Democratic Republic of Congo

Mine Ban Policy

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 2 May 2002 and the treaty entered into force on 1 November 2002. The National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel Mines was created in 2002.^[1] The DRC has not enacted domestic legislation to implement the Mine Ban Treaty, although draft text has reportedly been prepared.^[2]

The DRC submitted its fifth Article 7 transparency report, dated 30 April 2007 and covering calendar year 2006.^[3] It includes a voluntary Form J with general statements on victim assistance and implementation of the treaty.

The DRC attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2006 and April 2007, and the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006. At these meetings it made statements on the status of its victim assistance, mine clearance and stockpile destruction programs.

The DRC was absent from the 6 December 2006 vote on UN General Assembly Resolution 61/84, calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

The DRC is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but in November 2006 it participated as an observer in the Eighth Annual Conference of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II.

Production, Transfer, Use, Stockpiling and Destruction

The DRC is not known to have produced or exported antipersonnel mines. While both rebel and government forces used antipersonnel mines in the past, Landmine Monitor has not received any allegations of use of antipersonnel mines by government forces since the DRC acceded to the treaty.

In May 2006, at the intersessional Standing Committee meetings, the DRC informed States Parties that it had completed the destruction of all stockpiled antipersonnel mines it had been able to identify, thus fulfilling its treaty obligation to destroy stocks by 1 November 2006. It stated that if more stockpiled mines were discovered later they would then be destroyed in a timely fashion.^[4]

The DRC’s April 2007 Article 7 report makes clear that additional stockpiled mines are being destroyed on a regular basis. The report lists 25 stockpile destruction events from April to September 2006, with 198 antipersonnel mines of nine different types destroyed.^[5] This included 161 mines handed over for destruction by the Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armées de la Republic Democratic du Congo, FARDC) and 37 mines turned in through the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program. The mines were destroyed by DanChurchAid, Handicap International, Mechem, and Mines Advisory Group.^[6] The DRC provided different numbers in its statement to the Seventh Meeting of States Parties (see below).

The DRC apparently did not intend to retain any mines for training or development purposes. Its April 2007 and May 2006 Article 7 reports state “Sans objet” with respect to retained mines.^[7]

Non-State Armed Groups

There were no reports of use of antipersonnel mines by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in the DRC in 2006 or the first months of 2007. There are still a significant number of NSAGs in the DRC, both Congolese and foreign.^[8] However, the government reached accords with several NSAGs in 2006-2007, and the ongoing DDR program resulted in the demobilization of several NSAGs with the surrender of weapons to authorities, including in some cases antipersonnel mines.^[9] These militia will be bound by the Mine Ban Treaty upon reintegration into the national army.

In May 2006 the UN Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) reported that through the DDR process an “increasing amount of small arms and ammunition, UXO and mines are handed over to Congolese authorities.” UNMACC reported that, from 2003 to May 2006, 2,244 mines had been destroyed through the process.^[10] Another UN report indicated that 12 landmines, among other weapons, were surrendered between 14 and 27 June 2006 by 1,100 “militia fighters” in Bunia.^[11]

In its statement on stockpile destruction at the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006, the DRC reported that in July 2006, through the DDR process, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) destroyed roughly 100 antipersonnel mines in Marabo, Ituri, and another eight antipersonnel mines in Nizi, Bunia, while Handicap International destroyed 16 antipersonnel mines in Kisangani.^[12] The armed groups surrendering the mines were not specified.

MONUC reported that in March 2007, soldiers of the Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes appeared at a DDR station at Kpandroma, 80 kilometers northwest of Bunia, and turned in weapons including two antipersonnel mines.^[13]

Landmine and ERW Problem

As a result of armed conflict since 1996, the DRC is contaminated by landmines (both antipersonnel and antivehicle) and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO), submunitions and other unexploded ordnance (UXO).^[14] There has been no nationwide survey of the mine/ERW problem in the DRC, as the UN has determined that logistical constraints and limited infrastructure would make survey prohibitively expensive. As a result, the extent of contamination is not “fully assessed.”^[15]

