Key developments since May 2005: A draft national implementation law has been submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers. The demining program was activated by the training and equipping of deminers in early 2006. By May 2006, Rwanda’s demining workforce had increased by 150 personnel. Mines Awareness Trust deployed three technical advisors in May 2006 to support the newly trained deminers. In 2005 and 2006, landmine casualties continued to increase despite incomplete data collection, reportedly due to economic necessity and a lack of mine risk education.
The Republic of Rwanda signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified it on 13 June 2000 and became a State Party on 1 December 2000. By presidential order of 24 December 1998, the treaty was incorporated into domestic law.[1] In June 2005, Rwanda said that a specific implementation law for the Mine Ban Treaty had been drafted and was awaiting final comment from the cabinet legal advisor at the Ministry of Justice.[2] In May 2006, a Ministry of Defense official informed Landmine Monitor that the draft law has been submitted to parliament.[3]
Rwanda submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report to the UN on 1 June 2006, covering the period April 2005 to April 2006.[4] It submitted four reports previously.[5]
Rwanda participated in the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005, but made no statements. Rwanda also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2005 and May 2006, and gave presentations on its mine action program at both meetings.
Rwanda told Landmine Monitor in May 2005 that it is “willing to engage” in discussions among States Parties on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty.[6] Rwanda has not in the past made known its views on issues related to assisting acts prohibited by the treaty, joint military operations with non-States Parties, foreign transit and stockpiling of antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training. It did not speak on these matters during the June 2005 or the May 2006 intersessional meetings. The ICBL believes that given Rwanda’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with non-state armed groups which use antipersonnel mines, Rwanda’s silence on the issue of joint military operations is especially notable.[7]
In May 2006, Rwanda became a State Party to the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa, which includes mines in the definition of small arms.[8]
Rwanda is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
Rwanda has stated that it has never produced antipersonnel mines.[9] Rwanda has also said that it has no stockpiles of antipersonnel mines. It maintains that in 1994, the former government “fled into neighboring Congo with all arms and ammunitions including antipersonnel mines,” and that the current government “has never imported antipersonnel mines, and therefore no stockpiled antipersonnel mines [are] in Rwanda.”[10]
After initially indicating that it retained no antipersonnel mines for training or development purposes as permitted under Article 3, Rwanda reported in April 2003 that it possessed 101 antipersonnel mines “uprooted from minefields and retained for training purposes.”[11] As of June 2006, the number remained the same, indicating none of them had been consumed. Rwanda continues to state that the number of retained mines “has not changed since the last reporting period because there has been no training on demining activities.”[12]
At the First Review Conference in November-December 2004, the Prime Minister expressed his wish for the country “to accede to alternative techniques in order to also get rid of” the retained mines.[13] In March 2005, a defense official said Rwanda’s willingness to destroy its retained mines was dependent on “ongoing research that would produce replacement mines.”[14]
No mine use has been reported in Rwanda since 1998.[15] However, there were allegations of mine use by Rwandan forces in the DRC in 2000. Rwandan officials have repeatedly denied using mines in the DRC.[16]
Since early 2004, no new allegations have been received concerning Rwanda’s possible transfer of antipersonnel mines to or other involvement in the use of antipersonnel mines by armed forces that it supports in the DRC.[17] Rwanda has strongly denied all past allegations, and Landmine Monitor has published the denials alongside the allegations.[18]
Rwanda is contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), resulting from the 1990-1994 Tutsi insurgency against the Hutu-dominated government and army, the 1994 genocide, the retreat of the army and Interahamwe militias to neighboring countries, and their subsequent attacks launched from the DRC in 1996-1998 in the northwest of the country.[19] According to the government, no new mines have been laid in Rwanda since 1998.[20]
In a 2002-2003 assessment, four of the 12 provinces reported a mine threat: Kigali (including in the capital), Byumba, Ruhengeri and Gisenyi.[21] Two additional minefields were discovered in Ruhengeri after the assessment; both have since been cleared.[22] In its 2006 Article 7 report, Rwanda listed the following areas as contaminated: Mutobo (Ruhengeri); Buhanga, Bungwe, Kiyombe, Kabira, and Gasiza (Byumba); Rubaya and Nyabihu (Gisenyi); and Jali and Kanombe (Kigali province). As of May 2006, almost 900,000 square meters “of good agricultural land” remained to be cleared of mines and UXO in 16 minefields in the four provinces.[23] Previously, Rwanda claimed that UXO is more widespread than mines.[24] In May 2006, however, it noted that reports of UXO have sometimes proven to be individual mines in areas that were not previously considered dangerous.[25]
There is no national mine action authority in Rwanda. The mine action program is under the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Defense.[26]
Rwanda’s National Demining Office (NDO) was created in 1995, under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense. Its main functions are to develop a sustainable and integrated mine action plan, to coordinate demining activities, and to maintain a national database.[27] A 2003 assessment recommended that a civilian should head the NDO, in order to attract international donors.[28] This recommendation does not appear to have been implemented.
