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Key developments since May 2000: The National Committee to Supervise Mine Clearance met for the first time in June 2000. The National Committee established a trust fund for mine clearance in the western desert. There were twelve new mine/UXO victims reported in 2000.
Egypt’s policy and justification for not acceding to the Mine Ban Treaty has not changed. In November 2000, the Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN stated, “Egypt continue[s] to maintain the same position with respect to the Ottawa Convention because it lacks the vision to deal comprehensively with all the aspects related to landmines.”[1] In December 2000, Egypt reiterated that “landmines constituted an important element of security for defending expansive Egyptian borders against smuggling and terrorism.”[2] Egypt continues to press for negotiations on landmines in the Conference on Disarmament. This position was repeated by Egyptian representatives at meetings in New York, Geneva, and at a regional conference on landmines held in Djibouti in November.[3]
In November 2000, Egypt abstained from voting on UN General Assembly Resolution 55/33V which called for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it has done on similar resolutions in previous years. Additionally, Egypt did not sponsor the UNGA draft resolution on mine action, which urged states to continue efforts to minimize effects of landmines, support mine clearance programs, and provide relief for victims. The Egyptian delegation initially offered amendments to this resolution, including one stressing the legitimacy of use of mines for defensive purposes, but Egypt eventually withdrew the amendments.[4] Egypt also expressed dissatisfaction with the UN Secretary General’s annual report on assistance in mine action (document A/55/542), particularly language stressing the importance of mine awareness and victim assistance programs. The Egyptian delegation expressed its view that mine action programs should concentrate on mine clearance as the first priority.[5]
Egypt did not attend the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2000. A representative from Egypt’s UN Mission in Geneva attended an intersessional Standing Committee meeting on mine clearance in December 2000 but did not attend subsequent meetings in May 2001. In December 2000, Egyptian representatives attended an annual meeting to review Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), and made a statement urging the countries that laid mines in Egypt to provide both financial and technical help to clear them.[6] Egypt has not ratified any of the CCW protocols despite signing the Convention in 1981.
In October and November 2000 legislative elections for the next five years of the parliament took place. The Landmine Struggle Center (NGO) monitored the election campaigns and noted that none of the candidates in mined areas mentioned the mine problem, mine awareness, or victim assistance.
On several occasions since 1997, Egyptian officials have stated that Egypt no longer produces or exports antipersonnel mines. In February 2000, an official from the Ministry of Military Production told a UN assessment mission that antipersonnel mine exports ceased in 1984 and production stopped in 1988.[7] However, despite numerous requests, the Egyptian positions on antipersonnel mine production and trade have not been issued in writing as formal policy statements and there has been no official decree by the government to implement them. For that reason, Landmine Monitor continues to list Egypt as a producer of antipersonnel mines. Egypt is believed to possess a significant stockpile of antipersonnel mines, but officials consistently decline to provide details, citing national security.
The Egyptian government cites a figure of 23 million landmines emplaced in the country. Official Egyptian sources estimate that 16.7 million landmines affect 248,000 hectares (2,480 million square meters) in the western desert area and 5.1 million landmines affect 20,000 hectares (200 million square meters) in eastern areas. Other Egyptian officials have stated that only 20-25 percent of these “landmines” are really landmines, the remainder being other types of unexploded ordnance (UXO).[8] No surveys of the mine and UXO problem took place in Egypt in 2000.
In April 2000, Prime Minister Atef Ebaid issued decision number 750/2000 that formed an inter-ministerial National Committee to Supervise Mine Clearance (Al Lagnah Al Qaomia Lelishraf Ala Ezalet Al Algham), headed by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.[9] This is one of the few recommendations implemented from the lengthy list of recommendations made by the UNMAS assessment mission in February 2000.
