| <GUINEA | HOLY SEE> |
Key developments since May 2001: The Mine Ban Treaty entered into force for Guinea-Bissau on 1 November 2001. In March 2002, an inventory of antipersonnel mines was carried out, revealing a stockpile of 4,997 mines. In September 2001, a National Commission for Humanitarian Demining was formally established. Between November 2000 and April 2002, 175,000 square meters of land were cleared. Guinea-Bissau's initial Article 7 Report, due by 30 April 2002, has not yet been submitted.
Guinea-Bissau signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1999, ratified on 22 May 2001, and it entered into force on 1 November 2001. No implementing legislation has been enacted. Guinea-Bissau’s initial Article 7 Report was due by 30 April 2002. In May, the Director of the National Mine Action Center (CAAMI) said the report was to be sent during the month of June and the delay was due to a desire “to include the [landmine] inventory, and we already have it, but we also wanted to know when the Government plans to destroy the stockpile.”[1] As of 31 July 2002, the report had not been deposited at the UN, although according to the UN Technical Advisor for CAAMI, “The report was sent in mid-June.”[2]
Guinea-Bissau attended the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2001, in Managua, Nicaragua. It also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002.[3] Guinea-Bissau was absent from the vote on the 29 November 2001 UNGA Resolution 56/24 M, calling for the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. In response to a question about the absence, an official said, “Guinea-Bissau is totally committed to the Convention.”[4]
Guinea-Bissau is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), and did not attend either the third annual meeting of States Parties to Amended Protocol II or the Second CCW Review Conference, both of which were held in December 2001.
Guinea-Bissau is not known to have produced or exported antipersonnel mines. In February 1998, the government destroyed several thousand mines, but there has been no destruction of stocks since.[5] According to CAAMI, “This gesture of goodwill [1998 destruction of mines], which was stopped due to the war, will be resumed. And hopefully, I think, we will be able to destroy most of our mines by the end of the year.”[6] The treaty-mandated deadline for destruction of the entire stockpile is 1 November 2005.
Between 25 and 27 March 2002, a joint delegation including representatives of CAAMI, the Ministries of Internal Administration, Economy and Finance, and Defense, UNICEF, and UNDP visited military facilities in the country to inventory stockpiled landmines. The UN Technical Adviser for CAAMI told Landmine Monitor that “4,997 mines, including PMD-6 mines, are stockpiled in Gabu and other locations in the country such as Bafatá. Their destruction will be planned soon.”[7]
According to CAAMI, the stockpile is “around 5,000 antipersonnel mines, most of which are concentrated in the city of Gabu, in the east of Guinea-Bissau. The concentration was due to the recent conflict. Part of the mines were previously in Bambadinca. The government forces, realizing the strength of the Junta forces, took those mines and brought them to Gabu, which was the safest location for them. The mines were left there.”[8]
The stockpile is composed of “old mines that have expired...of the seventies or so, of Portuguese and Belgian origin, but also some of Soviet origin. So when we went there [the army magazines], most of the mines that were found were of Soviet origin such as the PMD-6 and the POMZ-2.”[9]
According to CAAMI, Guinea-Bissau will retain “a maximum of 50 mines” for instruction purposes, under the provisions of Mine Ban Treaty Article 3, and “the majority will be inert” mines. “We will also keep about five live mines as you cannot have an Engineering Unit without having real mines; you cannot have military forces which have never seen real mines.”[10]
On a visit to CAAMI in February 2002, Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister Alamara Nhassé said landmines are “hampering the nation’s development. The mines are a problem for us all as they restrict various activities, from agriculture (involving 80 percent of the population) to children playing.”[11] According to the Prime Minister, the government “will support CAAMI’s actions as one of its priorities.”[12]
With the outbreak of conflict in 1998-1999, landmines became a real problem in the capital of Guinea-Bissau.[13] In December 2001, a report by HUMAID (a local NGO) estimated that the number of mines remaining in the city of Bissau could range from about 2,000 to 4,000 landmines, depending on mine concentrations in different areas.[14]
Mines were used principally in five locations: around the Bissau airport, along the demarcation line within Bissau, around the psychiatric hospital in Bissau, along the border with Senegal, and along main routes in the south of the country.[15] The mine-affected neighborhoods in Bissau include: Enterramento, Antulo-Bono, Bôr, Bairro das Pescas, Brá, and Plack.