As of March 2007 UNMACC had registered 1,418 suspected hazardous areas, of which 782 were mined areas and the remainder were affected by ERW. Information gathered on contamination indicated predominantly a spot UXO problem in the DRC, although abandoned ammunition dumps were also said to be common.^[16] Mines were found to have been laid “not in classical minefield form.” The Survey Action Center believed that 10 of the 11 provinces are affected by some form of explosive ordnance.^[17] According to UNMACC, “the problem is widespread, especially along the former confrontation line and in the eastern provinces.”^[18]

There has been no comprehensive impact survey, but available evidence suggests that the mine/ERW problem affects access to agricultural land and water sources, security of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, and the delivery of aid and assistance.^[19] With respect to displaced populations, the UN’s Humanitarian Action Plan for the DRC for 2007 stated that, as of November 2006, 73,000 refugees had returned to the DRC since 2005 and an increase in the flow of returnees was expected in 2007. Mine/ERW contamination in former conflict zones was expected to be an obstacle to the return process.^[20]

Mine Action Program

The National Commission to Fight Antipersonnel Mines, created on 6 May 2002, has nominal authority for managing mine action at the governmental level. However, in May 2006 the DRC claimed that a new mine action management structure would be placed under the DRC President, and that it would be interministerial.^[21] As of April 2007, this had not been achieved. In its April 2007 Article 7 report, the DRC again pledged that the government would create a national structure for mine action.^[22]

As a result, de facto responsibility for planning, management and oversight of mine action has remained with UNMACC, albeit in cooperation with the government. UNMACC’s mandate is to support the development of a national mine action authority, support MONUC operations and coordinate demining.^[23] In May 2007 UNMACC was reported to be seeking counterparts within the DRC’s new government to establish a new mine action structure.^[24]

At the May 2006 Standing Committee meetings, the DRC also claimed that the government would establish a national mine action center to implement the national plan of action, to accredit demining and mine risk education operators, and to carry out quality control. ^[25] As of June 2007, this center had not yet been established.^[26]

UNMACC administers the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database for the DRC.^[27] As in previous years, there were no national mine action laws or standards in the DRC in 2006.

Strategic Mine Action Planning

There is no long-term strategic plan for mine action in the DRC; this is explained by the absence of a national impact survey, according to UNMACC.^[28] The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) reported that assisting the government to develop national mine action capacity would be given “top priority” in 2007, as would integration of mine action into development plans.^[29] With the expected establishment of a national authority in 2007, mine action carried out by UNMACC was expected to enter its last phase, focusing on national capacity development and the formation of national strategies and plans.^[30]

At the regional level, in September 2006, a project for demining and mine action in the Great Lakes Region highlighted the DRC’s border areas with Zambia and Angola, and its border areas with Burundi and Tanzania, for regional mine action coordination and programming.^[31]

No evaluations of the mine action program were reported in 2006. In April 2007 Handicap International commissioned an evaluation of its mine action projects in Kisangani.^[32]

Integration of Mine Action

Within the UN system, the DRC is a pilot country for the cluster approach to humanitarian response coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). UNMACC and mine action NGOs participate in coordination and planning meetings consolidating mine action with other assistance and development programs. The UN Portfolio process developed for the mine action sector has been integrated with the wider Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for the DRC, thereby ensuring consistency and coordination.^[33]

The UN declared that integrating mine action requirements into national development and reconstruction plans would be given top priority in the DRC in 2007. It called for funding of mine action to match the increased humanitarian access and development that might follow from national elections and the restructuring of the army. Well funded and effective mine action was needed to ensure the safe return of refugees and IDPs, clearance of agricultural land, school grounds, villages and water resources, and to ensure safe access to major roads and paths for the local population as well as the humanitarian aid and development community.^[34]

Demining

There were four main international demining operators in the DRC in 2006: the NGOs DanChurchAid, Handicap International (HI) and Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and the commercial demining company Mechem.^[35] In addition, MONUC undertook spot mine action operations through its specialist unit to ensure voter security in preparation for national elections.^[36] The European Union electoral security mission to the DRC included mine detection equipment for its forces, but it is unknown whether any clearance tasks were carried out.^[37]

