Somalia
CURRENT SITUATION
Somalia has been
without a central government since the collapse of the regime of Siyad Barre in
1991. Opposing factions or warlords have carved up most of Somalia’s 637,700 square
kilometers into fiefdoms loosely controlled by armed militia. In 1991, the Somali National Movement, one
of the factions that fought for the overthrow of the Siyad Barre dictatorship,
proclaimed an independent Somaliland in the five northern regions that
constituted territorially the former British Protectorate of Somaliland. In 1998, the Somali Salvation Democratic
Front (SSDF) established an autonomous regional administration, Puntland, in
the northeastern section of Somalia.
Somaliland and Puntland enjoy relative stability compared to the rest of
Somalia[1].
Two factions are
trying to set up a joint administration in the central Benadir region, which
includes Mogadishu, former capital of Somalia[2]. Several other factions are contesting this
proposed administration.
Factional strife still continues in most of central and southern Somalia. There are indications that landmines are being used in these clashes.
A
national reconciliation conference, spearheaded by the Government of Djibouti,
started May 2,2000 to help the formation of a central government[3].
I. BANNING ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES
There is no government in Somalia to sign
the Ban Treaty. However, various
factions have stated their intention to abide by the MBT.
Puntland,
the self-proclaimed autonomous state in northeastern Somalia, issued a Landmine
Policy in 1999, established an office in charge of demining called Department
for Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration under the Office of the
President[4].
USC/SNA,
the main faction in central and SW regions has issued a letter of intent to
abide by the MBT[5]. SPM, the main faction in SE
regions/Jubaland, has issued a law banning the use, production and transfer of
APM, victim assistance and humanitarian demining[6].
Production:
There is no APM production, there is anti-tank mines
recycling for civilian use mainly in stone queries.
Transfer:
Movement
of small arms including landmines has become a routine business in most of
Somalia[7]. In addition, there are allegations that some
of the regional countries, particularly Ethiopia and Eritrea, are supplying
small arms, including landmines to some of the factions. Eritrea and Ethiopia use proxy militia in
southern Somalia in their ongoing border conflict. In December 1999, Ethiopia signed an accord with the USC in south
Mogadishu. As a result, anti-Ethiopian
militias based in USC controlled areas have been ordered to disband[8].
In
Puntland region, there is arms trade between Somalia and Yemen, through the
coasts of Bari region. The deputy chairman of Bari region authority told LM
that the arms traders use remote natural ports and the Bari region authority
does not have the capacity and resources to patrol the long coastline.
Head
of the Bosaso port security told LM that SSDF banned import/export of arms
through Bosaso port, but arms traders use small natural ports near the town.
Stockpiling
And Destruction:
Somalia is awash with weapons
of all kinds. The stocks of the former
army of Siyad Barre, which was at one time, the third largest in Africa, were
looted. Militia of the larger factions
and many individual operators has large caches of arms including landmines.
Use
In
addition to the civil strife that still engulfs most of southern Somalia,
Somalia fought several wars with neighboring Ethiopia (1964, 1977-78) and at
times supported liberation movements in the Somali speaking areas of Kenya and
Ethiopia. Landmines were used in all of
these conflicts. Somalia’s 1600 Km long
border with Ethiopia is mined. An estimated 70% of all landmines in Somalia are
buried along this frontier[9].
In
the area now known as Puntland, the SSDF first fought against the government of
Siyad Barre in the Mudug area. Later in 1992, the SSDF fought against Al-Itihad
Al-Islam in Nugaal, Bari and East Sanaag. Some areas of Mudugh are mined and
Nugaal’s border with Ethiopia. Al-Itihad mined roads linking Bari and Sanaag
regions, and around Bosaso and Elayo districts[10].
The
central and southern regions of Somalia have been the scenes of much conflict
from 1989 until today. Landmines have
been used in these conflicts[11].
There have been allegations that new landmines have been laid along the Kenya/Somalia during 1999 as a result of fierce fighting between two factions fighting for control of the port city of Kismayo and also by rouge militia involved in illegal activities such as smuggling along the border[12].
II. HUMANITARIAN MINE ACTION
Socioeconomic
Consequence
In much of Somalia mines were used as weapons
of terror. They were used
indiscriminately against civilians and military targets. They have been used on farmland, around
public building, access roads, water reservoirs and so forth. They pose an ever-present danger to human
life. Their socioeconomic impact is
immense[13].
Agriculture
Farming
and livestock is the backbone of the economy. The grazing land and the wells
needed by the livestock were mined, and livestock losses are heavy. Some of the
farms in middle and lower Juba were mined. Access roads leading to farms or
market for villagers were mined.
Trading
Routes
Some
of the roads linking major towns or the neighboring countries were mined
especially along the border regions with Ethiopia and Juba valley regions.
Funding
Because
of the prevailing insecurity in most of Somalia there are no mine action
projects in Somalia.
III. MINE CLEARANCE -- SURVEY/ASSESSMENT:
Demining
There
are no demining projects in Somalia.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is examining the
possibility of starting a mine action program in northeast region (Puntland)
under the UNDP/Somalia Civil Protection Program (SCPP) and has sent several
assessment missions[14].
In the past, during the UNOSOM II operation, a total of 32,511 mines and 72,000
UXOs were cleared by UNOSOM contractors in the south, and by Rimfire
International (contracted by UNHCR & MSF) in the northwest[15].
UNOSOM clearance programs provided for demining
operations and the development of an indigenous clearance capacity. Security concerns
delayed the arrival of expatriate staff. By September 94, 11 Somali firms,
under UNOSOM sponsorship, had cleared 438 km of roads, 127 km2 of
pastureland, and destroyed a total of 2,223 AP mines, 5,300 AT mines, and
20,150 pieces of UXO.
UNOSOM
withdraw on 31 March 1995 and all demining work ceased with its departure.
The
Problems of Unexploded Ordinance (UXO)
Throughout
Somalia and Somaliland, the problems of UXO are as serious or more serious than
that of landmines. All regions have
massive amounts of abandoned and decaying munitions[16].
Mine Awareness Education
There
are no mine awareness programs in Somalia.
UNESCO
PEER (Programme for Education for Emergencies and Reconstruction) had a mine awareness program. - A road show and kit,
which includes a low-cost video on, mine awareness. A total population of about
70,000 was covered.
Handicap
International (HI) has mine awareness program in the Somali refugee camps in
Ethiopia. HI has a well-designed Mines Risk
Education (MRE) curriculum for schools in the Somali language.
IV. MINE ACTION: LANDMINE VICTIM/SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE
Landmine Casualties
Data
on landmine accidents or casualties are no longer systematically
collected. The US Department of State
reports that there are no victim assistance programs in Somalia[17].
Several
referral hospitals, at regional headquarters maintain casualty records. These
records seriously underestimate accidents and casualties. Victims buried at the site of the accident
are not reported to any hospital.
Because of the scarcity of medical supplies victims must often pay for
medicine and services. Rural pastoralists, with very few resources, often turn
to traditional medicine, and report to hospitals only after the person’s health
seriously deteriorates or if the victim needs surgery.
In
Puntland there is casualty reporting limited to the referral hospitals in the
main cities? A surgeon at Galkayo hospital told LM that ICRC helped them with casualty
reporting and that there were 5 to 12 victims every month in 1998[18].