Whereas only three areas (Bissau, Falacunda, and Buba) were reported as mined in the 1998-99 conflict, a UNDP map provided to CAAMI identifies at least 12 other locations reported as still mined due to the liberation war: São Domingos, Bigene, Dungal, Mansaba, Contuboel, Sonaco, Pitche, Buruntuma, Bissasseme de Cima, Galomaro, Boe, and Cutar.[16]
According to CAAMI’s Director, the “boundary, with no markings except for a few posts, with Senegal is a seriously contaminated area. It was mined to disrupt the activities of the rebels of Casamance who used the territory of Guinea-Bissau as a shelter and to improve relations with Senegal. There are mines and booby-traps. The government hasn’t yet given the green light so that we can send people there do to an assessment, so this is why this is our last priority.”[17]
Guinea-Bissau and Bissau itself also have a very serious UXO problem, particularly at an army arsenal in Brá that exploded during the last war. On 10 April 2002, a demining technical coordination team from Handicap International visited this site and reported various types of munitions “are strewn over a radius of 5 kilometers around the epicenter.” According to their report, four accidents were recorded in the area since the beginning of 2002. It noted, “The polluted fields are cultivated and the copper belts of the munitions are recovered ... by the locals.”[18]
According to CAAMI’s Director, “The strategy was to put an end to the plague of landmines by 2004. But the government hasn’t the funds. For many donors, Guinea-Bissau is not a priority. At first we had presented a plan which totaled $5.8 million for the whole country. But after one year of work, we reduced our funding call to approximately $4 million. With this money, we would solve the problem. However, we are not receiving these funds.”[19]
It would appear that about $1.62 million was provided for mine action in Guinea-Bissau in 2001. The UN Mine Action Database indicates that in 2001, the following countries gave $1,189,000 for mine action in Guinea-Bissau: Finland, $60,000; the Netherlands, $500,000; the United States, $489,000; the United Kingdom, $140,000.[20]
The Netherlands provided $500,000 to support all of the activities of CAAMI, including awareness-raising.[21] In its fiscal year 2001, the United States provided $489,000 in assistance, “primarily to support the nongovernmental organization HUMAID’s mine clearance operations, the remainder for the purchase of equipment for Guinea-Bissau's Mine Action Center....”[22]
In addition to the above funds reported to the UN, for 2001 Germany has reported providing $138,660 to HUMAID, Sweden has reported providing $100,000 to HUMAID, and France has reported providing $192,685 to Handicap International for its work in Guinea-Bissau.[23] Handicap International also received $288,000 over three years from the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund for HI’s survivor assistance program in Guinea-Bissau.[24]
HUMAID’s Administrator told Landmine Monitor in June 2002 that since November 2001, HUMAID “is solely working on US funds, which will enable HUMAID to last six months.”[25] He said in the past HUMAID had received funding from Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK. During the period 1 June 2001 through 31 May 2002, HUMAID’s expenses totaled US$355,841.[26]
UNDP financed and launched the MAX (Mine Action Exchange) Program, which seeks to maximize the regional competence in humanitarian technical demining standards within the Portuguese-speaking countries. The project uses ADP Mozambique deminers as trainers. The UNDP budget is $246,712 to train and equip two mine action groups (61 deminers) and $312,715 for the two groups to operate for 12 months.[27] In May 2002, two experts began training deminers for a new Guinea-Bissau mine clearance NGO, LUTCAM.
The National Mine Action Center (CAAMI) was established in March 2001, and a draft National Humanitarian Mine Action Program (PAAMI) was prepared in early 2001. On 10 September 2001, Decree 55/001 formally created the National Commission for Humanitarian Demining (CNDH), which works as the steering committee appointed by the government. UNDP and other UN agencies are full members of CNDH.
