Key developments since May 2005: Tunisia joined CCW Amended Protocol II on 23 March 2006. As of 15 April 2006, the army had cleared 90 percent of the Ras Jedir minefield, destroying 3,503 antipersonnel mines and 785 antivehicle mines.
The Republic of Tunisia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997, ratified on 9 July 1999, and the treaty entered into force on 1 January 2000. Tunisia has not enacted any new laws to implement the treaty domestically as it believes that existing laws, which include penal sanctions, are sufficient.[1] Tunisia submitted its seventh Article 7 transparency report on 24 April 2006, covering the period 20 April 2005 to 20 April 2006.[2] It did not utilize voluntary Form J.
Tunisia never produced or exported antipersonnel mines, and reports last using antipersonnel mines in February 1980.[3] It completed destruction of 18,259 stockpiled antipersonnel mines in September 2003.
Tunisia attended the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005, as well as the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2005 and May 2006, where it provided an update on its mine clearance efforts.
Tunisia has not participated in States Parties’ discussions on interpretation and implementation of Articles 1, 2 and 3. A Tunisian official told Landmine Monitor that the discussions were not relevant to Tunisia’s situation.[4] Thus, it has not made known its views on the issues of joint military operations with non-States Parties, foreign stockpiling and transit of antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.
On 8 December 2005, Tunisia voted in favor of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 60/80, which calls for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Tunisia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and consented to be bound by Amended Protocol II on 23 March 2006.[5] It did not participate in the annual conference of States Parties to the protocol on 23 November 2005.
Since its initial declaration in July 2000, Tunisia has retained 5,000 antipersonnel mines (4,000 PMA-3 and 1,000 PROM-1) for purposes permitted under Article 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty.[6] None of the mines have been consumed since the treaty’s entry into force. Tunisia has never reported on the intended purposes and actual uses of these retained mines―a step agreed to by States Parties in the Nairobi Action Plan that emerged from the First Review Conference in December 2004. Tunisia did not use the new, expanded Form D for reporting on retained mines, which States Parties agreed to at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in December 2005. A Tunisian official told Landmine Monitor that some of the mines were used in training troops that cleared mines on the Tunisian-Libyan border, but did not provide any numbers or details of this activity.[7]
Tunisia is affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Although mine contamination includes both antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, Tunisian officials and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) have determined that mines have a relatively low impact. UXO contamination is limited to a number of items across the country, a legacy of World War II.
In its Article 7 reports, Tunisia has disclosed information about the nine minefields laid by its army in 1976 and 1980. Those minefields are located in four areas along the border with Libya (at Ras Jedir, M’guisem, Bir Zar and M’chiguig), and there is a fifth mined area at Borj El-Khadhra, where the borders of Tunisia, Algeria and Libya meet.[8] Those minefields cover an area of 500,300 square meters and initially contained 5,750 antipersonnel mines and 1,958 antivehicle mines, of which 3,503 antipersonnel and 785 antivehicle mines had been removed and destroyed as of April 2006.[9]
Tunisia reported that the minefields are located in regions where there is no urban center, and no agricultural or commercial activity. The only major impact arises from the Ras Jedir minefield located on both sides of a road linking Tunisia to Libya, therefore hampering economic activities on the border.[10]
Areas suspected to contain UXO and a few isolated mines are in the south (in Mareth, Matmata and Elhamma regions), the center (Kasserine and Faïedh regions) and the north (Cap-Bon and some areas in the northwest).[11] According to Tunisia, these UXO and mines have been responsible for all incidents reported in recent years.[12]
The Mines Advisory Group conducted an assessment mission in 2002, concluding that minefields “are all clearly mapped, fenced and marked, and pose very little danger to the population – indeed many are located in very sparsely populated areas.”[13]
There is no national body in charge of management, coordination and planning of mine action in Tunisia. In June 2003, Tunisia established an interministerial committee to coordinate implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty; however, the committee does not oversee mine action.[14] The army is the only body authorized to undertake activities related to landmines or UXO.[15]
There is no national mine action legislation in Tunisia. The army follows operational procedures that, according to an assessment mission by UNMAS in 2003, meet IMAS requirements.[16]
There is no mine action strategy in Tunisia. In June 2005, Tunisia reported that it had prioritized the clearance of the Ras Jedir minefield because of its economic impact on the border area. The clearance of this 350,000 square meter minefield (making up 70 percent of the known mined areas in Tunisia) will enable a highway to be built linking Tunis and Tripoli, and, in the future, to channel gas pipes through Ras Jedir. To serve this purpose, Tunisia set up a demining unit within the army engineering corps in 2004, which started clearance in the area in November 2004.[17] Demining of the Ras Jedir minefield was scheduled for completion in June 2006, followed by clearance of the nearby M’guisem minefield.[18]
Tunisia noted that two minefields (Bir Zar and M’chiguig) are located in desert areas where shifting sand endangers demining operations. Consequently, in 2006, Tunisia sought appropriate mechanical and protective equipment to clear those areas in a safe manner.[19]
The army uses its own database for managing information related to mine action. Although UNMAS recommended in 2003 that the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) be installed, Tunisia believes IMSMA is not adapted to the army and represents an investment that is disproportionate to the size of the mine problem in the country.[20]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Tunisia must clear all antipersonnel mines from mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 January 2010. As of May 2006, Tunisia declared that it had cleared 90 percent of the Ras Jedir minefield, which represents 70 percent of known minefields. In June 2006, Tunisia stated that with adequate funding, it planned to clear all known minefields before 2010. However, implementation of the plan could be delayed by the lack of appropriate means of clearing the two minefields located in desert areas.[21] In 2003, UNMAS undertook an assessment mission that concluded that demining the nine minefields would take approximately six months and cost around US$1 million.[22]
Tunisia believes that it has identified all mined areas along the borders with Libya and Algeria. However, according to a Ministry of Defense official, the limited UXO contamination throughout the country as a result of World War II contains, in some rare cases, antipersonnel mines.[23] No survey was conducted in 2005.