The NDO has used version 2 of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA); it was planned to upgrade to version 4 when staff have been trained in its use.[29] According to Mines Awareness Trust (MAT), the database has not been updated regularly; it planned to send out teams to collect information on mine casualties.[30]
Rwanda’s mine action capability deteriorated significantly following the ending of US financial support in 2003. In 2006, as in 2005, the NDO reported that it was left with no option but to react only to urgent reports, while large minefields remained untouched. The remaining minefields are said to be extremely challenging to clear (on densely vegetated land and on steep slopes), requiring “additional resources currently unavailable to the NDO.”[31]
In early 2006, the demining program was re-activated by the training and equipping of a team of 140 deminers at the UK-funded International Mine Action Training Centre (IMATC) in Kenya. These deminers were to conduct technical survey of the remaining suspected areas, totaling 885,930 square meters, under the supervision of Mines Awareness Trust.[32] Rwanda requested IMATC to train and equip another 90 deminers.[33]
The MAT senior technical advisor in Rwanda reported that one of his first priorities was to develop a strategic plan, changing from large manual units to smaller, more flexible teams of 24 personnel accompanied by mechanical assets and mine detection dogs. Previously, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operators were deployed in support of manual clearance teams. In the new structure, multi-task (survey, EOD and quality assurance) teams would be deployed according to workplans established by the NDO operations cell.[34]
MAT planned first to deploy four manual teams and four EOD teams, requiring a total of 120 personnel. Later, “as operations become easer to run and the management becomes more comfortable with their responsibilities, support teams will be assembled and deployed ... the new structure will allow reserve elements that NDO can constantly draw [on] to prevent vacuums due to other deployment needs.”[35]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Rwanda must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 December 2010. In its Article 7 report submitted in June 2006, Rwanda reported, as in 2005, that clearance may go beyond the treaty deadline due to deteriorating capacities and limited resources. However, it added that Rwanda could become “one of the first countries in Africa to declare itself mine-safe if provided with financial and material assistance as indigenous capability is available.”[36]
The resources needed were said to be mechanical demining assets, mine detection dogs, mine detectors, new vehicles as troop carriers, communication equipment and “operational running costs to mention but a few. These resources would allow the NDO to clear the remaining minefield in the agreed time line.”[37]
In May 2006, Rwanda again declared that its clearance deadline “is still achievable provided we get the necessary support.”[38] However, in June 2006, the Rwandan government noted that it was committing some US$300,000 in support of demining operations capacity and that capacity had been expanded to a total of 237 deminers.[39]
The NDO is the only body engaged in demining in Rwanda. As of May 2006, following the IMATC training course, NDO demining capacity increased significantly, with a total of 234 deminers.[40] With US Department of State funding, MAT deployed three technical advisors to Rwanda in May 2006 for an initial 12-month period to support the newly trained deminers.[41]
It was reported that all the NDO’s mine detection dogs had been retired due to age.[42] The MAXX machine was tried previously as a vegetation-cutter, but the NDO found it not powerful enough for the thick undergrowth typical in the country.[43] The IMATC considered helping provide new dogs and more appropriate mechanical ground preparation tools.[44] In July 2006, MAT stated that it hoped to deploy two dog teams and vegetation removal capacity to “further facilitate a productive program by way of an integrated approach.”[45]
There are no reports of surveys conducted in 2005. However, in July 2006, MAT reported that technical survey “had already begun” under its auspices and the newly trained deminers were due to be deployed to two mined areas in northwestern Rwanda, presumably in line with Rwanda’s statement to the Standing Committee meetings in May that demining teams were to be deployed in the “high priority areas of Nyabihu and Rubaya Jali minefields.”[46] According to MAT, the NDO’s knowledge of the location and extent of mined areas is quite high, and technical survey would be used in 2006 to reduce suspected areas down to the perimeters of minefields before prioritization for clearance.[47]
