Key developments since May 2005: In April 2006 the Syrian Army completed clearance operations in Hanoot Saida village in southern Golan, and in Hameedia village north of Quneitra city; 1,564 antivehicle mines were cleared and destroyed. UN forces cleared and destroyed six antipersonnel mines, 177 antivehicle mines and 34 items of unexploded ordnance in 2005. In 2005, there was a significant increase in reported casualties from mines and UXO over 2004 and 2003; there were at least 11 new casualties in 2005 and nine from 1 January to 22 May 2006. Following a mine incident on the Golan Heights in January 2006 in which five children were injured, the governmental committee, formed in 2004 to promote mine risk education in the affected border areas, was re-energized and activities were undertaken in schools.
The Syrian Arab Republic has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. Its policy has not changed in recent years.[1] Syria views antipersonnel mines as necessary defensive weapons and considers Israel’s continued annexation/occupation of the Golan as an important reason for not joining the treaty.[2] Syria has stated that it supports mine awareness and other efforts to protect civilians in areas of armed conflict.[3]
On 8 December 2005, Syria was one of 17 countries to abstain from voting on UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 60/80, which called for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. It abstained on similar resolutions in previous years.
Syria did not attend as an observer the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005. Geneva-based diplomats attended intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2005 and May 2006, but did not make any statements.
Syria has not usually been identified as a producer or an exporter of antipersonnel mines. However, Jordan, a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty, declared possessing 51 wooden antipersonnel mines of Syrian origin.[4] The size and origin of Syria’s mine stockpile is not known. Syria is thought to have last used mines during the 1982 conflict with Israel in Lebanon.
The mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW)[5] problem in Syria originates from Syrian involvement in the Israeli/Arab wars in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. As a result of the 1973 war with Israel, large parts of the Golan Heights are heavily mined. The Golan Heights in southwest Syria are divided into three areas: a Syrian-controlled area, an Israeli-controlled area and a buffer zone named the area of separation (AOS), which is monitored by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).[6]
The Golan is contaminated with antipersonnel mines and antivehicle mines, in addition to many unexploded submunitions that are scattered throughout the area. According to UNDOF, there are an estimated 500,000 landmines in the AOS. Accident records and UNDOF observation also prove the presence of numerous types of unexploded ordnance (UXO) spread across former combat areas. Although the contamination has been there for over 30 years, not all mine- or UXO-affected areas have been clearly identified.
Owing to the age of the mines and the deteriorating state of the explosives they contain, the level of threat is said to have increased.[7] In addition, the soil is prone to erosion and landslides, which cause mines and UXO to move.[8] Most landmines and UXO are located in the governorate of Quneitra bordering the occupied Golan territory.[9]
Minefields are only partially marked and remain largely unmapped; civilians are injured or killed by mines and UXO on a regular basis. The population at risk includes herders, children and women collecting firewood, herbs or mushrooms. According to a Syrian NGO, between January 2003 and June 2005 at least eight people were killed and 10 were injured, 12 of whom were children under the age of 15.[10] In December 2005, UNDOF reported that mines continued to pose a threat to their own personnel as well as to local inhabitants, especially in the AOS.[11]
Beyond the Golan, there are alleged to be mines emplaced along the Syrian borders with Turkey and Jordan.[12] Jordan planted nearly 67,000 antipersonnel mines along its border with Syria before 1973. It is not known for certain, however, if the Syrian side of the border with Jordan is also mined. Syria claimed in April 2004 that it has no antipersonnel minefields on its border with Israel.[13]
There is no formal mine action program in Syria. UNDOF carries out mine clearance for operational purposes in the AOS. Clearance in Syria outside the AOS is the responsibility of the Syrian Armed Forces.[14]
Landmine Monitor was informed that the wife of Bashar Al-Assad, President of Syria, together with high-ranking officials visited mine/UXO-affected areas in Quneitra governorate in April 2006. A “high-level committee,” responsible for mine clearance and development of those areas, was said to have been formed following the visit.[15] Details of the structure and responsibilities of the committee have not been communicated to Landmine Monitor.
A Syrian military demining team includes six people supported by a medical emergency unit.[16] While demining in the AOS, Syrian military deminers wear civilian clothing to ensure compliance with the Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian Forces.[17] There is no other information available on mine clearance activities by Syria, and the total number of Syrian Army personnel trained in demining is not known.