According to Tunisia, minefields are perfectly marked and fenced with barbed wire 1.5 meters high and buried two meters deep in the ground. However, Tunisia acknowledges that an accident might happen when illegal immigrants cut the fence and cross the border into Libya. Tunisia also reports that all fences are regularly visited and maintained by the army.[24] The Mines Advisory Group assessment in 2002 also concluded that minefields were clearly mapped, fenced and marked.[25]
Tunisia reported on fencing and marking of mined areas, and other measures to warn the local population, in its Article 7 report submitted in April 2006.[26]
According to Tunisia’s April 2006 Article 7 report, from 2004 when demining operations started until 15 April 2006, the army cleared and destroyed 4,288 mines from the Ras Jedir minefield including 3,503 antipersonnel mines (2,429 PMA-1A and 1,074 M2A4) and 785 antivehicle mines (including 598 TMA-1A and 187 M6A2).[27] In April 2005, Tunisia reported that 3,306 mines (2,708 antipersonnel mines and 598 antivehicle mines) had been cleared and destroyed.[28] As of April 2006, Tunisia declared that 90 percent of the Ras Jedir minefield had been cleared and 70 percent of the cleared land had been verified.[29]
Minefield clearance is done manually and cleared areas are verified by a tank equipped with front rollers passing two or three times over the cleared area.[30]
In addition, the army destroyed 3,241 UXO during 252 interventions in 2005. In 2004, 349 UXO were destroyed during 218 interventions.[31]
No accident during demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations was reported in 2005 and up to May 2006.[32]
The local police in southern Tunisia warn inhabitants of areas suspected to contain unexploded ordnance; warnings are provided only verbally.[33] Tunisia’s 2006 Article 7 report stated that minefields on the southern borders are far away from “human settlement and activities.” The locations of some minefields dating from World War II are unknown, but when these are identified, police and the National Guard warn civilians about the danger until mines and UXO are removed or destroyed.[34]
From January 2005 to May 2006, no new landmine casualties were reported, as in 2004; however, it is possible that unreported incidents occurred in remote areas. In April 2006, a man lost a leg in a UXO incident while farming in Bizerte, north Tunisia.[35]
The interministerial committee is responsible for the collection of mine casualty data, together with hospitals.[36]
The total number of mine casualties in Tunisia is not known. The last reported mine incident occurred in January 2002. Since 1991, there have been only seven recorded mine casualties.[37] Between 2000 and 2005, there have been at least 13 UXO incidents, including one person killed, six people needing an amputation and six sustaining other injuries. There were four incidents in Kairouan, two around Tunis, two in Sfax, two in al-Casserine and one in al-Kef.[38]
Tunisia has a reasonably well-developed public healthcare system, including emergency care and orthopedic services available from hospitals and regional dispensaries. The Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity and Tunisians Abroad is responsible for services for people with disabilities.[39 ] Mine and UXO casualties receive the same treatment and benefits as other people with disabilities.[40] In principle, people with disabilities have free access to health services, but inland there are few services accessible for the dispersed population.[41]
Facilities assisting people with disabilities were detailed in last year’s Landmine Monitor report.[42] In addition, the Association of Volunteers in International Service is involved in technical qualification and upgrading of courses for physiotherapists, the creation and support of vocational training centers for basic skills training, internships with businesses, on-the-job training, and post-graduation, specialization and refresher courses for trainees.[43]
Handicap International (HI) continues training rehabilitation professionals, in collaboration with the Institute for the Promotion of the Disabled, and has designed a project called, “Promoting the self-reliance of people with disabilities in the Maghreb (2004-2006),” grouping HI’s actions in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to strengthen local initiatives for increasing social integration of persons with disabilities.[44]
Tunisia has legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities to medical care, vocational training, rehabilitation, counseling, employment and financial security.[45] On 19 August 2005, the Law to Guide the Promotion and Protection of Persons with Disabilities was passed.[46] The law stipulates that at least one percent of public and private sector jobs be reserved for people with disabilities, and all public buildings constructed since 1991 must be accessible to people with physical disabilities.[47] Mine survivors and other people with disabilities are eligible for pensions.[48] The Ministry of Social Affairs also provides mobility devices free of charge for those who are part of the social security system. The government issued special cards to people with disabilities for benefits such as unrestricted parking, priority medical services, preferential seating on public transportation, and consumer discounts.[49] In its national plan, the government aims to create vocational training, promote full integration and support disability organizations.
