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Key developments since May 2001: In January 2002, the government hosted a regional seminar on the Mine Ban Treaty in North Africa. The Army destroyed 1,000 stockpiled antipersonnel mines as part of the event. Tunisia has not submitted Article 7 Reports in 2001 or 2002.
Tunisia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1999, ratified on 9 July 1999, and the treaty entered into force for it on 1 January 2000. Tunisia has not passed any domestic legislation implementing the treaty. In January 2002, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told Landmine Monitor that existing penal laws are sufficient to respond to any violation of the Mine Ban Treaty.[1] Last year, several Tunisian officials had indicated that national implementation legislation was being prepared.[2]
Tunisia did not attend the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Nicaragua in September 2001 due to travel problems after the events of 11 September.[3] Tunisia cosponsored and voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 56/24M in November 2001, promoting the Mine Ban Treaty. Representatives from the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs participated in meetings of the intersessional Standing Committees in January and May 2002.
From 15-16 January 2002, Tunisia hosted, with the support of Canada, the Regional Seminar on the Ottawa Convention in North Africa. Representatives from Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, nine donor countries, UNMAS, UNDP, ICRC, ICBL and others attended the seminar. At the opening of the seminar, the Deputy Minister of Defense, Mohamed Chokri Ayachi, noted the effects of mines and UXO on development in the region and the importance of socio-economic integration for mine victims by developing the areas where they live.[4]
Tunisia submitted its initial Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency report on 9 July 2000, but has not yet submitted the required annual updated reports due 30 April 2001 and 30 April 2002. Tunisian officials noted that the Tunisian Mission to the UN in New York had received guidance for submitting a report in 2001, but for unknown reasons did not do so. The same officials stated that the annual report would be submitted in 2002.[5]
Tunisia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its original Protocol II, but has not ratified Amended Protocol II on landmines. It attended the convention’s second review conference in December 2001. Tunisian officials state that adoption of Amended Protocol II and Protocol IV (Blinding Lasers) is under active consideration and there are no military objections to these agreements.[6]
Tunisia has never produced antipersonnel landmines and has not exported or imported antipersonnel mines since joining the Mine Ban Treaty. According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, Tunisia does not produce or conduct research on any munitions that may function like an antipersonnel mines and pose dangers to civilians.[7]
Tunisia declared a stockpile of 17,575 antipersonnel mines in its July 2000 Article 7 Report and indicated that it plans to retain 5,000 mines for research and training activities permitted by Article 3 of the treaty.[8] The 5,000 mines retained are additional to the 17,575 mines that will be destroyed.[9]
On 12 January 2002, Tunisia destroyed 1,000 antipersonnel mines as part of its national stockpile destruction plan. This was the first destruction since 30 June 1999. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for the storage and security of the stockpile and for implementation of the national stockpile destruction program, which is scheduled for completion by 1 January 2004, the treaty mandated deadline.
Tunisia informed States Parties in May 2002 that it does not envision any problems, technical or other, in meeting the deadline.[10] Two Tunisian officers were slated to participate in the stockpile destruction training course in Switzerland in June 2002.[11]
Tunisian territory was mined during World War Two, but officials state that the impact of the mined areas is “low” and mine incidents are rare.[12] Tunisian officials claim that mined areas are marked and mapped, and civilians do not use these areas because they are remote.[13] No in-depth assessment or survey of the landmine problem in Tunisia has been undertaken.[14]
Tunisia’s Article 7 Report indicates that mines were also laid in 1976 and 1980 in five areas, containing a total of 3,526 antipersonnel mines and 1,530 antivehicle mines.[15] Three areas are located in the desert regions in the far south near the Libyan border at Borj El Khadra, M’Chiguig, and Ras Jedir (the border post between Tunisia, Algeria and Libya). A fourth area is Bir Zar on the Libyan border. The fifth mined area identified as M’Guisem is located in the southeast on the Libyan border.[16] In addition to these mined areas, local residents often find mines or unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from World War Two in various locations.[17]
There is no national agency responsible for coordinating mine action in Tunisia and the Tunisian Army is the only institution authorized to engage in mine clearance. Funding for mine action comes from the budget for the Ministry of Defense.[18] The Tunisian Military Academy is responsible for training military personnel in mine clearance.[19]
Mine clearance operations take place systematically before the beginning of any civil project in a suspected mined area. A Ministry of Defense official described several difficulties encountered in mine clearance operations in a presentation to the regional seminar held in January 2002, including the absence of minefield maps, various kinds of soils, difficulties of mine detection, mines laid a long time ago, and high costs.[20]
There is not a coordinated national plan for educating the public about the risks of mines. Military schools (lycee militares) have responsibility for mine risk education training in cities. The National Guard has a similar responsibility in rural areas.