UNDOF has deployed two demining teams in the AOS, composed of six UN peacekeepers each, to ensure the safety of “paths” used by UNDOF personnel.[18]
In August 2004, upon request of the Syrian government, UNDOF started supervising mine and UXO clearance carried out by the Syrian Army in two villages in the AOS. Operations were carried out in Hanoot Saida village in southern Golan to allow for reconstruction of the village to relocate internally displaced persons, and in Hameedia village, north of Quneitra city, to allow expansion of the village into new areas. Clearance was reported to have been completed in April 2006.[19] The Syrian Army cleared and destroyed 1,564 antivehicle mines during the process.[20]
In 2005, UNDOF cleared and destroyed six antipersonnel mines, 177 antivehicle mines and 34 UXO in the AOS. Between January and May 2006, UNDOF cleared and destroyed six antipersonnel mines, 84 antivehicle mines and eight UXO in the AOS.[21]
In some of the Syrian-controlled areas, minefields are not well marked or fenced, and civilian casualties occur on a regular basis. Also, civilians sometimes remove marking and fencing for other purposes. The Syrian Army has had to re-fence and re-mark fields a number of times.[22] UNDOF also marks known minefields to warn the local population.[23]
Syria’s border with Turkey was extensively mined by Turkey in 1956-1959. Clearance has been planned by Turkey since 2004; as of May 2006, clearance had not started.[24]
Landmine Monitor is not aware of any demining accidents during the reporting period.
Mine risk education (MRE) has been provided on an ad hoc basis in Syria. The governmental committee, created on 10 January 2004 by the governor of Quneitra province to promote MRE in the affected border areas, met only sporadically in 2005.[25] Following the mine incident of 29 January 2006, in which five children were injured, the committee convened on 6 February, and the governor of Quneitra urged increased efforts to raise mine awareness among local people.[26] On 8 February 2006, a meeting was conducted for the head teachers of 43 schools; lessons in MRE were undertaken by the approximately 220 teachers trained previously in MRE.[27]
UNICEF did not support any MRE activities in Syria in 2005; in 2006, UNICEF allocated US$5,000 “to support local partners on enhancing MRE systems and methods targeting children and adolescents.”[28]
On 1-2 October 2005, an MRE workshop was organized by the Quneitra branch of the Syrian Red Crescent Society (SARC) with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Damascus and in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense. It was described as “a first step” in establishing a preventative mine action program in Syria.[29] Thirty-four SARC volunteers from Quineitra branch and some representatives of local authorities and NGOs participated in the two-day workshop, conducted by staff of Quneitra Health Directorate’s Healthy Villages Program and by teachers.[30] By the end of 2005, a total of 6,349 persons (including 4,019 primary and 1,919 secondary school children, 192 teachers and 219 local people) had received MRE as part of the Healthy Villages Program since 16 December 2000.[31] The Red Crescent Society produced an MRE film, acted by landmine survivors, in 2005.[32]
The local NGO, General Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Landmine Survivors, informed Landmine Monitor that it provides MRE. In April 2006, it conducted an eight-day training course on MRE and victim assistance for 30 community members from Quneitra governorate.[33]
In 2005, Landmine Monitor recorded at least 11 new mine/UXO casualties, including four killed and seven injured.[34] Five of the casualties are known to be children. On 26 April, three brothers (aged 16, 19 and 21 years) were injured by UXO in Aisha, a village near Khan Arnaba, while working on the land.[35 ] On 14 May, three children were killed by a mine in Koudana village in Quneitra, while playing in the fields. On 10 July, a boy was killed while playing with UXO in the Golan.[36] This is a significant increase from three casualties (two killed, one injured) reported in 2004, which was also an increase from 2003 (one boy killed).[37]
Casualties continued to be reported in 2006, with nine casualties as of 22 May.[38] On 29 January 2006, five children were seriously injured by a mine in Jibba, near Quneitra, while picking mushrooms. Two children were treated in Quneitra hospital, and three were taken to Damascus.[39] On 14 May, it was reported that a girl was killed and her three brothers were injured by a mine in Kanaker village, close to Damascus.[40]
The increase in casualties in the Golan may be explained in part by the reopening of areas formerly closed to the population, and by displaced people returning to government-reconstructed villages and engaging in risk-taking behavior.[41]
Groups most at risk are herders, children and women collecting firewood or food. Reportedly, children manipulate mines and UXO not only while playing, but also for recycling purposes.[42]
