Burundi

Mine Ban Policy

The Republic of Burundi signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified it on 22 October 2003 and became a State Party on 1 April 2004. Burundi has not yet enacted national implementation legislation, but has made statements in recent years that such legislation is under consideration.^[1]

As of 31 July Burundi had not submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report, due 30 April 2007. Burundi has prepared three previous reports, most recently on 11 May 2006, covering the period from 1 May 2005 to 30 April 2006.^[2]

Burundi participated in the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2006, where it made statements on mine clearance and victim assistance. Burundi also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2006 and April 2007 where it provided information on victim assistance, stockpile destruction and mine clearance.

Burundi has not yet made known its views on key matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty, which have been under discussion by States Parties for several years. In particular, this concerns the issues of joint military operations with states not party to the treaty, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.

The Senate of Burundi held a session on the landmine issue on 19 December 2006, with the Minister of the Interior and Public Security answering questions.^[3]

Burundi is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Use

Burundi has stated that it has never produced antipersonnel mines.^[4] It is not known to have exported antipersonnel mines. Credible allegations of mine use by government forces in the past have come from a variety of sources, and have been cited in previous editions of Landmine Monitor.^[5] Since the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force for Burundi on 1 April 2004, there have been no confirmed instances of use of antipersonnel mines by the army.^[6]

On 7 September 2006 the opposition group Palipehutu-FNL and the government of Burundi signed a Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement.^[7] Article II (Point 1.1.3) requires the “banning of any mine-laying operations or the hindering of operations to remove mines.” A joint verification and monitoring mechanism, involving international monitors, was set up under the agreement.^[8] The government blamed Palipehutu-FNL for sporadic mine use until May 2006, when negotiations on a permanent end to hostilities started in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.^[9] Landmine Monitor has not received any allegations of mine use since that time.

Burundi has stated that its reporting on stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines cannot be considered complete until the FNL reveals its stockpile. A military official said in April 2007 that the FNL has not yet done so, and that the government would continue to raise the issue in ongoing discussions with the FNL.^[10]

In April 2007 Burundi informed States Parties that, after reviewing its mine inventory, it concluded that it has 610 antipersonnel mines in stock, and not the 1,212 previously declared. It further noted that the first phase of stockpile destruction would begin in May 2007, with 50 POMZ-2M mines from army stocks and 110 TS-50 mines “from the former combatants and the arms cache discovered in the provinces of the country.”^[11]

Burundi’s treaty-mandated deadline for completion of stockpile destruction is 1 April 2008. It said that the delay in starting destruction was “attributable to the severe raining season and political constraints.” UNDP is providing technical assistance in the destruction process.^[12]

In all of its Article 7 reports Burundi declared a stockpile of 1,212 POMZ-2M antipersonnel mines. This included 1,200 mines held by the National Defense Forces and 12 from the former armed opposition, Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie-Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD).^[13] The reports stated that inventories of stocks were still in progress and the number of mines held by different forces remained to be confirmed.^[14]

Burundi has said that final decisions about mines retained for training could only be taken once inventory was completed, while at the same time stating that the existing stock was kept solely for training purposes.^[15]

Landmine and ERW Problem

Burundi is affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) from 13 years of internal conflict.^[16] A General Community Survey in 2005-2006 determined that a relatively limited number of mines had been used; it confirmed the existence of some 192 mine/ERW hazardous areas affecting an estimated 3.33 percent of collines (hills) and 0.27 per cent of the population.^[17] The extent of contamination has proved to be considerably less than previously thought.^[18]

About half the hazardous areas identified are believed to contain mines, and half have unexploded ordnance (UXO); in most cases the ordnance is one or a few isolated devices. The provinces of Bubanza, Bujumbura Rural, Makamba and Ruyigi are the most affected. In three communes more than 40 percent of all communities are affected. At the April 2007 Standing Committee meetings Burundi reported that 80 percent of the country had been cleared of mines and ERW between April 2005 and April 2007 and that the remaining contamination, which would be cleared by 2008, was mainly in the provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Mairie and Bubanza.^[19]

