^{Welcoming Remarks: Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Yusuf Sheikh Madar, Chairman,
GUURTI (Upper House of Parliament)}

First of all, I would like to extend our thanks to you and welcome you to Somaliland, especially those of you who came from far away countries and traveled long distances.

Landmines are among the most dangerous elements that confront human beings. We, here in Somaliland are confronted with their danger every day. We, therefore, applaud your work and we affirm that our communities will work with you in your efforts. On behalf of the Somaliland communities, I would like to tell you that we will cooperate with you in every way.

We hope and expect also that you will do your work diligently and responsibly. Thank you and I hope you will have a successful workshop.

^{Opening Remarks by Ahmed Mohamed Adan (Speaker of the House of
Representatives)}

I know all of you are dedicated to the eradication of landmines and the horrible consequences of their use. We in Somaliland welcome your efforts and applaud your important achievements.

Many of you here, citizens of Somaliland and friends from abroad, are actively engaged in the dangerous activity of removing landmines, demining. We are especially thankful to you and your work.

Somaliland is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. According to numbers compiled by our National Demining Agency, more than 3000 people have been killed by landmines and many more have been injured over the past 10 years. Landmines still pose a daily problem. Just four days ago, a young boy was severely injured by a landmine explosion at Hargeisa airport.

Landmines are particularly troublesome and dangerous for our nomadic society. Pastorals who tend to their livestock in minefields have no protection whatsoever. Moreover, there are often many miles from the nearest urban center and their mine casualties are often not cared for or recorded.

The Somaliland parliament is very interested in the issue of landmines. On the March 1, 1999, on the occasion of the entry into force of the Ottawa Treaty, we passed unanimously a resolution supporting the Ottawa Treaty. I believe copies of that resolution has been given to the participants. We will continue to be supportive of this process and will endeavor to make sure that landmines are not used in future conflicts not in Somaliland but in this region of the world.

Our government is also supportive of the Ottawa process. We are not recognized internationally, but our President has made it clear on the occasion of the signing of the Ottawa treaty that we are willing to unilaterally abide by the requirements of the Ban Treaty.

I thank you all for your efforts and participation in this workshop and wish you all the best.

^{Opening Remarks by Bashir Haji Hassan Geileh, Vice-Minister, Ministry of
Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (MRR&R).}

Honorable guests, dear ladies and gentlemen, colleagues and friends, good morning and thank you for all being here, especially those of you who have traveled from long distances just to participate in this workshop. I would also like to thank and congratulate Dr. Ahmed Hussein Esa of IPR and the Honorable Abdilkadir Jirdeh and their colleagues who have contributed to this workshop and made it possible.

The Ministry of Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (MRR&R) is mandated by our government to formulate policy and guide mine action in Somaliland. The ministry has subsequently established a National Demining Agency with the responsibility for all activities in Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA).

The NDA’s responsibilities are as follows:

¨ to implement policies guidelines formulated by the ministry

¨ coordinate activities and setup strategic plans of action

¨ evaluate and monitor the financial aspects of all HMA activities

The Somaliland Mine Action Center (SMAC) was also established as a technical organ to assist NDA in its role in coordination, evaluation and monitoring, standardization and quality assurance. SMAC is also hoped to provide in-puts relevant to the strategic planning and to perform the following activities:

¨ support activities of data collection and compilation

¨ Setting up of a data center and HMA database including such elements as accident statistics, survey and mapping data, mine awareness training and victim assistance programs.

To put these issues together and make it functional has been very difficult for the ministry as the ministry currently has no resources and since our government cannot at this stage provide financial or human resource support. Therefore, we are kindly requesting from the international communities, UN and international non-governmental organizations to assist us with the provision of technical assistance, human resource development and institutional strengthening.

For your information, our previous experience with the UN or international agencies on donor provided capacity building has been that those funds were not properly utilized, and therefore, I hope in the future there will be better transparency and accountability. Finally I would like to say thank you for both helping us in the process of policy formulation and assistance with the restructuring of NDA/SMAC. I would also like to thank CARE International for their assistance to us to cover the cost of technical assistance.

^{The International Campaign to Ban Landmines}

Overview: Ahmed H. Esa, The Institute for Practical Research and Training

Throughout human history war has been a constant. Every civilization has witnessed war and man’s cruelty to mankind. While waging war, however, combatants have often recognized certain limitations on the conduct of war. Today, these limitations are rooted in customary humanitarian practices that date to the medieval era[1]. The customary humanitarian principle that military requirements must be counter balanced with humanitarian considerations was first formalized in the St. Petersburg declaration of 1868, which stated “that there are limits at which the necessities of war ought to yield to the requirements of humanity.”

Under Customary Law three principles are generally recognized:

· Parties in conflict are not unlimited in the way they conduct war.

· Military needs must yield to humanitarian considerations.

· Combatants must strive to protect civilians from the effects of hostilities, and therefore, are required to employ means of combat that discriminate between civilian and military targets.

In the Geneva Convention of 1949, the need to protect civilians in times of war was codified in international treaty. Last year, the world celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the Geneva Convention with the reaffirmation that “EVEN WAR HAS LIMITS”.

In subsequent protocols to the Geneva Convention (Protocol I and Protocol II), protection of civilians in both international and non-international conflicts and the principle of proportionality were re-emphasized. In these additional protocols, the world affirmed “ the principle of proportionality by prohibiting the employment of weapons that cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering or “methods of combat” that do not distinguish military objectives and civilians”.

Well before the Ottawa Convention and international efforts towards a total ban of landmines, the world community had realized the special nature of landmines and the havoc they pose in many parts of the world. In 1980, Protocol II (the landmines protocol) was annexed to the United Nations Convention on the Prohibition on the use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects[2]. Protocol II of the CCW (Protocol on the Prohibition or Restrictions of the Use of Mines, Booby Traps and other Devices) was modified in 1996 to prohibit the use of mines in a way that “may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated”.

Landmines, unlike other weapons, lie dormant waiting for a vehicle, a person, or an animal to explode it. They cannot discriminate between the foot of the soldier in battle or that of a small child wandering in the woods many years after the conflict has passed. They kill and maim, and the mutilations they cause cannot be corrected or masked by medical intervention. The use of landmines violates international humanitarian law. They are indiscriminate weapons.

In spite of the international treaties and protocols designed to restrict the use of landmines according to tenants of international humanitarian law, landmines have been used widely throughout much of the world in the past four decades. Today, the world faces a landmine crisis. There may be as many as 100 million unexploded mines buried in countries around the world, including Angola, Mozambique, Cambodia, Somaliland, Vietnam, Afqanistan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, parts of the former Yugoslavia, El Salvador, and the Democratic Republic of the Gongo.

Mindful that the landmine crisis cannot be addressed by measures short of a total ban on the use of landmines, a handful of international NGOs banded together in 1992 to lobby and actively work for a total ban. The handful of NGOS that started the International Campaign to Ban Landmines have now been joined by more than 1400 other NGOs throughout the world, including the Somaliland Coalition against Landmines. The work of the ICBL was immensely advanced by several like- minded governments such as Canada and. As you all may know, On Dec 2, 1997, 122 countries gathered in Ottawa to sign the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Convention) on the Prohibition on the Use, Production, Stockpiling and Transfer of Landmines. Today, 140 countries have signed the Ottawa Convention and 80 countries have ratified it through local legislation. It entered into force on March 1, 1999, after 40 countries had ratified it. In 1998, the world honored the ICBL and its coordinator, Jody Williams, by awarding them the Nobel Peace Price.

The ban on landmines has been effective thus far. A number of major countries, including the United Kingdom and France, have already destroyed all their stockpiles of landmines. Ukraine has started destroying some of its 11 million landmines. Other countries, including non-signatories, have instituted moratoria or total ban on transfer of mines to second parties.

The Ban Treaty has certain deficiencies that must be addressed. It does not ban anti-tank mines or anti-handling devices. It does not bind non-state actors and some of the major landmine producers such as China, the United States, Russia and Pakistan have not joined the ban.

One of the reasons that the Ban Treaty has been so successful has been the conclusion by many military experts that landmines were not particularly useful weapons. Studies by the ICRC, which covered some 26 conflicts between 1940 and 1995, concluded that use of landmines did not change the outcome of the conflict[3]. Several studies commissioned by the US Defense Department also came to the conclusion that landmines were only marginally useful.[4]^,[5]

Landmines are, however, extremely useful as weapons of terror. In deed, the landmine crisis we face today is largely due to the use of landmines as weapons to terrorize civilian populations. They have been used in fields, around water reservoirs, inside cities and villages, on farmland. In Somaliland, landmines were used by army of the regime of Siyad Barre essentially to harm the local population. In 1991, refugees coming back to their homes after three years in refugee camps found almost every house booby trapped and mined. Casualties mounted quickly. Between November 1990 and April 1991, two to three landmine victims were being brought every day to Hargiesa Group Hospital alone. The casualty rate has significantly diminished now, thanks in part to some demining work, but primarily because people have learned to live with landmines, knowing where to avoid.