DanChurchAid expanded its mine action program in 2006 to involve Katanga (Tanganyika), South Kivu and Maniema.^[38] Operations expanded from two to six teams and were projected to expand further in 2007. DanChurchAid’s 55 operations staff were all nationals, with international advisors.^[39] HI reported a reduction and restructuring of clearance programs but no major changes to operations during 2006; it operated in an area about 100 kilometers around Kisangani (Province Orientale), the road linking Kisangani and Bafwasende (262 kilometers) and the road linking Kisangani and Buta (324 kilometers).^[40] MAG conducted clearance in South Katanga and Equateur, expanding its operations and capacity in 2006 to four manual clearance teams and four community liaison teams.^[41] Mechem continued under contract by MONUC to perform demining operations tasked by the UN peacekeeping operation throughout the country.^[42]

There were also some reports of unofficial (“village”) demining in 2006-2007. MAG reported a localized practice of disposing of dangerous items of ammunition in local rivers. ERW have also been used as weights for fishing nets. MAG reported that it has enhanced and tailored its MRE message to emphasize the danger of such actions.^[43]

The National Program Against Arms (Programme National Contre les Armes, PAREC), in which bicycles are traded for arms turned in to program officials, continued in 2006. DanChurchAid claimed that this program, and to a lesser degree the National Commission for Disarmament and Reintegration (Commission Nationale de Désarmement et Réintégration, CONADER) disarmament program, were the main reasons for people collecting UXO. Some people stored UXO in their homes for later trading at program sites; this led to an incident killing one person in Kabalo territory. During 2006 DanChurchAid requested these organizations to make a clear distinction between encouraging former combatants (and the population in general) to hand over their weapons and allowing civilian collection of mines and UXO. In March 2007 DanChurchAid reported a civilian clearing an antipersonnel blast mine for exchange.^[44]

Identification of Affected Areas

In the absence of nationwide survey data, operators carried out survey activities combined with MRE and rapid response or clearance in specific regions.^[45] In 2006 the Survey Action Center’s plan for preliminary opinion collection in 11 provinces, originally planned for 2005, was deferred because of lack of funding.^[46]

DanChurchAid continued surveys in Katanga province (started in April 2004) and South Kivu (started in April 2005) and began surveys in Maniema during 2006. From April 2004 to January 2007 DanChurchAid surveyed 153,000 square kilometers, finding 171 mined areas and 583 UXO-contaminated areas. As of March 2007 DanChurchAid was undertaking survey in areas of Tanganyika that were made inaccessible in 2005 and 2006 by insecurity, in particular in areas of Manono and Malemba-Nkulu where the rebel leader Gédéon had been active until his surrender in July 2006.^[47]

In 2006, Veterans for America (VFA), formerly the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, and MAG continued to develop survey methodology to match up ERW contamination assessment data with technical clearance and disposal methods.^[48]

Marking and Fencing of Affected Areas

Affected areas in the DRC are not fenced, but are but marked with warnings in Swahili on zinc sheeting. Each benchmark of a dangerous area is marked by a red triangle on a permanent surface such as a stone, a building or a tree. ^[49] HI used regular permanent marking (wooden stakes and barbed wire); “improved” permanent marking (painted brick, iron and concrete structure); summary marking (wooden stake and sign); and summary marking of broad suspect zones (panel with warning and safety information).^[50] MAG did not conduct marking or fencing in 2006.^[51]

Mine/ERW Clearance

In 2006 about three-quarters of a square kilometer was demined in the DRC, according to demining operators. According to UNMACC, in 2006 operators “surveyed and marked 464 dangerous areas, cleared 722,204 square meters of land, and destroyed 540 landmines, 8,758 items of UXO and 79,922 other devices.”^[52] These results exceed clearance in 2005 (446,498 square meters).^[53]

Note: DanChurchAid data is for the period October 2005-February 2007; APMs destroyed include some stockpiled mines. HI does not distinguish between antipersonnel and antivehicle mines in its reporting of formal clearance operations. In addition, HI reported destruction of 1,412 “stocks” and 1,494 items of explosive ordnance outside formal operations, including 106 antipersonnel mines and one antivehicle mine; it is not known if this is spot clearance or clearance of abandoned weapons. Mechem includes mines and UXO handed over by civilians for destruction during its demining operations.