The UN reports that with peace “largely restored” and large numbers of internally displaced people returning to their homes, mines and ERW “represent a real danger to the resumption of economic and social development. Communities in the regions bordering Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who mainly rely on subsistence farming, are among the most at risk, particularly women and children.” It added that high population pressures on the land prompt people to use known hazardous areas, and people will often burn vegetation in the hope of triggering ERW. The general survey found that the most prevalent resource blockages from explosive ordnance were to agriculture and pasture land.^[20]

Mine Action Program

Burundi’s oversight of mine action is vested in the National Civil Protection Service within the Ministry of Interior and Public Security.^[21] The UN Operation in Burundi (Opération des Nations Unies au Burundi, ONUB) planned to transfer the UN Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) and “all regulatory authority and coordination responsibility for mine action activities” to national control by 1 July 2006, provided the government passed the necessary legislation.^[22] In its September 2005 and May 2006 Article 7 reports Burundi stated it would “soon publish documents relating to the implementation and operation of a national structure….”^[23] Without the requisite national legislation having been adopted, however, the UNMACC was transferred to national control as the Burundi Mine Action Coordination Center (BURMACC).^[24] The French edition of the latest version of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) was installed in BURMACC.^[25] The UN Development Programme (UNDP) support to BURMACC was expected to continue until the end of 2007.^[26]

As of April 2007 there was no national mine action legislation in Burundi, and no national mine action standards or standing operating procedures. Previously, UNMACC considered the adoption of national standards as a priority. According to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the standards developed by UNMACC could easily be endorsed as national standards.^[27]

Strategic Mine Action Planning

In April 2007 Burundi announced three mine action “end goals” for 2007-2008:

• accelerate clearance of high and moderately affected areas to reduce the number of victims and increase access to social and economic assets;
• develop BURMACC’s capacity to coordinate and manage mine action operations; and,
• mainstream mine action within national development plans, UN development assistance and national poverty reduction plans; include the mine action program in the national budget.^[28]

Demining

There have been two main demining operators in Burundi: DanChurchAid and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD). Demining in Burundi uses only manual methods. In 2006 DanChurchAid worked with two demining and one explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team in Makamba and Rutana provinces until December, and then started in Bujumbura Rural province.^[29] In September 2006 16 deminers graduated from an FSD training course, but FSD subsequently ceased operations following difficulties with funding and a dispute with BURMACC.^[30] In addition, the National Defense Forces “have carried out some clearance and EOD activities, but have not properly recorded them.”^[31]

Identification, Marking and Fencing of Affected Areas

The 2005-2006, General Community Survey gathered data on over 97 percent of all communities in Burundi from more than 67,000 interviewees (almost one percent of the population), including 2,657 collines and quartiers in 16 provinces plus the capital, Bujumbura Mairie. The survey confirmed the existence of 192 mine/ERW hazardous areas.^[32] The survey was completed in May 2006 except in rural Bujumbura province and near Kibira National Park to which safe access had not been secured. Twenty spot EOD tasks were completed during the survey, reportedly allowing for the use of 35 percent of the agricultural land located along the Tanzanian border.^[33]

No formal technical survey activities were carried out by DanChurchAid.^[34]

Mine/ERW-affected areas in Burundi are generally not marked or fenced.^[35] Marking was planned as part of FSD clearance projects due to start in June 2006 but was not carried out due to FSD’s withdrawal.^[36] DanChurchAid did not carry out any marking or fencing other than in connection with its clearance tasks.^[37]

Mine/ERW Clearance

In 2006 DanChurchAid cleared 35,647 square meters, destroying 10 antipersonnel mines and 1,434 UXO; it also area-reduced 162,610 square meters.^[38] FSD reported that it released 42,417 square meters of land in 2006, but did not provide details.^[39] UNMACC planned that demining in 2006 would focus on clearance of “landmines and ERW from 10 mine-affected communes along the Tanzanian border, over approximately 120,000 square meters of cleared land.”^[40] This aim was clearly not achieved. Similarly, UNMACC’s priority for the first half of 2007 was to complete clearance of the 12 percent of remaining areas in the three southern provinces.^[41] This was not achieved, in part as helicopter support for casualty evacuation ceased to be available in December 2006 and partly due to the departure of FSD.^[42]

