| <KUWAIT | LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC > |
Key developments since May 2001: In June 2001, the Kyrgyz government issued a decree regarding mine clearance and mine awareness. Kyrgyzstan has reported the clearance of 320,000 square meters of land on the Uzbek border; the demining was declared illegal by Uzbekistan. Subsequently, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan agreed that new mine-laying in certain regions would not be allowed. The Ministry of Emergency Situations began conducting mine awareness programs among high-risk populations in the affected areas.
Kyrgyzstan has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. Kyrgyz officials say the country is not ready to become a State Party. In a letter to the ICBL, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Kyrgyzstan “supports in general the idea of prohibition of production and use of landmines,” but that a number of “real problems” arose when the issue was discussed at various ministries.[1] The problems the Ministry cites are: (1) the use of outdated mines in the mountainous border territories of Kyrgyzstan and problems related to their destruction; and, (2) problems related to replacement of outdated mines “with new self-destructive mines.”[2] However, the Ministry states that it will continue “expert analysis of the Convention,” and that it will develop “alternative means of accession.”[3]
The Ministry also refers to its neighbor Tajikistan, which became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty on 1 April 2000: “Tajikistan withdrew its participation from the Ottawa Convention because it couldn’t fulfill its conditions and also because of the presence of threats to national security.”[4] In fact, Tajikistan has not formally withdrawn from the Mine Ban Treaty, although there are concerns regarding its compliance. (See country report on Tajikistan).
A senior Ministry of Defense official told Landmine Monitor that the Defense Ministry supports the “humane goals of the Ottawa Convention” and understands the need to destroy landmines as a weapon of “nonselective target.”[5] But, he also cited the need to protect State borders in “numerous mountainous areas” as a reason for not acceding to the treaty, as well as the “harsh financial difficulties” of replacing the mines.[6] The Head of the Engineers Unit told Landmine Monitor that stockpiled mines “might prove to be useful in the future should the need arise.”[7]
Kyrgyzstan did not attend the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2001. In January 2002, Kyrgyzstan for the first time participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva.[8] Kyrgyzstan did not attend the Standing Committee meetings in May 2002.
In October and November 2001, Kyrgyzstan was absent during the votes on the General Assembly resolution in support of the Mine Ban Treaty, both in the First Committee and the full General Assembly. It had, for the first time, abstained from voting on the corresponding resolution in 2000, after supporting similar resolutions in previous years.
There is no evidence that Kyrgyzstan has ever produced or exported antipersonnel mines. Current landmine stocks were inherited after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. All mines are stored in Ministry of Defense warehouses.[9] Landmine Monitor reported last year that the main problem with stocks are that the storage dates of the weapons have expired, and many of the mines are a special threat because they contain liquid explosive, which cannot be destroyed cheaply (i.e., PFM-1 and PFM-1S antipersonnel mines).[10]
The most recent confirmed case of landmine use by Kyrgyzstan was in 2000. The Ministry of Defense says Kyrgyz forces mined its border with Tajikistan during the second half of 2000 to prevent incursions by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) rebel group.[11] The mines were laid in the Batken and Chon-Alay districts of Kyrgyzstan’s Osh region.
The Chief of Engineering of the Kyrgyz armed forces said that mining on the border with Tajikistan was limited and carried out to protect Kyrgyz troops and territory. A Kyrgyz journalist, Azamat Kasybekov, claimed, “Kyrgyz Engineers had laid mines almost at every gorge and mountain pass of the southern Batken region in places of possible attacks by the guerillas.”[12]
There are some indications that Kyrgyzstan might have placed additional mines on the Tajik border in 2001, in anticipation of new IMU incursions that were expected to take place in the summer of 2001.[13] It was reported in February 2001 that the “Kyrgyz leadership has announced that it will probably plant mines on part of its border with Tajikistan in order to ensure the safety of its border and to prevent an incursion by Uzbek opposition forces.”[14] In June 2001, the Deputy Minister of Defense speculated that the IMU might have picked up emplaced antipersonnel mines and re-used them.[15]
Uzbekistan started mining the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border in 1999 to prevent incursions by the IMU.[16] Uzbek minefields are emplaced inside Kyrgyzstan, around the overwhelmingly Tajik enclave of Sokh, which belongs to Uzbekistan, around the Shakhi-Mardan enclave, and along the border areas.[17]
The location of Uzbek landmines are a point of contention between the Uzbek and Kyrgyz governments. A top official in the Batken administration says Uzbekistan placed its mines 200-500 meters inside Kyrgyz territory.[18] Uzbek officials claim that there are no mines on Kyrgyz territory and insist that their mines were deployed 200-250 meters within Uzbek territory.[19]
Further complicating this scenario is the lack of an agreed-upon border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. A GICHD consultant who visited Kyrgyz border regions on behalf of UNICEF in June 2001 recorded that “several kilometers of contested border area may have been mined by Uzbekistan.”[20] Some observers have even suggested that Uzbekistan is using its mines to gain an upper hand in border negotiations. The lack of agreed borders not only obscures questions of whether Uzbek mines are on Kyrgyz territory, but also hinders Kyrgyz demining efforts (see mine action section below).
