Key developments since May 2005: In May 2006, the UN arms embargo monitoring group reported that the government of Eritrea had delivered 1,000 antipersonnel mines to militant fundamentalists in Somalia. Eritrea denied the claims as “baseless and unfounded” and labeled the report as “outrageous and regrettable.” In October 2005, Eritrea reported that it no longer retains any live mines for training purposes. Eritrea has not reported any national measures to implement the Mine Ban Treaty, as required by Article 9. Eritrea ended the UN mine action capacity-building program that was suspended in mid-2005 following government seizure of demining vehicles. In October 2005, the UN suspended mine clearance adjacent to the Temporary Security Zone when Eritrea banned UN helicopter flights (needed for medical evacuation during demining). Eritrean demining teams cleared almost 2.2 square kilometers of land in 2005. Over 129,000 people received mine risk education, including safety briefings for 3,433 UN peacekeepers, staff and NGO workers. There were 68 recorded new casualties from mines and unexploded ordnance, a significant increase from 2004.
Eritrea acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 27 August 2001, and it entered into force for the country on 1 February 2002. Eritrea has not enacted domestic legislation or reported any new national measures to implement the Mine Ban Treaty, as required by Article 9.[1]
As of 1 July, Eritrea had not submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report due by 30 April 2006.[2] It submitted three reports previously.[3]
Eritrea participated in the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005 and made a statement on its mine action activities and plans.[4] Eritrea attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2005, but did not attend the Standing Committee meetings in May 2006.
Eritrea has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties have had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3. Thus, Eritrea has not made known its views on issues related to joint military operations with non-States Parties, mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.
In May 2006, the UN group monitoring the arms embargo on Somalia reported that the government of Eritrea transferred 1,000 antipersonnel mines to “militant fundamentalists” in Somalia on or around 5 March 2006.[5] Eritrea denied the claims as “baseless and unfounded,” and labeled the report as “outrageous and regrettable.”[6] An earlier October 2005 report from the UN monitoring group stated that between 25 March and 10 April 2005, Sheik Yusuf Indohaadde, an opponent to the Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG), received two shipments of arms, including mines, from a neighboring state which sought to counter Ethiopian support for the TFG; it did not specify antipersonnel or antivehicle mines.[7] The May 2006 report identified the “neighboring state” as Eritrea.[8]
Eritrea has stated that it never produced or exported antipersonnel mines, and that all the mines used in past conflicts were obtained from Ethiopian forces (either from minefields or storage facilities) during the 1962-1991 war of independence.[9]
In all its Article 7 reports, Eritrea has indicated that it no longer has a stockpile of antipersonnel mines.[10] In February 2006, an official confirmed that Eritrea no longer has any stockpiled antipersonnel mines.[11] Eritrea’s treaty-mandated deadline for destroying any stocks of antipersonnel mines was 1 February 2006.
In its October 2005 report, Eritrea indicated that it no longer retains any live mines for training purposes; it only lists nine inert mines.[12] Previously, it reported that the Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA) retained 214 mines at the National Training Center, including 88 live mines and the rest inert.[13] Eritrea did not explain the change in numbers and did report on the destruction of the retained mines.
There have been no reports of new use of antipersonnel mines since the end of the 1998-2000 war. However, each year since 2003 there have been incidents caused by newly laid antivehicle mines in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) separating Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC). The UN and the EDA have said they do not know who has planted the mines.[14]
According to UN reports, during the last four months of 2005, five people were killed and 22 injured by newly laid antivehicle mines in two incidents in Sector West of the TSZ.[15] In January and February 2006, there were five incidents involving newly laid mines in Sector West and Sector Center of the TSZ, resulting in an unknown number of casualties.[16] The MACC received a report of an antivehicle mine incident that occurred on 22 May 2006 in the Omhajer area in Sector West. One person was killed and another injured. The victims reportedly tampered with the explosive item.[17]
Previously, the UN reported 15 antivehicle incidents in the TSZ caused by newly laid mines in 2003, two incidents in 2004, and four incidents in March and April 2005.[18]
Eritrea is affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), largely as the result of the country’s long struggle for independence (1962-1991) and its border war with Ethiopia (1998-2000). The Eritrea Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), completed in June 2004, identified 914 suspected hazardous areas covering an area of approximately 129 square kilometers of land.[19]
The LIS indicated that 481 of 4,176 communities, with a combined population of 655,000 people, were socially and economically affected by mines and UXO. Hardest hit were rural inhabitants, nomadic people, internally displaced persons (IDPs), landmine survivors and refugees. The problem is nationwide, with areas in the north of the country and the highlands equally as affected as those in the TSZ.[20] The mine problem in the TSZ has been aggravated by continued use of antivehicle mines.
National Mine Action Authority: The Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA), established in 2002 after a major government restructuring of mine action, is responsible for countrywide policy, planning and coordination of mine action, and has committed itself to operating within International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). It is not responsible for mine action in direct support of the UNMEE peacekeeping mission and the Eritrean-Ethiopian Border Commission.[21]
Mine Action Center: There is no national mine action center responsible for operational coordination of mine action activities. Eritrean Demining Operations (EDO) is a national mine action implementing agency, functioning under the coordination of the EDA.[22] The UNMEE MACC was established in August 2000, following the cessation of hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia, with a mandate to provide demining support to the UNMEE peacekeeping mission in the TSZ.[23]
The UN-supported mine action capacity-building program ended in mid-2005 at the request of the government, which claimed that the program was no longer necessary; the program had previously been suspended by the UN following the impounding of mine action vehicles by government authorities.[24] As a result, UN technical advisors for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), victim assistance, information management and medical coordination left the country during the course of 2005. The EDA deputy general manager told Landmine Monitor in February 2006 that “there may have been some disruption initially in our program but we are fully capable of managing our entire mine action program independently.”[25] It is not known to what extent others agree with this appraisal.