HI used manual demining techniques with mechanical clearance of vegetation.^[55] DanChurchAid used manual deminers only, as did MAG, which cited the logistical constraints that would come from using mechanical assets or dogs. Mechem used a combination of manual demining, mine detection dogs and mechanical assets. Operations included demining of two airports, at Kalemie and Manono, to allow humanitarian and commercial flights to service the surrounding areas.^[56] No demining accidents were reported for any operators in 2006. A demining project using Tanzanian-trained sniffer rats, first reported in 2005, had not been implemented as of June 2007.^[57]

Summary of Efforts to Comply with Article 5

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, the DRC must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 November 2012. As of June 2007 the legislative and administrative framework for a national capacity to undertake mine action was still lacking, as was comprehensive survey data allowing for a detailed estimate of mine contamination and prioritization of mine action. The rate of clearance increased in 2006, but funding for mine action remained inadequate.

At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006, Néhémie Mwilanya Wilondja, legal advisor to the President, declared that the DRC was “resolutely engaged to continue its efforts in the achievement of its obligations” of Article 5 of the treaty.^[58] In its April 2007 Article 7 report the DRC stated that, with general elections completed and a new government in place, a new dynamic in mine action could be expected.^[59]

Mine Risk Education

UNMACC reported a sharp increase in the delivery of mine risk education (MRE) to affected communities in 2006, mainly as a result of doubling the number of national NGOs involved and their training by international operators.^[60] During 2006 at least 188,707 people (67,494 adults and 121,213 children) received MRE in at least 977 sessions, twice as many as in 2005.^[61] Many of the beneficiaries were refugees returning from Tanzania, Zambia, and Congo Brazzaville as well as IDPs.^[62]

International NGOs provided MRE mainly through national partners in 2006. DanChurchAid provided MRE with its main partner The Church of Christ in the Congo (Eglise du Christ au Congo) as part of impact survey combined with HIV education in northern Katanga, South Kivu and, since October 2006, in Maniema.^[63] MAG provided MRE in Equateur, where it partnered with Humanitas Ubangi, and in southern Katanga.^[64] HI continued providing MRE in Province Orientale, in particular in Bafwasende and Buta regions, and in Ikela, Equateur province. The NGO network Synergie for Mine Action (Synergie pour la lutte anti mine, SYLAM), based in Goma and combining 11 local NGOs, operated in North Kivu.^[65]

As of June 2007 there was no national coordinating body for MRE. UNICEF continued to act as the UN focal point for MRE within the overall education cluster of humanitarian programs.^[66] UNICEF provided financial and technical assistance to national and international MRE providers, targeting six out of 11 provinces in the DRC in 2006. In March 2007, UNICEF was forced to temporarily evacuate its main office in Kinshasa during fighting between the military and security forces of Jean Pierre Bemba.^[67]

International NGOs had a total of seven MRE and/or community liaison teams as of early 2007. HI continued its community-based approach by creating local committees of volunteers who spread safety messages and collect information to prioritize mine action and conduct marking/fencing. In working with children HI combines child-to-child and child-to-parent methodology; when appropriate direct MRE sessions were provided to a variety of audiences.^[68]

Funded by UNICEF, DanChurchAid organized a five-day MRE and survey training for its staff and local NGOs in South Kivu in November 2006.^[69] Also during 2006 HI trained MRE providers in refugee camps on the DRC/Sudan border, and trained school inspectors so that they could train teachers in schools near hazardous areas.^[70] From December 2006 to February 2007 SYLAM trained 20 local organizations from North Kivu and provided MRE to local leaders in Walikale, Masisi, Rutshuru and Lubero and in the towns of Goma, Beni and their surroundings.^[71]

Community liaison is carried out by all three international demining NGOs in the DRC. Survey/MRE teams work regularly with the demining units before, throughout and after clearance operations, providing MRE and acting as community liaisons, informing the population on the progress of demining.^[72] MAG employs an integrated approach whereby community liaison teams work in tandem with clearance teams to collect information on contaminated areas and provide MRE to local populations.^[73]

In 2006 MAG implemented a radio broadcast program which included MRE under a UNICEF grant.^[74] DanChurchAid reported that it makes transmissions on local and national radio of MRE messages where and when possible.^[75]