Landmine casualty data is not systematically collected in Syria and there is no centralized register. Therefore, the total number of mine casualties is not known. In 2005, the Syrian NGO General Association for Care and Rehabilitation of Landmine Survivors started compiling casualty data. It collected information on 239 casualties; preliminary analysis showed that at least eight people were killed and 10 injured between January 2003 and June 2005, including 12 children younger than 15 years old.[43]
In February 2006, following the most recent mine incident in that area, the governor of Quneitra stated that 225 people had been killed and 275 injured by mines and UXO in the Golan Heights since 1967.[44] The Palestinian Red Crescent states that most Syrian casualties treated at its orthopedic center come from the Golan Heights but some also seem to come from the Syria-Turkey border.[45] However, ICRC does not have relevant information regarding the Syria-Turkey and Syria-Iraq borders.[46]
The Syrian government continues to provide basic health and social services free of charge.[47] In Quneitra, there are 20 centers serving approximately 60,000 people.[48] Reportedly, health facilities are reached within 30 minutes of the incident.[49] Physical rehabilitation services are provided by private centers and centers run by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense.[50] In Khan Arnaba, a community center and government-run physiotherapy center provides basic rehabilitation services for people with physical and mental disabilities. The center reopened in April 2004. It assisted approximately 300 people (no landmine survivors) in 2005.[51] However, a small number of landmine survivors reportedly benefited from the physiotherapy center between April 2004 and April 2005.[52]
On 28 April 2005, the 120-bed Mamdooh Abaza Hospital in Khan Arnaba was officially opened, financed by the Ministry of Health and Japan. The hospital provides healthcare and surgical services to 150,000 residents living in Quneitra province and in villages of the governorates of Dara’a and Sweida.[53] In 2005 and until March 2006, at least three landmine survivors were treated at the hospital.[54]
In 2005, ICRC, in partnership with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, continued to support Palestinian refugees with disabilities in Syria at the orthopedic center in the Palestinian Hospital in Yarmouk refugee camp. A 2005 survey showed that among the 500,000 Palestinians in Syria, there were more than 5,000 people with disabilities, of whom 52 percent were in need of physical rehabilitation services. ICRC support enabled the center to provide services at reasonable cost or free of charge. The Palestinian Red Crescent covered the costs of salaries and utilities. The center is the only facility providing physical rehabilitation services for Palestinian refugees, but Syrian nationals also visited the center, as the Syrian network cannot meet all needs (this situation should improve as the Syrian Red Crescent Society started the construction of a new rehabilitation center in cooperation with the Iranian Red Crescent Society).[55] In 2005, 777 people received physical rehabilitation services, and the center produced 351 prostheses (43 for mine survivors) and 268 orthoses (none for mine survivors), and distributed 53 crutches.[56] ICRC provided regular on-the-job training, but despite ICRC recommendations to strengthen the physiotherapy department, patients still had no access to proper physiotherapy services. In 2005, ICRC introduced a computerized patient registration system.[57] ICRC was also considering other activities in the Golan, including the possible establishment of a medical emergency center.[58]
The General Association for Care and Rehabilitation of Landmine Survivors (GACARLS), created in 2004, is involved in data collection, victim assistance and MRE. It provides psychosocial and economic reintegration support, as well as material support on a monthly basis to survivors. In 2005, 150 landmine survivors were assisted with a budget of SYP300,000 ($26,726).[59] Six percent of the graduates earned a sustainable living by running a communications shop, and 50 percent secured jobs in the private sector. The main challenges for the organization are transport and difficulties in reaching survivors.[60]
In December 2005, al-Yarmouk was established to assist and protect the rights of families and local communities in war-affected areas using local resources and volunteers. It was scheduled to present its strategy in June 2006.[61]
Other organizations assisting people with disabilities, including mine survivors, were noted in Landmine Monitor Report 2005.[62] There are also disability organizations in all major cities, but they do not have special projects for landmine survivors, who constitute a small number of disabled people in Syria.