No new landmine casualties were reported in 2001 or in the first quarter of 2002.[21] However, in May 2001, a child lost his hand in a UXO incident while he was grazing sheep. In another reported incident in March 2002, two children were injured while they were grazing sheep in an area outside of Qiuroan City, in north Tunisia; one child lost a hand and received serious facial injuries and the other child received serious chest and stomach injuries.[22] In April 2001, Tunisian officials provided Landmine Monitor with a document indicating that no new mine casualties had been registered since 1996.[23] Tunisian authorities registered three mine and UXO casualties from 1991-1996.
The Ministry of Disabled Affairs is responsible for the care of all disabled people in Tunisia, including landmine/UXO survivors. Assistance includes finding employment, pensions and compensation, and also credit facilities to establish small businesses. The Center for Professional Rehabilitation (Centre de Réadaption Professionnelle des Handicapés Moteurs et des Accidentés de la Vie) offers physical rehabilitation for all disabled people.[24]
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[1] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Chef of Department, General Direction of International Organizations and Conferences, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002. The laws cited by Tunisia are: law number 33/1969 issued in 12 June 1969, and order number 60/1970 issued on 21 January 1970, both regarding the production, transfer, stockpiling, and possession of weapons; and law number 63/1996 issued on 15 July 1996 on the conditions of manufacture, export, transfer, stockpile, use, and trade of explosive elements for civilian purposes. See Tunisia, Article 7 Report, Form A, submitted 9 July 2001, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2000.
[2] Interviews with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Social Affairs, Tunis, 25 April 2001. These included four representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, two from Ministry of Defense, and two from Ministry of Social Affairs.
[3] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002, and follow-up telephone interview, 29 April 2002.
[4] Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Regional Seminar on the Ottawa Convention in North Africa, Tunis, January 15-16, 2002: Final Report on Proceedings,” p. 2.
[5] Statements by Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to Landmine Monitor researcher, Tunis, 16 January 2002.
[6] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Article 7 Report, Forms B and D, 9 July 2000. For the types of stockpiled and retained mines see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 984-984.
[9] For example, Tunisia declared a stockpile of 3,550 PMA-3 mines to be destroyed, and a total of 4,000 PMA-3 mines to be retained. Article 7 Report, Forms B and D, 9 July 2000. This was also confirmed in an interview with Lt. Col. Moustafa Moussa, Ministry of Defense, in Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[10] Intervention de la Tunisie sur Le point relatif a la destruction du stock, to the Intersessional Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 30 May 2002.
[11] Interview with Lt. Col. Moustafa Moussa, Ministry of Defense, in Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[12] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Interview with Colonel Nouri Ben Taous, Ministry of Defense, Tunis, 16 January 2002; Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
[15] Article 7 Report, Form C, 9 July 2000.
[16] Interview with Lt. Col. Moustafa Moussa, Ministry of Defense, in Geneva, 29 May 2002.
[17] Interviews with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Social Affairs, Tunis, 25 April 2001.
[18] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
[19] Interview with Colonel Nouri Ben Taous, Ministry of Defense, Tunis, 16 January 2002; Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
[20] Intervention by Colonel Nouri Ben Taous, Ministry of Defense, Tunis, 16 January 2002 (notes taken by researcher).
[21] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
[22] Interview with Lt. Colonel Moustafa Moussa, Ministry of Defense, Geneva 29 May 2002.
[23] Document provided to Landmine Monitor by Tunisian authorities on 25 April 2001.
[24] Interview with Zied Bouzouita, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tunis, 21 January 2002.