Misinformation, lack of awareness and risk-taking in spite of a knowledge of hazards associated with mines and UXO were listed by operators as leading causes of mine-related casualties.^[76] According to MAG, risk-taking behavior included disposal of dangerous items in rivers or latrines, burning known contaminated land and collection of explosive ordnance for scrap metal.^[77]

In 2007, UNICEF planned MRE to benefit some 500,000 at-risk people; to train 150 trainers in MRE; to strengthen the MRE capacity of international and national NGOs; to make MRE available to affected communities via schools, churches, and other community structures; and, to provide technical assistance to the government and governmental partners.^[78]

In April 2007, in support of international mine action day, a renowned Congolese musician was appointed Ambassador Against Mines as part of a UNICEF-funded MRE and communications campaign designed and implemented by MAG. Papa Wemba will publicize MRE messages through television, radio and posters, to reduce the threat posed by mines and ERW in the DRC.^[79]

Mine/ERW Casualties

In 2006, 31 new mine/ERW casualties (13 killed and 18 injured) in 14 incidents were recorded in the DRC. This represents a significant decrease from the 53 recorded casualties in 19 incidents in 2005, and 57 casualties in 2004. Eight casualties were caused by mines, four by cluster submunitions and 15 by other ERW (four were unknown). Seventeen casualties were male, 13 female, one unknown. Nearly half of the casualties were children (13). All but one of the boy casualties were due to ERW (most likely tampering). In 2006, as in 2005, all casualties were civilian. ERW continued to cause more casualties than mines (19 of 31 casualties were caused by ERW including four from cluster submunitions) but a smaller proportion of the total than in 2005 (47 of 53). ^[80]

UNMACC is cautious about the validity of casualty data; some areas are not covered by data collectors. However, the quality of data collection by the main national and international NGOs improved significantly due to seminars on data collection and MRE held since 2005.^[81]

Casualties continued to be reported in 2007, with 16 new ERW casualties (one killed, 15 injured) by 31 May 2007. UNMACC recorded 11 of these casualties (all were injured) in four incidents involving ERW (two were cluster submunitions).^[82] One additional ERW incident causing five casualties was reported by the NGO Humanitas Ubangi to UNMACC, but further details were needed before entering it into IMSMA.^[83] UNMACC expected that the numbers of casualties would increase in 2007 due to better data gathering from previously inaccessible areas, but also due to refugees and IDPs returning.^[84]

The cumulative number of mine/UXO casualties in the DRC is not known. From the start of data collection in 2002 to May 2007 UNMACC had recorded 1,982 casualties (868 killed, 1,108 injured and six people involved in incidents but unhurt). Men constituted the majority of casualties (874 including seven deminers), followed by women (323), boys (221) and girls (96); 154 were males of unknown age and 59 females of unknown age; for 255 casualties neither sex nor age are known. Only seven of the recorded casualties occurred during clearance operations and 97 were military. There have been no military or demining casualties since 2004. Antipersonnel mines caused 679 casualties, antivehicle mines 71, cluster submunitions 186, other ERW 649, victim-activated IEDs 21 and unknown devices 376. Most people were involved in livelihood activities (60 percent), including agriculture (335), collecting wood/water/food (230), hunting and fishing (120). Passing by or standing near the explosive device caused 283 casualties and deliberate tampering caused 77. Military activities were associated with 103 casualties. Due to incomplete data collection until 2005 the number of unknown activities or “other” is high, 604.^[85] Four provinces registered 88 percent of all casualties: Katanga (41 percent), Equateur (20 percent), Orientale (14 percent) and South Kivu (13 percent).

Data Collection

There is no nationwide mechanism for mine/ERW casualty data collection in the DRC, therefore casualties are believed to be under-reported. UNMACC collected information on mine/ERW casualties from 24 organizations, including MONUC, hospitals, NGOs and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). There are limitations in data collection due to the lack of training, analysis, verification capacities and adequate data collection guidelines. The government planned to organize data collection training in pilot provinces from 2006 to 2007. These trainings did not take place, however UNMACC, UNICEF and international NGOs have provided training in data collection to five national NGOs since 2005, mostly integrated into MRE training workshops.^[86]

There are no reliable statistics on the number of people with disabilities in the DRC.