The problem is, however, far from over. While we advocate for more funds for demining and mine action, we ought to realize the importance of eradicating this “terror” once and for all. The Somaliland community must show the world that it is also willing to do its part by joining the world and committing to the total non-use of landmines and destruction of all stocks. It is important to remember, that in the 1994-1995 civil conflict, it was not an enemy force that planted landmines in the streets of Burao, but members of our community.

It is heartening that the government of Somaliland and the Somaliland Parliament have both shown a willingness towards a sensible policy on landmines and a willingness to join the world community in a total ban. I know that Somaliland, as a country not recognized diplomatically cannot sign the treaty, but are heartened by its willingness to do so unilaterally as evidenced by a letter the President of Somaliland wrote to Mr. Llyod Axoworthy, the Foreign Minister of Canada, on November 26, 1997 on the eve of the Ottawa Convention signing ceremony.

While almost all the countries of the Horn of Africa face severe landmine crisis, only Djibouti and Uganda have signed and ratified the treaty. Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia have signed but not ratified the Ban Treaty. There are allegations of new use of landmines in a number of countries. It is very important and critical for the Horn of Africa communities to join the rest of the world community and work towards a mine-free world. It is also important for the ICBL to focus on the Horn of Africa, where more than 155 million people face the daily threat of landmine explosions.

^{Assistance to Mine-Affected Communities in the Light of Bad Honnef
Guidelines}

Abdilkadir Jirdeh, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and member of SCAL

Bad Honnef guidelines presented for aid progarmmes addressing the threat by mines are based on the experience gathered by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at project level. Until recently mine action has meant mine awareness, surveying, marking and demining mine-infested areas. Subsequently, this term was expanded to include mine victim assistance and long-term development. Mine Action programmes, as they are called here, consist of the following components:

¨ Mine awareness, surveying marking and demining.

¨ First aid and physical rehabilitation for the injured.

¨ Socio-economic and psychological rehabilitation of individuals and families.

¨ Reconstruction and development of mine-affected communities.

¨ Empowerment and training of local workers to carry out the progammmes.

There are three sets of issues that will have to he addressed first:

a) The impact of landmines on the community

b) The community in the mine action process

c) The organization of humanitarian mine action

The Bad Honnef guidelines are based on the conviction that improved assistance to mine-affected communities must start with a deeper understanding of local responses to landmines.

Rather than viewing people in those communities as passive victims it acknowledges their importance as active subjects. The implications are far reaching; lasting results are most likely to come form a combination of outside assistance that is sensitive to local capacities with empowerment of the mine affected in their relation with technical and relief organizations.

A The Community Impact of Landmines

While there is general perception that landmines have a severe community impact, this is not very well documented. Existing documentation based on survey data establish individual level effects but do not examine how landmines affect the social fabric of communities, although it is clear that an understanding of the inter-related social dynamics would be vital for any successful intervention. Similarly it is important to look into the extent that mine clearance triggers local social and economic development.

Communities build their own capacities to cope with landmine problems, for example by developing informal information channels to risks related to landmines, through economic adaptation to the mined environment or even undertaking their own mine action. Such local capacities should by no means be seen as a justification for withholding external assistance, and in some instance the self-help activities are so risky that they should be discouraged. Nevertheless it remains imperative for the design of intervention that community capacities are properly understood. It is common knowledge from disaster research that the degree to which external interventions build on local capacities is decisive for their long-term success.

Living with landmines means living with risk. This is the core concern for landmines policy. Mine clearance progammes must seek to minimize the risk to the civilian population in mined areas while ensuring local involvement and responsibility. This is important because we know from other disaster situations that the most effective coping mechanisms develop locally.

Simultaneously, it remains imperative that the best possible security conditions be maintained for those engaged professionally in mine- action.

The aim to empower those who are “hosting” mine action progammes poses new challenges for risk management as well as for technical and humanitarian aid policy.

b) The community in the mine action process

The slow pace of mine action is cause for increasing frustration among donors, deminers and mine-affected communities .So far the search for solutions has largely concentrated on more and more advanced technology. However a different approach to increase mine action capacity has entered the agenda. This explores the ways local communities can be involved in the operation. One moderate form of community involvement, currently applied is the use of local informants in the survey process.

A far-reaching community involvement would, like in all other relief or development projects, enhance sustainability.

There have been instances, where demined communities in Southern Somalia laid new mines, in order to attract another mine action exercises with all its support functions. People who have spent years in war can develop a large tolerance for arms and danger, perhaps their participation is one way of preventing new mine use. The challenge is to propose ways in which the social dynamics in which mine action agencies work can be integrated positively into the mine action process.

A related set of problems center on mine action priorities. While prioritization schemes today try to take into account the community impact, operational performance is still measured in square meters cleared. There is a need to look further into ways of measuring mine action progress that are more sensitive to the social significance of mined area. This will improve the process of making priorities.

C. The organization of humanitarian mine action

The way to increasing efficiency in mine action has been primarily seen to be through developing new technologies. Research on a range of sophisticated technologies for dealing with landmines is on- going. However, there is less discussion of how mine action is organized. This is of utmost importance for increasing sensitivity to local capacities and thus enhancing not only the short-term efficiency of mine action progarmmes but also their long term sustainability. Military competence has formed the core of mine action agencies, which has often implied a conventional military model of organization with relatively little flexibility. At the same time, it cannot be forgotten that mine action is fundamentally a dangerous task

Any organizational practices that add to flexibility at the cost of increased risk are thus unacceptable. We must look at the internal organization of agencies, assessing what organizational forms can improve their sensibility the social and physical environments in which they work while emphasizing overall security in what is fundamentally a risk environment for all parties.

Humanitarian demining, as other humanitarian missions and development in general virtually presuppose getting involved in local even regional politics. There is no separation between humanitarian issues and political ones. Making these connections entails improving our understanding of the local and national context in which demining agencies work, a context that is characterized by the steady weakening of state authority and governance in Africa in general and the Horn in particular. This poses a difficult dilemma whether these agencies should act in lieu of local authorities and structures and perhaps in the process perpetuate the vacuum.

The point here is to operate in a way that humanitarian demining does not override the democratic humanitarian right to sovereignty, empowerment and national development.

Remember the lessons learned from disaster relief; never attempt to play ’ GOD’ however tempting that might be.

^{Landmines in the Horn of Africa}

^{Landmines in Djibouti}[6]

^{Association de Soutien aux
Victimes des Mines (ASSOVIM)}

Dahir Osman Omar, President, ASSOVIM

Presentation to the Workshop on the Menace of Landmines in the Horn of Africa

November 23-24, Hargeisa

Before I embark on the theme of the seminar, I would like to first of all thank the government of Somaliland and all the representatives of local and international organizations present here and particularly to Dr. Ahmed Hussein Esa, who invited me here today.

I am profoundly touched by the warm welcome and the efficient organization of this seminar in a country ravaged by landmines.

To return to theme of the seminar, I would like to present briefly on behalf of the Association des Souteins aux Victimes de Mines, its goal, mission and objectives and its organizational structure.

L’ASSOVIM, a non-governmental non-profit organization, has its headquarters in Djibouti and will soon have branches in the four districts of the country (TADJOURAH, OBOCK, DIKHIL and ALI-SABIEH).

ASSOVIM’s plan of action is geared towards the prevention of the use of landmines, bringing to justice those who use landmines illegally and cause harm to victims and the management of cases of victims of mines.

1. Prevention: In our strategy to fight against the use of landmines, ASSOVIM is engaged in activities towards

¨ The eradication and elimination of the use of landmines

¨ The sensitization of the public against the use of landmines

¨ The elimination of existing stocks

¨ The ratification of treaties and conventions prohibiting the use of mines

¨ The mobilization towards a “culture of peace”.

2. Legal Recourse:

¨ ASSOVIM believes that those who lay landmines, these agents of death , whoever they are, must answer to the victims and to their families in a court of justice, therefore, ASSOVIM will provide the victims and their families legal assistance for the management of their individual cases, and

¨ ASSOVIM will provide material support to help open a judiciary process within Djibouti and even outside of Djibouti against those who commit theses acts.

3. Management of Landmine Victim Cases

¨ ASSOVIM will intervene each time the laying of landmines causes injury or death in Djibouti

¨ ASSOVIM will conduct research into the socioecominc impact of landmines on victims and their families,

¨ ASSOVIM will help victims and their families learn new activities, which help towards gainful employment ,

¨ ASSOVIM will help victims with the acquisition of prosthetic devices.

While ASSOVIM’s goal is to fight against the use of landmines, its immediate objectives are to help the victims of landmines.

Ladies and Gentlemen: many of the organization present here today are engaged in the gigantic activity of demining. We salute your efforts wholeheartedly. In our case, our experience thus far is that we are not confronted with a problem that requires large scale demining. We are, however, working in a situation were landmines are being posed actively.

