Djibouti signed
the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) on December 3, 1998 and On May 18, 1998, Djibouti
ratified the mine ban treaty (MBT)[1]. On June 5, 1998, Hassan Gouled Abtidon,
President of Djibouti at the time, signed the instrument of ratification, which
was transmitted to the United Nations through Djibouti’s embassy in Washington.
Djibouti has
a small landmine problem[2],
the legacy of a three-year internal war (1991-1994). Landmines were used in this war by the rebel force of the Front
for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) and by government troops
loyal to President Hassan Gouled Abtidon.
The two sides reconciled on December 26, 1994. However, a splinter group
of the FRUD maintained an armed opposition in some northern zones through 1999.
The ongoing conflict between
Ethiopia and Eritrea appears to have exacerbated Djibouti’s internal
situation. Eritrea accused Djibouti of
siding with Ethiopia and as a result Djibouti broke all diplomatic relations
with Eritrea in 1999. The government of
Djibouti claimed that Eritrea was emboldening Djibouti’s opposition and
supplying the rebels with arms including landmines. There are allegations that some of the roads in the mountainous
north districts and along the Djibouti- Eritrea border have been recently
mined.
A new president, Mr. Ismail Omar
Geileh, was elected in 1999 to replace Hassan Guleid Abtidon. On February 7, 2000, the government of
President Geileh reached a reconciliation agreement with the opposition FRUD. The two sides freed all prisoners and agreed
to cease hostilities[3].
Djibouti does
not produce landmines, but France has a large military base in Djibouti. France has also ratified the MBT and senior
French Military officers indicate that French forces in Djibouti do not use
landmines[4]. The government of Djibouti recently
appointed a taskforce on landmines and with the help of French army technicians
destroyed 350 kg of landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) material in 1998[5]. The Djibouti government has not taken any
other action or introduced local legislation since ratifying the treaty. However, the French Military in Djibouti
destroyed 2500 AP mines November 2-3[6].
1.0
Geography and Politics:
Djibouti,
23,000 Sq. km, lies at the southern entrance to the Red Sea at the strategic
Bab-el-Mendab, which commands the passageway to the Suez Canal for vessels to
and from the Persian Gulf or the Indian Ocean.
Half of Djibouti’s population of 520,000 to 600,000 resides in Djibouti
City, its capital.
Djibouti, which
obtained independence from France on June 27, 1977, is home to the largest
overseas French Military base.
Approximately 3200 soldiers, including contingents from the French Air
Force and Foreign Legion, are stationed in Djibouti. It has borders with Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, three
countries that have undergone upheavals in the recent past.
2.0
Landmines in Djibouti
In 1991 a long simmering dispute between the FRUD and the government of Djibouti escalated into a full-scale war. Both sides used landmines. Government military officers interviewed in 1998 claimed that the army used landmines according to military doctrine and had properly marked minefields. They indicate, however, that often the markings were lost. In general, landmines were used around military camps and on access roads. There is no indication of any large-scale use of landmines against the civilian population by either party. There is also no indication that Djibouti’s army used landmines in counter insurgency since signing the BMT.
Landmines were most heavily used in the northern district of Obock. In Obock town, Djibouti army systematically laid mines to protect the army camp and key installations and FRUD forces are said to have mined access roads out of Obock and near the village of Andoli. A number of dry-river beds and camel caravan routes were also mined near the district town of Tadjoura west of Obock. Djibouti military used French and Italian mines, while FRUD forces employed Italian and Russian mines[7].
Although a peace agreement was signed on December 26, 1994, a splinter FRUD faction, lead by former Prime Minister Ahmed Dini, maintained an armed insurrection in 1998 and 1999. The government of Djibouti and independent observers claim that FRUD forces employed landmines in this renewed conflict. At least 10 accidents involving 69 individuals and 22 fatalities due to new landmines were recorded in 1999 and the first two months of 2000. The latest incident occurred on February 7, 2000. The following table summarizes mine incidents during this period[8].
