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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
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Africa: Landmines Update
Africa: Landmines Update
Date distributed (ymd): 010215
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +security/peace+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains a press release and updated background
factsheet on the status of the 1997 mine ban treaty and the continued
use of landmines in Africa, released to coincide with a
two-day meeting of African governments in Bamako, Mali. Kenya
is the most recent African government to ratify the treaty.
Ten of the 53 countries of the African continent have not joined
the global treaty which bans the use, production, transfer and
stockpiling of antipersonnel mines, and twelve have
signed but not yet ratified the treaty.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Announcement:
Two new educational programs on Africa debut in the media this
week. In the U.S., the premiere of the two-hour video documentary
Hopes on The Horizon will air on PBS television stations on Friday,
Feb. 16. For more information, including viewing times on specific
stations, see
http://www.pbs.org/hopes The
documentary is produced by the award-winning Blackside Films,
well-known for its film series on the civil rights movement, Eyes
on the Prize. Hopes on the Horizon highlights aspects of struggles
for political, social and economic democracy on the continent in
the 1990s, with segments on Benin, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco,
Mozambique and South Africa.
This week BBC Radio also began a 13-part series on the History of
Africa, available on the web at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/
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CAMPAIGN CALLS ON AFRICAN STATES TO JOIN, IMPLEMENT AND COMPLY
WITH LANDMINE BAN TREATY
http://www.icbl.org/news/2001/feb14.php3
francais (http://www.icbl.org/news/2001/feb14fr.php3)
To schedule an interview or to obtain more information, please
contact:
* Karine Gavand, Handicap International, + 223- 24-58-94
* Elizabeth Bernstein, ICBL Coordinator, +1 202- 547-2667
* Web: http://www.icbl.org
* E-mail: banemnow@icbl.org,
media@icbl.org
(Bamako, Mali: 14 February 2001) The International Campaign to Ban
Landmines (ICBL) today called on all countries of Africa to join,
implement and comply with the international treaty banning
antipersonnel mines (the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty) at the opening of
a two-day regional governmental meeting on landmines in Bamako,
Mali.
"We call on the ten remaining hold-out states of this region to
join the ban treaty and urge the twelve states that have only
signed to ratify immediately," said Mereso Agina, Kenya Coalition
Against Landmines (KCAL), a member of the ICBL. "I am very pleased
that my country, Kenya, last week ratified the ban treaty bringing
the global total of States Parties to 110," she added.
Ten of the 53 countries of the African continent have not joined
the global treaty which bans the use, production, transfer and
stockpiling of antipersonnel mines (Central African Republic,
Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Morocco,
Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia). Twelve
African countries have signed but not yet ratified (Algeria,
Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Gambia,
Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tom‚ e Principe, Sierra Leone, Sudan and
Zambia).
"While the majority of African countries that are party to this
treaty are implementing it in good faith there is still a
continued need for increased openness and awareness of what it
takes to comply with the ban," said Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel
Co-Laureate and ICBL Ambassador. "Since this treaty entered into
force, antipersonnel mines have been used in more conflicts in
Africa than in any other region. The ICBL deplores any use of this
weapon by anyone but particularly by countries that have joined
the ban treaty," she added.
While globally use of antipersonnel mines has diminished greatly,
in its recent Landmine Monitor report, the ICBL 's monitoring
initiative provided detailed evidence of continued use of mines in
treaty signatory Angola by government and UNITA opposition
forces. It also reported allegations of use of mines in two other
treaty signatories: Burundi (by government) and Sudan (by
government and opposition rebels). Thousands of mines were laid
during the recent conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. While no
concrete evidence has been presented to date, allegations persist
of use by States Parties to the ban treaty in the conflict in the
DR Congo.
"We hope that this meeting serves to increase awareness of the
need for domestic legislation to implement the terms of the
treaty, including penalties for violators," said Elizabeth
Bernstein, ICBL Coordinator. "We also hope that it spurs the rapid
development of national destruction plans to eliminate stockpiled
mines within the four-year deadline set by the treaty," she
added.
South Africa destroyed its stockpile of nearly 250,000 mines in
1997 and others from the region that recently completed
destruction include Mali, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Globally, over 22
million antipersonnel mines have been destroyed in recent years.