The specific locations of Uzbek mines are important unknown factors currently impeding mine awareness efforts. There is little evidence to suggest that the Uzbeks marked their minefields.[21] They have also reportedly not provided Kyrgyz authorities with maps of the minefields. Marking has been reported in a limited number of places,[22] but became obscured by tall grass.[23] Mine quantity and density similarly remain unknown in the absence of Uzbek maps or in-depth surveys by Kyrgyzstan.[24] The presence of two types of mines has been established: the PMN blast mine and the OZM-72 bounding fragmentation antipersonnel mine.[25]
In addition, the army has claimed that in a number of instances, Uzbeks laid mines on top of other mines, thus acting as an anti-lift device to prevent demining.[26] The presence of antivehicle mines has not been reported.
There are concerns over civilian proximity to landmines. Twenty villages are reportedly near mined areas, which are said to be close to rivers and roads used by civilians. One report suggests that some mined areas are used by civilians as grazing areas.[27] Mines further away from populated areas also pose a risk to Kyrgyz villagers who travel to the mountains in the fall to collect herbs for medicines. They will evidently go “where there are no explosions.”[28] The GICHD mission found that adult shepherds and farmers are the most at risk.[29]
It is unclear whether there are still mines along the Tajik border. A Ministry of Defense press release claims, “After the cessation of military activities all of the mined areas were demined.”[30] But the Kyrgyz Minister of Defense later noted that one minefield remains, at a high altitude, and in an unpopulated area. The Ministry of Defense asserted that necessary demining would take place in the future and that lack of access had prevented clearance.[31] Casualty reports dated as late as June 2001, indicate that populations could still be at risk from mines along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
Amid pressure from Parliament and civil society, the Kyrgyz government issued on 7 June 2001 a decree on landmines.[32] Specifically, the law stipulates that:
The Ministry of Defense began demining shortly after the decree was issued.[34] A total of 320,000 square meters of border territory were reportedly cleared at a cost to the Ministry of Defense approximately 45,000 Soms ($996).[35] Nine mines were exploded during clearance.[36]
Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense subsequently claimed that the Kyrgyz mine clearance operations were illegal, arguing the land cleared was Uzbek territory. Two high-ranking military commanders from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan met in an attempt to resolve the dispute. They agreed that any additional mining of the Chon-Kara and Batken regions of the Kyrgyz Republic would not be allowed, and that mine clearing shall only occur after the agreement of the two commanders.[37]
The Ministry of Defense was supposed to conduct a mine survey in accordance with the June 2001 mine decree. However, it was reported that as of February 2002, the survey had not been carried out due to a lack of funds.[38] Mined areas have not been marked for a similar reason.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been successful in persuading Uzbekistan to pay compensation to Kyrgyz victims, provide maps of minefields, and remove fencing on the edge of the minefields.[39] Kyrgyzstan claims to have officially requested minefield maps from Uzbekistan on a number of occasions, but to no avail.[40]
Under the terms of the decree, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense is responsible for carrying out mine awareness. The Ministry has conducted mine awareness education among civilians of Batken Oblast. The Ministry also held discussions about border conduct with civilians living in high-risk areas but could not circulate warning leaflets due to lack of funds.[41]
Mine risk education among civilians about the danger of visiting mined areas is held mostly in the form of discussion, since the government lacks the funds to produce videocassettes and posters and organize other activities.[42] GICHD recommended to UNICEF that they support the work of the ministry,[43] but this does not seem to have occurred.
The NGO IPPNW has distributed 500 mine awareness posters in high risk mine areas, and provided the military with a video about mine dangers for demonstration at schools. The Kyrgyz Association of the UN held an event in January 2002 in honor of mine victims across the globe.[44]
In 2001, four landmine incidents were reported in which one person was killed and three others injured.[45] The last reported incident occurred in June 2001, and a Kyrgyz military official indicated that there have been no landmine casualties since then.[46] Ramazan Dyryldaev, chair of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, said in April 2001 that landmines along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border have killed 20 people,[47] but this has not been confirmed. In 2000, at least four people, including two children were injured in landmine incidents.[48]
In 2001 and 2002, incidents involving unexploded ordnance (UXO) have been reported: on 29 August 2001, two children were killed in Batken while playing with a UXO;[49] on 10 March 2002, a 13-year-old was reportedly killed while playing with a hand grenade, found in a military training field; a 14-year old was killed and an 8-year old injured while playing with a UXO.[50]
There are no specific assistance programs or financial allocations available to mine or UXO survivors; they are treated within the ordinary state medical service. Mine casualties are likely to be brought first to Batken Hospital for first aid; if surgical amputation or other specialized treatment is needed, the patient would need to go to Osh Hospital.