|
Date of Incident |
Fatalities |
No. Wounded |
Total Victims |
Place of Incident |
|
March 1999 |
1 Military |
4 military |
5 |
Day |
|
04 April, 1999 |
2 Civilians |
5 Civilians |
7 |
Ripta |
|
14 April, 1999 |
1 Civilian |
1 Civilian |
2 |
Near Ripta |
|
15 April, 1999 |
6 Military |
6 Military |
12 |
Boli |
|
26 April, 1999 |
4 Military |
9 Military |
13 |
Mdeho |
|
06 May, 1999 |
2 Civilians |
6 Civilians |
8 |
Adaylou |
|
20 July, 1999 |
1 Civilian |
9 Civilians |
10 |
Near Obock |
|
12 Sep., 1999 |
3 Civilian |
3 Civilians |
6 |
Alaili Dada |
|
24 Sep., 1999 |
3 Civilians |
3 Civilians |
6 |
Adaylou |
|
07 Feb., 1999 |
1 Military |
1 Military |
2 |
Mulhole Alayou Dada |
|
Total |
22 |
47 |
69 |
|
Also in 1999, the Djibouti/Ethiopia train was hit three times by mines. All three incidents occurred inside Ethiopian territory, but while the train was en route to Djibouti.
3.0
Banning Antipersonnel Landmines
3.1
Mine Ban Treaty
Djibouti signed
the MBT on December 3 and ratified it on May 18, 1998. On June 5, 1998, The
United Nations Secretariat informed Djibouti’s Foreign Ministry that Djibouti’s
MBT ratification instruments were received and duly registered[9]. Djibouti’s quick action on the MBT is
largely due to the active involvement of the ICRC and the concern shown by a
number of Djibouti government officials, particularly at the foreign ministry
and within the diplomatic corps of Djibouti.
Between 1996 and the early period of 1998, ICRC international and
regional staff held seminars and visited government officials on several
occasions to discuss the global landmine crisis and the importance of the
MBT.
Apart from signing and ratifying the MBT, Djibouti has neither introduced new local legislation nor programmed the destruction of its own stocks. Djibouti did not participate in the Maputo conference of 1999.
Djibouti has not met the August 7 deadline for article 7
reporting requirements. Officials of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicate that they are waiting for a progress
report from the Ministry of Defence[10].
3.2
Other Mine Treaties
Djibouti has signed and adheres to the 1980 U.N. Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Protocol I, II and III on mines. Djibouti is not a member of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament.
3.3
Djibouti Campaign to Ban Landmines.
The first organized campaign against landmines in Djibouti was launched
in 1999 by the Association de Soutien aux Victimes des Mines (ASOVIM). ASOVIM, a local not-for-profit NGO,
participated in a regional workshop on landmines in November 1999, and has also
started a letter writing campaign to government agencies and the parliament
urging the adoption and swift implementation of local measures[11].
3.4
Djibouti does not produce landmines
3.5
Transfer/Transit
Djibouti is the most important
seaport on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden. It is the major port for all materials to Ethiopia. Ethiopia has signed, but not ratified, the
BMT. Neighboring Eritrea has not signed
the BMT. The transit of landmines
through Djibouti territory will therefore be a concern. In deed, Djibouti opposition groups claimed
in 1998 that at least on shipment of landmines was imported by Ethiopia through
the port of Djibouti[12]. However,
There have been no new allegations of landmines transfer through the ports of
Djibouti in 1999.
3.6
Stockpiling and Destruction
Djibouti officials strongly reaffirm Djibouti’s intention to fully comply with the MBT. With the help of technicians from the French Foreign Legion stationed in Djibouti, the Djibouti military destroyed 350 kg of landmines and UXO material in 1998[13]. No information is available whether any other stocks are planned for destruction.
The French military in Djibouti destroyed 2500 antipersonnel landmines at the Grand Bara, southwest of Djibouti city, during November 2-3, 2000[14].
3.7
Use
Djibouti is not at war with any
of its neighbors. A number of
skirmishes between the Djibouti military and opposition militia have taken
place since the signing of the peace agreement in 1994, mostly in the northern
highlands and in the southern district of Dikhil. Djibouti military officers claim that opposition militia had used
landmines during these skirmishes (see footnote 3) and that the militia are
mining areas near the border with Eritrea. All new use of mines during 1999 and 2000 appear to involve anti-tank
mines.
During 1999, Eritrea accused Djibouti of siding with Ethiopia in the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. As a result Djibouti broke diplomatic relations with Eritrea. On various occasions, Djibouti claimed that Eritrea was emboldening the northern Afar militia and that the Afar militia planted mines in the border area between Eritrea and Djibouti. On March 13, Djibouti and Eritrea normalized diplomatic relations[15].
4.0
Mine Action
4.1
Demining/Eradication of Landmines:
There is no active humanitarian demining program in Djibouti. The French army trained of a contingent of thirty military deminers. The newly trained deminers started limited demining exercise in the district of Obock, one of the districts most severely affected by landmines[16].
