali parties.^[15] The most recent reports were submitted on 18 July 2007 and 24 April 2008.^[16] These reports do not make new allegations of transfers of antipersonnel mines from states into Somalia. The April 2008 report cites the transfer of antivehicle mines and components from Eritrea in 2008 in support of al-Shabaab.^[17] The July 2007 report provides new information about two alleged shipments of antipersonnel mines in July 2006 from Eritrea to Somalia that the Monitoring Group had previously reported.^[18]

It seems apparent that mines continue to be widely available and traded in Somalia. Both the July 2007 and April 2008 Monitoring Group reports include new information on the sale and purchase of mines at Somali arms markets. The July 2007 report stated that at the Bakaraaha arms market, Mohamed Omar Habeeb “Dheere,” then-mayor of Mogadishu, purchased “a variety of anti-tank mines and antipersonnel mines” between November and December 2006.^[19] The report also stated that al-Shabaab purchased “a variety of mines” (type unspecified) between November and December 2006 and between 20 April and 20 May 2007.^[20] The report further stated that unidentified clans purchased mines between November 2006 and January 2007, and 120 mines in March 2007.^[21]

The April 2008 report stated that at the Arjantin arms market or other arms markets, 112 mines were sold by TFG military officers in February 2008; eight mines were sold by the head of the Somali National Security Agency on 20 February 2008; and 114 mines were sold by Mohamed Omar Habeeb “Dheere” in February 2008.^[22]

The April 2008 report further stated that mines (type unspecified) were purchased at Arjantin or other arms markets: an unknown number of mines by al-Shabaab in October and November 2007; 84 landmines by al-Shabaab in February 2008; 120 landmines by the Rahanweyn clan in January 2008; and 60 mines by the Marehan clan in January 2008.^[23] The report said that the cost of mines increased sevenfold between May 2007 and January 2008, before dropping somewhat in February 2008.^[24]

In July–August 2007, Geneva Call visited the Puntland authorities, a signatory to the Deed of Commitment, to address the allegations of antipersonnel mine transfers from Ethiopia made in late 2006 by the UN Monitoring Group. The Puntland authorities denied the allegations and provided the Geneva Call delegation with access to stockpiles in Garowe and Gaalkayco. The delegates found only the 48 antipersonnel mines which Puntland authorities had previously declared possessing to a 2004 Geneva Call delegation (and which were destroyed in July 2008, see above).^[25]

During the April 2007 Standing Committee meetings, the President of the Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Ambassador Caroline Millar of Australia, expressed concern over the UN reports and said that she had written to the Chair of the Monitoring Group to seek further information.^[26] During the April 2008 Standing Committee meetings, the President of the Eighth Meeting of States Parties, Prince Mired Raad Al-Hussein of Jordan, also expressed concern over the reports and stated that he had written to the Chair of the Monitoring Group to seek further information, in particular about the specific types of mines reportedly transferred to Somalia.^[27] As of July 2008, no response to either request had been reported.

Use

Despite the ready availability of antipersonnel mines in Somalia, Landmine Monitor has not identified any confirmed reports of new use of antipersonnel mines during this reporting period (since May 2007) by any of the many armed organizations operating in the country. Various armed groups fighting TFG and Ethiopian forces, and African Union peacekeepers, have used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in great numbers. Command-detonated bombs and IEDs, as well as antivehicle mines, have been commonly reported in the media, frequently referred to as “landmines.” While all victim-activated mines and other explosive devices are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty, command-detonated mines and devices are not.

Landmine Monitor analysis of media reports indicates that most, if not all, of the explosive attacks were command-detonated.^[28] The command-detonated IEDs may have antipersonnel as well as antivehicle effects, and many have caused civilian casualties.

From 19 December 2007 to 29 July 2008, the Somalia NGO Security Preparedness and Support Program (SPAS) reported at least 66 incidents—including seizures and recoveries—involving “landmines,” resulting in 183 casualties.^[29] In only one reported case were mines specified as antipersonnel mines: on 16 June 2008, Ethiopian troops based in Luuq district reportedly seized a vehicle transporting antipersonnel mines, as well as antivehicle mines and a variety of other weapons and ammunition. In 14 cases, the method of activation (command-detonated or victim-activated) was unspecified or not implied by the circumstances of the incident. In the rest of the incidents, the mines involved were reported as either remote-controlled mines or remote-controlled IEDs “constructed from landmines” used in attacks on passing or nearby targets. It appears that most often the intended targets were military, police or government personnel, but nearby civilians were frequently affected.^[30]