Proclamation 123/2002, issued by the government of Eritrea in July 2002, is the current legislative basis for mine action in the country. It restructured mine action by establishing the EDA and was followed by instructions to all international mine clearance organizations to cease operations (two were subsequently allowed to remain, but one of these was asked to leave less than a year later).[26]
The government of Eritrea has indicated a desire for national ownership of mine action. The vision from 2005 to 2010 within the Eritrean national mine action strategy is, “An Eritrea with a physical environment that will permit free movement, uninhibited development and poverty reduction initiatives; where victims are assisted and integrated into society, and no new victims are occurring due to mines and UXO.”[27]
The strategic mine action objectives for the Eritrean program included: technical survey, clearance, marking, and mine risk education to permit the return of 50,000 IDPs and refugees by the end of 2006; and mine clearance, marking and integrated mine risk education and victim assistance in the remaining high- and medium- impact communities by the end of 2010.[28]
The objectives to be attained by the end of 2006 included the following:
Given the hiatus in demining following the suspension and then ending of UN support to the program, it is not clear whether the short- or medium-term objectives can be met. However, demining equipment was exempted from the US suspension of defense export licenses to Eritrea, which became effective on 12 September 2005.[30]
For the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the priorities for mine action in 2006 in the TSZ were to ensure the safe movement of peacekeepers with UNMEE and humanitarian personnel working in the TSZ, and to improve the safety of IDPs and refugees returning to the TSZ and increase availability of productive land.[31]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Eritrea must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 February 2012. Eritrea has made no recent declarations of intent to meet the deadline; it did not attend the Standing Committee meetings in May 2006 and had not submitted its Article 7 report for 2005 to the UN as of early July 2006.
Two evaluations of mine action in Eritrea have been carried out. In early May 2006, UNMAS and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) personnel evaluated the mine action program.[32] An evaluation of demining under the auspices of the UNMEE MACC in Eritrea was conducted in 2004 and completed in July 2005 by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining. It concluded that the MACC had made important achievements but several structural and organizational factors had prevented effective coordination of mine action.[33]
Operations were carried out in 2005-2006 by Eritrean teams under the supervision of the US commercial company RONCO,[34] the civilian contractor Mechem, and UNMEE demining contingents. Mechem had two teams, one for route clearance (mechanical route survey and manual clearance), and one for integrated demining (mine detection dogs, instructors and mechanical capacity). In 2005 and early 2006, Mechem’s integrated demining trainers provided mechanical demining equipment and mine detection dog (MDD)-handler training to the UNMEE force’s Kenyan engineering/demining company.[35]
On 6 August 2005, the 107-member Kenyan demining contingent of UNMEE was awarded the UN Peacekeeping Medal. Initially, the company conducted manual landmine clearance but gradually expanded its demining operations, in coordination with the MACC and with assistance from Mechem, to include integrated demining using both mine detection dogs and machine flails. The Kenyan force was also cited for their “harmonious relationship with the local population as well as with the civilian partner” by the UNMEE Force Commander, Major-General Rajender Singh.[36]
On 5 October 2005, UNMEE suspended all demining activities following Eritrea’s ban on UNMEE helicopter flights, “which are critical for casualty evacuation procedures for any deminers. However, following the implementation of alternative casualty evacuation (casevac) procedures, sound demining operations recommenced in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas on 14 November 2005.”[37]
The LIS, completed in June 2004, identified 914 suspected hazardous areas and 113 UXO-contaminated sites. Eritrea reported previously that technical survey was planned to start in late 2004, as follow-up to the LIS.[38] No survey activities have been reported subsequently.
There have been no reports indicating that the treaty obligation to perimeter-mark, monitor and fence mined areas, “to ensure the effective exclusion of civilians,” has been achieved in Eritrea.
The full results of clearance operations in 2005 have not been reported.