Survivor Assistance

More than a decade of conflict has severely damaged the DRC’s infrastructure, including health services and facilities which in many areas are either nonexistent or unable to address the medical concerns arising from poverty, armed conflict and mass displacement.^[87] Access to services is further reduced by long distances and security concerns. In June 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) in Kinshasa described the situation in 200 hospitals in the country as “catastrophic.” Hospitals lacked medicine and were poorly staffed, patients had to wait hours for consultation and were expected to pay for health services. In May 2006 it was reported that US$4 million had been “lost” at the Ministry of Health, amounting to almost half the health budget or four to five percent of national expenditure.^[88] The health sector is largely dependent on World Bank-funded projects and NGO programs.^[89] UNMACC reported that although some mine survivors receive assistance from NGOs, the majority “are left to themselves, exasperated by the fact that the national health system does not have the capacity to provide assistance.”^[90]

At the Standing Committee meetings in April 2007, the DRC delegation indicated that the new government was well aware of the poor state of health facilities and the major rehabilitation of the public health system needed to ensure emergency and continuing medical care for mine/ERW survivors and people with disabilities.^[91]

The Ministry of Health is responsible for the physical rehabilitation centers, but these are run by religious organizations, local NGOs and private companies.^[92] Physical rehabilitation services are available in nearly all provinces but most do not function to capacity, some cannot produce prosthetics and technical staff need training. Only five centers provide comprehensive services.^[93]

Psychosocial care and socioeconomic reintegration for people with disabilities are almost non-existent. WHO health sector priorities for 2007 included strengthening health and sociopsychological support to victims “of all kinds of violence” and improving access of vulnerable populations to services.^[94] Some schools for people with disabilities used private funds and limited public support to provide education and vocational training.^[95]

The DRC has no specific legislation for mine survivors, but acknowledges its obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty to provide assistance. Article 49 of the 2006 Constitution protects the rights of people with disabilities and addresses the rights of victims of war atrocities. Although implementation legislation was pending, it was reported at the Standing Committee meetings in April 2007 that a new law should be drafted and submitted for review to a wide range of stakeholders.^[96]

As of June 2007 the DRC had not signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol. However, the DRC stated that its policies would integrate the convention’s vision.^[97]

Progress in Meeting VA24 Survivor Assistance Objectives

The DRC is one of 24 States Parties identified at the First Review Conference in November-December 2004 as having 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.^[98]

In May 2006, the DRC revised its 2005-2009 objectives under the Nairobi Action Plan; the objectives were made more specific and placed within a timeframe.^[99] In September 2006, at the Seventh Meeting of States Parties, the DRC provided an update on plans for achieving its objectives. In April 2007 the DRC provided another update but gave only a partial report on progress made.^[100] The DRC did not receive support from the victim assistance specialist of the Implementation Support Unit in 2006 and early 2007, nor did it receive other external aid or technical support to implement its victim assistance plan.^[101]

PNRBC = National Community-based Rehabilitation Program; MoH = Ministry of Health

In its Article 7 report submitted in April 2007, the DRC reported that a survivor assistance strategy was evaluated in two pilot provinces, South Kivu and Katanga, in 2006. The next phase will consist of a “real evaluation of the needs of the victims for the provision of comprehensive assistance.”^[103]

Survivor Assistance Strategic Framework

The Office of the President is the focal point for survivor assistance in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family, the Ministry of Defense, and other organizations. The Coordination Department of Rehabilitation Activities for People with Disabilities, supervised by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family, is responsible for all issues relating to people with disabilities; the Ministry of Defense responds to issues relating to disabled military personnel.^[104]

The National Community-Based Rehabilitation Program (Programme National de Réadaptation à Base Communautaire, PNRBC), a national coordination body in the area of physical rehabilitation under the Ministry of Health, is designated to put the victim assistance plan into action.^[105] PNRBC receives technical support from ICRC.^[106]

At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties, in September 2006, the DRC expressed a determination to improve conditions for mine survivors, in particular physiotherapy, training, psychosocial care and socioeconomic reintegration, but stated that it lacks expertise and international assistance.^[107]