Nevertheless, BURMACC reported that 75 percent of suspected hazardous areas had been cleared and 90 percent of the country was free of mines and ERW by June 2007; 5,000 pieces of ammunition were collected and destroyed by ONUB peacekeepers.^[43] In the 23 months from 25 April 2005 to April 2007 nearly 55,500 square meters of contaminated land was cleared with the destruction of more than 800 explosive devices; some 18,000 beneficiaries were reported as a result of these activities.^[44]

Summary of Efforts to Comply with Article 5

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Burundi must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 April 2014. According to the UN, Burundi could become one of the first mine-affected countries in Africa to be declared free from the impact of landmines and ERW. In November 2006 it was stated, as an interim goal, that mine action efforts “should make highly and moderately impacted communities free of mine and ERW threats by July 2008.”^[45] By April 2007, Burundi was planning to be free of mines and ERW by 2008.^[46]

However, clearance efforts have been meager to date, with none reported from 2002-2004, 1,998 square meters of clearance reported in 2005, and in 2006, 240,674 square meters possibly being cleared or otherwise released (DanChurchAid clearing 35,647 square meters and reducing 162,610 square meters; FSD releasing 42,417 square meters).

Mine Risk Education

In 2006 two international and two national NGOs, with UNICEF support, provided mine risk education (MRE) in Burundi, particularly for the two most at-risk groups, returning refugees/internally displaced people, and children.

BURMACC continued producing MRE materials and training teachers in the provision of MRE; BURMACC also provided landmine safety briefings for humanitarian aid workers. Handicap International (HI) continued its combined MRE and victim assistance project in 100 sous-collines (sub-hills) in three southeastern provinces (Makamba, Rutana and Ruyigi) with a high number of returnees. From April 2005 to June 2007 nearly 128,000 people (over half were children) received MRE from 255 trained community focal points. Funding difficulties were overcome when BURMACC provided US$130,000 and UNICEF provided $50,000 in 2007.^[47]

DanChurchAid started an innovative community-based MRE project with its partner National Council of Churches in Burundi (Conseil National des Eglises au Burundi, CNEB) in April 2006. Aiming to benefit from the vast church network, 13 coordinators acted as “MRE focal points” giving five training workshops from October-December 2006 for 194 religious leaders from four provinces; each received a bicycle as incentive.^[48] Between November 2006 and April 2007 the MRE focal points trained 177,097 people (37 percent were children, 33 percent women and 30 percent men) in 1,273 sessions in churches, primary schools and also during community meetings so that MRE reached the whole community as well as church members. DanChurchAid also ran a small grants program in which CNEB churches could apply for funds to organize their own MRE projects; six projects were selected. An additional 102 church volunteers were trained as MRE educators. Radio was also used to diffuse safety messages.^[49]

DanChurchAid undertook an external evaluation of its MRE program in March/April 2007; it found that working through “an established, authoritative and active church network such as CNEB is an efficient and effective manner.” However, mainstreaming MRE into standard activities did not succeed in the short timeframe of one year. Radio publicity “…has an additional impact of giving further credibility to grassroots volunteers; communities realize that the focal points are part of a larger effort to protect the population.”^[50]

In 2007 two national NGOs, Association for Peace, Education and Development (Association pour le Paix, l’Education et le Développement) and Assistance for Mine Victims (Assistance aux Victimes des Mines, AVMIN) started providing MRE in three provinces, Bujumbura Rural, Bubanza and Cibitoke. BURMACC and UNICEF had previously trained four supervisors and 20 MRE educators in these NGOs.^[51]