Eritrean demining teams cleared 2,185,779 square meters of land in 2005 in Shilalo and Keren, under RONCO supervision. The teams conducted clearance in agricultural, grazing and housing areas in the villages of Adi Hakin and Grat Mariam. Upon moving the base camp from the Shilalo region to Keren in August 2005, the teams began work in areas of future construction of a highway to Asmara. From January to April 2006, 579,946 square meters of land were cleared in the Jaffa, Melebso and Keren areas.[39]
RONCO’s support to the Eritrean Humanitarian Mine Action Program in 2005-2006 included technical advice and supervision of three companies of Eritrean deminers and a total of 15 mine detection dog teams (provided by RONCO in 2004). RONCO reports that its two technical advisors in Eritrea “have reinforced techniques and procedures in manual and integrated demining operations with MDDs through oversight, periodic refresher training, and mentoring on unexpected situations, problem-solving, etc.” RONCO also noted that its clearance in previous years has allowed significant numbers of IDPs to return to their homes and resume their normal activities.[40]
The UNMEE MACC continued to provide demining support to the UNMEE peacekeeping demining force in the TSZ in 2005, which consists of UN demining units from Kenya and Bangladesh operating primarily in the minefields of the Shilalo area. Shilalo is the major operational base for UNMEE MACC mine action in the TSZ; the MACC established a demining coordination center there. In September 2005, the Security Council adjusted UNMEE’s mandate to include humanitarian demining.[41] From September to the end of December 2005, UNMEE demining units, working with the commercial contractors on route clearance and other operations, destroyed 110 items of UXO, in addition to clearing 130,477 square meters of land and 70 kilometers of road.[42]
In 2006, UNMAS planned to continue supporting the mine action objectives of UNMEE through the MACC. The MACC was tasked to continue coordinating mine action in the TSZ, prioritize and implement mine action operations and plans, refine existing technical and safety standards and ensure they are disseminated and followed, and maintain a quality-assurance system for UNMEE clearance operators. The MACC would also operate regional coordination offices.[43]
Additionally, UNMAS planned―“depending on the political climate” ―to assist UNMEE’s mine action operations and coordinate route clearance and humanitarian demining. UNMAS, through the UNMEE MACC, would also deploy an explosive ordnance disposal team and two mine risk education teams.[44] It is not known if this occurred.
There are no reports of any demining casualties in Eritrea in 2005. In February 2006, two deminers were injured when a PMN mine exploded while a deminer was probing for it.[45] It is not known whether all deminers in Eritrea are insured.
Mine risk education (MRE) was provided by EDO and EDA teams; in the Temporary Security Zone. The UNMEE MACC teams also provide MRE.[46]
During 2005, 6 MRE teams (four people each) formerly under the EDO were absorbed into the EDA, and provided with UNICEF technical and financial support.[47] The EDO/EDA provided MRE to 96,762 recipients in three zobas (states): Northern Red Sea, Anseba and Maekel (all outside the TSZ) in 2005. In the TSZ, the UNMEE MACC provided MRE to approximately 28,895 people in 2005[48] and to 16,388 people from January to May 2006.[49] MRE is targeted and prioritized based on LIS data, particularly in areas outside the TSZ.[50] In 2005, the teams began contributing to the national database referral system for victim assistance. The EDO/EDA programs in 2005 were, for many people and communities, the first MRE in over 30 years.[51]
Monthly meetings with the Ministry of Education, the MACC, the EDA/EDO and local administrators are held to coordinate and monitor MRE objectives.[52] In 2005 direct coordination between the EDO/EDA MRE teams and the UNMEE MACC MRE teams continued. In one example, the UNMEE MACC MRE staff provided MRE community presentations at the request of EDO MRE staff in the town of Soira. Similarly, in Adi Quala, in the TSZ, the EDO/EDA identified communities in need of MRE, which they could not reach, and the UNMEE MACC provided MRE.[53]
Most of the MRE involves direct presentations in schools and communities, as well as teacher training. MRE teams are not involved in marking minefields.[54]
Between November 2005 and May 2006, training of trainers workshops were conducted for 243 elementary school teachers in Northern Red Sea, Anseba, Southern Red Sea and Maekel regions to strengthen the school-based MRE program. The teachersd then shared their MRE knowledge with 700 primary school teachers. An additional 10 MRE teams were deployed to the most affected areas.[55]
In June 2005, UNICEF distributed 81,600 posters and 27,800 leaflets for use by the EDA, the EDO, the Ministry of Education, Eritrean Red Cross Society, National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students and the UNMEE MACC MRE teams nationwide.[56]
In 2005 and the first half of 2006, the UNMEE MACC continued to operate three MRE teams in the TSZ. The teams are responsible for providing landmine and UXO safety briefings to all UNMEE staff, military contingents and force assets, as well as providing MRE to civilians and communities within the MACC operational area in the TSZ. The teams are under the overall direction of the UNMEE MACC MRE coordinator, who is an Eritrean landmine survivor. Each team consists of three people including a female facilitator; the UNMEE MACC commented that, “It has been demonstrated that female facilitators are more effective with younger people especially the children ... also ensuring culturally appropriate and gender sensitive forms of MRE.”[57]
MACC field teams concentrated their activity in the most heavily affected areas of the TSZ, especially in the areas near Shilalo and Tsorena, using direct presentations, printed material, posters, school presentations and games adapted to include MRE messages. Print and video materials are available in the six most commonly-spoken languages.[58] In 2006, efforts continued with a focus on MRE for returning IDPs; by June, MRE had been conducted in the Shambiko area in Sector West and Senafe in Sector Center.[59]
When by mid-2005, UNICEF lacked the capacity to provide safety training for the UN country team and for NGO workers, the MACC took over this role.[60] During 2005, 28,895 civilians in the TSZ received MRE from the UNMEE MACC teams in the TSZ. Of these 17,879 were men, 11,016 were women and 15,372 were children under 18 years. Safety training was also provided to 3,433 UNMEE staff and others working in an official capacity in the TSZ.[61] Briefings are mandatory and refresher briefings are undertaken regularly.