[1] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Zagreb, 30 November 2005. Tunisia cites Laws 69-33 (of 1969), 96-63 (of 1996) and 70-60 (of 1970). Article 7 Report, Form A, 24 April 2006.
[2] Reports were submitted on 9 July 2000, 4 October 2002, 7 May 2003, 8 September 2003, 5 May 2004 and 29 April 2005. Tunisia did not submit the required updated report in 2001.
[3] Article 7 Report, Form C, 24 April 2006. Tunisia imported antipersonnel mines from France, United States and Yugoslavia in the past.
[4] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Zagreb, 30 November 2005.
[5] Tunisia also joined CCW Protocol IV on blinding laser weapons on the same date.
[6] Article 7 Report, Form D, 24 April 2006.
[7] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Zagreb, 30 November 2005.
[8] Article 7 Reports, Forms C, 4 October 2002, 7 May 2003, 8 September 2003, 5 May 2004, 29 April 2005, 24 April 2006.
[9] Article 7 Reports, Forms C and G, 24 April 2006; statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[10] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[11] Article 7 Report, Forms C, 29 April 2005 and 24 April 2006.
[12] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[13] Mines Advisory Group, “Tunisia: Assessment Report,” January 2003, Executive Summary.
[14] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 820.
[15] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[16] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 579.
[17] Statements by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 14 June 2005 and 10 May 2006.
[18] Interviews with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 9 and 10 May 2006.
[19] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006, and interviews, Geneva, 9 and 10 May 2006.
[20] UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), “UN Assessment Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p. 10; interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 9 May 2006.
[21] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006, and interviews, Geneva, 9 and 10 May 2006.
[22] UNMAS, “UN Assessment Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p. 17.
[23] Interviews with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 9 and 10 May 2006.
[24] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[25] Mines Advisory Group, “Tunisia: Assessment Report,” January 2003, Executive Summary; Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 578; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 821.
[26] Article 7 Report, Form I, 24 April 2006.
[27] Article 7 Report, Form G, 24 April 2006; Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[28] Article 7 Report, Form G, 29 April 2005; Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 14 June 2005.
[29] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 14 June 2005.
[30] Interviews with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 9 and 10 May 2006.
[31] Ibid.
[32] Statement by Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 10 May 2006, and interview in Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[33] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva 11 May 2006.
[34] Article 7 Report, Form I, 24 April 2006.
[35] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 12 May 2006.
[36] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 580.
[37] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 822-823.
[38] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 12 May 2006; Ministry of National Defense presentation, “The Problem of Mines and Explosive Remnants of war,” (in Arabic), 20 February 2006. Location of the remaining two incidents is not known.
[39 ] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 580; Ministère de la Santé publique, Government of Tunisia website, www.ministeres.tn, accessed 20 April 2006.
[40] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 12 May 2006.
[41] Email from Nicolas Bordet, Regional Director, HI, Rabat, Morocco, 16 May 2006.
[42] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 580-581.
[43] Association of Volunteers in International Service, www.avsi-usa.org, accessed 14 March 2006.
[44] HI, “Tunisia Country Profile,” www.handicap-international.org.uk, accessed 20 April 2006; email to Landmine Monitor (HI) from Nicolas Bordet, HI, Rabat, Morocco, 16 May 2006.
[45] “Les droits des handicapés en Tunisie,” (“The Rights of the Disabled in Tunisia”), www.tunisieinfo.com, accessed 24 August 2005.
[46] Email from Nicolas Bordet, HI, Rabat, 16 May 2006; “Loi d’Orientation relative à la promotion et à la protection des personnes handicapées, ” Journal Officiel de la République Tunisienne, N°No.66, Tunis, 19 August 2005.
[47] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Tunisia,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.
[48] Interview with Col. Salem Ridiefi, Ministry of National Defense, Geneva, 17 June 2005.
[49] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Tunisia,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.