Landmine/ERW Casualties

The Burundi Mine Action Coordination Center was unable to provide verified data on the number of new mine/ERW casualties in 2006 and January to July 2007.^[52] DanChurchAid provided Landmine Monitor with casualty data for 2006 and 2007 collected during its operations and verified. It recorded at least 15 new mine/ERW casualties in 12 incidents. Ten casualties were injured; the status of the five others is unknown; three were female and 12 were male, including three military personnel.^[53] There were at least five boys and one girl. Eight of the casualties occurred in Bujumbura Rural province, three in Rutana province, three involving military in Bubanza province, and one in Makamba province.^[54] Only one incident injuring a soldier was clearly caused by an antipersonnel mine.^[55]

One additional incident in 2006 was recorded during the General Community Survey (GCS) by FSD but further details were not made available to Landmine Monitor. In 2006 UNMACC reported that it had recorded seven casualties as of 27 May, including four in Gitega province which would appear not to have been recorded by DanChurchAid.^[56]

The GCS identified 14 casualties in 2005. However, valid comparisons between 2006 and 2005 cannot be made as data collection is inadequate. BURMACC reported 11 casualties in 2005 on one occasion and 61 on another.^[57]

Casualties continued to be reported in 2007, with DanChurchAid recording two men injured in a mine incident in Tenga, Bujumbura Rural province on 15 May.^[58] In addition, BURMACC had “heard of” three new military casualties in 2007, but they were “unfortunately not properly recorded with IMSMA victim forms.”^[59]

At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006 Burundi stated that the number of war casualties in general and mine casualties in particular had dropped significantly due to the cease-fire signed in 2005. It added that “cases of people injured by mines are becoming rarer and soon they will disappear.”^[60]

Data Collection

Collection of data on mine/ERW casualties is inadequate in Burundi in many respects, including the fact that records include casualties from other causes. Since November 2005 BURMACC has been running a pilot phase with IMSMA version 4; version 4.2 was installed in February 2007.^[61] Although IMSMA was reported to be fully operational in December 2006, with all information from the general survey integrated, this had not resulted in improved data collection and management as of mid-2007.^[62] The UNDP Technical Advisor indicated that BURMACC would be in a position to provide disaggregated data by September 2007.^[63]

In March 2007 a BURMACC fact sheet indicated that 1,416 mine/ERW casualties had registered in IMSMA; but the fact sheet also stated that only eight percent of 1,500 recorded “war-mine-ERW victims” were caused by landmines and 12 percent by ERW―this would be significantly less than 1,416.^[64] In April 2007 Burundi reported that there were 1,350 mine/ERW casualties. Of these, the three southeastern provinces along the Tanzanian border (Makamba, Rutana and Ruyigi) account for 50 percent, with most casualties in Makamba (33 percent of total casualties).^[65] All these figures differ from the 1,871 casualties (including 750 civilians) reported by UNMACC in 2006.^[66]

The General Community Survey conducted by FSD on behalf of BURMACC in 2005-2006 covered 2,657 collines; 38 communities could not be visited due to insecurity. The survey recorded 525 mine/ERW casualties, including 16 military casualties, in 463 incidents. No distinction was made between mine and ERW casualties. Summary information on the casualties (83 killed and 442 injured) indicated that 80 percent were male, mostly between 11 and 30 years old; at least 34 percent were aged under 20 years. Three-quarters of casualties were farmers. Most common activities at the time of the incident were farming and collecting food/water/wood (40 percent), walking and traveling (19 percent) and passing by/standing nearby (85, or 16 percent). The vast majority of casualties (88 percent) did not know that the area they entered was dangerous and at least two-thirds of casualties had entered the area at least once before. Most incidents (268) occurred before 1999 and more than 50 percent (383) were in Bubanza province. Over 50 percent of casualties suffered injuries to their lower limbs and 22 percent to upper limbs.^[67]

In 2006 a national disability census started with the help of Handicap International. As of April 2007 three provinces in the southeast had been surveyed (Makamba, Rutana and Ruyigi), which revealed that 61 percent of 2,630 people with disabilities were physically disabled, 30 percent had vision or hearing impairment, and 9 percent had a mental disability. Most disabled people were aged between six and 30 years. Approximately 26 percent of disabilities were caused by mines and ERW (680).^[68]