Due to recurring mine incidents in the TSZ, on 6 February 2006, the MACC recommended special safety procedures for traveling on roads in the TSZ.[62]
A community-based MRE approach involving volunteers was initiated in early 2005 by UNICEF.[63] UNICEF also supported the establishment of 127 school MRE clubs to provide child-to-child activities.[64]
In 2005, US$4,853,714 was contributed by six donor countries for mine action in Eritrea, similar to the amount in 2004 ($4,947,052 from eight countries and the European Commission). From 2002 to 2004, mine action funding to Eritrea decreased.[65]
Donors in 2005 were:
Switzerland reported an uncosted in-kind contribution of two defense personnel to UNMAS in 2005.[72]
The government of Eritrea contributes to national salaries of the EDA and EDO; total available government funds for the period 2002-2006 amounted to $2,326,800.[73]
In 2005, the UNMEE MACC recorded 68 new mine/UXO casualties, including 16 people killed and 52 injured, in 28 incidents in the TSZ. Twenty-three casualties were children under 18 years of age and 13 were women.[74] Nine incidents involved antivehicle mines and 15 involved UXO; the type of device in four incidents was unknown. Of the 28 incidents, 18 occurred in Gash Barka state and eight in Debub state of the TSZ.[75] Most casualties occurred while traveling or driving (31), tampering (nine) and tending animals (four).[76] More than twice the number of new casualties was recorded in 2005 compared to 2004 (30 new casualties; 13 killed and 17 injured). The increase in casualties was due in part to a single incident rather than large population movements: a civilian bus hit a reportedly newly laid antivehicle mine on 1 October, causing 20 casualties (one killed and 19 injured). There was a significant decrease in casualties in 2004, attributed to the success of mine action.[77]
In Sudan, one Eritrean child was killed and another severely injured while handling a landmine near a refugee camp in Gadaref state, on 28 April 2005.[78]
Casualties continued to be reported by the UNMEE MACC in 2006. As of 6 June, 19 new mine/UXO casualties were recorded (four killed and 15 injured; at least seven were children).[79] On 19 January, two children, who were tampering with UXO, were slightly injured in Meshal area (Sector Center). On 28 January, two boys were killed and one injured near the village of Ksad Ekka (Sector Center), while tampering with UXO.[80] Preliminary investigation by UNMEE determined that the device was either a grenade or a cluster munition.[81] Near the village of Shambiko (Sector West) a civilian truck hit an antivehicle mine on 31 January; the driver was killed and five passengers were injured.[82] On 3 February, a military truck hit an antivehicle mine near Tselim Ruesu village in Sector West; two passengers were injured. The road was frequently used by civilian and UN personnel; preliminary investigation concluded that the mine was newly laid.[83] On 4 February, two people were injured by an antivehicle mine in Mukuti area, Shilalo region (Sector West).[84] On 20 March, a boy from Adi Hakin village was injured while tampering with UXO in an area known as Ella Sheriff (West Sector).[85] On 11 May, a boy was involved in a mine incident near Berqanene village in Tsorena (Sector Center).[86]
There are few, if any, mine incident and casualty reporting mechanisms outside the TSZ.[87] Casualties recorded by the UNMEE MACC in the TSZ do not reflect the total number of landmine casualties in Eritrea. Casualty data in the TSZ is reported primarily by military observers, the UNMEE MACC staff, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), or other NGOs in the field, but rarely by farmers or local administrators. The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) has been installed at the EDA; the UNMEE MACC planned to refine IMSMA data collection to include antivehicle mine incidents related to new mine use, to assist agencies in peacekeeping missions and in providing humanitarian aid.[88] The government reported that an interactive database was under development to monitor the reintegration of landmine survivors.[89]
The EDA reported that 140 fatal casualties, mainly children, have been recorded since 2000; however, the actual figure might be higher.[90]
The LIS presents the most comprehensive data on landmine casualties in Eritrea. It identified a total of 4,934 mine casualties, including 2,436 people killed and 2,498 injured.[91]
A national survey on disability, which started in 2004 and was completed at the end of 2005, concluded that there are approximately 150,000 people with disabilities in Eritrea of whom approximately 84,000 are known landmine survivors, making landmines the most important cause of physical disability in the country. However, officials stated that the actual number of mine survivors is likely to be higher.[92]
At the First Review Conference in November-December 2004, Eritrea was identified as one of 24 States Parties with significant numbers of mine survivors, and with “the greatest responsibility to act, but also the greatest needs and expectations for assistance” in providing adequate services for the care, rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors.[93] Eritrea prepared its 2005-2009 objectives for the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005. The objectives include: develop nationwide indicators and a surveillance system to initiate expansion of assistance programs based on data; reduce mortality rates by staff training, and by infrastructure, equipment and supply improvement; strengthen the rehabilitation referral system while linking mobile assessment units to community-based rehabilitation and physiotherapy to orthopedic services, and provide patient accommodation, adapted mobility devises, sufficient raw materials and information to assist 80 percent of known recent survivors; decentralize mental health services and establish structures to monitor psychosocial reintegration; advocate for inclusive education and adapted teacher training to accommodate children with disabilities; develop and monitor affirmative reintegration action to include people with disabilities in vocational training, university and employment, and provide seed money loans to 1,800 people with disabilities; and formulate and implement national disability legislation in line with the draft Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Promotion and Protection of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, and reduce stigma and lack of accessibility.[94]
Eritrea participated in the Workshop on Advancing Landmine Victim Assistance in Africa, in Nairobi on 31 May-2 June 2005; the workshop aimed to help States Parties fulfill the Nairobi Action Plan’s victim assistance aims.