4. Conflict and Belligerence Context

Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa, facing Bab el-Mendeb on the Red Sea has been the scene of a civil conflict during 1991-1994, between the government and the rebels of the FRUD (Front de Restauration de l’Unite a Djibouti).

A peace accord was signed at the end of 1994 to end the conflict and to return the entire country to a peaceful climate. After some reprieve from war, and with start of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a faction of the rebels has found new opportunities in Eritrea and has returned to wage a rebellion.

The new rebellion appears to be different from the previous one. Mines that were not used much in the earlier conflict appear to be used frequently, not by government forces, but by the rebels.

4.1.1 The Mines

Mines being used in Djibouti are essentially large anti-tank mines. Their target is all the traffic in the northern regions. Anti-personnel mines have not been detected.

Mines appeared for the first time in Djibouti in November 1997, when mines in the southern district at Ali-ADDE hit two vehicles, one of them a civilian truck. Two persons were killed and 5 were injured. No one claimed responsibility.

A year and half later, mines again appear at the beginning of 1999, this time in the north of country. Successive events between March and October 1999 have caused 30 deaths and more than 50 injuries. In the month of April alone, we witnessed 4 mine accidents in the districts of OBOCK AND TADJOURAH.

4.1.2 The targets

70% of the victims have been civilians, mostly in civilian vehicles. Military victims have been rare. Of 40 people that died, 32 have been civilians, including children women and old people.

In conclusion, I would like the participants of this workshop to consider and diffuse the message of the RED CROSS on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the Geneva Convention of 1949 that

EVEN WAR HAS LIMITS

^{Landmines in The Sudan}

Hagir Mohamed Kheir Mussa, Sudan Campaign to Ban Landmines

To begin with I would like to thank IPR and the Somaliland Coalition against Landmines for inviting me here and to meet all of you. I consider it important to meet and share experience regularly.

The landmine problem in the Sudan, as many of you know, is a severe problem. The problem can be divided into two types: that in southern Sudan and that of the north of the country. I am from the Sudan Campaign to Ban Landmines in the north of the country, but I know that I have colleagues in the south who are working hard on this problem to try and find solutions to this problem. I hope to meet them soon in the next year or so to share our experience and to work together to find solutions to secure the lives of many innocent people.

Before I start on landmines, I want to mention to you that Sudan is one of the countries of the Horn of Africa. It is a large country, which has borders with nine other countries. Most of the bordering countries have frontier conflicts. Sudan obtained independence from British and Egyptian administrations in 1956, but throughout most of the years since independence Sudan has had civil conflicts. During most of those years the internal conflict was confined to areas in southern Sudan. However, in recent years the conflict has expanded to parts of northern Sudan, in Jubba in the west and in Kasala state along the border with Eritrea. The war is causing many problems other than landmines. Large numbers of people have been uprooted and are now internally displaced and there are also large numbers of refugees from conflicts in other countries. These people face severe humanitarian problems. Sudan is a poor country economically and cannot cope with these problems while at the same time waging a war. The landmine problem is, therefore, just one problem among many, exacerbated by the economic sanctions imposed by the United States.

The problem of landmines in the Sudan is just being recognized and addressed. The Sudan Campaign to Ban Landmines is also newly-born and began only in 1998. Sudan is one of the signatories of the Ottawa Convention, the Mine Ban Treaty, but has not ratified the treaty. While the government is indicating a willingness to ratify the treaty, it claims that it cannot do so in view of the fact that it is surrounded by many non-signatory countries and while it is faced with an internal opponent, the SPLA, a non-state actor not bound by the treaty. The government of the Sudan also claims not to have used landmines over the past year. On the other hand, the SPLA also indicates a willingness to stop the use of landmines. Nevertheless, there is evidence of a lot of new landmines, whose source we cannot confirm. The number of casualties is rising. In the last assessment in Kasala State, we found that on the average there were two landmine accidents per day, which is very high.

Our Campaign to ban landmines works in three thematic areas:

· Mine Awareness and Training

· Advocacy and Lobbying with the government and public opinion towards ratification of the Ban Treaty, and

· Victim Assistance, which is for us the most important area of concern. Casualties are increasing and as all of you may know, artificial limbs are expensive and difficult to obtain especially for poor people. The provision of artificial limbs to victims is not a high priority for the government considering all the other problems it has. There is also very little international assistance. There is one national center that makes prosthetic devices run by the government and by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Sudan is a huge country with poor infrastructure and roads. Victims are most often from rural areas many hundreds of miles from the nearest treatment center. In addition, in southern Sudan, there are very few facilities that can take care of the victims. When victims reach urban health centers, they are often lost as they come from rural areas.

We are working on two projects: Mine Awareness and assessment for clearance. In Kasala state

We have a pilot mine awareness project.

In these projects, we have different activities:

· Raise awareness of teachers and development workers and other community members,

· To train the children, through child to child interaction,

· To teach children how to recognize the danger of landmines, avoid danger, keep away from dangerous objects,

· To teach children to spread the message about landmines through their villages,

· Provide promotional material to trainees, and

· Moreover, we try to create national resource groups to work in all areas of mine action and to act as counterparts to international experts who join our work.

We did assessment for mine clearance in two areas: Kasala State and Malakai. Kasala is the eastern state bordering Ethiopia and Malakai is the capital of the upper Nile Region in southern Sudan, but under the control of the government. We would like to replicate our experience in areas in Juba.

As I mentioned, our work on landmines is newly born, but we are trying hard to organize our work and to establish the basis for future work. We know it is going to be a long time to achieve landmine eradication, so we are trying to collect as much information as possible about landmines and we are also trying to sensitize the public and to achieve community participation and contribution to this important work.

^{Landmines in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia}

Mohamoud Issa

Somali Campaign to Ban Landmines

General Information

Executive Summary

Border disputes and internal conflicts have devastated the Horn of Africa for more than a century. Landmines were widely used in these conflicts. Since World War II this has been one of the most troubled regions in the world.

2. The Horn of Africa is one of the worst mine-affected nations in the world. There is no in-depth assessment on this issue, and limited records were accessible or recorded for the stockpile, clearance, incidents and victims.

3. IGAD is the sub-regional economic development and political club for the Horn and East Africa; it compromises 7 Nations (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia/Somaliland, Sudan and Uganda). All of them are mine affected - except Kenya and all except Somaliland and Kenya have armed opposition. Therefore, non-state actor compliance with the convention is very important to a population of around 155 million. There are several international humanitarian laws like the Geneva Convention which most of the NSA in IGAD states abide by to some extent.

4. Ethiopia and Eritrea are fighting over a border dispute. The OAU is trying to end this conflict. Eritrea accused its eastern neighbor Djibouti for supporting Ethiopia, and Djibouti in retaliation for the accusation ended its relationship with Eritrea. There is renewed fighting in central and southern Somalia.

5. Eritrea did not sign The Mine Ban Treaty. There are allegations that they have used landmines in the current conflict. The stockpile, production and transfer are not known.

6. Ethiopia signed the MBT, and says that it will ratify the MBT soon. It does not produce landmines. Does possess stockpiles. Has publicly expressed support for a global ban. No current legislation.

7. Somalia has no central government, ruled by a dozen regional administrations and armed factions. There is no Mine Action Programs (MAP). Most of the UN Agencies, EU and International and Local NGO and regional administrations there are willing to support the Ottawa Convention, MAP and Landmine Monitor.

8. Somaliland has National Demining Agency and several international demining agencies are in the country. The UN is interested in a MAP, UNDP established Somali Civil Protection Program (SCPP) which works in mine action.

Introduction

Background Information of the region

The Horn of Africa lies the north-east part of Africa, it is a region of 4,387,385 square kms., inhabited by about 100 million people. It is a region 18 times the size of the United Kingdom with immense natural resources. It covers Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. Other Nile Valley countries such as Kenya and Uganda (the later 2 nations has an estimated population of 55 million) are inseparably linked to the Horn in many aspects and together they are part of Inter Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) the sub-regional social, environmental, economic and political club.

The strategic position of the region becomes much more important because of its proximity to the rich Gulf region which contains half of the world's oil. The Horn lies the straits between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea which most of the world trade passes. With its ancient Judaeo‑Christian and Islamic legacies, the region has for centuries provided a unique bridge between sub-Saharan Africa and the old traditions of the Middle East and Europe.

The end of the cold war led to the fall of dictatorial regimes of Ethiopia and Somalia in early 1991 and the subsequent independence of Eritrea and disintegration of the Somali State.

The countries of the Horn of Africa are related geographically, historically and demographically. For the past two decades, these countries have all suffered from tragic events of civil wars, influxes of refugees, displacement of population, drought, famine and disease.

Current Situation

4. Proper casualty and incident recording needed, local NGO, hospitals, clinics, health center and PHC/MCH center can be used.

