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Key developments since May 2000: In 2000, the HALO Trust cleared 1,049 mines and 285 UXO. As of July 2001, mine awareness education had been provided to 29,590 people, including 12,308 in 2000 and 8,698 in 2001. There continued to be reports of armed groups from Georgia laying antipersonnel mines in Abkhazia. Georgia has said the government has “neither tacitly nor openly supported Georgian partisans in their use of antipersonnel mines.”
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After the disintegration of the USSR, the long-standing dispute over the political status of Abkhazia resulted in the outbreak of war between Abkhazia and Georgia, with significant use of mines, followed by a cease-fire agreement in May 1994. Peace negotiations are ongoing, but no progress has been made on agreement on the political status of Abkhazia. On 3 November 1999 a national referendum took place, resulting in an Abkhazian declaration of independence, which remains unrecognized by the international community.[1]
In a January 2001 interview with Landmine Monitor, the Abkhazian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Shamba expressed readiness to address landmine issues in the context of the Abkhazia-Georgia peace process and in a framework of a potential peace treaty.[2] The Minister also told Landmine Monitor that while mines are still viewed as a legitimate and necessary weapon, for the time being, Abkhazia does not intend to use landmines.[3] It is not believed that Abkhazia has produced or exported antipersonnel mines. Abkhazia currently maintains a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, though the size and composition are unknown. Mines used in the conflict have been of Soviet manufacture. Russian engineering units serving with the CIS Peacekeeping Forces may also have a stockpile of antipersonnel mines.
Both Georgian and Abkhazian forces used antipersonnel landmines extensively during the war of 1992-93. Mines have been used in varying degree since the May 1994 cease-fire, as hostilities have flared up.[4]
In recent years, there have been reports of armed groups from Georgia, allegedly linked to the Georgian government, passing into Abkhazia and laying antipersonnel and antivehicle mines. For example, on 31 January 2001, in the village of Chuburkhinji in the Gal district, in the security zone controlled by the CIS peacekeeping forces, a military vehicle hit an antivehicle mine on departure from the stationing area, injuring two people.[5] “Forest Brothers,” a paramilitary group that reportedly operates from Georgia, publicly accepted responsibility for this act.[6]
Russian military officials from the CIS peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia have said that Georgian paramilitary groups sporadically continue to lay mines in Abkhazia, mostly in Gal district. According to the Colonel Vladimir Gornev of the Russian military engineering corps, the Georgian partisans extract mines that were deployed during the war, and lay them elsewhere, such as along roads and tracks. Colonel Gornev said, “Unfortunately, it’s not difficult for rebels to smuggle mines into the conflict zone.”[7]
In response to previous reports and allegations of this nature, the Georgian Foreign Ministry stated, “Unfortunately, as you are aware, certain parts of Georgia are not under the control of the Government of Georgia, therefore we are not able to control any kind of military or paramilitary activities there. Neither the Government of Georgia is supporting or controlling the paramilitary units functioning on the above mentioned territories.”[8] In July 2001, a representative of the Georgian Foreign Ministry said, “The governmental structures of Georgia [have] neither tacitly nor openly supported Georgian partisans in their use of antipersonnel mines.”[9] Landmine Monitor is unaware of any steps taken by the Georgian government to prevent such activities.
There have been no reports of use of antipersonnel mines by Abkhazian forces in this reporting period (since May 2000). In the past it has been reported that Russian engineering units serving with the CIS Peacekeeping Forces used antipersonnel landmines in the security zone between Abkhazia and Georgia, but Landmine Monitor has not collected new information on this in the current reporting period.[10]
HALO Trust estimated in 1998 that there were close to 50,000 mines in Abkhazia, but further clearance work and extensive survey has led them to conclude that the maximum number of mines in Abkhazia was never more than 15,000.[11] However, in January 2001, Abkhazian authorities estimated that there are between 30,000-35,000 landmines in approximately 102 mined locations throughout Abkhazia, mostly located in the Sukhum, Ochamchira, Tquarchal, and Gal regions.[12] According to the head of the Abkhazian Mine Action Center (AMAC), the Ministry of Defense of Georgia has not provided maps of the mined areas in Abkhazia, despite repeated requests.[13]
HALO Trust along with the Abkhazian Mine Action Center surveyed minefields in 1999 and early 2000. They identified a potentially dangerous zone of 18,366,000 square meters, of which 460,077 square meters had been demined by May 2000. Of the mined zones some seven percent is considered to be of the highest priority for clearance and consists of lands mostly near inhabited areas.[14] Mine casualties are common among the farming population and villagers.[15] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000 for additional details from the survey.
