Author(s):
Chayer Amelie <amelie@icbl.org> .
Sunday 05 July 2009
November 2008
Summary of the Extension Request
Duration of the proposed extension: Five and a half years
Reasons for the proposed extension: Funding and technical difficulties with mine detection and removal.
Humanitarian, social, economic, and environmental implications of the extension: Casualties continue to occur, though at a greatly reduced rate from ten years ago. Landmine contamination continues to affect access to water and arable land, plus access to land for oil exploration.
Other relevant information: Yemen's mine action program is fully nationalized and the government has provided substantial, largely in-kind, support to the program.
A. Background and duration of the proposed extension
An extension of five and a half years is requested through 1 September 2014. The request contains a strategic plan covering the full extension period from April 2009 and divided on a yearly basis.
The Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC) was established in January 1999 and in July 2000 a national Landmine Impact Survey was completed which, together with other sources, identified more than 1,000 mined areas covering an estimated 923km2. YEMAC began mine clearance operations in 2001.
YEMAC has used technical survey extensively to verify suspect hazardous areas and to confirm the exact location of mined areas. Through end 2007, Yemen released through clearance and cancellation some 77% of the total contaminated area, covering 631 mined areas of a total of 1,088. This has included the destruction of more than 100,000 antipersonnel mines (page 8).
B. Reasons for the proposed extension
Yemen cites a series of factors that explain its failure to meet its 1 April 2009 deadline (pages 3-4). These include shortfalls in funding (in 2003, 2005 and 2006) and the presence of mines in shifting sands as well as their depth (some may lie in sand dunes up to 6m below the surface) as well as in difficult-to-access mountainous areas where it is very difficult to use mine detectors effectively due to the ferrous soil.
As a result of clearance and technical survey operations, as of end March 2008, Yemen reported that a total of 595 known mined areas remained to be cleared over a total estimated area of 227km2. Yemen plans to clear 14 km2 and to release the remainder through technical survey. There remain, however, concerns about the accuracy of the information management process in Yemen, which has led to significant revisions of demining data provided to Landmine Monitor in previous years.
C. Humanitarian, social, economic, and environmental implications of the extension
Yemen has concentrated its demining activity on high priority areas in Hadramout governorate. Most oil exploration is conducted in this governorate and the remaining mined areas are largely affecting Yemen's oil production (which makes up more than 50% of state revenue).
People's lives or livelihoods continue, however, to be affected. In 2007, seven people were injured, the same as the previous year (page 8). This compares to a reported 27 casualties monthly before the program was launched start in 1999. Yemen is using a marking and fencing system based on the International Mine Action Standards to minimize the number of casualties among the civilian population.
D. Other relevant information
Yemen reports having contributed more than US$32 million towards the cost of demining, with a further US$13 million coming from international donors (page 27). Yemen reports having contributed US$3.5 million a year since 1999, mainly through in-kind donations, to cover deminer salaries, insurance, social security payments, compensation (for all YEMAC staff including deminers) and field allowance, food and premises. The amounts have not been broken down in detail and seem high.
YEMAC's demining program is fully nationalized with all management staff being seconded to the program from the Ministry of Defense. There are more than 1,000 deminers working in the field and recently created five mobile platoons to increase the efficiency of clearance activity. With the help of Germany's GTZ, YEMAC has built an extensive mine detection dog (MDD) capacity of more than 30 dogs.
YEMAC has adopted National Mine Action Standards and standing operating procedures that are said to be in accordance with the IMAS.
E. Conclusions and recommendations
Yemen, with support of the international community, has created a strong and sustainable mine action center-YEMAC. The center is fully managed by local staff and the program is regarded as generally effective. Moreover, YEMAC has been restructuring its working units to increase efficiency. Yemen has also made significant contributions to its program and is trying to increase its financial participation. YEMAC is, though, faced with two main obstacles-one related to funding, the other one technical (linked to the nature of the soil and the location of certain mined areas).
Overall, despite concerns about data accuracy that remain to be explained, Yemen's extension request seems reasonable. There is some evidence, however, that YEMAC could make more use of mechanical demining equipment. New sifting and vegetation cutting machines can increase productivity and help to clear deeply buried mines (those located between 2m and 6m below the surface).
Finally, it needs to be confirmed that no mined areas will be excluded from the demining program during the extension period. Previously, Yemen had claimed that certain mined areas would be "permanently marked" due to the "impossibility" of clearance.