Earlier claims that most mined areas were marked by warning signs and some were fenced appeared not to be correct. Marking is in disarray and said to be temporary and to deteriorate quickly.[48] Markings and fences are also removed by local residents for other purposes.[49] The NDO has stated that it lacks resources to replace them in a timely fashion or to use more permanent material.[50] In June 2006, Rwanda stated that all marking stakes were to be painted red and connected with marking tape or string. Additionally, it was mentioned that minefield control points will not be closer than 100 meters from a known or suspected mined area.[51] In a response to Landmine Monitor Report 2004, annexed to the 2006 Article 7 report, Rwanda stated that the NDO “has surveyed in [Buhanga, Bungwe, Kiyombe, Kabira, Gasiza, Rubaya, Nyabihu, Jali and Kanombe] and marked them.”[52]
In 2005, NDO deminers are said to have cleared 1,295.3 square meters of land in the Nyabihu minefield, destroying five antipersonnel mines in the process.[53] A further 134 items of UXO were destroyed on call-outs.[54] However, the 2006 Article 7 report states that 724 mines and UXO were cleared between April 2005 and April 2006, including 677 in 2005.[55]
Rwanda reported that, as of April 2006, a total of 1,147 mines, mostly “T.S 50 mines” (784), have been cleared since demining operations began.[56]
There are no reports of any deminers having been injured in 2005 and the first months of 2006.
No systematic mine risk education (MRE) has taken place in Rwanda since 2002, whereas intensive MRE campaigns resulted in casualty reduction between 1996 and 2001.[57]
In its 2006 Article 7 report, Rwanda states that, “Mine awareness campaigns are conducted regularly broadcasting over Radio, Television, and Publications in newspapers, lectures and distribution of education materials.”[58]
Additionally, the NDO is reportedly discussing MRE cooperation and funding with MAT.[59] Some MRE continued to be conducted by the Mulindi Japan One Love Project.[60]
No donor countries reported contributing mine funding to Rwanda for 2005. A lack of donor funding since 2004 has impeded mine action activities in Rwanda.[61]
Rwanda requested a mine action budget of $2.75 million for 2005. The government submitted formal requests for funding to the Kigali embassies of the Netherlands and the United States.[62] In May 2006, Rwanda identified the accumulating costs of demining operations and MRE activities as priority areas for international assistance contributions.[63]
The NDO’s operating costs are covered by the Ministry of Defense. Approximately $300,000 is allocated annually by the government to support demining operations.[64]
In 2005, the NDO recorded at least 14 new mine/UXO casualties, with at least four people killed and seven injured; the status of three is unknown.[65] It is not clear if this is the total number of casualties recorded in 2005, as the NDO was not able to “retrieve [2005] information due to a breakdown of IMSMA,” and could not verify the number of people killed and injured nor their gender and age.[66] Nevertheless, there is a slight increase in casualties compared to 2004, when 12 casualties (three killed and nine injured) were recorded.[67]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) noted a few mine/UXO casualties reported in the media in 2005, however “these incidents... are rare” and usually involve UXO, not mines.[68] Handicap International (HI) noted one incident in the media; in April 2005, a 13-year-old boy was playing with an antipersonnel mine on his school playground when the mine exploded. The child lost both legs and was assisted by Gatagara Center and HI.[69]
Casualties continued to be reported in 2006. As of June 2006, 14 new mine/UXO casualties had been recorded, with seven people killed and seven injured, all males.[70]
The NDO has been recording mine/UXO casualty data using IMSMA since June 2001, but this system is not fully operational.[71] Between 1991 and June 2006, the NDO recorded 687 mine/UXO casualties, including 294 people killed, 244 seriously injured and 149 slightly injured.[72]
In May 2006, the NDO reported casualties were increasing since 2005, “because the need for survival, forces people to venture into known mined areas.” Other reasons that might have contributed to this increase are the removal of minefield marking materials and UXO and individual mines scattered in areas not considered dangerous previously.[73] However, this statement could not be corroborated with full-year data.