Information on victim assistance was not included in the Article 7 report submitted by Eritrea on 13 October 2005. Eritrea did not provide updated information on progress in achieving its 2005-2009 objectives to the Standing Committee meetings in May 2006. However, the Director General of Social Welfare told Landmine Monitor that Eritrea is fully committed to achieving each objective based on the Nairobi Action Plan.[95] Eritrea intends to link survivor assistance with its Millennium Development Goals until 2015.[96]
The Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare (MLHW) is responsible for providing assistance to people with disabilities, including landmine survivors. It administers a community-based rehabilitation program through the Department of Social Affairs. In 2005, the program operated in 25 sub-regions (about 46 percent of the country), but not in all mine-affected communities.[97] This represented a slight increase in geographical coverage compared to 2004.
The UN capacity-building program for mine action in Eritrea included a mandate for survivor assistance; it worked with the government to strengthen the national capacity to provide adequate assistance to mine survivors.[98] In late 2004, the capacity-building program established the nation’s first national database for people with disabilities, including mine survivors, in collaboration with the MLHW. As of February 2006, the database had recorded around 150,000 people with disabilities.[99]
Decades of armed conflict in Eritrea contributed to the inability of the healthcare infrastructure to adequately assist the large number of war-disabled, including mine casualties. Mine incidents usually occur long distances from regional health centers and there is a lack of transport; many casualties are carried on foot for long distances to reach medical care. Reportedly, nearly half of the landmine casualties die before reaching medical care. Medical facilities often lack medicines and supplies. Access to post-emergency care and ongoing rehabilitative services remain extremely limited; for rural populations this is often nonexistent. Poverty further limits access to follow-up and ongoing care.[100]
The UN capacity-building program for mine action in Eritrea included a mandate for survivor assistance; it worked with the government to help strengthen the national capacity to provide adequate assistance to mine survivors.[101] In late 2004, the capacity-building program established the nation’s first national database for people with disabilities, including mine survivors, in collaboration with the MLHW. As of February 2006, the database had recorded around 150,000 people with disabilities.[102]
In 2005, the UNMEE MACC provided six trauma first-aid workshops focusing on mine trauma to UNMEE and the UNMEE MACC staff as well as other organizations involved in mine action in Asmara. The workshops were organized free of charge upon request for those interested. The UNMEE MACC also provides a two-day trauma assistance course for staff in the field, which dealt with topics such as HIV/AIDS, nutrition and crisis intervention education. Refresher courses are provided periodically. All the UNMEE MACC field staff undergoes a first aid test before deployment.[103]
Since 2000, UNMEE maintained a medical evacuation system in the TSZ, including 24-hour medical evacuation teams carrying out helicopter evacuations in the event of life-threatening mine incidents. There have been 40 helicopter evacuations since 2000; many involved Eritrean civilians, including children. [104] The October 2005 government ban on UN helicopter flights removed this facility. The MLHW stated, “the helicopters are not necessary for medical evacuations. There are capable medical facilities throughout Eritrea which are accessible for emergencies.”[105]
Physical rehabilitation services are available in three centers in Asmara, Keren and Assab, and through a mobile unit in rural areas; a referral system was under development. In May 2005, the government CBR program, in cooperation with UN Development Programme (UNDP), organized referral training for MRE staff from the EDA, EDO, UNMEE MACC and the National Red Cross, so that the teams could inform mine survivors in the communities they visited about the available physical rehabilitation services.[106] There is a lack of raw materials and safe accommodation, which means that there are long waiting lists.[107] The orthopedic workshops employ 35 orthopedic technicians, many of them landmine survivors. There are only five technicians in the country trained to manufacture wheelchairs.[108] There is also a need to improve the quality of production as many mobility devices provided in Eritrea are reportedly substandard.[109]
The CBR program distributes prosthetic and orthopedic devices, mostly through the administration of the orthopedic workshops in Asmara (Maekel), Keren and Assab. In 2005, it provided 2,429 orthopedic and prosthetic devices nationwide. Services are free of charge for all current and former soldiers. However, the small number of people with adequate financial resources is required to pay for their care.[110]
In 2004, the Maekel National Prosthetic and Orthopedic Center became operational. It includes an orthopedic workshop, production facilities for prosthetic and orthopedic components, wheelchair manufacturing and kitchen facilities. In 2005, a residential wing was opened with the capacity for about 12 people. The center assists about 75-80 people per week; 87 percent are landmine survivors. Construction of a physiotherapy department and training unit was completed by the end of 2005.[111]
In Keren Hospital, trained trauma surgeons, who cooperate with the Keren Orthopedic Workshop to assess patients’ needs, are available. The workshop assists people from Gash Barka, Anseba and Northern Red Sea state, where most people do not have access to emergency and rehabilitative care. Reportedly, there are 8,870 people in need of prosthetic devices in Anseba state alone. Most of the center’s patients are assessed at the community level and are then referred to the workshop. In 2005, the Keren workshop began providing overnight residence for patients, ranging from a few days to one month. In 2005, it assisted 923 people with disabilities, including 781 landmine survivors (35 of whom were injured in 2005); 125 were under 18 years.[112] The workshop lacks materials such as polyester resin and components. Six of the 10 technicians working at the center are mine survivors, as is the director.[113]
Access to care for landmine survivors from rural areas is one of the biggest obstacles in providing survivor assistance in Eritrea. In January 2005, the CBR program deployed a mobile orthopedic workshop to visit remote rural areas.[114]