HALO Trust conducts demining operations in Abkhazia. Mine action is coordinated by AMAC. HALO Trust started demining operations in 1997 with two demining platoons and now has nine 25-man manual mine clearance teams working in Abkhazia; three teams are based in Gal, three are based in Ochamchire and three in Sukhum. HALO also has five armored medium wheeled loaders and a stonecrusher.
In 2000, HALO cleared 1,049 mines and 285 UXO. Since the beginning of its operation, HALO has destroyed about 3,500 mines and 2,500 UXO.[16] During January 2001, 53 antipersonnel mines, 21 antitank mines, and 15 UXO items were cleared. HALO continues to clear mines and UXO from 10 minefields in Abkhazia.[17]
CIS peacekeeping forces have also undertaken limited clearance activities in Abkhazia.[18]
Since its establishment at the beginning of 1999, the Abkhazia Mine Action Center and the HALO Trust have been running a mine awareness program in Abkhazia aimed at schoolchildren in mine-affected communities.[19] The HALO teams distribute educational materials to schoolchildren and in holiday periods switch their attention to training the adult population. During the harvest season, when there is increased transit across the Inguri, HALO mans mine awareness stands at crossing points to insure newcomers and returnees are aware of the dangers that may lie ahead.[20] As of July 2001, mine awareness education had been provided to 29,590 people, including 6,404 in 1999; 12,308 in 2000; and 8,698 thus far in 2001.[21]
There is no systematic data collection on landmine casualties in Abkhazia. It is not possible to provide a complete picture of the number of mine victims in the country. A 1999 media report claimed that more than 300 people had become victims of “mine warfare” in the seven years of peace in the region since the end of the conflict.[22]
It appears the incidence of mine casualties is decreasing. According to a database analysis conducted by Rehabilitation Center-AIS, a local NGO, mine and UXO casualties among children are becoming increasingly rare.[23] The fear of mines has reduced in the cities because of demining operations.[24]
According to information provided by the Ministry of Interior, in the year 2000, two people were killed and one was injured in seven incidents involving landmine explosions.[25] As noted above, in January 2001, two CIS peacekeepers were severely wounded because of an incident involving an antitank mine.[26] Over the past several years, more than 50 CIS peacekeepers have been killed by mines in Abkhazia.[27]
The Gagra Orthopedic Center collects mine victim data and its AMPU Center database has registered more than 800 amputees.[28] Of those registered, 25% are post-war mine victims and 60% are wartime mine victims. The numerous mine victims in the Gal region are commonly taken to western Georgia for treatment and are not included in the Gagra database.
The Abkhazia Campaign to Ban Landmines (AbCBL) believes the information collected by the government underestimates the actual number of mine victims. The AbCBL together with Rehabilitation Center−AIS, are monitoring the situation in the field and creating a database on amputees. As of February 2001, 250 amputees were registered on the database; fifty are mine victims. A priority of AIS is to expand the database on landmine victims and other disabled.[29]
Since 1994, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Abkhazia, has operated an orthopedic workshop for the disabled in Gagra, many of whom are landmine victims. By February 2001, more than 800 disabled had used the Center.[30]
Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) and the ICRC provide emergency medical care. However, there is little available in terms of rehabilitation services in Abkhazia. While medical personnel have the expertise to treat victims, the Republican Hospital in Sukhum does not have adequate resources and equipment to treat landmine injuries.[31] The main problems doctors face is the post-trauma period. Often, mine victims are taken abroad for more specialized treatment and rehabilitation, though there is potential for developing this kind of service in Abkhazia. The Gagra Center has the equipment, experience, and technology but lacks specialists in this field. The ICRC carried out a training program for local staff in the prosthetics and orthotics rehabilitation field. In March 2000, after 2 years of training, six technicians in Gagra graduated with the ICRC standard “Certificate of Professional Proficiency in Lower Limb Prosthetic and Orthotic Devices.”[32]
Rehabilitation Center-AIS is trying to cover post-traumatic treatment in the form of psychological, social, and physical rehabilitation. Currently, AIS is running a program of adaptation and rehabilitation, which includes computer classes and psychotherapy.