At the Standing Committee meetings in May 2006, Rwanda highlighted supporting survivors as a priority and stated that, “landmine survivors and disabled people need more than artificial limbs. [They] need skills and capital that can help them generate income for themselves.”[74]
Healthcare in Rwanda was severely affected by the 1994 conflict. The healthcare system remains largely dependent on international funding. However, it is problematic to recruit healthcare practitioners in rural areas, since most qualified people prefer to stay in the capital.[75]
There is a policy of cost-recovery for health services in Rwanda, which limits access to services for many people living with a disability, but community-based health insurance schemes (mutuelles) aim to increase access to basic services at the local level. NGOs and local authorities promote free enrollment for the most vulnerable groups in these schemes. However, the healthcare provided is of variable quality and the system’s financial sustainability requires monitoring.[76]
According to the Ministry of Health, only 37.9 percent of people have access to healthcare; there is only one doctor per 50,000 people, and one nurse per 3,900 people.[77] In early 2005, Rwanda dismissed most of its healthcare staff due to the lack of proper qualifications. It prioritized healthcare in 2006, within the framework of the decentralization effort. New health centers have been built with public funding or with the assistance of international donors.[78] The government raised its health budget to 12 percent and injected money into the mutuelles system, proposed the “Package of activities” promoting intersectoral cooperation to implement major health strategies, provided training courses for nurses, and raised the salary of health staff.[79]
The Rwanda School of Public Health at Rwanda University in Butare provides an undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum in public health to students, medical staff and Ministry of Health staff who have not received the training required by their positions.[80] The Kigali Health Institute is supported to train healthcare staff, including nurses and physiotherapists; the first physiotherapists trained have been recruited by NGOs in 2005-2006.[81]
The NDO has a standby medical team, to evacuate mine casualties to the nearest hospital, but does not offer any other assistance due to lack of funds.[82]
In 2005, ICRC did not provide any direct support to landmine/UXO survivors, as it observed that they receive appropriate treatment through the local health infrastructure.[83] The ICRC provided ad hoc support to the Butare hospital.[84]
The Committee for Demobilisation refers disabled ex-combatants to appropriate services. Military landmine/UXO survivors receive treatment at the Military Hospital in Kanombe. The hospital is able to perform surgery, produce orthopedic appliances and offer physiotherapy sessions; no new mine casualties were treated in 2005. Reportedly, 200 demobilized disabled soldiers received treatment in the Military Hospital and the Kigali Hospital in October-November 2005.[85]
There is a national strategy for rehabilitation of physical disabilities, but it is not used to stimulate improvements in the physical rehabilitation sector. As of 2006, HI and Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM) provided technical support to the Ministry of Health to make the plan operational.[86]
All actors in the field of rehabilitation provide services to all people with disabilities, as there is only a small number of mine survivors. There are sufficient rehabilitation facilities to meet the needs. However, the lack of orthopedic surgeons and orthopedic devices, the costs of services, and a lack of coordination and knowledge about physical rehabilitation among the medical staff and the population in general limit access to services for most people.[87]
Five public hospitals in Rwanda have orthopedic services: the Kigali Hospital and centers in Butare, Ruhengeri, Cyangugu and Gahini; 10 district hospitals have physiotherapy services.