5. More demining support to northern regions is very appropriate.

6. Support to SCBL to work for non-state actors compliance to MBT (globalization of the convention), mine awareness and networking.

Eritrea

1. National campaign should be established in Eritrea.

2. The continuity of the LM work in Eritrea is very essential.

Presentations by International Agencies Involved in Mine Clearance and Surveys

^{CARE INTERNATIONAL IN SOMALILAND}

^{Workshop Presentation 24TH
November 1999}

Subject: Landmine Activities in Somaliland

^{Background
Information}

An estimated 110 million landmines are sown in 68 countries around the world. CARE has development programmes in 46 of the 68 countries. In this respect CARE cannot ignore the problems that landmines present to participants in CARE programmes, therefore CARE must promote and improve upon its development efforts by including landmine action programmes as integral components to rehabilitation and development programme initiatives.

CARE addresses the global landmine threat with three separate strategies namely:

Mine Action Programming

CARE’s institutional capacity to combine technical expertise in mine action from Angola, Bosnia and Mozambique with over 50 years of development programming strategically places CARE in a strong position to implement a responsive and appropriate programme in Somaliland.

Safety

CARE has developed a landmine safety programme for its employees in areas where they risk injury to carry out programme initiatives that help meet the needs of at risk communities. An important component of the landmine safety training is CARE’s landmine training handbook which is now in English and Portuguese and will soon be translated into Khmer, Serbo-Croatian and French.

Advocacy

CARE has and will continue to advocate for a total ban on the production, sale and use of landmines.

^{CARE
Involvement in Landmine Activities in Somaliland}

Background;

Landmines and Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) such as rockets, mortars and bombs are a significant threat throughout Somaliland. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that approximately 1 - 1.2 million mines are scattered throughout the country.[7] These mines are primarily found in areas of strategic significance such as road junctions, bridges, water points, and along zones of inter-clan conflict. The UNDP report further states that Somaliland has one of the highest concentrations of landmines.

Somaliland is now is a state of development and rehabilitation, and the people of Somaliland are in the process of resettling and re-establishing their lives, resuming traditional agricultural and livestock practices, establishing small enterprises and rehabilitating community infrastructure. However, these resettlement initiatives are adversely affected by the threat of landmines and UXO. Naturally, communities are hesitant to resettle in areas that are perceived to be mined, given the threat that UXOs pose, particularly for women and children, who are traditionally responsible for herding of livestock and collecting water and make up a large proportion of landmine victims in Somalia. As such, there are tracts of land and parts of communal land that remain uninhabited and unused.

In response to this, CARE Somalia developed the Somalia Mine Action Programme (SOMAP) with the primary objective of improving the household livelihood security for mine affected communities in Somaliland by reducing landmine casualties through the identification and mapping of mine fields. SOMAP aims to achieve this objective through a multi-faceted yet integrated approach of mine awareness education and campaigns, identification of mined areas and defining and marking boundaries of identified mined areas.

Two donors fund the SOMAP project:

· USA (United States Government Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs) - Initially it was planned that the part of SOMAP funded by the US would be a complementary project of the EC funded part. Since the funding of the US-SOMAP came much earlier in October 1998, this part was used as a pilot phase to test the set-ups of the SOMAP proposal.

· EC - The main SOMAP project is funded by EC. Proposal for this project was approved in August 1999 for a period of one year.

Activities completed with US funds

1. Technical Surveys

Level 1 Surveys

38 level one surveys were conducted in five targeted areas, Sahil, Togdheer, Galbeed, Sool and Awadal regions. The objective of these surveys was to quantify the extent of landmine problem and it's impact on local community.

Level 2 Surveys

Two level 2 surveys were conducted at Berbera Airport and at the Missile site in Berbera. During the surveys three anti-tank landmines were unplanted and disposed of professionally.

2. Community Mine Awareness

The following activities have been accomplished

· Community awareness facilitators were trained in Burao (Toghdeer Region) and Berbera (Sahil Region).

· Eight Regional Demining Officers were trained on community mine awareness education.

· Community mine awareness campaigns were carried out in Berbera, Burao, Hargeisa and Borama. These campaigns involved acrobatic shows, songs, poems, poetry and drama.

3. Medical Training

Medical training on trauma management for three Somaliland nationals (deminers) and five clinical staffs was carried out. The deminers identified by SMAC will in future work with demining agencies whereas the clinical officers will work at the PHC in Burao.

4. Primary Health Care Facility Upgrade

Improvement of the capacity of one Primary Health Care facility in Burao is on going. This activity involved procurement of essential equipment and materials, rehabilitation of the water system and training of clinical staff. The activity is expected to be complete by the end of November 1999. When complete it is expected that it will cater for landmine victims and the community.

5. Cross-border Mine Awareness

Preparation for cross-border mine awareness are at an advanced stage. CARE intends to undertake the exercise with two Hargeisa based NGOs.

Lessons learned during the pilot phase

For efficient implementation of mine action activities the following should be considered.

1. No formal policy for mine action implementation in Somaliland. National Strategy for Humanitarian Mine Action needs to be established.

2. There is need to formalise co-ordination among demining groups, with regard to defining operational standards, areas of outputs and maintenance of records/information/data.

3. Data/Information management:

Lack of central data management unit - resource centre. Each demining group seems to have its own data/information management system. There is a danger that with the departure of Demining Groups Somaliland may loose most if not all the work that has been done.

4. Lack of appropriately scaled maps for mapping identified sites and for the establishment of a centralized data collection and mapping system.

5. Lack of standardised Format for Data collection. The agencies involved in mine action activities are so far not in agreement on a standardised format for data collection.

6. The limited capacity of Somalis working in mine action activities: Capacity building is a core component of mine action activities and in integral for the sustainability of long term interventions. The Somalis are desperately lacking in computer skills, data interpretation and data management skills. Capacity building in mine action should embrace training and skills development in management, office procedures, logistics; minefield database training and implementation, as well as minefield prioritization assessments.

7. Prioritising of mine action tasks/activities:

· For Target areas/groups: justification, social impact, priority ranking

· Prioritisation of mine action activities according to target areas/groups

· Delegation/demarcation of tasks and responsibilities

8. Lack of efficiency: The current NDA/SMAC has not been particularly effective.

9. Misunderstanding of the meaning of Capacity building

10. Lack of Sustainability:

The future of SMAC/NDA unknown. For them to be sustainable, they should be independent of transient international experts or NGOs that come and go. Landmines and associated problems will remain for a long time and Somaliland needs to establish a strong demining policy (National Strategy for Humanitarian Mine Action) to be implemented by a strong national body NDA/SMAC.

11. Donor Co-ordination:

Limited donor co-ordination with respect to sharing of resources and technical expertise. In the present set-up, possibilities of duplication of activities cannot be ruled out.

^{DANISH
DEMINING GROUP,}^SOMALILAND

Mohamed Ali Ismail

1. Background

Danish De-mining Group was founded in 1997 as a consortium by three Dnish

Humanitarian organizations; ASF Danish Peoples Aid, Caritas Denmark and Danish

Refugee Council.

Danish De-mining Group is presently implementing programs within humanitarian mine clearance in Afghanistan and Somaliland. A Mine Awareness Programme is in the process of being implemented in Kosovo in cooperation with UNICEF.

The idea behind DDG is to implement HMA programmes in conjunction with development programmes implemented by one of the three partner organizations. This in order to seek integration of Humanitarian Demining in development work, whereby the social impact of the mine clearance activities will be enhanced.

Through the founding partners and their network DDG has established strong ties to Norwegian Peoples Aid, with whom DDG cooperates with regard to training, development of standards and exchange of information. Furthermore, the DDG is working closely together with the Danish Army, with regard to secondment of personnel, training and logistical support

2. Organizational setup: Phase I

DDG initiated a 10-month demining programme in Somaliland in January 1999 with funding from Danida. This programme, which is to be viewed as a pilot project, will be continued and expanded if operational conditions so facilitate

During phase I (pilot project), from January 1999 - November 1999, the DDG Somaliland will consist of the following units (see organigram for further details).

Administration and support staff 14 persons

1 Demining team: 40 persons

1 EOD team 7 persons

1 Mine Awareness/Survey cell: 2 persons

DDG is operating a counterpart system with the teams being supervised respectively by Danish and a Somali supervisor. The overall aim of this on-the-job training is to qualify Somali Nationals to work independently as Demining Supervisors. DDGs policy is to minimize the organizational need for international specialist by replacing these with qualified Somali Nationals for reasons of capacity building and cost effectiveness.

3. Operational plans

Situation

From a base in Hargeisa, DDG intends initially to focus on Adadley, a town situated app.

90 kilometers to the East of Hargeisa. Adadley, whose population figure is currently

estimated at about 2-3.000 inhabitants, used to have as many as 10 000 inhabitants Adadley is a strategically important town, with a large garrison, why it was demolished and heavily mined during the years of conflict The gravity of the mines and UXO problem in Adadley is so, that the town has been declared a national priority by the National Demining Agency (NDA).