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[1] UN Security Council Resolution, S/RES/1287, 31 January 2000, called the referendum “unacceptable and illegitimate.”
[2] Interview with Sergei Shamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Abkhazia, Sukhum, Abkhazia, 31 January 2001.
[3] Interview with Sergei Shamba, 5 February 2001.
[4] Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 837-838.
[5] Apsnypress, Abkhaz news agency (in Russian), 31 January 2001.
[6] Nuzhnaya Gazeta (Abkhazian newspaper), 7 February 2001, p. 10.
[7] Vladimir Mukhin, military correspondent for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, “Peacekeeping an explosive issue in Abkhazia. Some see efforts to allow NATO to bring in troops,” The Russia Journal, 24 February – 2 March 2001, Issue No.7 (100), p. 18.
[8] Letter from Georgi Burduli, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Landmine Monitor/Human Rights Watch, 6 July 2000.
[9] Letter from Giorgi Burduli, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Landmine Monitor, 10 July 2001.
[10] Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 810-811.
[11] UNDP, “United Nations Needs Assessment Mission to Abkhazia, Georgia,” March 1998; Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Richard Boulter, Desk Officer Europe, The HALO Trust, 28 July 2000.
[12] Interview with Huta Kurt-Ogly, Head of AMAC, 21 January 2001.
[13] Ibid.
[14] HALO Trust and Abkhazia Mine Action Center, “Abkhazia Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p. 22. Also, HALO Trust assessment report, 11 April 2000.
[15] For detail on mined areas see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 860-861. The Abkhaz Campaign to Ban Landmines, after discussion with AMAC, has expressed some concern that some high-priority land is located under lower-priority mountainous areas, and mines could be washed down to the foot of the mountains and contaminate cleared land in the future; HALO Trust has said that it is unlikely that donors will fund clearance of such lower-priority mountainous areas.
[16] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Richard Boulter, Desk Officer Europe, The HALO Trust, 26 July 2001.
[17] The HALO Trust operations report, January 2001.
[18] Vladimir Mukhin, military correspondent for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, “Peacekeeping an explosive issue in Abkhazia. Some see efforts to allow NATO to bring in troops,” The Russia Journal, 24 February -2 March 2001, Issue No.7 (100), p. 18. This article states that military technicians have detected and destroyed 25,000 explosive devices.
[19] HALO and AMAC, “Abkhazia Minefield Survey Report,” March 2000, p. 14.
[20] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Richard Boulter, Desk Officer Europe, The HALO Trust, 26 July 2001.
[21] Interview with Roneza Patsia, HALO Trust mine awareness coordinator in Abkhazia, Sukhum, Abkahzia, 18 June 2001.
[22] Aleksandr Chuykov, “Presence of Mines Verified: Peaceful Residents Continue To Perish in Abkhazia,” Moscow Izvestiya (electronic version), 25 June 1999, p 1.
[23] Interview with Alhas Tkhagshev, coordinator of the Rehabilitation Center-AIS, 9 February 2001.
[24] Information provided by the Rehabilitation Center−AIS, 9 February 2001.
[25] Information on attacks committed in Abkhazia from January 2000 to February 2001 received from the Ministry of Interior of Abkhazia.
[26] Apsnypress, Abkhaz news agency (in Russian), 31 January 2001.
[27] Vladimir Mukhin, military correspondent for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, “Peacekeeping an explosive issue in Abkhazia. Some see efforts to allow NATO to bring in troops,” The Russia Journal, 24 February-2 March 2001, Issue No.7 (100), p. 18.
[28] Interview with Gagra Orthopedic Workshop, 13 February 2001.
[29] Interview with Alhas Tkhagushev, 9 February 2001.
[30] Interview with Gagra Orthopedic Workshop, 13 February 2001.
[31] UNDP, “United Nations Needs Assessment Mission to Abkhazia, Georgia,” March 1998.
[32] ICRC in Georgia, report dated 1 April 2001.