Discrimination against people with disability is said to be “extreme.”[115] This is a priority area for the CBR program, as it hinders reintegration and can lead to abandonment, particularly of female survivors.[116] The CBR program trained 500 people to provide basic counseling support for people with disabilities. Another 1,120 volunteers are trained in basic skills in counseling, mobility and physiotherapy, and can provide referrals to other services. Peer-to-peer support training is also encouraged.[117] The CBR program has also trained community members in reporting and administering various aspects of disability support, including awareness-raising.[118]
The CBR program also oversees the Eritrean Sports Federation for Persons with Disabilities, where opportunities for basketball, volleyball, and other team sports are provided.[119]
There are limited opportunities for vocational training and income-generation activities for mine survivors. Vocational training focuses on demobilized soldiers; micro-financing schemes sometimes consider people with disabilities as too much of a liability. However, the CBR program includes income-generation and sustainable livelihood programs. Affirmative action in the CBR areas causes people with disabilities to sometimes get preference in employment over a person without disability.[120] Reportedly, 621 people with disabilities have obtained jobs in rural areas and a total 12,839 people with disabilities have received some sort of community-based assistance, including land, micro-credit or direct material assistance. The government considers 8,500 people with disabilities to be “rehabilitated” in physical, economic and social terms.[121]
In Kuasien, one of the most mine-affected villages in Eritrea, the community agreed to grant the best farmland to landmine survivors who have reached 18 years of age. All other residents receive land when aged 30 years.[122]
The Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare and UNDP implement the Seed Money Loan Project, which provides training and follow-up support. The project assists vulnerable people, including mine survivors, to access greater social participation, empowerment and dignity in their communities.[123] The pilot program was successfully completed and a donor has been identified to expand the program.[124] In 2005, the project assisted 641 people with disabilities.[125]
The Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare and UNDP also implement the Donkeys for School Project, which aims to help disabled children access education in rural areas. In 2005, the CBR program provided 1,500 donkeys throughout Eritrea, benefiting over 2,000 children.[126]
By mid-2006, no progress had been reported on development of the long-awaited, revised national disability policy, placed on hold in 2005.[127]
The Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare is responsible for assistance to people with disabilities, including landmine survivors; government policy is to provide assistance to all disabled people regardless of the cause of the disability. MLHW has endorsed the victim assistance strategic plan for 2002-2006: Direction to Establish a Model of Victim Support Utilizing Community Based Rehabilitation in Eritrea. The strategy includes all aspects of mine survivor assistance.[128]
The National Survey of Persons with Disabilities was completed in 2005, according to the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare. There are 150,000 records of people with disabilities in the database as of February 2006, of whom 84,000 mine survivors and 34,000 people younger than 18 years.[129] The database includes detailed psychological and social indicators.[130] National policy includes modification to school curriculum to include the special education needs of children with disabilities. In 2005, 3,200 children with disabilities received special education in public schools.[131]
People with disabilities, including mine survivors and war disabled, are involved in decision-making at the national and regional level.[132] Reportedly the government has allocated resources to assist and train people with physical disability as a result of independence war and the conflict with Ethiopia.[133]
[1] At a March 2004 regional landmine workshop, Eritrea said it planned to “take all the necessary measures to adopt implementing legislation,” but in May 2005, the deputy general manager of the Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA) told Landmine Monitor that he did not know if national legislation was being pursued. “Report and Recommendations,” Workshop on Landmines and the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines in East Africa, the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa Regions, Nairobi, 2-4 March 2004; interview with Habtom Seghid, Deputy General Manager, EDA, Asmara, 12 May 2005.
[2] The EDA deputy general manager told Landmine Monitor that submission of the reports is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of United Nations Affairs, but repeated requests by Landmine Monitor to meet with Foreign Ministry officials in Asmara have not been answered. Interview with Habtom Seghid, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[3] Eritrea submitted its initial Article 7 report on 3 September 2003, covering the period 1 February 2002 to 3 September 2003. It was due on 31 July 2002. It submitted an updated report on 4 December 2004, covering the period from 1 September 2003 to 31 August 2004. The UN submission date is 4 December, though the report itself is dated 15 September 2004. It submitted a third report on 13 October 2005, covering 1 September 2004 to 30 April 2005. The report itself is dated 15 September 2005.
[4] Statement by Habtom Seghid, EDA, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 29 November 2005.
[5] “Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia pursuant to Security Council resolution 1630 (2005),” S/2006/229, 4 May 2006, pp. 12-13. The report mentions Sheikh Abdisalan Ali Ibrahim as a military commander of the militant fundamentalists.
[6] Ibid, Annex III, p. 59.
[7] Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia pursuant to Security Council resolution 1587 (2005), S/2005/625, 4 October 2005, p.16.
[8] Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia pursuant to Security Council resolution 1630 (2005),” S/2006/229, 4 May 2006, p. 10.
[9] Article 7 Reports, Forms B and E, 3 September 2003, 4 December 2004 and 13 October 2005.
[10] Article 7 Reports, Form B, 3 September 2003, 4 December 2004 and 13 October 2005. Eritrea maintains that all of the approximately 450,000 mines it obtained from Ethiopia during the 1961-1991 war were subsequently laid during the 1998-2000 border conflict, except for those that were unusable, which were disposed of or destroyed. At the 28 January-1 February 2002 intersessional meetings, the Eritrean delegation claimed that 40,000 mines had been destroyed by the Eritrean Defense Force following the end of the liberation war. The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC) could not confirm this. See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 249. The UNMEE MACC estimated that Eritrea laid about 240,000 mines during the 1998-2000 conflict. Interview with Phil Lewis, Programme Manager, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 18 January 2002.