Of casualties due to explosive incidents recorded by the Somali Demining and UXO Action Group Center (SOMMAC) in the first half of 2008, none was attributed to antipersonnel mines.^[31] On 1 August 2008, an AMISOM soldier was killed in Mogadishu by what the African Union described as a command-detonated antipersonnel mine while checking a road for explosive devices.^[32]

Landmine/ERW Problem

Landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW)—both abandoned explosive ordnance and unexploded ordnance (UXO)—affect many parts of Somalia as a result of internal and international conflicts since 1964.^[33] In a March 2007 evaluation (see below), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) concluded that ERW were “very widespread” and, in most of the country, “constitute a greater threat than do minefields.”^[34]

A first phase of a nationwide Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) was completed in March 2003 in northwestern Somalia (“Somaliland”).^[35] A second phase was conducted in 2004 in the Puntland region, with support from the Survey Action Center. It identified 35 impacted communities (6% of all communities) in nine districts, with the majority located in Gaalkacyo district in Mudug region.^[36] A third phase of the LIS, conducted in part of Sanaag and Sool regions in June 2007, identified a further 90 impacted communities. Fourteen of the 16 districts in Sanaag and Sool regions were found to be impacted by landmines, with only Dhahar and Maydh districts in Sanaag region found to be clear of contamination.^[37]

Security concerns have prevented completion of the nationwide LIS. Accordingly, the extent of the problem in southern Somalia is less well known. Between April and July 2008, however, UNDP visited 363 villages in Baidoa and Qansah Dere districts, Bay region, south central Somalia and 47 of the villages were identified as being impacted by mines and/or UXO.^[38] UNDP has also completed surveys in Wajid, Huddur, and Biyole districts, Bakol region. As of August 2008, a total of 246 villages had been surveyed of which 19 are suspected to be contaminated by mines/UXO. The survey will serve as a basis for setting priorities for a village-by-village operational strategy.^[39]

Further contamination in the south has resulted from fighting between Ethiopian troops, who entered the country in 2007 in support of the TFG, and non-state armed groups; as noted above, media reports have attested to the use of roadside bombs, IEDs, and mines, as well as to casualties.^[40] According to David Bax, the Chief Technical Advisor for UNDP Mine Action, “communities in South Central Somalia are exposed to large quantities of Explosive Remnants of War…and the socio-economic impact on the local population is immeasurable.”^[41] Combat continued in Mogadishu as of August 2008, with heavy artillery bombardment of urban areas.^[42]

Mine Action Program

Coordination and management

There is no centralized mine action program in Somalia. UNDP is providing assistance to authorities in Somalia through the multiyear Rule of Law and Security (ROLS) Programme.^[43] Mine action is implemented through mine action centers in Baidoa in south central Somalia and Garowe in the northeast.^[44] The situation in Somaliland is reported separately in this edition of Landmine Monitor.^[45]

Northeast Somalia

PMAC was established by Presidential Decree in 2003 and is responsible for mine action in Puntland.^[46] In 2007, PMAC consisted of nine staff led by a program manager.^[47] PMAC continues to use an old version of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA).^[48]

In 2005, after the second phase of the LIS, PMAC developed a five-year strategic plan with the help of Cranfield University. The plan’s goals were to continue to build national capacity, conduct explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), and clear high-impact areas identified by the LIS.^[49] As of July 2008, PMAC was in the process of developing a new medium-term strategy for its operations.^[50]

In 2008, PMAC planned to increase clearance capacity to address the longer term mine and ERW problem in Puntland, while seeking an international demining NGO to begin clearing the high-impact areas identified in the LIS. A police EOD team is given spot EOD tasks to clear. In August 2008, PMAC was planning to build EOD offices and equipment and explosive stores in Garowe; MAG was training a new police EOD team after the previous team had been dismissed.^[51]

South central Somalia

In 2007, UNDP established the South-Central Mine Action Centre (SCMAC) in Baidoa to house a mine action database and a survey/EOD/risk education (RE) capacity. When security improves, UNDP intends to transfer SCMAC to Mogadishu, and cover all of south central Somalia from there.^[52]

The Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) conducted a basic EOD course for Somali police officers in Baidoa from January to April 2008. Following the training, 17 men and four women graduated as EOD operators, trained to International Mine Action Standards Level 2.^[53] In August 2008, three EOD teams were based in Baidoa, although there were plans to move one team to Mogadishu by November 2008.^[54]