A national law (Number 34/2004), issued by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor on 25 January 2005, to protect the rights of people with disabilities includes provisions for free health and social services, education and training.[63] To oversee its implementation, committees were established in each governorate. Landmine survivors are eligible for benefits under this law. As of March 2006, 650 people with disabilities had been registered and 350 more had applied, including at least three mine/UXO survivors, in Quneitra governorate.[64]
On 1 March 2006, on the seventh anniversary of the entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, the coordinator of the Arab Net for Research on Landmines and ERW visited the Arab League and the Egyptian Federation for Handicapped Welfare Organizations to discuss ways of assisting landmine survivors and their communities; a regional workshop on the topic was scheduled for December 2006.[65]
[1] Meeting with F. Dairaki, Assistant Director, International Organizations and Conferences Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Damascus, 8 February 2006.
[2] See for example, Statement by Syria, Seminar on Military and Humanitarian Issues Surrounding the Mine Ban Treaty, Amman, 19-21 April 2004.
[3] Interview with Bashar Safieh, International Organizations and Conferences Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Damascus, 1 June 2005.
[4] Jordan Article 7 Report, Form B, 9 August 1999. In addition, an imprisoned Sudanese Army officer alleged that Sudan obtained antipersonnel mines from Syria in 2003, and antivehicle mines in 2000 and 2003. Human Rights Watch interview, Kober Prison, North Khartoum, 21 October 2004.
[5] Under Protocol V of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, explosive remnants of war are defined as unexploded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance. Mines are explicitly excluded from the definition.
[6] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 896-897.
[7] “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force from 10 June 2005 to 9 December 2005,” S2005/767, 7 December 2005, p. 2; see also “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force from 8 December 2004 to 10 June 2005,” S2005/379, 10 June 2005, p. 2.
[8] Email from Patrick Tillet, Program Officer, UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), 24 May 2005; UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 461, www.mineaction.org.
[9] UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 461, www.mineaction.org.
[10] Ibid.
[11] “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force from 10 June 2005 to 9 December 2005,” S2005/767, 7 December 2005, p. 2; The same remarks had been made in the previous “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force from 8 December 2004 to 10 June 2005,” S2005/379, 10 June 2005, p. 2.
[12] UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 461, www.mineaction.org.
[13] Statement by Gen. F. Ghalya, Representative of the Syrian Army, Seminar on Military and Humanitarian Issues Surrounding the Mine Ban Treaty, Amman, Jordan, 19-21 April 2004.
[14] Email from Lt. Col. S. Kaiser, Chief Liaison and Protocol Officer, UNDOF, Syria, 16 August 2005.
[15] Interview with Dr. Hussam Doghoz, Coordinator, Healthy Villages Program, Quneitra Health Directorate, Damascus, 17 May 2006.
[16] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 897.
[17] Email from Capt. Tsutomu Nemoto, Deputy Military Public Information Officer, UNDOF, 31 May 2006.
[18] Email from Lt. Col. S. Kaiser, UNDOF, Syria, 16 August 2005.
[19] “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force from 10 June 2005 to 9 December 2005,” S2005/767, 7 December 2005, p.2; email from Lt. Col. S. Kaiser, UNDOF, Syria, 16 August 2005; interview with Dr. Rabi Othman, Area Officer, Quneitra Health Directorate, Damascus, 17 May 2006.
[20] Email from Capt. Tsutomu Nemoto, UNDOF, 31 May 2006.
[21] Emails from Capt. Tsutomu Nemoto, UNDOF, 31 May 2006 and I June 2006.
[22] “Report of the Secretary-General on the UN Disengagement Observer Force for the Period from 9 December 2003 to 21 June 2004,” S/2004/499, 21 June 2004, p. 2.
[23] Email from Lt. Col. S. Kaiser, UNDOF, Syria, 16 August 2005.
[24] See report on Turkey in this edition of Landmine Monitor.
[25] Administrative Order No. 402-10-12, Governor of Quneitra Province, 10 January 2004. The committee includes officials from the following fields: education, health, agriculture, youth, children, sports and social affairs. UNMAS, “Country Fact Sheet: Syrian Arab Republic (Golan Territory),” www.mineaction.org, accessed 28 April 2006. However, the 2006 UN Portfolio of Mine Action states that, “a regional Landmine Awareness Campaign Committee” was created by decree of the Quneitra governor in January 2005; the committee includes local authorities, ministries and representatives of civil society organizations; there is funding of US$38,250 for the committee’s work. UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 461, www.minesaction.org.
[26] “Governor of Quneitra press statement,” Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) (Damascus), 6 February 2006.