Zimbabwe is the only country on the continent that has national
legislation in place. Non-signatory Egypt, a staunch opponent of
the landmine ban, is the only producer of antipersonnel mines on
the entire continent of Africa.
"Africa is one of the most mine-affected regions of the world yet
when compared to other regions it receives perhaps the least mine
action assistance," said Noel Stott, South African Campaign to
Ban Landmines, an ICBL member. "We hope that governments attending
this meeting heed the ICBL's call for increased and sustained
resources for humanitarian mine action and mine victim assistance,
as stipulated in the ban treaty. We will also urge them to support
effective programs which address mine victims needs, both short
and long term, including medical care, physical rehabilitation,
psychological and social support, and employment and economic
integration," he added.
The Mine Ban Treaty states that each State Party "in a position to
do so" provide assistance for mine clearance and mine awareness,
destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel mines and care and
rehabilitation of mine victims. Landmine Monitor Report 2000
recorded a total of $40 million spent in 1999 on mine action
programs in twelve countries in Africa out of a global spending
total of $211 million. 31 of the 53 states on the continent have
a problem with uncleared landmines and new mine victims were
reported in nearly all these countries in 1999.
African states played a crucial role during the Oslo ban treaty
negotiations in 1997 by responding vigorously to the ICBL's call
for a strong treaty with no loopholes, no reservations and no
exceptions. The Bamako meeting, co-hosted by the governments of
Canada, France and Mali, marks the first time since May 1997 that
countries of the continent have come together to discuss the
landmine ban. In May 1999, Mozambique hosted the treaty's First
Meeting of States Parties.
Members of the ICBL, including Williams, and landmine survivors,
deminers and campaigners from throughout the continent, will
participate in this Conference.
Mine Ban Treaty and Africa
Landmine Monitor Fact Sheet
http://www.icbl.org/lm/factsheets/africa2001.php3
Prepared by Human Rights Watch for the Bamako, Mali Diplomatic
Conference on Landmines
February 2001
States Parties, Signatories and Non-Signatories
There are 31 States Parties in Africa, including the most recent
(and only one in 2001) - Kenya on 23 January 2001.
Nine of the 19 new States Parties in the year 2000 were from
Africa: Botswana, Togo, Seychelles, Rwanda, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana,
Mauritius, Gabon, and Tanzania.
There are 12 countries in Africa that have signed the Mine Ban
Treaty, but have yet to ratify: Algeria, Angola, Burundi,
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and
Principe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Zambia.
There are 10 countries in Africa that have not signed or acceded to
the Mine Ban Treaty: Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo
(Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya,
Morocco, Nigeria, and Somalia.
National Implementation Legislation
While several African nations, including Mozambique, Senegal, and
Tunisia, indicate that some steps have been taken to incorporate
the Mine Ban Treaty into domestic law, only one, Zimbabwe, has
enacted full implementation legislation. South Africa and
Swaziland have reported that they are in the process of doing so.
National implementation measures are required under Article 9 of
the treaty.
Use of Antipersonnel Mines
It appears that antipersonnel landmines are currently being laid by
government and/or rebel forces in eight African nations: Angola,
Burundi, DR Congo, Namibia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda.
Since the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force in March 1999,
antipersonnel mines have been used in more conflicts in Africa
than in any other region.
Landmine Monitor is especially concerned about the acknowledged use
of AP mines by treaty signatory Angola. Both government troops and
UNITA rebel forces continue to use antipersonnel mines in Angola
and in parts of neighboring Namibia. A number of AP landmines
appear to have been planted inside Zambia in 1999 and 2000 by
Angolan government and UNITA rebel forces.
There were credible allegations in 1999 and 2000 by the UNHCR and
others that Burundi government forces were laying antipersonnel
mines on the border with Tanzania. The government has denied use of
AP mines, and has since mid-2000 accused rebel forces of laying
antipersonnel mines.
Both the government of Sudan and the opposition Sudan People's
Liberation Army are believed to have used antipersonnel mines in
1999 and 2000. The government of Sudan denies use of AP mines.
It is clear that antipersonnel mines are being used in the DRC, but
it remains impossible to verify who is responsible for laying the
mines. It seems likely that government troops and opposition RCD
forces are using mines. There have been past allegations of use by
troops from States Parties Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Chad, but
no concrete evidence has been produced and virtually all sides have
denied using mines.