Mine action evaluations

In March–April 2007, the GICHD conducted an evaluation of European Commission (EC)-funded mine action in Africa, including Somalia.^[55] The GICHD recommended that UNDP/UNOPS should assist PMAC in revising its mine action strategy; continue capacity development of core local capacities (while formulating an exit strategy); and that HALO Trust should consider initiating mine clearance in Puntland, focusing on the larger minefields in the border regions of northern Mudug.^[56] HALO plans a gradual move into Puntland, once most of the high- and medium-priority suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) in HALO’s current area of operations in Somaliland are completed and the security situation allows for safe operations.^[57]

Demining

In 2007, as in previous years, the main demining operator in northern Somalia was PMAC and its single EOD team. MAG began an EOD and stockpile management program in Puntland in May 2008.^[58] In southern Somalia in October 2007, Danish Demining Group (DDG) initiated EOD support for Mogadishu, including RE for 750 garbage collectors in Mogadishu through the local NGO, SAACID. DDG has also arranged with EOD-trained Ugandan personnel from AMISOM to dispose of ERW classified as “safe to move.”^[59] On 31 July 2007, UNDP and UN Mine Action Service delivered equipment, including personal protective equipment and mine detectors, to AMISOM in Mogadishu.^[60]

Identifying hazardous areas

The LIS undertaken in 2004–2007 has been described above, and in previous editions of Landmine Monitor.^[61] In July 2007, DDG conducted an ERW threat assessment of Mogadishu. Support from SCMAC, the Danish Refugee Council, and Geneva Call enabled the team to verify and report on the most accessible areas within the city. DDG reports dangerous areas to AMISOM and UNDP. As of 31 March 2008, they had submitted 33 dangerous area reports and identified 74 ERW for collection, 46 of which had been removed.^[62]

Mine and ERW clearance in 2007 and 2008

In Puntland, no formal mine clearance was conducted in 2006 or 2007. Only EOD of “visible ammunition” was conducted by the Puntland EOD police unit; clearance data was not reported. No mine clearance was possible in south central Somalia due to the ongoing conflicts.^[63] UXO spot clearance in and around Mogadishu, however, was reported as being carried out by Ethiopian and Ugandan troops.^[64]

Landmine/ERW Casualties

Despite significant difficulty in verifying reported incidents, Landmine Monitor believes there were at least 74 casualties from mines/ERW in 2007 (26 people killed, 40 injured, and eight unknown). All 74 casualties were civilian, including 27 children. ERW, including abandoned victim-activated IEDs, caused 46 casualties. One casualty was caused by an antipersonnel mine, and explosive devices reported to be victim-activated caused 27.

Of these casualties, the Isha Human Rights Organization (IHRO) reported two casualties caused by ERW, one boy killed and another injured. However, they recorded 41 casualties of explosive devices in total.^[65]

PMAC recorded five male casualties from two ERW and one antipersonnel mine incident (three people killed and two injured) in 2007. However, UNDP reported that PMAC data may not reflect the actual situation on the ground as data collection is “very limited” in part due to the security situation.^[66] PMAC previously reported having recorded 60 casualties in Puntland during LIS Phase III data collection in Sool and Sanaag regions in the first months of 2007.^[67] It could not be confirmed if these casualties actually happened in 2007, as no detail was provided and the LIS traditionally records casualties occurring in the 24 months prior to survey.^[68] However, considering that only 89 casualties occurred in the 24-month period, it is unlikely that 60 casualties occurred in 2007.

A UNDP report noted that eight ERW casualties occurred near the town of Edali in southern Baidoa between August and December 2007; all were nomads.^[69] SOMMAC did not provide casualty data for 2007. Landmine Monitor identified the remaining 59 casualties through media monitoring.^[70]

According to the September 2007 UN Inter-Agency Assessment Report, 466 casualties in 61 incidents were recorded by SOMMAC and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in the first six months of 2007. However, the reports stated that “It should be noted that IED victims are included, though normally they would be classified as victims of ‘active weapons’ and not traditionally counted by mine action surveillance systems and that while the casualties are divided between mines and ERW/IED, the system of reporting makes it difficult to be sure of the exact type of device that caused the injury...”^[71]

In 2007, health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) treated 134 mine/ERW survivors.^[72] However, these could also include people injured by other explosive devices that are not victim-activated.