[11] Interview with Habtom Seghid, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[12] Article 7 Report, Form D, 13 October 2005. It lists one each of nine types: PMN, PMD-6, M-14, M-16, POMZ-2, PPM-2, PRB M-35, MON-100 and MON-50.
[13] Article 7 Reports, Form D, 3 September 2003 and 4 December 2004. In both reports, a total of 222 is cited, but the numbers for individual types of mines add to 214. The 2003 report cited 113 live mines (22 M-35, two M-69 and one M-2A2 were no longer listed as live in the 2004 report). The live antipersonnel mines retained include 12 PMN, 18 PMD-6, 53 POMZ-2, one MON-100 and four MON-200. The inert include a mix of PMN, PMD-6, M-16, PPM-2, OZM, MON-100, MON-200, M-14, M-35, M-69 and M-2A2 mines.
[14] Interviews with: Habtom Seghid, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006, Bob Kudyba, Operations Officer, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 20 February 2006, and Tedla Gebrehiwet, MRE Coordinator, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 23 February 2006. Ethiopia and Eritrea have accused each other of involvement in the incidents. The Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement/Islamic Salvation Movement (EIJM) apparently claimed responsibility for one of the incidents in 2003. Geneva Call, “Armed Non-State Actors and Landmines,” November 2005, p. 49.
[15] UN Security Council, “Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” S/2006/1, 3 January 2006,
para 35.
[16] UN Security Council, “Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” S/2006/140, 6 March 2006,
para 21.
[17] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 13 June 2006, www.unmeeonline.org.
[18] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 339.
[19] UN, “Country Profile: Eritrea,” www.mineaction.org, accessed 20 January 2006; UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 162, www.mineaction.org, accessed 13 July 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 339-340.
[20] UN, “Country Profile: Eritrea;” UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 162.
[21] Government of Eritrea, “A Proclamation to Establish the Eritrean Demining Authority, No. 123/2002,” Gazette of Eritrean Laws, Volume 11/2002, No. 4, 8 July 2002.
[22] Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 340.
[23] Email from Phil Lewis, UNMEE MACC, 20 May 2005.
[24] UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, pp. 162-163; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005,
p. 341.
[25] Interview with Habtom Seghid, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[26] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 341.
[27] UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 163; “Eritrea’s National Plan to Implement Article 5 of the Convention,” Article 7 Report, Form J, 4 December 2004.
[28] UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 163.
[29] Ibid, pp. 163-164.
[30] “Notices, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs: Suspension of Defense Export Licenses to Eritrea,” US Federal Register 11281, Vol. 71, No. 043, Washington DC, 6 March 2006.
[31] UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), “Appeal 2006,” New York, 9 December 2005, p. 24.
[32] UNMEE, “press briefing notes,” 4 May 2006. The results of evaluation were not known as of late June 2006.
[33] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 342.
[34] “Summary of RONCO Operations in Eritrea (2005-2006),” document provided in email from Stacey Smith, RONCO, Washington DC, 19 June 2006.
[35] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 1 February 2006, www.unmeeonline.org.
[36] Dorelyn Jose, “They’re deminers, officers, and gentlemen!,” UNMEE NEWS, September 2005, www.unmeeonline.org.
[37] UN, “Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” S/2006/1, 3 January 2006, para. 34, p. 8.
[38] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 342.
[39] “Summary of RONCO Operations in Eritrea (2005-2006),” document provided in email from Stacey Smith, RONCO, Washington DC, 19 June 2006.
[40] Ibid; email from Stacey Smith, RONCO, 12 July 2006.
[41] UNMAS, “Appeal 2006,” New York, 9 December 2005, p. 24.
[42] UN, “Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea,” S/2006/1, 3 January 2006, para. 35.
[43] UNMAS, “Appeal 2006,” New York, 9 December 2005, p. 24.
[44] Ibid.
[45] Email from H. Murphey McCloy Jr., Senior Demining Advisor, US Department of State, 19 July 2006.
[46] UNMEE MACC, www.unmeeonline.org, accessed 20 June 2006.
[47] Email from Ibrahim Andrew Sesay, Head, Child Protection Programme, UNICEF Eritrea, 19 July 2006.
[48] Interview with Tedla Gebrehiwet, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 22 February 2006; UNMAS, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 48, figure is a little lower - it states 23,668 beneficiaries from the MACC MRE teams.
[49] Email from Haben Yoseph, Programme/Training Officer Assistant, UNMEE MACC, 27 June 2006.
[50] Interview with Ghirmay T. Sembet, Director of Mine Risk Education, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[51] Interview with Tedla Gebrehiwet, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 22 February 2006.
[52] Interview with Ghirmay T. Sembet, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[53] Interview with Lt. Col. Muchai Kaburu, MRE Coordinator, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 22 February 2006.
[54] Interview with Ghirmay T. Sembet, EDA, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[55] Email from Ibrahim Andrew Sesay, UNICEF Eritrea, 19 July 2006.
