Author(s):
Chayer Amelie <amelie@icbl.org> .
Sunday 05 July 2009
November 2008
Summary of Extension Request
Duration of the proposed extension: 5 years
Reasons for the proposed extension: Problems with correctly locating landmine contamination, declining international funding and loss of operational capacity after the departure of demining organizations.
Humanitarian, social, economic, and environmental implications of the extension: The impact of mines has been greatly reduced through land release methodologies and the continued casualty numbers reflect the relatively low level of impact remaining.
Other relevant information: Mozambique substantially reduced its mine contaminated area in 2006-2007 to the current 12km2.
A. Duration of the proposed extension
Mozambique is requesting an extension until 1 March 2014 although the operational plan to clear the remaining mined areas is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013 (page 26). The request includes a detailed description of the remaining problem and an operational plan and budget covering the extension period.
B. Reasons for the proposed extension
Mozambique's mine action program started slowly in 1993 with the United Nations, with estimates of millions of landmines and tens of thousands of victims, figures Mozambique believes were significantly over-estimated. In 2001, a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) collected the data that formed the basis of the demining planning and operations. . Mozambique now assesses that the LIS actually slowed progress towards Article 5 completion as the survey overstated the mine problem by claiming all but four of the 128 districts in country were mined. Eventually, over half of the LIS mined areas were cancelled. Poor leadership at the IND and an inoperative national database also caused slow progress and misunderstandings at the national and international levels.
It took Mozambique three years to fully understand the implications of the LIS's overstatement of the landmine problem. Since 2004, through re-survey, the completion of demining in the four northern provinces, and aggressive land release methodologies, Mozambique has now declared they have 541 mined areas covering approximately 12km2 remaining, as well as an 80-km line of pylons, a stretch of roads on the border with Zimbabwe, and an 11-km stretch of mine belt near the Cabora Bassa dam.
The five additional years Mozambique is requesting is based on an operational plan that fits within the current range of international funding for Mozambique and projected realistic future funding. Specifically, Mozambique proposes that with an annual average of 364 manual deminers and four mechanical teams the annual cost will average US$4.7 million per year, which includes the purchase of some new demining equipment. The years 2010-2012 will consume two-thirds of the budget and the final year 2013, approximately US$3.4 million.
C. Humanitarian, social, economic, and environmental implications of the extension
Mozambique rejects the commonly quoted figures of 10,000-30,000 landmine survivors. The extension request states they do not know the number of survivors but are sure it is not close to 10,000. Since 2000, the number of victims each year has not exceeded 32 with the exception of 2005 when there were 57. In 2007, there were 24. Risk education is only conducted during clearance operations as it is believed the population is very well informed about the dangers of mines. Accidents largely occur from the need to earn a living.
Mozambique does not set out its view of the social and economic and development implications of the extension. Instead it notes the progress that has been made in freeing people from landmines and reducing the problem from its originally over-stated numbers. Mine action is said to be part of all development planning and therefore mine action competes at the national level for priority-setting with other development goals, especially those in the public health and housing sectors.
D. Other relevant information
The National Demining Institute (IND) estimates it will need US$28 million over six years-the extension request includes 2008 as the first year of the plan-to meet its extension deadline. Of this amount, the government of Mozambique is committed to providing $6.5 million for national coordination, equivalent to 25% of the total budget. The remainder will be raised from international donors for clearance, quality assurance, and information management. The estimated amounts do not include the cost of surveying and, if necessary, clearing the suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) along the border with Zimbabwe.
E. Conclusions and recommendations
Mozambique offers few excuses other than the poor quality of data that led them down too many roads to nowhere. Poor national leadership also led to slow progress. The first ten years of mine action after the war were largely disorganized. One of the major causes was overstating the problem in 1992 when the number of landmines were said to be in the millions and casualties in the thousands. Neither is anywhere near the truth. In 14 years in almost 2,000 communities and 236km of road covering the four northern provinces, HALO Trust found only 90,000 landmines.
In 2002-2003, the LIS added to the exaggeration by overstating the size of the mined areas as 561km2. Yet, HALO Trust has cleared the four northern provinces and by completing the re-surveying of the six southern provinces in 2007.
Mozambique now has approximately 12km2 remaining to be cleared. A five-year request is a reasonable amount of time considering the size of the remaining problem and the clearance assets that the projected funding can support. The one element that could delay successful implementation of its plan is the requirement for survey and clearance of a potentially large strip of land along its border with Zimbabwe, which has not yet been calculated into its forecast of costs. Mozambique should therefore conduct this survey as soon as possible to make absolutely sure it will have sufficient time and resources to finish this work within the extension period.
