Washington, DC — More and more nations are signing on to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, according to the just-released third annual report of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) but continuing regional conflicts keep mines in use in parts of Africa.
The 1,175-page Landmine Monitor Report 2001: Toward a Mine-Free World reports an "almost complete halt" in the shipment of antipersonnel mines, including from non-signatories to the mine ban treaty. Countries producing landmines have dropped from 55 to 14, and clearance programs have cleared more than 185 million square meters of land.
Since last year's report, eight more African nations have ratified the treaty, boosting the number of sub-Saharan African nations who are party to the accord to 48. However, Landmine Monitor has confirmed new uses of landmines in several ongoing conflicts: in the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict; by MFDC rebels in Senegal; in Uganda by LRA rebels; by opposing sides in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo-Kinshasa); in Angola by both the government and UNITA rebels; and by both government and rebels in Burundi.
There are "strong possibilities" that Ugandan forces in Congo and Rwanda have used mines, according to the report. Both parties have denied using mines and they, as well as Burundi and Angola, are signatories to the treaty.
Botswana, Gabon, Maruritius, Togo, and Zambia - all signatories to the treaty - admit to having "small stockpiles" of anipersonel mines for training. Congo-Brazzaville idicates that its stockpile may number 700,000-900,000 mines. Tanzania is the only African nation that has not said whether or not it has a landmine stockpile but is believed to have some.
Landmines remain a huge problem affecting twenty-six African nations. In Mozambique, all ten provinces and 123 out of 128 districts are mine-affected. In the year 2000 about US$17m received from a variety of sources was spent on mine removal. Some 5 million square meters of land were cleared. But even Mozambique has a stockpile of more than 37,000 landmines.
With French support, Benin is establishing a regional mine-removal training center that will be open to other nations. It is expected to become operational in mid-2002.