In 2005, HI continued its support to the public health sector by providing technical, material and capacity-building support to hospitals providing physical rehabilitation services. To ensure sustainability, HI works with the existing public health system as a whole rather than creating new centers or focusing solely on the orthopedic centers. The head of HI’s rehabilitation program is a mine survivor; the team contains psychosocial support staff. Between January and October 2005, the five HI-supported orthopedic centers delivered 1,758 orthopedic appliances and nine district hospitals offered physiotherapy sessions to 4,372 people. HI identified one mine survivor among the patients at the orthopedic workshops. In 2005, HI supported two associations of rehabilitation staff in reinforcing their capacity to offer technical supervision and trainings. HI also supported the General Organization of Persons with Disabilities to assist 726 people in rural areas and raise awareness about rehabilitation and disability rights. In 2006, HI planned to facilitate access to orthopedic appliances for the most deprived through the creation of a solidarity fund administered by the Federation of Associations and Centres of Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda (FARCH).[88]
The Organization of Physiotherapists of Rwanda carried out a needs assessment identifying gaps in physiotherapy training and organized a refresher training seminar based on the assessment.[89]
The Gatagara Center in Butare and Rwamagana, run by the Brothers of Charity, provides free medical care, physical rehabilitation, and education for people with disabilities. The Ministry of Education officially recognized the Gatagara vocational training program in 2005. In 2006, the Gatagara Center started the construction of a new medical unit, including an operating theater, and in January 2006 a community-based rehabilitation program started. In 2005, 712 people received physiotherapy and 169 received orthopedic surgery. The center produced 107 prostheses, 517 orthoses, 680 walking aids and repaired 969 devices. The orthopedic center is supported by Doctors without Holidays (Médecins sans Vacances, MSV), which carried out two missions in May and November 2005 to train staff and provide equipment. In 2005, inclusive primary school education was provided to 507 children, including 303 children with disabilities, secondary school education was given to 441 children, of whom 251 had disabilities, and 62 adults received vocational training. In 2005, 18 Gatagara staff members received technical and management training. Gatagara Center functions mainly on its own resources, but also receives funding from the Rwandan government, the Belgian Development Cooperation, other donors and individual donations.[90]
The Mulindi Japan One Love Project runs an orthopedic center in Kigali providing prostheses and orthoses free of charge, as well as a mobile service. In 2005, the Manitoba Campaign to Ban Landmines donated $5,720 to the project for prosthetic limbs for landmine survivors. [91] As of 19 June 2006, the campaign raised funds of more than $7,500.[92]
The Association of Landmine Survivors and Amputees in Rwanda (ALSAR) was established in March 2006 to offer a large variety of survivor assistance services and advocacy. The coordinator of the organization is a mine survivor; the organization is supported by HI.[93]
The General Association of the Handicapped of Rwanda (Association Générale des Handicappés au Rwanda, AGHR) collects data on mine casualties, and raises awareness and advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. The Association has several subcommittees, including one for women with disabilities, military disabled, and mine survivors, who provide input on special issues of concern. In 2005, it assisted 167 people with disabilities, including 21 landmine survivors. AGHR received support from HI, the European Union, US Embassy and Japan Cooperation Agency.[94]
Micro-credit is a new concept in Rwanda and is not accessible for everyone; there are no job placement schemes for people with disabilities.[95] Few people with disabilities have access to education or employment.[96]
Christoffel-Blindenmission works with the Ministry of Health to develop rehabilitation services, and supports a coordinator for physical disability in the Ministry. It also supports an orthopedic workshop and community-based rehabilitation program in Kigali run by the Rwandese church organization Inkuru Nziza, producing orthopedic devices and offering physiotherapy services. Inkuru Nziza’s center is the officially recognized wheelchair producer for Rwanda. CBM supports an orthopedic surgeon working in five locations in the country, mainly treating children. Services in the center and by the surgeon are offered in accordance with the government cost-recovery policy, but poor patients benefit from a subsidized rate. Two Rwandan orthopedic surgeons received training outside the country with CBM funding. CBM and the Ministry of Health conducted a survey on the prevalence and causes of physical disability as well as the socioeconomic situation of people with physical disabilities. The results were scheduled to be available in August 2006, and will facilitate the planning of services according to national needs.[97]
The Rwandan constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disability; however, there is currently no law to protect the rights of people with disabilities in the areas of employment, education and access to social services.[98]
The Ministry of Health is responsible for issues relating to people with disabilities. FARCH is the interlocutor for disability organizations at the government level.
In 2005, Rwanda established a National Decade Steering Committee to pilot the implementation of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities with the objective to coordinate activities in the country. FARCH composed a draft committee and subcommittees consisting of representatives of groups with all types of disabilities (50 percent women). At the ministerial level, the ministries of local government, community development and social affairs, education, justice, and youth, sports and culture are represented; HI and the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), as well as media, and international donors also participate as observers. The subcommittees include finance, policy and legislation, lobbying and advocacy, capacity-building and awareness-raising and youth and sports.[99]
[1] Order of the President, No. 38/01, 24 December 1998. Rwanda has also stated that an existing law, Decree-Law 12/79, which prohibits illegal import, use, transfer and possession of arms and ammunition, covers mines, although mines are not explicitly mentioned. Article 7 Report, Form A, 1 June 2006.