Although no
reliable data are available on the extent of mine contamination, certain zones
in the Afar highlands are, considered to face a higher landmine threat than
other areas[17]. There has been no systematic survey of mined
areas in Djibouti. Representatives of
ASOVIM toured suspected sites in the Afar Plateau and report that many public
facilities, such as schools, have been abandoned because of the threat of
landmines[18].
4.2
Funding
The Government of Djibouti has not allocated any funds for mine
action. However, the US Department of
State plans to fund a mine action program in Djibouti, which will include
surveying of suspected areas, mine clearance and mine awareness in the camps
sheltering refugees from Ethiopia and Somaliland[19].
5.0
Victim Assistance:
Djibouti’s
northern plateau, the area most heavily contested during the civil war, and
which contains most of the suspected minefields or mined routes, is mostly
rough mountainous terrain that contains few easily accessible roads. Civilian victims face major difficulties in
calling for or reaching help. Military
mine victims are almost always evacuated by helicopter.
The District
hospital of Obock, closest to areas with the greatest landmine threat, was
completely destroyed during the 1991-1994 civil war. There are now only two hospitals in Djibouti capable of assisting
victims of landmines. Both are in
Djibouti City. Civilian victims are treated at the public Peltier Group
Hospital. Although capable of major
surgery, Peltier Hospital had gone through a number of years of
deterioration. All military victims of
landmines are treated at the French Military hospital of Bouffard, which has
adequate, but small surgery and intensive care facilities. Civilians are not normally treated at this
hospital.
Post-operative
care is not available for mine victims in Djibouti. Peltier Hospital Peltier has a small rehabilitation center for
amputees and other handicapped persons.
It is not equipped to provide prosthetics. No job training or psychological rehabilitation facilities exist
in Djibouti.
The local office
of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been active in
providing some assistance to mine victims.
The ICRC, which has a rehabilitation facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
imports prosthetics for landmine amputees or sends patients to Addis Ababa to
be fitted with artificial limbs[20].
During 1999, the ICRC in Djibouti assisted 24
military mine victims. The majority of the soldiers were injured during the
1992-94 war, but eight were injured between 1997 and 1999. ICRC provided 17
prostheses, 5 wheel chairs and two orthopedic shoes. Also in 1999, following the resurgence of mine explosions, the
ICRC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Djibouti, started a
program of assistance for civilian mine victims. Six civilians injured during 1999 have so far been treated at the
government Peltier Hospital[21].
[1] See attached Law passed by the Djibouti legislature on May 18, 1998 and accompanying ratification preamble.
[2] An interview with Gen. Zakaria of the Djibouti Armed forces.
[3] Radio France International (RFI), various reports, Radio Television de Djibouti (RTD), various reports.
[4] French military sources.
[5] In October 1998, the Djibouti army began a demining exercise in the town of Obock and also destroyed badly stored landmines and UXO material.
[6] Radio Television de Djibouti (RTD).
[7] Djibouti military officials on the government appointed Task Force gave information on the types of mines used in Djibouti. The same information was presented to a workshop in Kampala in 1998.
[8] Source Association des Soutien aux Victimes de Mines (ASOVIM/Djibouti), March 14, 2000.
[9] UN Secretariat letter “Notification despositaire” reference number C.N. 203.1998 Treaties-5.
[10] Discussion between LM and a representative of the Office of Multilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feb 23, 2000.
[11] ASOVIM, B.P 1285, Djibouti, current president, Dahir Osman, Tel. 253-35-0997, Fax. 253-35-4234.
[12] Indian Ocean news letter (ION 842), Addis Readies for War in the Air, p. 8-9
[13] The Nation: March 28, 1998 and French military sources.
[14] News of the destruction was broadcast on Djibouti Radio and Television. Three delegates also witnessed the destruction of landmines by the French Army in Djibouti from France’s National Commission on Landmines.
[15] Nation, a Djibouti government weekly publication, March 13, 2000.
[16] Nation, November 18, 1998.
[17] Information on mined- zones and the types of mines used was obtained from Djibouti military sources and members of the Taskforce on Landmines.
[18] Discussion between LM and Dahir Osman, President of ASOVIM, March 13, 2000.
[19] US Department of State, Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs.
[20] Mustafa Barkhat, ICRC Djibouti.
[21] Mustfa Barkhat, ICRC Djibouti, May 8, 2000.