According to the UNDP, its priorities in support of the national mine action program include: developing a level one initial impact survey in Bissau and outside to be able to adequately mark suspected areas; fostering further development of a national mine action NGO; providing training in humanitarian standards; and developing a national mine action database using the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA).[28]
In April 2002, CAAMI requested a needs assessment mission by Handicap International (HI). According to the HI Demining Technical Coordinator, “The coordination between the different demining actors is incomplete and there are some gaps at the organizational level. The basic techniques are present but the methods for managing the space of the site and regarding security need to be perfected. The security problems are often due to lack of means.... However, the mission noticed a great receptivity to the commentaries and a will to increase the knowledge of demining security criteria.”[29]
Mine clearance priorities are based on the extent of the mine problem, the consequences for civilians and the government policy as far as the border with Senegal is concerned. Therefore, according to CAAMI’s Director, “The first priority is Bissau, because it’s our capital and almost one-third of the population of Guinea-Bissau is concentrated there, and because the mines are located between houses and schools. Then, we will work in the South, where there are mines from both wars - the colonial war and the recent one. After that, the Eastern region, where we verified that most mines are Portuguese antitank mines, in the area of Buruntuma e Canquelifá, in the Gabu region. Once we’re finished with these regions, we will concentrate all our work on the border with Senegal.”[30] With regard to the capital area, the UN technical advisor considers that the priorities are already quite clear: “Bra, Enterramento, the northern outskirts of Bissau really.”[31]
Although there was some minor military demining within Bissau just after the war, the military is no longer involved in clearance.[32] HUMAID has been the sole mine clearance NGO in the country, operating since early 2000. HUMAID has 35 deminers.[33] Its deminiers received two weeks of refresher training in May 2002 from ADP Mozambique.[34] In 2001 and 2002, HUMAID worked in Bairros Brá, Bor, Enterramento, and Manuel Água.
CAAMI’s UN Technical Advisor told Landmine Monitor that between November 2000 and April 2002, 175,000 square meters of land were cleared and 5,000 UXO and 2,500 mines were destroyed, of which 86 percent were antipersonnel mines.[35] Between 1 June 2001 and 31 May 2002, HUMAID reported clearing 136,477 square meters of land; it destroyed 976 antipersonnel mines, 30 antitank mines, and 6,277 UXO.[36]
A new mine action NGO, LUTCAM, is scheduled to begin activities with 12 deminers in late July 2002.[37] The sappers were trained in humanitarian demining and survey techniques by ADP Mozambique. With the support of UNDP, they will train other deminers, with a goal of 70 deminers working for LUTCAM. LUTCAM is to carry out a survey to determine demining priorities within Bissau itself, due to be completed by September 2002.
In addition to clearance, minefield marking is also a priority. According to the UN technical advisor, while some marking was carried out by the military “after the last war,” it was not done to standard, so the “marking is sometimes inadequate.”[38] Between 1 June 2001 and 31 May 2002, marking activities were limited to replacing signs that had been stolen or otherwise removed from minefields.[39] CAAMI reported, “We are waiting for some material which is about to arrive. HUMAID already did some marking but the population innocently took these metal signs and placards for domestic use. So, we will have to mark the mine-affected areas again in Bissau but only after the Level one survey.”[40]
The HI Technical Coordination Mission noted, “The population does not respect the marking of the mined zones. The population works in the suspected areas planting rice crops and collecting salt. This disrespect for the marking is due to the fact that the markings were not taken out after the end of demining work in a site. The marking is partial (25 percent - meaning that only one side of the field is marked and the other three are not) or insufficient. UXO are strewn on the edges of the roads without any specific marking of the area.... In a country deprived of various things and where the population sells almost anything, one should expect the recovery of explosives and metal. Rockets are used as boundary-marks for the fields.”[41]
UNICEF established a Mine Awareness Committee (COAM) that has met bi-weekly since April 1999, to plan and coordinate mine risk education. There are three main focus areas: information, training, and logistics. Funded by the government of Canada, the program includes the production of marking ropes, marking triangles, T-shirts, labels, billboards, comic books and mine awareness posters. According to CAAMI, at least eight NGOs are participating in some kind of mine awareness activities.[42] To fully implement the program, a total of US$127,000 is needed.
Mine awareness teams and activists are working in all neighborhoods of Bissau and its outskirts. Outside Bissau, mine awareness teams had covered the main mine-affected areas of the country, except for the São Domingos area and the northern region beyond the Cacheu river due to the security situation.[43] ANDES, a local NGO, and Handicap International requested a permit for mine risk education activities in the northern area of the country, notably working with radio stations.[44] ANDES and Handicap International have been training mine awareness activists in various parts of the country. ANDES has a total of 26 mine awareness instructors.