The town is growing because of returning refugees and needs to have the large mined areas surrounding the village cleared for farm land and grazing areas To this end, the roads connecting Adadley respectively with Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera should be cleared to facilitate access to the area. Finally, Adadley is heavily contaminated by UXO due to hard fighting in the area and the existence of two large ammunition bunkers on the outskirts of the town, which were blown up during the civil war; scattering unexploded Ordnance over large areas.

The number of landmine and UXO accidents in Adadley is staggering Over a 5 year period more than 22 people, mostly children, have been killed or maimed in landmine or UXO accidents

The Danish Refugee Council has carried out a rehabilitation project for a school in Adadley, as well as a water and health project in cooperation with UNICEF DDG hopes that clearance operations will help facilitate further development of this area

Plan of Action

DDG is presently in the process of training deminers and Somali supervisors in clearance techniques and operations When training is finished at the end of July 99, the teams will deploy to Adadley to a semi-permanent field camp.

As the size and nature of the task calls for a long term holistic approach DDG will conduct a concerted number of sub-operations. These are as follows

Level 1 and 2 Surveys of Adadley.

Battle area clearance (removal and disposal of UXOs) in and around the boarding school (Military HQ during the conflicts).

Battle area clearance in and around the former military camp

Clearance of the inner antipersonnel/antivehicle/anititank minefield surrounding Adadley

-Clearance of the outer antitank minefield.

-Clearance of the roads connecting Adadley with a) Berbera/Mandera b) Burao/G’o) Hargeisa

Community Mine Awareness training will support these operations and data gathering While conducting operations in Adadley, DDG intends to support the local MCH with a fully equipped trained nurse/Paramedic

Furthermore, the EOD team will be operating as a rapid reaction team responding to UXO finds and emergency clearance operations in the whole region Likewise; the DDG paramedics will provide medical support in the case of mine accidents

DDG survey reports will be issued a reference number, entered onto an hard copy/computerized (UNDOS) operations map as “Clearance Tasks” and filed for later clearance Survey reports will be handed to the NDA and the SMAC on a monthly basis for registration A standardized Survey report format needs to be introduced in Somaliland to enhance data discipline and facilitate clearance operations by other parties

Clearance Operations

Tasks completed by the DDG, be it Mine Clearance, Battle Area Clearance or EOD operations, will be reported in a completion report, which will be entered onto an hard copy/computerized (IJNDOS) operations map as “Clearance Tasks” and filed Completion reports will be handed to the NDA and the SMAC for registration The introduction of a standardized completion report in Somaliland would ease centralized mapping, strengthen Quality Assurance and help investigations of eventual accidents on “cleared” land

DDG strongly supports initiatives, which will bring about the implementation of an effective centralized and standardized mapping system. DDG should be able to find contributions to this end.

4.Future phases

Depending on the funding situation DDG plans to employ the following units in Phase II from November 1999-November 2000.

Administration and support staff 15 persons

3 Demining teams 120 persons

2 EOD teams/light clearance teams 16 persons

Mine Awareness/Survey team: 6 persons

Mechanical Clearance Team 4-8 persons

The mechanical clearance team will consist of 1-2 Hydrema Mine Flails.

In phase III, from November 2000 — November 2001, the organizational structure and the units employed will depend on an evaluation of the need. It is likely that the DDG will

Increase its manual clearance capacity and employ further mechanical assets combined with sniffer dog teams.

Mapping and information Management

Gathering and registration of data relevant to HMA operations is a three stage process, including.

- Pre-operational Data Gathering

- Survey operations

- Clearance operations

It is imperative that data is gathered, validated, processed and mapped in a uniform way, why standards needs to be introduced in the Somaliland area of operations. The DDG Procedures are described below:

Pre-operational Data Gathering

DDG views data gathering as critical for operations. The analytical foundation on which the prioritizing of areas and the consequent tasking of survey, clearance and CMA assets rest, is the systematic gathering of solid data with regard to;

- Mine or UXO accidents

- Areas suspect of being mined

- Areas with an identified threat of mines

- Areas contaminated by UXOs

Experience shows that this type of data is normally obtained via the conduct of operations, when teams/personnel are exposed to the local communities. Often these data are however not gathered or processed through the internal information system in a standardized or systematic way. This is why all DDG supervisors, regardless of function, receive training in Data Gathering and the conduct of surveys. Furthermore standardized reports have been introduced to all teams

For this purpose DDG is working closely together with the SRCS/Norcross Rehabilitation center with regard to Victim information and the Veterans Association “Soyaal” with regard to mine data.

Reports of this type will be categorized, numbered, entered onto an hard copy/computerized (UNDOS) operations map as “Survey Tasks” and filed for later survey Normally this information will not passed on to other parties until surveyed

Survey Operations

Survey operations (level 1 & 2) are normally based on data gathered from the following sources

-DDG data gathering

-Local authorities

-Regional Mine Officers/SMAC

-The National Demining Agency

-International NGOs

HALO

TRUST

MATTHEW HOVELL

THE HALO TRUST SOMALILAND BRIEFING NOTES

FOR

TILE SOMALILAND COALITION AGAINST LANDMITNES WORKSHOP

Background - The HALO Trust was formed 11 years ago and now removes landmines and UXO from nine countries around the world. Other countries, such as The Sudan, have been surveyed and are awaiting funding being raised for clearance projects. Some programmes have associated HALO medical programmes running alongside them and most have heavy mechanical mineclearance support. The HALO Trust employs approximately 4,000 local staff and 25 expatriate staff worldwide. No programme has ever been cut short either for security or funding reasons. The programmes in Mozambique and Abkhazia will be the first to be completed in approximately three years time.

Somaliland - The Halo Trust conducted their initial reconnaissance in 1998 with a confirmatory visit in April of this year. The set up programme started in July and will run until the end of this year by which time three demining teams of 20 lanes each will have been established.

Currently the HALO Trust has two demining teams conducting clearance at Dara - Weyne military camp 35 km NE of Hargeisa. A survey team is working in Awdal region. When training of the third team is complete in December clearance operations will start in Gabiley and Boroma.

Next year a fourth twenty lane team will be trained and deployed in January along with a dog team for area reduction and route verification.

This set up and subsequent years programme is being funded by The United States Department of State.

The Future - The British Ministry of Defence has donated four front loaders and four 30 tonne bulldozers to The HALO Trust for use in Sornaliland. When funding has been secured for their armnouring and transport they will be used for large-scale route clearance arid mechanical mineclearance. This will also mean additional employment for 50 deminers, mechanics and drivers. They will be employed using techniques pioneered by HALO around the world.

UK OFFICES: THE HAlO TRUST 804 DRAKE HOUSE, DOIPI IIN SQUARE, LONDON SW IV 3NW

TEL.0044 171 821 9244 & 00441848331100 FAX. 0044 1718340198 & 0044 1X4X331122

^{MINE
VICITIM ASSISTANCE IN SOMALILAND}

^{SOOYAAL
Mine Victim Assistance Program}

Dr. MOHAMED AHMED ABDI “ARABETE”

GENERAL SURGEON, HARGEISA GROUP HOSPITAL &

CHAIRAMN OF SNM WAR VETERNS EVALUATION COMMITTEE

INTRODUCTION

Sooyaal, the Somaliand War Veteran’s Organization, was founded in 1991 and mandated to assist the veterans and war-affected groups and also to assist vulnerable social groups with re-integration programs. Sooyaal is involved in many activities including humanitarian demining and mine action. Many of its Somali National Movement ex-combatants are quite knowledgeable and experienced and have first hand information on mine locations and mine fields. Sooyaal is, therefore, often called upon to provide manpower.

SOOYAAL VICITIM ASSISTANCE STARTEGY

2000 – 2003

Soyaal considers mine victims as disabled and handicapped who encounter numerous obstacles in their environment and unable to access many of the social programs available to others.

We have the following practical approach:

Ø Education, training and skills development leading to employment opportunities

Ø Social organization and networking

Ø Lobbying and advocacy on behalf of victims

Ø Community based rehabilitation

Ø Medical intervention

Ø Residential care and counseling.

Before I give my recommendations to the workshop, I would like you to consider the following statistics about landmines and Somaliland.

Ø In 1991 the ICRC estimated Somaliland to have one amputee for every 652 person’s which makes Somaliland the their most severely affected area.

Ø Physicians for human rights reported that there were between 1500 and 2000 amputees in Somaliland in 1992[8].

Ø Sooyaal estimates Somaliland to have one amputee for every 753 inhabitants and that there may be as many as 2.5 million pieces of mixed types of anti personnel and anti-tank mines in the soil waiting to maim more victims.

Ø IPR reports that while its difficult to estimate the number of Landmines in Somaliland, between 1 to 2 million mines are thought to have been planted in Somaliland during three conflict phases[9] .