The committee first met in June 2000 and meets once per month. It has formed five working groups (fundraising, planning, technology, public relations and awareness, and legal) and has recommended that a landmines database be established to assist in setting the main elements for a national strategy for mine clearance.[10]
The National Committee is responsible for liaison with donor governments. In June 2000 the head of the National Committee (Dr. Ahmed el-Darsh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation) announced to media that a trust fund for mine clearance in the western desert has been established.[11] In October 2000, Minister el-Darsh said the committee was working on a “full fledge Development Programme of the North Western area which is affected by mines.”[12] The minister discussed support for mine clearance in Egypt with donors and UN representatives in November 2000 and in bilateral talks with the Italian ambassador in Egypt and the Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs.[13]
The United States is providing $1.5 million in bilateral demining assistance to Egypt in 2001 and 2002. Representatives of the U.S. Embassy, USAID, and the U.S. military’s Central Command conducted a visit to Cairo in June 2000 to coordinate and prioritize how the assistance will be used. The United States is set to provide training in mine clearance, mine awareness, and information management. It will also provide equipment (including deminers’ personal protective equipment and computer systems) and technical assistance to support demining operations and operations of national and regional mine action centers. Mine detection and clearance technologies may also be tested and supplied.[14]
The United Arab Emirates has financed agricultural projects which include demining by the Egyptian army in areas of el-Alamein and West Sinai.[15]
The National Committee is reported to be exploring ways to activate a note of understanding concluded in 2000 between Russia and Egypt that included cooperation in the field of mine clearance.[16]
Egypt offered to send experts in mine clearance to South Lebanon upon the request of Lebanon. The experts were scheduled to begin work in October 2000 but have been delayed for unknown reasons.[17]
Mine clearance in Egypt is closely linked to economic development. In February 2000 Egypt announced that mine clearance had stopped due to a shortage of funds. But in June 2000 the Landmine Struggle Center monitored a continuation of mine clearance by the army in South el-Alamein region to demine the el-Hamam channel and areas surrounding it for agricultural purposes. Mine clearance by commercial companies near oil and other mineral resources also continued in 2000. Details such as the amount of land cleared or numbers of mines or UXO removed are not available.[18]
Mine awareness education is extremely limited for the civilian population both in mine affected areas and elsewhere. There is a lack of basic mine awareness and safety information for tourists, tourist guides, and car rental companies in the western desert and Red Sea areas and no industry-wide mechanism in place to distribute the information available. Some foreign embassies in Egypt warn their citizens about the mine and UXO threat in areas frequented by tourists.
Mine awareness activities by the Landmine Struggle Center, the sole NGO conducting mine awareness education in affected areas, have been curtailed due to lack of funds. The Egyptian media continued its highlight the mine issue in Egypt with news about mine incidents, meetings of the National Committee, and efforts in demining technologies. The Ministry of Information, which controls TV, radio, and press, has been appointed to chair the working group for mine awareness and victim assistance on the National Committee.
In 2000, there were twelve new victims reported from at least six mine or UXO incidents.[19] Five fatalities resulted from these incidents. Three of these incidents occurred in the eastern region of Egypt and three occurred in western areas, one of which took place on the Egyptian-Libyan border. The victims included seven children and five adults (one woman and four men). While the recorded casualties in 2000 represent a decrease from the thirty-seven recorded casualties in 1999, it is difficult to obtain comprehensive information on casualties and likely that some incidents are not reported.
According to a survey conducted by the Landmines Struggle Center, there were no warning signs or fences in the areas in which the incidents occurred. This survey also reported that none of the victims had received mine awareness education, nor had they or their families received any compensation from the government after the victim’s injuries or death.
Emergency services remain inadequate for many civilian victims of mines and UXO. The military has emergency vehicles and a communications network in place to respond to incidents involving military victims. Some civilians receive emergency services from the military, but the subsequent medical provisions are separate. Military victims receive care in military hospitals, which are located in every governorate in Egypt. Often civilian victims must wait extended periods to be transferred to hospitals that can handle their medical needs. Some civilian victims travel up to 100 kilometers to receive medical attention.