In April 2002, the mine awareness tools were analyzed and updated and the mine awareness sessions were reinforced in risk areas of Bissau, Enterramento, Brá, and Bor. HI also supported a mine risk education PEPAM theater in Buba (South).[45]
The mine risk education activities are supported by UNDP, UNICEF and FCILD (Canadian Fund for Local Initiative). ANAPRODEM and ANDES also work in the east part of country toward Gabu.[46] HUMAID personnel also “brief the residents near the minefields concerning the dangers posed by mines and UXO. In radio and TV interviews, HUMAID personnel have explained the dangers and urged people not to enter the areas marked with warning signs.[47]
In 2001, mine and UXO casualties continued to be reported, however, no comprehensive statistics are kept. Between June 2000 and March 2001, HUMAID reported five mine incidents.[48] In March 2001, one incident involved eight children in Bolama.[49] According CAAMI’s UN Technical Advisor, “There is a regular victim rate of two to three persons per month, and this number increases to four or five a month during the months of the cashew and rice harvest season.”[50] Several incidents have been reported between January and June 2002. On 26 January, a 12-year-old girl was injured by a grenade blast while lighting a fire in the Enterramento area. On 26 February, another incident in Enterramento involved two children, who were severely injured by shrapnel, while burning household garbage. In March, a soldier was injured by a grenade in São Domingos, near the Senegalese border.[51] Also in March, a man was killed in a UXO explosion. In April, a man lost his leg after stepping on a landmine in the Bôr area. Another incident took place in April when, after a power failure, a Waters and Electricity of Guinea-Bissau employee stepped on a mine and lost a leg below the knee.[52]
The health care system was seriously affected by the 1998/1999 conflicts, and capacities for the care and rehabilitation of mine/UXO casualties are limited. Most landmine casualties are treated at either the Simões Mendes Hospital or the Military Hospital at the airport. The government reportedly does not have the resources to assist mine/UXO survivors, but it is working with Handicap International and ANDES to rehabilitate the disabled.[53] There are two prosthetics facilities in Bissau; one is governmental and the other is run by ANDES, with the support of HI.
ANDES runs the orthopedic center called the Casa Amiga dos Deficientes (the Friendly House of the Disabled) and supports 16 mine/UXO survivors with physiotherapeutic treatment and ten others are waiting for prosthetic care. The patients, mostly children, receive regular care in the Center. ANDES has reported problems maintaining an adequate supply of prosthetic material. In the past, ANDES supported the social and vocational reintegration of its patients, but as of mid-2002 no funds were available to provide these services. ANDES provides psychological support for survivors when needed. ANDES will also assist disabled soldiers of the liberation war, but is waiting on details of the intended beneficiaries. ANDES receives funding from HI, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to ANDES, CAAMI has the responsibility for data on landmine casualties.[54]
There are several other local civilian associations working with people with disabilities, including mine survivors, such as ANAPRODEM, UNDEMO and AGUIPADE.[55]
A census on the victims of landmines and other explosive remnants of war is underway, with at least 57 casualties identified to May 2002. Full details of the census should be available later in 2002.[56] Handicap International recently completed a study on the reintegration of disabled soldiers for the Program of Demobilization, Reinsertion, and Reintegration (PDRRI).[57] An independent study provided by Handicap International identified 1,687 disabled soldiers but no details are given on the cause of injury.[58]
There is no law or decree to assist disabled civilians in Guinea-Bissau. However, fighters in the liberation war against Portugal are entitled to medical and pharmaceutical care in a special clinic and pharmacy. For others not injured as a direct result of the liberation war – including the military serving in the last war – there is no such entitlement. The demobilization plan, PDRRI, does not have any specific provisions for landmine survivors. According to CAAMI’s Director, survivor assistance is not within its mandate.[59]
| <GUINEA | HOLY SEE> |
[1] Interview with Eng Cesar Lopes de Carvalho, Director of National Mine Action Center (CAAMI), Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[2] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, National Mine Action Center (CAAMI), Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[3] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[4] Ibid.
[5] The original number given for mines destroyed was between 2,000–2,300, see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.167; Le Soleil, 9 February 1998. In a 17 June 2002 telephone interview, Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor for CAAMI, stated that a total of 4,711 mines had been destroyed in February 1998.
[6] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[7] Telephone interview with Gerard Chagnoit, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[8] Interview with Engº César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Statement by Prime Minister, Alamara Nhassé, “Landmines Hinder Development” (English article version), LUSA (Portuguese International News Agency), Bissau, 20 February 2002.
[12] Statement by Prime Minister Alamara Nhassé, “Minas condicionam desenvolvimento do país” (Portuguese article and long version), LUSA (Portuguese International News Agency), Bissau, 20 February 2002.
[13] For details see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.154-156; Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 167-168; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.79. Landmine Monitor reported use of mines by all fighting forces in that conflict, including by Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, although all denied use.