· Phase I = 1977-1978 war between Somalia and Ethiopia

· Phase II = 1981-1991 war between Siad Bare regime and the Somaliland National Movement

· Phase III= 1994-1995 war between Somaliland loyalist forces and forces opposed to the government of Mohamed Ibrahim Egal.

Ø UNDP in a 1998 report indicated that 400,000 to 800,000 landmines were placed in Somaliland soil including 24 types of anti personnel landmines from 10 different counters during the 1988-1991 conflict[10].

From these reports, it would appear that:

We have nearly 2 amputee for every 1.000 inhabitants. With 2.5 mines in the soil this number is likely to increase substantially and we can imagine the adverse socioeconomic impact in this poor, internationally unrecognized country.

Demining projects and increased awareness by the affected communities have lowered casualty rates in recent years, but very little has been done in the important area of victim assistance. Somaliland has suffered through decades of conflict and instability. Its entire health care infrastructure has been ruined and the majority of health care staff has migrated and has not yet returned. Hargeisa Group Hospital, the national referral hospital, has an operating theater with no anesthesia equipment and no oxygen. Often times suturing material and bandages are not available. Therefore, victims throughout of Somaliland face horrendous prospects. The obstacles and difficulties faced by mine-victims in Somaliland are most clearly illustrated by our most recent victim. On November 19, just three days ago a mine explosion near Hargeisa Airport grounds injured a 5-year old boy. This is less than 5 miles from the Hospital in downtown Hargeisa. The boy suffered multiple life-threatening injuries, burns and lacerations. In spite of the proximity of the accident to the town center, it took the boy’s family nearly five hours to get him into the hospital. The boy received no first aid assistance even from the airport staff and upon arrival at the hospital, we could provide him with very minimum care.

The Somaliland Red Crescent Society and Handicap International provide postoperative assistance comprised essentially of the provision of mobility devices. There are no training programs or programs to enhance the employment potential of mine victims.

In 1999 Sooyaal was asked by the government of Somaliland to register war-affected veterans as well as civilian victims. In the following table we illustrate data compiled by this registration program during its first three months.

SNM Veterans Disabled by War Registered the 1999 Registration and Evaluation Program in Hargeisa

Percent Wounded by Mine 61%

Patients	Place of Injury	Mine	Bullet	Accident	Other	Total
Male	Lower Limb	171	63	23	4	261
Female	Lower Limb	6	2	1	2	11
Male	Upper Limb	70	80	15	1	166
Female	Lower Limb	2	0	0	1	3
Male	Mental Patients	10	2	1	1	14
Female	Mental Patients	0	0	0	0	0
Male	Eye & Ear	53	3	0	1	57
Female	Eye & Ear	1	0	0	0	1
Total		313	150	40	10	531

RECCOMENDATION’S

In view of poor capacities of the existing health centers, which are already over-burdened, it will be difficult for such institutions to cope with the necessary victim assistance programs.

Therefor we are proposing to the donors and humanitarian demining agencies to address this issue in more a comprehensive way, and we suggest the following:-

a) Support and upgrade existing health care institutions.

b) Upgrade the skill of the health staff.

c) Develop new institutions for victims through collective responsibility and funding, and

d) Improve information sharing among the demining organizations and victim assistance programs by establishing database resource center and increasing interaction through workshops and regular discussions and consultations.

The Rehabilitation Center Established &

Supported

By Handicap International/Action Nord Sud.

Ali Jama

Workshop on the Menace of landmines in the Horn of Africa.

November 23—24, 1999.

Handicap International/Action Nord Sud opened this Rehabilitation Center in 1992. The day to day activities of the center are managed by the national staff. The center, which is based in Hargeisa — opposite Hargeisa Group Hospital, deals with all the disabling pathologies, including mine victims. It receives both children and adults and is composed of three departments:

- Orthopedic Workshop

- Physiotherapy unit

- Children department.

1. Physiotherapy unit:

Three physiotherapist assistants have been trained by HI/ANS in collaboration with Ministry of

Health & Labor. In 1996, the physiotherapist assistants obtained their diplomas recognized by

Ministry of Health & Labor of Northwest Somalia.

The physiotherapy activities are done in the center, in Hargeisa Group hospital as well as home- visits.

Moreover, the trained PTAs train presently other PTAs from the regional hospitals of Northwest Somalia. The ratio of the trainees per region is as follows:

* Two trainees from Hargeisa hospital, two from Burao, one from Berbera, one from Borama and one from Erigavo.

This physiotherapy training started in October 1998 and will last two years (October 2000).

The goal of this training is to make physiotherapy activities available in the regional hospitals. In line with this physiotherapy training, a program of establishing physiotherapy departments in the regional hospitals has been started. The aim is to enable the trainees in physiotherapy to have work place in the hospitals and to have at their disposal the necessary equipment in terms of physiotherapy treatment. So far, equipping physiotherapy department in Hargeisa & Burao hospitals has been implemented and the plan is to undertake this task in the other regional hospitals in the future.

2. Orthopedic Workshop

ANS/HI also trained 7 orthopedic assistant technicians who obtained their certificates in June 1999. The orthopedic assistant technicians are able to competently produce the different orthopedic devices.

Other orthopedic workshops are not established in the regions, as their sustainability in the long term is a difficult thing to guarantee. Besides the required equipment and tools, an orthopedic workshop needs daily consumable raw materials.

3. Assistance to the Landmine victims.

Physiotherapy can help the Landmine victims in different ways:

· Physiotherapy exercises for amputees to prepare the stump for taking artificial limb.

· Gait training when patients are fitted with artificial limbs

· Psychological support.

The orthopedic workshop, in the rehabilitation center, produces the following appliances to assist the Landmine victims:

· Walking Aids (crutches, elbow canes, walking frames, parallel bars ...)

· Orthopedic shoe and splints for foot amputations.

· Wheelchairs & tricycles as a second solution for above knee double amputations, which is a very difficult thing to fit with artificial limbs.

A great deal of data about Landmine victims in Northwest Somalia is available in the rehabilitation center.

^{HAVOYOCO MINE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN}

About the NGO

The Hargeisa Voluntary Youth Committee (HAVOYOCO) founded in 1992 as a response to the problems that confronted the Somaliland population as a result of the war. HAVOYOCO is a local development organization that is addressing primarily the needs of youth, children and women by working through grassroots mobilization, participation and advocacy. Since its inception HAVOYOCO implemented 52 projects towards its vision with different donors.

Our role towards the menace of landmines

The role that we currently play on the national on-going anti-mine programs is the awareness sector. One of the reasons that we selected this role is that the Circus Project is one of the programs that HAVOYOCO runs. The Circus is a suitable tool for community education and awareness campaigns. Therefore, we built our land mine awareness activities on the Circus Project.

Methods

To submit message to the community the Circus performance group displays their Circus skills including the pyramids, acrobatics, and other gymnastics in an open area. This attracts thousands of audience, then the required messages are submitted to the audience. Submitting the messages, Circus normally uses poems and dramas, the sole language that Somalis understand very well.

Achievements

HAVOYOCO has conducted several community awareness activities, through the Circus, with different international organizations including CARE International, UNICEF, UNDP, ANS (Action Nord Sud) and the Institute for Practical Research & Training about different topics such as mine-awareness including counseling of personal trauma of land-mine victims. In addition, there were other messages such as peace, child rights health and other social issues. CARE International is felt that Circus is a very potential tool for Anti-landmine awareness campaigns. We have done with them (CARE) several mine awareness activities in Burao, Berbera, and Borama. We are planing to conduct the first cross-boarder visit to the Somaliland refugees’ camps in Ethiopia with CARE International. The objective of this cross boarder visit is to increase the awareness of the returnees about the problems of the land mines.

^{MINE AWARENESS AND
HUMANITARIAN MINE ACTION}

Ahmed Mohamed Madar

The Somali Relief and Rehabilitation Association

It is a new concept, which is an integrated approach to removing landmines from the ground and reducing their disastrous impact on mine affected communities. For the time being we do not know the exact numbers of mines there are in the ground which is not very relevant, what is relevant is how many people are affected by the presence of mines, which are obstacles to post-conflict reconstruction and socioeconomic re-development.

Humanitarian Mine Action is a comprehensive, structured approach to deal with mine & UXO contamination. It includes survey assessment, mine clearance, mine awareness, victim assistance and socioeconomic development.

These activities are carried out to reduce the threat posed by landmines to individuals & communities in mine infested areas, as well as to assist mine victims. Humanitarian mine action should also work to create indigenous capacity in mine affected communities as part of their long-term development.

Mine Awareness:

Mine awareness involves information Programme to reduce the threat of landmines to affected communities. In order to reduce the number of landmine victims, we better use various educational mechanisms that focus in changing risk behaviour and teaching safety measures Mine awareness is needed in mine affected areas, prior & parallel to demining programs. In heavily mined countries like Somaliland demining can take years to complete. So the local population must learn how to live their daily lives in mine- & UXO-infested areas until the threat is removed.