A journalist based in south Mogadishu reported that many civilian mine/ERW casualties went unreported because not all casualties were of interest to the press, who focused on large (command-detonated) explosions with numerous casualties. He noted that civilian mine casualties occurred regularly.^[73]

It is not possible to compare the 2007 casualty rate to that of 2006, when SOMMAC and PMAC reported recording 401 mine/ERW casualties, acknowledging that the quality of some data was questionable.^[74] Of these, SOMMAC reported 359 casualties, but only eight were reported as caused by mines. Based on the UN inter-agency assessment, it is highly likely that a large percentage of the remaining 351 casualties reported by SOMMAC as being caused by “ammunition, shells and UXO...” were due to command-detonated explosive devices.^[75] PMAC had reported 42 casualties for 2006, but these may have included casualties recorded in the LIS Phase III.^[76]

There are no conclusive casualty figures for 2008. MAG reported three children killed and six injured in an ERW incident in Puntland in July.^[77] SOMMAC reported 282 casualties in 39 explosives incidents for the first six months of 2008, but it is impossible to determine how many were caused by mines or ERW.^[78] Landmine Monitor media monitoring identified 43 casualties from explosive devices in Somalia (20 people injured and 23 killed). Two casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines and four by ERW. The remainder were caused by unidentified mines and explosives.^[79]

There were several media reports in 2008 of “landmines” causing casualties among Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia but there was no evidence these were victim-activated devices.^[80]

Data collection

Mine/ERW casualties are not systematically recorded in Somalia; existing statistics are not reliable and mine/ERW casualties probably go unrecorded in some parts of the country.^[81] SCMAC in Baidoa has a data collection role, as does PMAC in Puntland.^[82] SOMMAC and the UNDSS for Somalia also collect casualty data but do not clearly differentiate devices causing incidents.^[83] Due to this lack of distinction, the ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) were reviewing their casualty data in 2008.^[84]

The total number of mine casualties in Somalia is not known. Between 1995 and 2000, 4,357 mine/ERW casualties were recorded in Bay and Bakool regions (2,626 people killed and 1,731 injured) and between 2001 and 2003, 533 more were reported. Phase II of the LIS recorded 682 mine/ERW casualties (268 killed and 414 injured) in Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug in Puntland.^[85] Phase III of the LIS completed in June 2007 recorded 89 “recent” casualties (30 killed and 59 injured) in Sool and Sanaag regions and in Buuhoodle district in Todgheer region, areas claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland.^[86]

A UNDP survey in southern Somalia was completed in the first half of 2008 (see above section on Landmine/ERW Problem).^[87] As of March, preliminary data indicated there were 1,258 casualties (recent and non-recent), with 1,139 casualties in just six high-impact communities (900 near Daynuunay). There were 84 casualties in 11 medium-impact communities and 35 in 14 low-impact communities, including the only “recent” casualty.^[88]

Landmine/ERW Risk Education

The 2007 UN inter-agency assessment found that minimal mine/ERW RE activities had taken place in south central Somalia. Lack of information prevented accurate identification or targeting of at-risk people. Street cleaners (mainly female), children (particularly those internally displaced), and nomads were all considered high-risk groups. UN and NGO staff also lacked mine/ERW safety training.^[89]

The assessment recommended that UNDP develop an RE program, to include RE in the task package of survey teams and establish community liaison teams, and that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees should separately assess RE needs in internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugee camps.^[90] In April 2008, UNDP provided RE training to 18 trainers and deployed eight instructors to schools, villages and IDP camps of the Bay region in south central Somalia.^[91] By end June 2008, the total number of beneficiaries of mine/ERW RE had reached 20,684 in south central Somalia.^[92]

In 2007, UNICEF sponsored RE radio/television messages and provided RE training to 48 child protection advocates.^[93] UNICEF support to RE was limited due to the security situation.^[94] As of March 2008 the security situation had prevented Handicap International (HI) from conducting a baseline KAP (knowledge, attitudes and practices) study to start its RE program in Puntland.^[95]

In October 2007, HI launched an RE project in Puntland. As of September 2008, HI had set up an office and community liaison activities were underway. HI activities for Puntland include capacity-building for local partners and the development of RE networks.^[96]

In 2007, PMAC’s EOD team continued to conduct limited RE. In July 2008, MAG and PMAC delivered emergency RE to 80 school teachers in Puntland following an ERW incident in a school field that month.^[97] In 2007, the Somalia Coalition to Ban Landmines (SOCBAL) provided RE in the Banadir region, including Mogadishu. SOMMAC continued RE training and RE radio messages, and the Edali Town Council provided targeted RE for nomads at the town market.^[98]