It is not known how many mine/ERW survivors and people with disabilities received assistance in the DRC in 2006. ICRC supported the physical rehabilitation of 1,130 people in five centers, including 143 prostheses and 44 orthoses for mine survivors (an increase from 125 and 34 respectively in 2005). It provided first-aid training to 1,233 national Red Cross volunteers and, through the Special Fund for the Disabled, it sponsored the training of two technicians in Ethiopia.^[108] Handicap International (HI) identified and supported 3,324 people with disabilities, gave disability training to 61 medical staff and technical and data collection training to 25 physiotherapists, four technicians and 15 social workers.^[109]

In a private initiative, US basketball player Dikembe Mutombo, originally from Kinshasa, donated more than US$15 million to establish a new hospital in Kinshasa. Mutombo raised a total of $29 million for the hospital, which included a surgical unit, women’s health center, pediatric wing and training facility for doctors. Immediate funds raised were expected to pay for the hospital’s first year of operations.^[110]

The DRC has five main centers for physical rehabilitation. The Rehabilitation Center for Physically Disabled (Centre de Réadaptation pour Handicapée Physique, CRHP) in Kinshasa is the national rehabilitation center and provides physiotherapy services, prostheses, tricycles and other assistive devices. In 2006, ICRC supported one new center, the Heri Kwetu Center for the Handicapped (Centre pour Handicapée Heri Kwetu) in Bukavu; services are not free of charge but the ICRC supports patients’ costs and the supply of imported raw materials.^[111]

The Simama Rehabilitation Center in Kisangani offers integrated services for people with disabilities, including specialized healthcare, physiotherapy, prostheses and vocational training.^[112]

In 2006, HI and ICRC supported the Association of Centers for People with Disabilities in Central Africa (Association des Centres pour Handicapés d’Afrique centrale, ACHAC) with the creation of a central storage unit in Kinshasa to supply 39 physiotherapy and orthotic centers. HI also runs a community-based rehabilitation project in Kinshasa and extended this project to 2008. The program identifies people with disabilities and provides referral to appropriate medical, rehabilitation and education services. Health and technical staff and social workers around Kinshasa were trained on data collection and disability issues, as well as technical refresher courses. HI also supports the local church organization Village Bondeko in providing physical rehabilitation and education to children with disabilities.^[113]

Funding and Assistance

Landmine Monitor identified international donations to the DRC totaling $5,109,463 (€4,067,072) in 2006, contributed by seven countries and the European Commission (EC). This was a small increase from 2005 ($4,864,770 from eight countries and the EC).^[114] Countries reporting funding in 2006 were:

• Belgium: €618,004 ($776,398) consisting of €68,000 in-kind for mine action in Kalémie, €250,004 to MAG for mine action in southeastern DRC, and €300,000 to HI for mine clearance;^[115]
• Canada: C$194,304 ($171,337) to HI for capacity building of demining and MRE teams;^[116]
• Denmark: DKK9 million ($1,514,700) to DanChurchAid for integrated mine action in 2006-2007;^[117]
• EC: €1 million ($1,256,300) via the EC Annual Work Plan 2006 for mine clearance;^[118]
• Finland: €100,000 ($125,630) to UNICEF for MRE;^[119]
• Netherlands: €450,000 ($565,335) to UNMAS for mine clearance;^[120]
• UK: £108,366 ($199,762) to MAG for mine/UXO clearance;^[121]
• US: $500,000 from USAID/Leahy War Victims Fund for victim assistance.^[122]

According to the UN, the DRC received 35 percent ($8,947,699) of the mine action funding requested for 2006 through the Portfolio appeal process. The UN Portfolio identified $1,421,092 as contributed by individual donor states and $2,036,000 from multiple donors, pooled funds, UN agencies and other sources; sources were unreported for $5,490,607 of funding.^[123]

The mine action component of MONUC’s peacekeeping budget received $4,276,800 in appropriations in 2006, an increase from $2,952,450 in 2005. MONUC’s mine action expenditure totaled $3,563,844.^[124]

The 2007 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects included 27 projects for the DRC totaling $24,684,199, of which $5,766,600 had been funded at the time of publication (November 2006).^[125] Funding for victim assistance projects amounted to less than 10 percent of the total requested.^[126]

National Contribution to Mine Action

National funding of mine action in 2006 was insignificant. UNMACC reported that no notable funding to mine action was contributed by the DRC in 2006.^[127]