[2] Article 7 Report, Form A, 15 June 2005.
[3] Interview with Capt. Francis Kabucye, Director of Operations, National Demining Office (NDO), Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 10 May 2006. He could not specify when it was submitted.
[4] The Article 7 report submitted on 1 June 2006 includes, as well as the standard Forms, a response from the NDO to information in Landmine Monitor Report 2004, the NDO standard operating procedures, and two annexes giving details of the numbers and types of mines cleared.
[5] Previous reports were submitted on 15 June 2005, 1 April 2004, 22 April 2003 and 4 September 2001.
[6] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Maj. Jean-Marie Micombero, Ministry of Defense, 20 May 2005.
[7] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 688.
[8] “The Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa,” 21 April 2004, p. 3.
[9] Article 7 Report, Form E, 1 June 2006.
[10] Article 7 Report, Form B, 1 June 2006. The same language is used in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Article 7 reports.
[11] Article 7 Reports, Form D, 22 April 2003, 15 June 2005 and 1 June 2006. The mines include 32 PMD-6, 26 TS-50 and 43 M-35 mines.
[12] Article 7 Report, Form D, 1 June 2006.
[13] Statement by Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister, First Review Conference, Nairobi, 29 November-3 December 2004. Translation by Landmine Monitor.
[14] Email from Maj. Jean-Marie Micombero, Ministry of Defense, 9 March 2005.
[15] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 688; response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Maj. Jean-Marie Micombero, Ministry of Defense, 20 May 2005.
[16] There were serious and credible allegations that Rwandan forces used antipersonnel mines during the fighting around Kisangani in the DRC in June 2000. Landmine Monitor does not have evidence of new use of antipersonnel mines by Rwandan forces in the DRC since Rwanda became a State Party in December 2000. Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 197; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 132-134.
[17] Previously, Landmine Monitor noted unconfirmed allegations that Rwanda supplied antipersonnel mines and other assistance to rebel groups in the DRC that acknowledged using mines, notably the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie, RCD) and Union of Congolese Patriots (Union des Patriotes Congolais, UPC). In January 2004, a high-ranking UPC official told Landmine Monitor that his movement had recently received military support from Rwanda, including antipersonnel mines. In July 2004, a special UN panel said that it was “highly likely” that rebels who used mines in May and June 2004 were supplied with weapons by Rwanda, but landmines were not specified by the UN. See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 688-689.
[18] Letter to Mary Wareham, former Global Research Coordinator, Landmine Monitor, from Zac Nsenga, Ambassador of Rwanda to the United States, 1 October 2004; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 689-691; Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp. 409-410.
[19] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 498; statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[20] Article 7 Report, Form C, 1 June 2006.
[21] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 498.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Article 7 Report, Form J, 1 June 2006; statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[24] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 498.
[25] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[26] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 499.
[27] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 135-136; statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[28] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 500.
[29] Email from Jean-Paul Rychener, IMSMA Regional Coordinator for Central and Southern Africa, GICHD, 27 May 2006.
[30] Email from Tony Allen, Senior Technical Advisor, MAT, Kigali, 7 July 2006.
[31] Article 7 Report, Form J, 1 June 2006.
[32] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[33] Interview with Lt. Col. Tim Wildish, Commandant, IMATC, Nairobi, 24 May 2006.
[34] Email from Tony Allen, MAT, 7 July 2006.
[35] Ibid.
[36] Article 7 Report, Form J, 1 June 2006. In both its 2006 and 2005 Article 7 reports, Rwanda refers to its Article 5 deadline as being in 2009.
[37] Article 7 Report, Form J, 15 June 2005.
[38] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006. The discrepancy between 237 deminers stated here and 234 deminers stated elsewhere has not been explained.
[39] Fax from the Rwandan Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, 12 June 2006, p. 3.
[40] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[41] Interview with Ben Remfrey, Global Operations Director, MAT, Nairobi, 6 June 2006.
[42] Article 7 Report, Form J, 1 June 2006.
[43] Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 500; interview with Lt. Col. Tim Wildish, IMATC, Nairobi, 24 May 2006.