Survivor Assistance

According to Burundi’s 2006 Poverty Reduction Strategy, the government will in the short-term renovate existing healthcare infrastructure, improve availability of medication and equipment, re-deploy healthcare staff to rural areas, make healthcare centers more autonomous and cover services for the most vulnerable groups. It is planned to make these changes in partnership with the private sector, civil society, NGOs and community organizations.^[69]

However, as of mid-2007 services for mine/ERW survivors and people with disabilities in Burundi remained inadequate. The healthcare sector had not recovered from the destruction and pillaging during the civil war. Many health facilities cannot provide even basic care due to a lack of infrastructure, material, human resources, expertise, management capacity, emergency transport and funding. Additional obstacles are the lack of electricity and clean water in local and district hospitals, as well as the centralized healthcare system―most services are in the capital, Bujumbura.^[70] Cost recovery mechanisms limit access to services for poor people and there are reports of patients being detained in health facilities because they cannot pay for services received.^[71] The government distributes cards for people displaced by the war, including people with disabilities, which give access to free healthcare; however, the card is not accepted everywhere and does not cover all costs.^[72] A needs analysis in 2006 in three southern provinces revealed that 53 percent of people with disabilities had never been enrolled in school, and 71 percent had never had access to mobility aids.^[73]

Rehabilitation centers exist but require extensive international NGO support. There is a lack of psychosocial care for mine/ERW survivors and for war victims in general; this is one of the priority areas of the poverty reduction strategy.^[74] Social assistance facilitating full inclusion into society is limited. People with disabilities have limited access to education and employment. Vocational training and micro-credit schemes exist but do not target people with disabilities and are of variable quality.^[75] Reportedly, there are disabled people’s organizations in nearly every province that provide economic reintegration activities and lobby for the rights of people with disabilities.^[76]

The government has acknowledged that people with disabilities are among the most vulnerable and poorest in society and that specific programs for healthcare, education and awareness-raising are needed. ^[77]

In September 2006 it was reported that the government, in cooperation with the World Bank and the European Union, had strengthened hospital capacity outside the capital by recruiting surgeons and improving infrastructure. First-aid training was provided by the national Red Cross Society and NGOs in several provinces; medical staff in the south received in-depth training in dealing with traumatic injuries. However, problems remain in providing adequate equipment and transport.^[78] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) trained six Red Cross trainers and 123 volunteers during six first-aid courses in 2006.^[79] Little progress was made in improving physical rehabilitation in 2006, according to the government.^[80]

Burundi’s constitution prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, but there is no specific disability legislation. Burundi’s poverty reduction strategy states that particular attention will be paid to legislation. Draft legislation has been pending since 2004; a new draft law on disability was presented and adopted by the Council of Ministers on 17 July 2007, with approval by parliament and the senate pending.^[81] The Union of People with Disabilities of Burundi (UPDB) lobbied for the inclusion of disability issues in development strategies; it was involved in the preparation of the 2006 Strategic Framework for Development and the Fight against Poverty with technical support from HI.  UPDB lobbied for the presentation and adoption of a draft law on disability by the Council of Ministers.^[82]

On 26 April 2007 Burundi signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol allowing for the monitoring of disability activities.

Progress in Meeting VA24 Survivor Assistance Objectives

At the First Review Conference in Nairobi in 2004, Burundi was identified as one of 24 State Parties with significant numbers of mine survivors, and “the greatest responsibility to act, but also the greatest needs and expectations for assistance” in providing adequate services for the care, rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors.^[83] At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006, Burundi presented an update on the situation of mine survivors and assistance provided.^[84]

Although Burundi presented the key objectives and plans for a survivor assistance strategy in April 2007, it has not officially submitted its 2005-2009 objectives as part of its commitment to the Nairobi Action Plan. Instead, at the April 2007 Standing Committee meetings Burundi restated its commitment to assisting landmine survivors but added that international assistance was needed.^[85] It presented the following table as its “coherent victim assistance program.”