There are some common elements noticeable in mine affected communities through out the world but more significant are the differences. Mine awareness campaign must be adapted to local needs, culture and traditions. In order to adopt the content & the form of massage to the needs of the local population, fieldwork must precede development of any mine awareness campaign.

While specific content vary, universal points to any awareness campaign must include knowledge of the threat, means of protecting ones self and how to react if you unknowingly enter into a minefield.

International guideline for landmine & uxos awareness education:

It is divided in to four steps

· Feasibility Study: (Is mine/uxo awareness really needed?)

· Needs Assessment: (Who is at risk and why?)

· Programme Planning: (what kind of mine /uxo awareness is likely to reduce injuries and death?)

· Monitoring & Evaluation (How to tract both progress & change & to determine the value of the intervention?)

The Community Based Mine Awareness Programs

A community approach: Faced with the problems of landmines and Uxo, the ultimate solution remains, purely & simply, the physical clearness. In Somaliland, given the amplitude of the problem and the present political status of the Republic of Somaliland (lack of international recognition) makes the solution costly & slow. Despite the efforts of the international & UN agencies in demining activities, it will take a long time before Somaliland population can live normally & safely again. But in the mean time it is highly indispensable to reduce the number of deaths and mutilations caused by these deadly hidden weapons. Such is the main objective of the program of the public awareness of the dangers of the mines & UXO.

Objectives & Strategy: -

The objectives of the (CBMAPS) are to limit the dangers of the number of accidents & to put into place structures at the town, village and community level, which will handle the problems of land mine & UXO accidents: -

The program is composed of three parts.

· Recruitment and the essential role of the trainers.

· Raising the mine and UXO awareness of the population & establishment of committees. (Volunteers).

· The establishment of a network that collects & diffuses information. A methodology suited to the very special & political context is indispensable.

Methodology:

The dominant and the most effective method for mine awareness is through direct contact with affected communities. This means training of local trainers who can reach different places where people can be gathered to participate in training courses, be it the interior, villages, schools, mosques etc.

Normally materials include dummy mines & Uxos, posters with mine awareness massages & illustration, leaflets, brochures, photographs, audio tapes, & videos, mine awareness massages can also be incorporated in theater, games, dances, poetry, songs in which the target groups can actively participate. Mass media like TV, Radio and News papers has the advantage of reaching out a vast number of people at relatively low cost and best function as a support to a community based approach.

^{THE SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT OF LANDMINES IN SOMALILAND}

Mohamed Abdi Dhimbil

CONSORTIUM OF SOMLAILANF NGOs, SCAL

Universally, Landmines have become a major threat to human beings and their welfare. For more than half a century devastation from Landmine explosions and their aftermath spread to all levels of society, individuals,families, communities and entire nations. Individuals, along with their families, suffer the physical and psychological trauma caused. The burden of the care and maintenance always fall on the shoulder of the families or relatives of those affected. Mine-infested areas are avoided by the communities who live close to it. The fear, danger and stress involved develop into phobia of not knowing when to expect the next explosion.

Rural areas where people or societies depend on pastoral or agrarian livelihood experience loss of their livelihoods, they lose their land because of mine infestation and lose their livestock.

Muscle power in rural means survival and thereby any amputee due to mine explosion is reviewed as more mouth to feed since his/her contributions are lost and it adds to the depletion of production.

The Republic of Somaliland is one of the countries mined heavily in Africa. There are about 28 mined roads. 63 confirmed another 17 and minefields suspected, in accordance with sources from the MRRR of Somaliland. Estimates by the same source indicate that there are over one million land mines infested in all regions of the country.

Such a scenario creates a major impact on the socioeconomic activities of the nation. The major backbone of the economy of Somaliland is livestock. About 60% of the population depend on livestock rearing and trading. The pastoralist mode of living where camels, cattle, sheep and goats do natural grazing, hence moving from one place to another in search of water and pasture is still the main activity for the majority of people. Such nomadic practices are risky when surrounded by mine fields and loss of human life becomes common. Generally livestock rearing is labor intensive requiring the participation of all males. Grazing them, water giving, milking and calving are all physical activities that men are required to do. Mine victims cannot participate in these activities, and hence there is loss of manpower.

In the aftermath, male amputees in pastoralist areas often move to villages nearby, becomes depressed and finally become professional beggars depending on handouts. Wives of such destitutes may often abandon them and hence the family disintegrates. This environment creates orphans and abandoned children. In poor societies, the burden of care falls on the relatives, as municipalities or central governments cannot provide care. Pastoralists, through experience, often suspect areas mined and often tend to avoid grazing near it, but unfortunately the livestock often get attracted to places where the pasture is better and desirable, the end result is the loss of livestock.

In agrarian societies mines always take away land from the poor peasant. Land means survival to him and once someone abandons his farm, the family always migrates to urban centers where they have no skills to sell and often become laborers. Their children, when they arrive in urban areas, do not attend schools and become delinquents and street children.

The socioeconomic impact on the community is exacerbated by closure of the roads that are mined. The movement of trade and commerce is impaired and the cost of goods rises. Farming communities bringing their produce to market also are often forced to go through suspected mine areas. While they quickly learn where to avoid, rainfall and floods often expose and move landmines. Danger is always there and they live with the realization that accidents may happen anytime.

Refugees hoping to come track to their homes after the conflict is over, as is the case in Somaliland, must rebuild their houses and rehabilitate their villages, find new pasture and farming areas. They will need roads to new markets. All their socioeconomic activities will be impacted by the constant threat of landmines. In the event of accidents and casualties, these communities may abandon the area. The community disintegrates. They move to other places or move their relatives. The ability of such a community to rebuild its economy is often doubtful.

Furthermore, in under developed, rural dominated countries where mine infestation is heavy, the development of agricultural and pastoral endeavors are significantly reduced. Countries without industrial base will have a major negative national economy.

REPATRIATION AND REINTEGRATION

Refugees who sought asylum from neighboring and other countries will definitely return home after the conflict. In Somaliland some refugees have already repatriated spontaneously others are returning through organized repatriation. These refugees feel less secure when they are at the camps because of information they receive regarding the mines. This fear remains one of the reasons that they always give for prolonging their stay in the camps.

The estimated number of Somaliland refugees who have not been repatriated is approximately 200,000 people. Most of these refugees have rural background. But, they always register themselves on repatriation form that they are from urban places. One of the reasons for this is the fear that they may be returned to mine-infested area.

ASSISTANCE

The number of mine affected victims is relatively very high. These include the physically disabled, the traumatized, the socially handicapped and the economically deprived. Assistance towards this has been very limited. However two agencies Handicap International and Somaliland Red Crescent have provided some artificial limbs and crunches. The programs of these two organization do not cover the whole country.

Conclusion

Having highlighted briefly the problem and constrain posed by landmines and their impact on the sociio-economy of the country

Having briefly without any extensive study on the effect landmines refugees and finally touching slightly on the problem of victim assistance the. The paper advocates the following to be taking

Now that the international community is coming forward with the new approach of humanitarian de-mining, we strongly suggest.

1. that the socioeconomic impact of landmines be studied and integrated from the policy formulation level to the project formulation and planning.

2. to develop and assist local institutions who will undertake studies on the

subject through the use of IPR in order to quantify the magnitude of the issue.

3. to expand the reintegration project for the refugees and this calls for more assistance towards development which will make their livelihood sustainable.

4.efforts towards victim assistance should be expanded and increased

Working Group 1: Cooperation Among Regional Campaigns

PRESS RELEASE:

Horn of Africa Anti-Landmine Campaigners Gathered for a Workshop on

Landmines Call upon IGAD Countries to Sign and Ratify the OTTAWA

CONVENTION (MINE BAN TREATY).

Workshop on the Menace of landmines in the Horn of Africa

November 23-24, 1999, Hargeisa

The Somaliland, the Somali, the Sudanese and the Djibouti Coalitions against Landmines jointly held a 2-day workshop on the menace of landmines in the horn of Africa in Hargeisa (Somaliland). The workshop was held in collaboration with the Somaliland Ministry for Resettlement, Reintegration and Reconstruction (MRR&R).

The workshop was attended by representatives of the UN and international agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCT (Habitat), CARE International, Handicap International and the Norwegian Red Cross, and local non-governmental organizations. The Demining groups of HALO Trust, the Danish Demining Group (DDG), Santa Barbara, Greenfields Associates and the Canadian Association for Mine and Explosive Ordnance Security with active programs in the countries of the Horn also participated in the workshop.