[27] Telephone interview with Dr. Hussam Doghoz, Quneitra Health Directorate, 12 February 2006; email from Dr. Ghassan Shahrour, Coordinator, Arab Net for Research on Landmines and ERW, 30 May 2006.
[28] Email from Marc Lucet, Programme Officer, UNICEF, Syria, 30 May 2006.
[29] Email from Srdjan Jovanovic, Mine Action Delegate, ICRC, Amman, 4 July 2006; letter from Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 2 October 2005.
[30] Letter from Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 2 October 2005; ICRC, “Special Report, Mine Action 2005,” Geneva, May 2006, p. 17; email from Dr. Ghassan Shahrour, Arab Net for Research on Landmines and ERW, 30 May 2006.
[31] Report from Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, No: 212, 12 January 2006.
[32] Response to Landmine Monitor VA questionnaire by Dr. Hussam Doghoz, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 22 May 2006.
[33] Telephone interview with Omar al-Luhaybi, Director, GACARLS, Al Baath City, 22 May 2006.
[34] Response to Landmine Monitor VA Questionnaire by Omar al-Luhaybi, GACARLS, Quneitra, 22 May 2006.
[35 ] Interview with Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 29 April 2005.
[36] Telephone interview with Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 27 July 2005.
[37] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 898; Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 1133.
[38] Response to Landmine Monitor VA Questionnaire by Omar al-Luhaybi, GACARLS, Quneitra, 22 May 2006.
[39] Letter from Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 6 February 2006.
[40] Email from Jean-Jacques Frésard, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Damascus, 16 May 2006.
[41] Ibid.
[42] UNMAS, “Syrian Arab Republic (Golan Territory),” www.mineaction.org, accessed 28 April 2006.
[43] Response to Landmine Monitor VA Questionnaire by Omar al-Luhaybi, GACARLS, Quneitra, 22 May 2006.
[44] “Governor of Quneitra press statement,” Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) ( Damascus), 6 February 2006.
[45] UNMAS, “Country Fact Sheet: Syrian Arab Republic (Golan Territory).
[46] Email from Jean-Jacques Frésard, ICRC, Damascus, 16 May 2006.
[47] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1133.
[48] Telephone interview with Dr. Khaldoun al-Asaad, Assistant Director, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 8 March 2006.
[49] Response to Landmine Monitor VA Questionnaire by Omar al-Luhaybi, GACARLS, Quneitra, 22 May 2006.
[50] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Program, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, draft received 19 May 2006, p. 36.
[51] Telephone interview with Dr. Hussam Doghoz, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 8 March 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1134.
[52] Interview with Dr. Rabi Othman, Quneitra Health Directorate, Quneitra, 29 April 2005.
[53] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 899.
[54] Interview with Mirheg Mustafa, Vice-President, Mamdooh Abaza Hospital, Quneitra, 9 March 2006.
[55] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Program, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, draft received 19 May 2006, p. 36.
[56] Email from Jean-Jacques Frésard, ICRC, Damascus, 21 May 2006.
[57] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Program, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, draft received 19 May 2006, p. 36.
[58] ICRC, “Address by ICRC president to general assembly of the Organization of Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies,” Abu Dhabi, UAE, 27-28 February 2006.
[59] Public sector exchange rate for 2005: US$1 = SYP11.225, based on CIA, “World Fact Book: Field Listing - Exchange rates,” www.cia.gov. However, SYP300,000 equals US$5,662 at the 2005 parallel market rate: US$1 = SYP52.98152, based on www.oanda.com.
[60] Response to Landmine Monitor VA Questionnaire by Omar al-Luhaybi, GACARLS, Quneitra, 22 May 2006.
[61] Statement of Dr. Mahmoud Bakir, Board Member, al-Yarmouk, at meeting organized by the Arab Net for Research on Landmines and ERW, Damascus, 15 January 2006; Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, “al-Yarmouk, Resolution Number 1936/2005,” Damascus, December 2005.
[62] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 899.
[63] Telephone interview with Ahmed Knaifer, Disability Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Damascus, 22 June 2005.
[64] Telephone interview with Dr. Basem Stas, Head of Health Committee on Disability, Quneitra, 8 March 2006.
[65] Interview with Dr. Ghassan Shahrour, Arab Net for Research on Landmines and ERW, Phnom Penh, 4 April 2006.