In the 1998-2000 border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, it
appears that tens of thousands of new mines were laid. Each
government has alleged that the other laid mines, and observers
have expressed concern that both sides may have used mines. Treaty
signatory Ethiopia has denied use of AP mines. Eritrea has
acknowledged use of "landmines."
There is evidence of use of antipersonnel mines in 1999 and 2000 by
Lord's Resistance Army rebels entering Uganda from Sudan. Various
factions in Somalia continued to use AP mines. It appears that MFDC
rebels in the Casamance province of Senegal laid new mines in 1999
and 2000.
The ICBL has expressed concern regarding the possible participation
of States Parties in joint military operations with non-State
Parties that use antipersonnel mines. Such joint operations would
be inconsistent with, a possibly a violation of, the Mine Ban
Treaty's Article 1 obligation "never under any circumstance...to
assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any
activity prohibited to a State Party...." These concerns apply
especially to Namibia's involvement in Angola, and the involvement
in the DRC of Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Chad.
Antipersonnel Mine Stockpiles
Little is known about antipersonnel mine stockpiles in Africa. This
reflects the lack of Article 7 transparency reporting.
It is believed that 27 countries in Africa have AP mine stockpiles,
including:
11 States Parties - Chad, Djibouti, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar,
Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Tunisia, and Uganda;
7 Signatories - Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau,
Sierra Leone, and Sudan;
9 Non-signatories - CAR, Congo-Brazzaville, DR Congo, Egypt,
Eritrea, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Somalia.
It is unknown if State Parties Guinea and Tanzania have a stockpile
of AP mines; they are among only a handful of countries globally
which have not revealed that basic information.
Only Mozambique (37,818) and Tunisia (17,575) have publicly
reported the total number of mines in stocks: 37,818.
Stockpile Destruction
South Africa (313,779 mines), Namibia (unknown number), Mali (5,127
mines) and Zimbabwe (4,046 mines) have reported completion of
stockpile destruction. All are keeping some AP mines for training
or research purposes.
Some stockpiled mines have been destroyed in Guinea-Bissau,
Liberia, Tunisia, and Uganda.
States Parties that have apparently not yet begun the destruction
process include Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Niger, and Rwanda.
Mines Retained for Training
African States Parties that have indicated they are retaining some
AP mines for training or research purposes include Mali (2,000),
South Africa (4,830), Tunisia (5,000), and Zimbabwe (700), and
unknown numbers in Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, and Togo.
African States Parties indicating they do not intend to retain any
AP mines include Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Senegal, and Swaziland.
Antipersonnel Mine Production
In February 2000, Egyptian officials told a United Nations mission
that Egypt no longer produced antipersonnel mines, but no official
public statement regarding production has been issued. Egypt is the
only remaining nation in Africa that has not formally and
officially given up landmine production.
A November 1999 U.S. government report stated that Sudan
manufactures mines, but Sudan denies this allegation.
States Parties South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe are former
producers of AP mines.
Article 7 Transparency Reporting
Submitted First Article 7 Report (9 States):
Benin, Burkina Faso, Lesotho, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa,
Swaziland, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Submitted Second Article 7 Report (2 States):
Benin, South Africa
Have NOT Submitted First Article 7 Report by Required Deadline (12
States):
Chad, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Uganda
Upcoming Due Dates for first Article 7 Reports (10 States):
27 February 2001 - Botswana, Togo 30 May 2001 -- Cote d'Ivoire,
Ghana, Rwanda, Seychelles 30 June 2001 - Mauritania 30 August
2001 - Gabon 30 October 2001 - Tanzania 30 December 2001 -
Kenya
States are required to submit an Article 7 report to the United
Nations not later than 180 days after entry into force of the Mine
Ban Treaty for that State. Entry into force occurs on the first day
of the sixth month after the date a State deposits its instrument
of ratification with the United Nations.
After the initial Article 7 report, States are required to submit
an updated report every year not later than 30 April, covering the
past calendar year. Reports on calendar year 2000 are due not later
than 30 April 2001.
Article 7 reports should be submitted to the UN Secretary General
care of:
Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala
Room 3170A United Nations
United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017 USA
Tel. 1-212-963-7706 Fax. 1-212-963-4066
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC provides accessible
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of human rights.
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