The Horn Region anti-landmine campaigners expressed grave concern that landmine deployment continues in some countries of the Horn of Africa. Of the 7 countries in the IGAD sub-region (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), only Djibouti and Uganda have ratified the Mine Ban Treaty. Yet, the region of the horn is one of the most heavily mine-affected regions in the world. The coalitions gathered at this workshop urge all IGAD countries to join the rest of the world and work towards a mine-free HORN OF AFRICA. Recent declarations by the Kenyan government that Kenya was proceeding towards ratifying the treaty are encouraging and the coalitions gathered at the workshop urge the Kenyan government to more quickly and ratify the Ban Treaty.

In opening remarks, Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Yusef, the Head of the Guurti (Council of Elders), affirmed the commitment of his community towards the eradication of landmines from the region. Later, during the first session of the workshop, Ambassador Ahmed Mohamed Adan, Speaker of the House of Representatives expressed the strong intention of Somaliland to abide by the Ottawa Convention even though Somaliland could not sign the treaty as a State party. Landmines left behind by two decades of war terrorize Somali communities everywhere and the Coalitions, taking note of these remarks, hope that landmines will not be used in future conflicts in this region.

With respect to mine action, participants indicated the dire need for more funding for mine awareness, demining and victim assistance programs and the need for coordination and collaboration in mine action. In a dramatic testimony on the difficulties faced by mine victims, doctors from the Somaliland War Veterans Association, presented the case of the latest mine victim in Somaliland, a five year old injured in a mine explosion in the morning of November 19, 1999. Although the accident took place just 7 miles outside of the city of Hargeisa, more than four hours elapsed before the victim was finally brought to a health care facility.

Given the gravity of the landmine problem in the Horn of Africa, the anti-landmine coalitions call upon countries of the IGAD sub-region presently holding their 7th Heads of State Summit in Djibouti to view the problem of landmines with urgency and to sign and ratify the Ottawa Convention. Further, the coalitions urge IGAD countries to convene a States conference to search for solutions and consensus to the problem

of landmines in the Horn of Africa.

^{Coordination of Mine Action in Somaliland}

Working Group Proceedings

Chair: Abdillahi Omar Hassan (DG, MRR&R) Co-Chair: Bo Bischoff (DDG)

Abdillahi Omar Hassan

This is working group 2, Coordination of Mine Action in Somaliland, as indicated in the workshop schedule. In order to improve coordination in mine action, particularly demining, MRR&R formed a working group composed of representatives of the demining agencies, one from each agency, and also a Technical Coordinating Board (TCB). This was about June. The group has so far presented a draft proposal. I cannot read the whole proposal, but the group proposed terms of reference for the formulation of a new policy and also a format for restructuring the National Demining Agency (NDA) and the Somali Mine Action Center (SMAC) so that they can better perform their functions. After the proposal was submitted to the Ministry, we, that is I and the Vice-Minister, took what we thought were applicable and have given those to the TCB to produce a first draft. That was what we presented this morning. Now this is an open discussion so if you have any comments or questions, welcome.

Bo Bischoff: If I may add on the background of all these documents. This work was initiated in July or August, and the reason why the TCB undertook this initiative is that we were cooperating, given the lack of resources within the NDA, to define what the working relationships within humanitarian mine action should be, and basically analyze the weaknesses and strengths, opportunities and threats that face humanitarian demining in Somaliland today. Some of these points have been brought up again today, and one of these is lack of trust. Another described clearly is lack of communication and information between communities directly involved, lack of ownership and commitment to the problems and solutions, and also, the weakness of the NDA, the weak regional foundation of the NDA and SMAC.

Abdilkadir Jirdeh (SCAL): What I would like to say is that the question of Sovereignty is not part of the problem in coordination. Some people may explain it that way, but that issue has been taken care of. The international NGOs have all signed agreements with the line Ministry that were approved by the Council of Ministers, so no one is questioning the authority of the State. However, there are turf issues. The role of the NDA is not well defined, that of SMAC is not defined, that of the Ministry is not clearly defined. And in the background, I think, there is a problem of personalities, and in this, maybe we are all part of the problem.

Said Shukri (SOOYAAL, SCAL): When we talk about coordination, what exactly are we talking about? Coordination is a wide issue. Are we talking about structural coordination, coordinating the work of the Ministry and NGOs, or are we talking about policy coordination of the demining groups or coordinating their work and efforts. Let us be more specific before we go any further, this may give us a gateway for the discussion.

Bischoff: The document produced is basically a policy paper to achieve stronger coordination at the strategic level. We have been quite intensively working on this document. We all have a lot of information in our heads and there are a lot of parallel initiatives - that is quite handicapping. All these parallel initiatives are trying to achieve coordination of mine action in the context of Somaliland. As we all know, SMAC is now back in town and will be hopefully revitalized soon and that might change things. Hopefully, SMAC will have the resources to rectify the situation. There are also initiatives in Nairobi that may affect what we are trying to achieve here in a smaller scale. But, we should not wait for Nairobi, we should continue to do our work here.

Abdillahi Omar Hassan: If I may add, I agree with Bo, complete and better coordination is necessary so that we can work successfully together.

Jab Swart (SCPP/UNDP): I assume that we accept that line ministry responsible for mine action is MRR&R, and I assume we are in agreement that the policy making body is the NDA. What we are writing programs for is the executing body. Am I right? What we are trying to develop resources for is at the level of execution, the body that will coordinate and execute mine action on behalf of the government and on behalf of the NDA, and that is SMAC. We in the UNDP would like to make it clear that we are not SMAC, we are advising or rather will be advising and capacitating SMAC. We see it important that SMAC consist of an information cell and operations cell, a training and standardization cell and a support cell. We also at the UNDP are going to retract from actual mine clearance, but will concentrate on the operational level. We believe the core of mine action should be SMAC and we are also confident that we will have the resources to back the program.

Mohamed Abdi Dhimbil (COSONGO, SCAL): When we are discussing coordinating mine action, who are we doing the program for? Are we doing it for the people of Somaliland or does the ownership belong to the UNDP, DDG or HALO Trust? Definitely it is for the people of Somaliland. If we are doing this for Somaliland, the policy making body of Somaliland is the Cabinet. A member of the Cabinet is the top policy-making person and that is the Minister of RR&R. If the Ministry delegates that responsibility to the NDA, then all the agencies should be working and coordinating with NDA, but if NDA decides that SMAC is the technical arm of NDA, then all technical questions should go through SMAC. But there have been questions about SMAC. I am glad that the SCPP now says that SMAC is for Somaliland. If it is a national institution, the UNDP, HALO, or DDG or whoever comes down can help it do its work better. I have one question; we have been hearing that SMAC and NDA have been assisted by the UNDP, what are the results? Do they have the maps, the database, have SCPP brought SMAC to the level where it can function independently? We should benefit from the lessons learned during the past year when SMAC has been assisted by the UNDP.

Swart: If I may answer, SMAC degenerated and almost did not survive. I think it was also because UNDP got hands on involvement in actual mine clearance operations. We would like to confirm that UNDP would revert to our traditional role of capacity-building of national institutions. To answer the question further, we actually do not favour a permanent NDA; we favour a Council of Ministers that will convene whenever necessary or quarterly, to confirm policy and priorities. But if Somaliland chooses to have a permanent body who should be doing the work of the government of writing and confirming policy, we will of course go along with it. But definitely, SMAC should not be seen only as the technical arm of NDA, but the executing arm of the NDA, which is the body that should concern itself with the important part, and the basis of mine action, and that is formulating policy, confirming policy and making priorities. Yes, we are committed, SCPP will be managed from Hargeisa and we are very positive that we will have the resources to capacitate SMAC in all respects, including the management information system for mine action.

Abdilkadir Jirdeh: Let us first look at the history of NDA. NDA has been established by law. Law number 1780/1996. That law stipulates that it is a government agency with autonomous management power and it comes under the ministry of RR&R under whose policy guidelines the agency should operate. The law stipulates that the Director should be appointed by the President with the advice of the Minister of RR&R. That fixes for us NDA. What it is, what its functions are, under whose responsibility it functions. Now what we have to do is define SMAC in a similar way. What it is, what are its roles, who runs it and so forth.

IPR STAFF

Welcoming Remarks: Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Yusuf Sheikh Madar, Chairman, GUURTI (Upper House of Parliament)

Opening Remarks by Ahmed Mohamed Adan (Speaker of the House of Representatives)

Opening Remarks by Bashir Haji Hassan Geileh, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (MRR&R).

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines

Overview: Ahmed H. Esa, The Institute for Practical Research and Training

Assistance to Mine-Affected Communities in the Light of Bad Honnef Guidelines

Landmines in the Horn of Africa

Landmines in Djibouti[6]

Association de Soutien aux Victimes des Mines (ASSOVIM)

Landmines in The Sudan

Hagir Mohamed Kheir Mussa, Sudan Campaign to Ban Landmines

Landmines in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia

Somalia

Agriculture

Eritrea

CARE INTERNATIONAL IN SOMALILAND

Workshop Presentation 24TH November 1999

Background Information