To improve medical response capabilities to mine incidents, the Ministry of Emergencies and Ecology has requested financial aid to send rescue personnel to the Russian Federation for a two-month training course. The skills acquired there would enable the rescue workers to carry out casualty evacuations when necessary.[51]
Kyrgyzstan does not appear to have an orthotic and prosthetic center capable of fitting artificial limbs to mine amputees.[52] Mine survivors requiring such treatment would have to travel to the Dushanbe Orthopedic Center in Tajikistan, run by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
All disabled civilians are protected under common law and there are no special laws or decrees for landmine survivors.
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[1] “Position of the Kyrgyz Republic on the question of joining the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction,” letter to the ICBL from the Division of UN Affairs, Department of International Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, undated, received 29 June 2001. Unofficial translation by Landmine Monitor.
[2] Ibid. Self-destructing antipersonnel mines are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty, though permitted by Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Interview with Ishenaly Asipov, Head of the External Affairs Unit, Ministry of Defense, Bishkek, 30 November 2001.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Interview with Colonel Daniar Izbasarov, Head of the Engineers Unit, Ministry of Defense, Bishkek, 27 November 2001.
[8] Jamby Djusubalieva, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations in Geneva attended the meetings of the SC on Mine Clearance and Related Technologies, and the SC on the General Status and Operation of the Convention.
[9] Interview with Colonel Izbasarov, Ministry of Defense, Bishkek, 27 November 2001.
[10] Interview with Colonel Izbasarov, Ministry of Defense, 22 February 2001; interview with Andrei Malov, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2000.
[11] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 888-889; See also, “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 8.
[12] Azamat Kasybekov, “Sapper leaves the last,” Vechernii Bishkek, (Evening Bishkek), 1 November 2001, p. 5.
[13] “Two Kyrgyz citizens injured in blast of Kyrgyz mine,” Institute of War and Peace Reporting, 20 June 2001.
[14] “Tajikistan: Joint military exercises with Russia response to Afghan issue,” report by Mashad, Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 14 February 2001.
[15] GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 8.
[16] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 919.
[17] Interview with Abdirahmanov Abdimazjit, Deputy Chief, Batken administration, Kyrgyzstan, 17 March 2002; “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining, 12 September 2001, pp. 7-8.
[18] Boris Golovanov, “Frontier situation,” Vechernii Bishkek (Evening Bishkek), 21 February 2002.
[19] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 888-889.
[20] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, pp. 7-8.
[21] Ibid., p. 8.
[22] Ibid., p. 10.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Boris Golovanov, “Frontier situation,” Vechernii Bishkek, 21 February 2002.
[25] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 10.
[26] Ibid., p. 8.
[27] Boris Golovanov, “Frontier situation,” Vechernii Bishkek, 21 February 2002.
[28] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 8.
[29] Ibid., pp. 1-4.
[30] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 888.
[31] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 8.
[32] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 889.
[33] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, pp. 9-10.
[34] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 889.
[35] The cost was low because the funds were spent on gasoline only. Interview with Colonel Izbasarov, Ministry of Defense, Bishkek, 9 February 2002.
[36] Interview with Colonel Izbasarov, Ministry of Defense, Bishkek, 9 February 2002.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Boris Golovanov, “Frontier situation,” Vechernii Bishkek, 21 February 2002.
[39] Interview with Marat Usupov, Head of International Security Strategic and Juridical Problems, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bishkek, 4 February 2002.
[40] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 10.
[41] Interview with Colonel Chekirbaev Meimankan, Head of Civil Defense Department, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Kyrgyzstan, 17 March 2002.
[42] Interview with Abdirahmanov Abdimazhit, deputy chief of Batken oblast administration, Kyrgyzstan, 17 March 2002.
[43] Both the Deputy Minister in Bishkek and the Colonel in Batken responsible for the implementation of mine awareness at the local level expressed a desire to receive technical and material assistance from UNICEF. “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 12.
[44] Andrei Tokombaev, “There Are No Good Mines,” Vechernii Bishkek, 3 January 2002.
[45] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 890-891.
[46] Information provided by Colonel Izbasarov, Ministry of Defense, 9 February 2002.
[47] Ramazan Dyryldaev, “Citizen of Kyrgyzstan perished from the mine explosion at the border,” Press release by the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights in Exile, 26 April 2001, available at: www.eurasianet.org/resource/kyrgyzstan/hypermail/200104/0074.html.
[48] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 890.
[49] Svetlana Lokteva, “Tragedy in Batken,” Vechernii Bishkek, 29 August 2001.
[50] Oibek Khamidov, “Teenager blown up,” Vechernii Bishkek, 13 March 2002; Interview with Anarbaev Abdysamin, Head of Batken central regional hospital, 18 March 2002; Azamat Kasybekov, Vecherniy Bishkek, 4 June 2002.
[51] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, pp. 11-12.
[52] “Mine Awareness and Advocacy Mission to Central Asia, A Report for UNICEF,” GICHD, 12 September 2001, p. 12.