[56] Telephone interview with Carl Howorth, Supply Officer, UNICEF, Asmara, 27 September 2005; email from Reuben McCarthy, Project Officer, Small Arms and Landmines Team, UNICEF, 13 July 2006; email from H. Murphey McCloy Jr., Department of State, 19 July 2006.
[57] Interview with Tedla Gebrehiwet, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 22 February 2006.
[58] Ibid.
[59] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 13 June 2006.
[60] UNMAS, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 47.
[61] UNMEE MACC, “Annual Performance Report for 2005-Mine Risk Education Cell,” Asmara, undated.
[62] Document provided by UNMEE MACC staff requesting anonymity, Asmara, 22 February 2006.
[63] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 344.
[64] Email from Reuben McCarthy, UNICEF, 13 July 2006.
[65] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 345-346; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 428-429.
[66] Germany Article 7 Report, Form J, 27 April 2006; Mine Action Investments database. Average exchange rate for 2005: €1 = US$1.2449. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[67] Ireland Article 7 Report, Form J, 21 April 2006; emails from Therese Healy, Department of Foreign Affairs, May 2006.
[68] Email from Annette A. Landell-Mills, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2006. Average exchange rate for 2005: US$1 = NOK6.4412. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[69] Sweden Article 7 Report, Form J, 2 May 2006; emails from Sara Brandt-Hansen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March-May 2006. Average exchange rate for 2005: US$1 = SEK7.4710. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[70] Email from Rémy Friedmann, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 April 2006. Average exchange rate for 2005: US$1 = CHF1.2459. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[71] USG Historical Chart containing data for FY 2005, by email from Angela L. Jeffries, Financial Management Specialist, US Department of State, 8 June 2006.
[72] Email from Rémy Friedmann, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 April 2006.
[73] Email from Paul Collinson, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP Mine Action Capacity Building Program (MACBP), Asmara, 29 August 2005; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 346.
[74] Email from the UNMEE MACC Information Section, Asmara, 7 June 2006.
[75] Incident summary extracted from IMSMA database, provided by UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 22 February 2006.
[76] Email from the UNMEE MACC Information Section, Asmara, 7 June 2006.
[77] Ibid; UNMAS, “Annual Report 2005,” New York, 2006, p. 48; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 346-347.
[78] Interview with Abdul Latif Matin, Operation Analyst, UNMAO, Sudan, 28 May 2005.
[79] Email from the UNMEE MACC Information Section, Asmara, 7 June 2006.
[80] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[81] UNMEE MACC, “Preliminary Investigation Report,” Asmara, 2 February 2006.
[82] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 9 February 2006.
[83] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[84] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 9 February 2006.
[85] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 31 March 2006.
[86] UNMEE MACC, “Weekly Update,” Asmara, 2 June 2006.
[87] For results of a Landmine Monitor visit in May 2005, see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 347.
[88] UNMAS, “Annual Report 2005,” New York, 2006, p. 48.
[89] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, “Victim Assistance objectives of the States Parties that have the responsibility for significant number of landmine survivors,” Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, p. 156.
[90] “EU to fund landmine clearance in Ethiopia,” Middle East Times (Addis Ababa), 4 April 2006.
[91] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 347; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 429-430.
[92] Interview with Habtom Sium, Director General of Social Welfare, Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare (MLHW), Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[93] UN, “Final Report, First Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,” Nairobi, 29 November-3 December 2004, APLC/CONF/2004/5, 9 February 2005, p. 33.
[94] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 156-160.
[95] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[96] Presentation by Eritrea, Workshop on Advancing Landmine Victim Assistance in Africa, Nairobi, 31 May-2 June 2005; Strategic Objective 4, “Eritrea’s National Plan to Implement Article 5 of the Convention,” Article 7 Report, Form J, 4 December 2004.
[97] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 431.
[98] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 348.
[99] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[100] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, p. 157.
[101] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 348.
[102] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[103] Interview with Hagossa Abraha, Medical Training Assistant, UNMEE MACC, Asmara, 16 February 2006.
[104] Helena Mulkerns, Public Affairs Officer, UNMEE, in UNMEE NEWS, November 2005, p. 10.
[105] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Keren, 21 February 2006.
[106] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 349.
[107] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 157-158.
[108] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[109] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 349; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 431-432.
[110] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[111] Ibid.
[112] Interview with Tesfalo Abraham, Director, Keren Orthopedic Workshop, Keren, 21 February 2006.
[113] Interview with Tefemaria Kidane, Supply Store Manager, Keren Orthopedic Workshop, Keren, 21 February 2006.
[114] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 349.
[115] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, p. 159.
[116] Interview with Jane Brouillette, Technical Advisor for Victim Support, UNDP, Asmara, 12 May 2005.
[117] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 158-159.
[118] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[119] Ibid.
[120] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 159-160.
[121] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[122] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 350.
[123] Standing Tall Australia and Mines Action Canada, “101 Great Ideas for the Socio-Economic Reintegration of Mine Survivors,” June 2005, p. 49.
[124] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 159-160.
[125] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[126] Ibid; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 350.
[127] Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 350.
[128] Interview with Jane Brouillette, UNDP, Asmara 13 May 2005; see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 433.
[129] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[130] Interview with Jane Brouillette, UNDP, Asmara 13 May 2005.
[131] Interview with Habtom Sium, MLHW, Asmara, 17 February 2006.
[132] “Final Report of the Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, p. 160.
[133] US Department of State, “Country Report on Human Right Practices – 2005: Eritrea,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.