Payment for prosthetics is still considered the financial responsibility of civilian victims, while military victims receive their devices free of charge. While there are companies that manufacture orthopedic devices in Egypt, they only manufacture their product for those who can afford to pay for them.
The Minister of Social Affairs signed a year 2000 budget for 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($27,000) for the compensation of mine/UXO victims.[20] It was not mentioned if this money was for previous victims or new cases or how it will be distributed.
Pensions vary greatly between military and civilian victims. Under the military system, victims or their families can receive up to $25,000 from the government. Civilian victims must apply within their local office for the Ministry of Social Affairs for compensation. Victims must provide a medical report and wait for that office to investigate their accident and their current situation before awarding any compensation. The amount of compensation for civilian victims can reach up to $80.
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[1] Statement by Ambassador Ahmed Aboulgheit, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN, before the General Debate of the First Committee, New York, 3 October 2000, p. 6.
[2] Remarks by Ismail Khairat to the UN General Assembly regarding draft resolution on assistance in mine action (A/55/l.44), New York, 6 December 2000, summarized in UNGA Press Release GA/9843, 6 December 2000.
[3] Interview with Mr. Youssef Omar, Deputy Director of Disarmament Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cairo, 17 November 2000.
[4] Correspondence from Ambassador Ahmed Aboulgheit, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN, 2 January 2001. This correspondence also included the original Arabic version of the statement by Egypt during debate over the mine action resolution. Translated by the researcher. See also, Remarks by Ismail Khairat to the UN General Assembly regarding draft resolution on assistance in mine action (A/55/l.44), New York, 6 December 2000, summarized in UNGA Press Release GA/9843, 6 December 2000.
[5] Correspondence from Ambassador Ahmed Aboulgheit, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN, 2 January 2001.
[6] Statement by Ambassador Fayza Aboulnaga, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN in Geneva, 12 December 2000.
[7] UN Mine Action Service, “ Mine Action Assessment Mission Report, The Arab Republic of Egypt, 9-23 February 2000,” p. 22.
[8] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 921-922.
[9] Membership in this committee includes fourteen ministries, military, three regional governorates and three NGOs. See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 924, for more details.
[10] Information obtained by the Landmine Struggle Center (Cairo); Press Release, “HE Dr. Ahmed El Darsh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, briefs the donors on Egypt efforts on Mine Action,” undated but reports on a 9 October 2000 briefing.
[11] The UNDP is assisting with establishment of the trust fund. As of July 2001, no funds had yet been contributed to the trust fund. UNDP email to Landmine Monitor/Human Rights Watch, 8 July 2001.
[12] Press Release, “HE Dr. Ahmed El Darsh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, briefs the donors on Egypt efforts on Mine Action,” undated but reports on a 9 October 2000 briefing.
[13] Interview with Dr. Osama El Foly, Advisor to Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Cairo, 18 January 2001.
[14] US Central Command, “U.S. Government Humanitarian Demining Country Plan for the Arab Republic of Egypt (FY 2002),” 1 May 2001; interview with Charles W. Dunne, First Secretary (Political Military Affairs), US Embassy Cairo, 18 January 2001.
[15] Letter to Landmine Monitor/Human Rights Watch from the UAE Foreign Ministry, Washington DC, 5 October 2000.
[16] Interview with Dr. Osama El Foly, Cairo, 18 January 2001.
[17] Interview with General Georges Sawaya, National Demining Office, Beirut, 11 January 2001.
[18] Survey made by Landmines Struggle Center (LSC) in the mined areas in 2000.
[19] All subsequent data in this section is from a survey by the Landmines Struggle Center (Cairo) for the year 2000 in the two main mined areas in Egypt and other governorates next to those areas. This NGO receives news about mine or UXO incidents from media, hospitals, and other local sources. Staff then visits the accident area, interviews the victim or the victim’s family, visits the hospital treating the victim, interviews witnesses, and notes other indicators such as warning signs, education, rehabilitation, and social care.
[20] Al-Akhbar newspaper, 28 August 2000.