[44] Interview with Lt. Col. Tim Wildish, IMATC, Nairobi, 24 May 2006.
[45] Email from Ben Remfrey, MAT, 6 July 2006.
[46] Ibid; statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[47] Interview with Ben Remfrey, MAT, Nairobi, 6 June 2006.
[48] Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 499.
[49] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[50] Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 499.
[51] Article 7 Report, Form I, 1 June 2006.
[52] Article 7 Report, Annex on Landmine Monitor Report 2004, 1 June 2006.
[53] Fax from the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN in Geneva, 4 April 2006, p. 2.
[54] Ibid.
[55] Article 7 Report, Annex A, 1 June 2006.
[56] Article 7 Report, Annex B, Annex on Landmine Monitor Report 2004, 1 June 2006.
[57] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[58] Article 7 Report, Form I, 1 June 2006.
[59] Email from Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, 22 June 2006.
[60] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 501.
[61] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 694.
[62] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 502.
[63] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[64] Fax from the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN in Geneva, 4 April 2006, p. 3; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 502.
[65] Email from Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, 22 June 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 502.
[66] Email from Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, 22 June 2006.
[67] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 502.
[68] Email from Sophie Romanens, Communications Coordinator, ICRC, Kigali, 3 March 2006.
[69] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Marc Vaernewyck, Program Director, and Aimable Rukundo, Head of the Functional Rehabilitation Project, HI, Kigali, 15 March 2006.
[70] Email from Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, 20 June 2006.
[71] Email from Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, 22 June 2006.
[72] Email from Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, 20 June 2006, and telephone interview, 21 June 2006.
[73] Statement by Capt. Francis Kabucye, NDO, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[74] Ibid.
[75] Email from Marc Vaernewyck, HI, 10 March 2006.
[76] World Bank Institute, “Community-based Health Insurance in Rwanda,” Development Outreach, May 2005; International Colloqium on Financing Healthcare in Developing Countries, “Les axes stratégiques développés pour le renforcement des mutuelles de santé au Rwanda (The strategic axes developed to reinforce de health insurance in Rwanda),” 16 January 2006.
[77] “Health practitioners basis of hope-Health Minister,” Rwanda News Agency (Kigali), 19 May 2006.
[78] Email from Marc Vaernewyck, HI, 10 March 2006.
[79] Steven Baguma, “Doctors’ pay hiked fourfold,” The New Times (Kigali), 4 February 2006.
[80] Rwanda School of Public Health, “Strategic Plan-Goals and Objectives,” www.espnur.org, accessed 24 June 2006.
[81] Email from Marc Vaernewyck, HI, 10 March 2006.
[82] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 503.
[83] Email from Sophie Romanens, ICRC, 3 March 2006.
[84] ICRC, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, June 2005, p. 103.
[85] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Marc Vaernewyck and Aimable Rukundo, HI, Kigali, 15 March 2006.
[86] Email from Marc Vaernewyck, HI, 10 March 2006.
[87] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Marc Vaernewyck and Aimable Rukundo, HI, Kigali, 15 March 2006.
[88] Ibid.
[89] Ibid.
[90] Gatagara Center, “Rapport d’Activités Exercice 2005 (Activity Report 2005),” Rwanda-Belgium, 11 May 2006, pp. 4-47.
[91] Email from Darryl Toews, Vice Chair of Board and Executive Committee, Manitoba Campaign to Ban Landmines, Winnipeg, 1 March 2006.
[92] Manitoba Campaign to Ban Landmines, “MBCBL reaches fundraising goals: fundraising continues until 30 June 2006.”
[93] Email from Marc Vaernewyck, HI, 16 March 2006.
[94] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Zacharie Nkundiye, President, AGHR, Kigali, 22 May 2006.
[95] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Marc Vaernewyck and Aimable Rukundo, HI, Kigali, 15 March 2006.
[96] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Rwanda,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.
[97] Email from Dorothea Rischewski, External Consultant, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 23 June 2006.
[98] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Rwanda,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.
[99] “Rapport de la mise en place du comité de pilotage de la décennie africaine des personnes handicapées au Rwanda (Report of the establishment of the committee to spearhead the African Decade for Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda),” Kigali, May 2005, pp. 1-4.