As noted above, DDG provided RE to 750 garbage collectors (mostly female), and delivered RE messages to 16,891 people in 12 IDP camps as well as in Mogadishu between October 2007 and March 2008.^[99]

Victim Assistance

The already underdeveloped and poorly resourced health systems in Somalia further deteriorated in 2007 due to conflict. Somalia’s public health services barely functioned, with many parts of the country without basic facilities, existing structures were damaged, and more than half of medical personnel were untrained.^[100] Healthcare was provided mainly by international organizations, local NGOs, or the private sector.^[101]

The ICRC and the SRCS operated in war-affected areas of Somalia.^[102] However, most ICRC-supported hospitals outside of Mogadishu lacked the resources to perform war surgery and transfer of patients to Mogadishu was difficult. Some outlying first-aid posts provided assistance.^[103]

Existing physical rehabilitation services and facilities, as well as access to them, were insufficient to address the needs of mine/ERW survivors. Psychosocial support in south central Somalia was very limited,^[104] as was probably the case in the whole of Somalia.

There is no disability legislation in Somalia and associations of persons with disabilities reported numerous cases of discrimination.^[105] As of 31 July 2008, Somalia had not signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or its Optional Protocol.

Victim assistance strategic framework

There was no victim assistance (VA) framework or plan in Somalia in 2007. The inter-agency assessment recommended that UNDP coordinate a VA needs assessment for effective prioritization and planning.^[106] Responsibilities of the newly-established SCMAC in Baidoa included provision of emergency medical care for survivors.^[107] VA was also identified as a priority for PMAC.^[108] It is unknown if any activity has taken place.

Due to conflict, services and ICRC/SRCS support were reduced at the main surgical referral hospitals, Keysaney Hospital in Mogadishu North and Medina Hospital in Mogadishu South in 2007.^[109] ICRC-supported hospitals and first-aid posts treated 134 mine/ERW survivors out of more than 5,000 weapon-injured. The number of weapons-injured in 2007 more than doubled compared to 2006 (2,070).^[110]

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provided surgery, outpatient consultations, and hospital admissions in ten regions of Somalia in 2007. An MSF emergency trauma care project in Kismaayo began in September 2007 but closed in April 2008 due to the killing of three staff members.^[111]

In 2007, the SRCS Rehabilitation Centre in Mogadishu produced 41% fewer prostheses and orthoses than in 2006 due to the security situation. At the SRCS Rehabilitation Centre in Gaalkayco, supported by the Norwegian Red Cross, it was found that accessibility and quality of services needed to be improved; nevertheless production increased by 9% compared to 2006. The ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled provided follow-up visits and refresher training to the center in 2007.^[112]

IHRO provided peer support to mine/ERW survivors in Baidao Hospital.^[113] In February 2007 UNICEF and partners provided psychosocial support training to 40 teachers in Afgoye.^[114]

Support for Mine Action

Landmine Monitor is not aware of any comprehensive long-term cost estimates for meeting mine action needs (including RE and VA) in Somalia. In the absence of a stable government in Somalia, UNDP coordinates mine action in cooperation with UNMAS and UNICEF and other UN agencies, as well as national and international NGOs. PMAC coordinates mine action in the Puntland region. As of July 2008, PMAC was in the process of developing a medium-term strategy for its operations.^[115]

National support for mine action

No national funding for mine action was reported by Somalia in 2007 or 2006.

International cooperation and assistance

In 2007, four countries reported providing US$6,320,192 (€4,609,578) to mine action in Somalia. Reported mine action funding in 2007 was more than twice the amount reported in 2006 ($1,738,143 contributed by two countries and the EC). There are no baseline estimates of mine/ERW contamination against which to measure the adequacy of funds in addressing mine clearance and RE needs. No international funds in 2007 addressed VA needs in Somalia, which remain insufficient.

2007 International Mine Action Funding to Afghanistan: Monetary^[116]

In August 2008, the United States Department of State announced a $1.4 million conventional weapons destruction program, including mine and UXO clearance and stockpile destruction, in northern Somalia. The program will be carried out by MAG and HALO, and will finance destruction of stockpiles of conventional weapons collected from three military camps in Puntland, the identification and destruction of new stockpiles, local EOD capacity-building, and mine clearance operations.^[117]