[14] HUMAID, “Estimates of the number of square meters and mines remaining in the City of Bissau,” 14 December 2001. Estimates of the total number of mines in the country have ranged from 5,000-40,000. The generally used figure is about 5,000.
[15] Major Hervé Petetin, “Mine Situation in Guinea-Bissau,” UNMAS, December 1998, p. 1.
[16] Report by CAAMI, 2002.
[17] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, National Mine Action Center, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[18] “Technical Mission Report, Handicap International in Guinea-Bissau,” Lyon, April 2002; e-mail and telephone communications with Manuel Gonzal, Technical Coordination Mission, Handicap International, Lyon, 14-19 June 2002.
[19] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[20] Mine Action Database, figures provided by http://webapps.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/mai/frameset.asp.
[21] “Report of the Secretary-General on the developments in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the United Nations Peace-Building Support Office in that country,” S/2002/312, New York, 26 March 2002, p. 3.
[22] U.S. Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety: The United States Commitment to Humanitarian Demining,” November 2001. p. 7.
[23] See individual country reports for each donor in this edition of Landmine Monitor Report.
[24] Email from Sheree Bailey, HIB and Landmine Monitor thematic coordinator for survivor assistance, 19 July 2002.
[25] Telephone interview with John Blacken, Administrator, HUMAID, Bissau, 18 June 2002.
[26] E-mail from John Blacken, HUMAID, 19 June 2002; telephone interview with John Blacken, 18 June 2002.
[27] “Support to the Guinea-Bissau National Humanitarian Mine Action Program,” UNDP, November 2001.
[28] Ibid.
[29] E-mail and telephone communication with Manuel Gonzal, Technical Coordination Mission, Handicap International, Lyon, 14-19 June 2002; “Compte rendu de la Mission de Coordination Technique” (“Technical Mission Report”), Handicap International in Guinea-Bissau, Lyon, April 2002.
[30] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[31] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[32] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[33] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[34] E-mail from John Blacken, Administrator, HUMAID, 19 June 2002.
[35] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[36] E-mail from John Blacken, Administrator, HUMAID, in response to a questionnaire, 19 June 2002. Most of the UXO were collected near Ilonde, which HUMAID cleared in May 2002. Thousands more were scheduled to be destroyed in June and many thousands remain scattered over an area with a radius of about a kilometer.
[37] Telephone Interview with Irene Laval, CAAMI, Bissau, 14 June 2002; UN Security Council, “Report of the Secretary-General on the developments in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the United Nations Peace-Building Support Office in that country,” S/2002/312, New York, 26 March 2002.
[38] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[39] E-mail from John Blacken, Administrator, HUMAID, 19 June 2002.
[40] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[41] E-mail and telephone communication with Manuel Gonzal, Technical Coordination Mission, Handicap International, Lyon, 14-19 June 2002; “Compte rendu de la Mission de Coordination Technique” (“Technical Mission Report”), Handicap International in Guinea-Bissau, Lyon, April 2002.
[42] Interview with Eng. Cesar Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[43] Telephone Interview with Irene Laval, Mine Risk Education Assistant, CAAMI, Bissau, 14 June 2002.
[44] Report by Handicap International, “Rapport d’activités du programme Handicap International en Guinée Bissau,” Bissau, January to April 2002.
[45] Ibid.
[46] Telephone Interview with Irene Laval, Mine Awareness (PEPAM) Assistant, CAAMI, Bissau, 14 June 2002.
[47] E-mail from John Blacken, Administrator, HUMAID, 19 June 2002.
[48] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.83.
[49] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, Director of CAAMI (National Mine Action Center), Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[50] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[51] Report by Handicap International, Rapport d’activités du programme Handicap International en Guinée Bissau, Bissau, January to April 2002.
[52] Telephone interview with Gérard Chagniot, UN Technical Advisor, CAAMI, Bissau, 17 June 2002.
[53] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[54] Telephone interview with several unnamed members of ANDES, Bissau, 18 June 2002.
[55] Report by Handicap International, “Rapport d’activités du programme Handicap International en Guinée Bissau,” Bissau, January to April 2002.
[56] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[57] Report by Handicap International, “Rapport d’activités du programme Handicap International en Guinée Bissau,” Bissau, January to April 2002.
[58] Handicap International, “Annual report on Guinea Bissau,” 22 March 2002; telephone Interview with Eric Debert, HI Guinea-Bissau Program Director, 20 June 2002.
[59] Interview with Eng César Lopes de Carvalho, CAAMI, Geneva, 29 May 2002.