HI = Handicap International; TPIO = Théorie et Pratique de l’Intervention dans les Organisations; DPO = disabled people’s organization; MoPH = Ministry of Public Health; MoSHRG = Ministry of Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender; UPDB = Union of People with Disabilities of Burundi; PWD = people with disabilities

Burundi did not request or receive support from the victim assistance specialist of the Mine Ban Treaty Implementation Support Unit (ISU) in 2006 and 2007.^[87]

Survivor Assistance Strategic Framework

BURMACC’s vision of survivor assistance is said to be one of equal opportunities and access to services to promote full participation of mine/ERW survivors in the socioeconomic reconstruction of the country.^[88]

In 2005 UNMAS drafted a national victim assistance strategy which aimed to create a comprehensive assistance program using existing infrastructure and supporting existing programs financially. Although this strategy was not implemented, some of it is reflected in the victim assistance strategy presented to States Parties by Burundi in April 2007.^[89]

Victim assistance in Burundi is coordinated by five ministries.^[90] The state budget for disability issues is limited and it remains challenging to prioritize and integrate disability issues in overall development strategies.^[91]

It is not known how many mine/ERW survivors and people with disabilities received assistance in Burundi in 2006.

Handicap International continued its program of assistance to people with disabilities, including war victims and mine survivors. It supported five rehabilitation centers in 2006 by supplying equipment and material, producing technical aids, training technicians and physiotherapists, and facilitating networking and coordination amongst disabled people’s organizations, NGOs and governmental institutions. The three-year project will end in February 2009. In the south, which has been under-served, a new rehabilitation center was established in Makamba.^[92] The number of people assisted in the rehabilitation centers increased from 3,277 in 2005 to 5,233 in 2006. However, orthopedic workshops served fewer people in 2006 (the yearly average of almost 1,600 between 2003 and 2005 fell to 1,144 in 2006). The workshops produced 1,144 appliances in 2006 and 31,182 therapy sessions were provided by the rehabilitation centers. In 2006 HI provided training to 53 technical staff.^[93] DanChurchAid refers all newly identified people with disabilities and mine survivors to HI.^[94]

In 2006 HI continued its project, Mine/UXO Risk Education and Support for Persons with a Disability and for Victims of the War in Burundi, in the most mine-affected provinces of Makamba, Rutana and Ruyigi but not in Cankuzo as the GCS survey showed a low mine/ERW impact there.^[95]

The government promotes income-generating activities through tax exemptions on products imported for domestic or professional use by people with disabilities and disabled people’s organizations; however, training in managing income-generating projects is needed.^[96]

Other organizations providing survivor assistance in Burundi were noted in last year’s Landmine Monitor.^[97]

Funding and Assistance

In 2006 international donations totaling $2,987,894 (€2,378,328) for mine action in Burundi were reported by three countries and the European Commission (EC), an increase of 32 percent from 2005 ($2,270,595 from three countries and the EC).^[98] Contributors in 2006 were:

• France: €7,221 ($9,072) for mine clearance training in Benin;^[99]
• EC: €1,435,087 ($1,825,513) to UNDP for capacity building, via the EC Annual Work Plan 2006;^[100]
• Japan: ¥59,242,155 ($509,483) to UNMAS for mine clearance and survey;^[101]
• Switzerland: CHF806,800 ($643,826) to FSD for mine action.^[102]

In addition, Belgium reported a contribution to DanChurchAid for mine clearance in Makambagéri province; no value was provided.^[103]

The UN’s end of year review of its 2006 Mine Action Portfolio reported that Burundi received 59 percent of funds ($3,230,083) requested through the appeal process in 2006.^[104] The 2007 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects includes eight project-appeals for Burundi totaling $5,851,220, none of which had been funded by November 2006. ^[105]

National Contribution to Mine Action

Burundi has provided staff to BURMACC, but no direct financial contribution to the mine action program has been reported. Landmine Monitor sent a questionnaire to authorities in Burundi requesting details of national funding of mine action in 2006; no response had been received by mid-2007.