Ethiopia

Mine Ban Policy

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified on 17 December 2004, and became a State Party on 1 June 2005. Ethiopia has not yet reported on any steps it has taken to implement the treaty domestically, including penal sanctions, as required by Article 9 of the Mine Ban Treaty.

As of 31 July 2007 Ethiopia had not submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report which was due by 28 November 2005, nor the annual updates for each calendar year due by 30 April 2006 and 2007.

Ethiopia attended the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2006. It participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2006 and April 2007 and made statements on mine clearance. Ethiopia has not engaged in discussions with States Parties on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3 and has not made known its views on issues related to joint military operations with states not party to the treaty, mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.

Ethiopia is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines

In November 2006 the UN group monitoring the arms embargo on Somalia reported that in September 2006 the Ethiopian military transferred 180 antipersonnel landmines and other unspecified mines to Puntland and Qeybdiid militias.^[1] It also reported transfers of antivehicle mines and unspecified mines to other Somali entities.^[2] In response to the report as a whole, Ethiopia stated that “many of the allegations are without basis,” but indicated that it was investigating the charges.^[3]

In response to Landmine Monitor’s inquiries specifically about the transfer of antipersonnel mines, Ethiopia stated, “The allegations that Ethiopia provided landmines to any person or group in Somalia are without foundation…unsubstantiated…[and] false. The Government of Ethiopia is in full compliance of its obligations under the Convention…. The Ethiopian Defense Forces ensure that these obligations are scrupulously observed and there has never been any transfer of antipersonnel mines to any third party including in Somalia. Moreover, the nature of the conflict in Somalia makes the use of these weapons impracticable for any military objective.”^[4]

The UN Monitoring Group has previously alleged transfers of mines from Ethiopia to Somalia, but this is the first specific allegation of antipersonnel mine transfers. In May 2006 the UN Monitoring Group reported a January 2006 transfer of unspecified landmines from Ethiopia to Somali warlord Mohamed Dheere.^[5] An October 2005 report from the Monitoring Group stated that Mohamed Dheere had bartered landmines and small arms for ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns from Ethiopia.^[6]

In July 2006 the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs replied to Landmine Monitor’s inquiries about the earlier UN reports, stating, “It is indeed sad and regrettable that the Monitoring Group on Somalia alleged Ethiopia in the provision of landmines to one of the administration heads in Somalia…. The Government of Ethiopia strongly rejects this baseless allegation.… Notwithstanding the unsubstantiated report of the Group, I would like to reiterate Ethiopia’s steadfast commitment to the objectives and purpose of the Ottawa Convention.”^[7]

In April 2007, during the Standing Committee meetings, the President of the Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Ambassador Caroline Millar of Australia, expressed concern over the UN reports and said that she had written to the Chair of the Monitoring Group to seek further information.^[8] The ICBL lamented the fact that States Parties have not vigorously pursued these allegations as potential violations of the Mine Ban Treaty and strongly encouraged States Parties to seek further information and clarification on this matter from both the UN Monitoring Group and the government of Ethiopia.^[9]

Production, Stockpiling and Use

Ethiopia has stated that it does not produce antipersonnel mines, and has not imported antipersonnel mines since the overthrow of the Mengistu regime in 1991.^[10]

The size of Ethiopia’s stockpile of antipersonnel mines remains unknown as the country has not yet submitted any Article 7 reports or made other declarations. The Mine Ban Treaty requires that all stockpiled mines be destroyed as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2009.

While not openly acknowledging the use of antipersonnel mines during the border conflict with Eritrea from 1998-2000, in April 2002 Ethiopia provided the UN with detailed maps of mines laid by Ethiopian forces in Eritrea during the conflict.^[11]

There have been no reports of new use of antipersonnel mines by government forces or non-state armed groups in Ethiopia since 2000.^[12] However, each year since 2003 there have been incidents caused by newly laid antivehicle mines in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) separating Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC). The UN has said it does not know who planted the mines.^[13]

According to UN reports, during late 2006 and early 2007 newly laid antivehicle mines killed one and injured five, including two demining staff.^[14] In early 2007 the UNMEE MACC stated that it is unable to “ensure that routes are maintained free of mines, especially in Sector West, in particular with growing military activities by both parties.”^[15] Eight incidents of newly laid mines on previously cleared roads took place in 2006. The same type of mine was used in all incidents.^[16] Ten incidents took place in 2005, two in 2004 and 15 in 2003.^[17]

In January 2007 the Ogaden National Liberation Front claimed in a radio broadcast from Asmara that it had destroyed some Ethiopian military vehicles with landmines near Degeh Bur in eastern Ethiopia.^[18]

Landmine and ERW Problem

Ethiopia is extensively contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), primarily unexploded ordnance (UXO) resulting from internal and international armed conflicts dating back to 1935.^[19] Ten of the 11 regions are affected to some degree, but contamination is concentrated in Afar and Tigray (bordering Eritrea, with ‘classic’ defensive minefields along hundreds of kilometers of trench lines from the war with Eritrea in 1998-2000) and Somali region (with more dispersed landmine and UXO contamination from the Ogaden war with Somalia in 1977-1978).^[20] The Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) completed in 2004 identified 1,492 communities as contaminated with landmines and UXO, although the LIS has “well-documented weaknesses.” ^[21]

Mine Action Program

The Mine Action Supervisory Board was set up under a Council of Ministers regulation in 2001 to oversee the work of the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO).^[22] According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), “All mine action planning, which includes strategic planning, work planning and operational planning is conducted by EMAO)…. The EMAO is a particularly successful national mine action programme that is managed and implemented by Ethiopian nationals with minimal external technical assistance.”^[23]

According to the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), “While EMAO is the pre-eminent mine action organisation in Ethiopia, its legal authority is ambiguous in critical areas…. As such, the institutional make-up for mine action in Ethiopia is deficient. EMAO management recognises this deficiency and has recommended in its corporate strategic plan (not yet adopted by the Government) that its mandate be enhanced….”^[24] In March 2007, however, the Director General of EMAO questioned whether the effort required to adopt new national legislation would be justified by the result.^[25]

In 2006 EMAO continued using version 3 of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) for the storage of LIS data; although UNDP reported that version 4 would be installed in the first quarter of 2007, as of July this had not occurred. ^[26]

Three UNDP advisors assist EMAO with mine clearance and mine action capacity-building. A UNDP mission in November 2006 recommended that it establish a small mine action team, including a national program coordinator based within EMAO and two program personnel based in the UNDP country office.^[27]

National standards for mine clearance operations adopted in 2001 were revised in 2006 to focus on more overt risk-management.^[28] Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) drafted standing operating procedures for technical survey, for which EMAO agreed to field trials in October 2006.^[29] For mine detection dogs NPA uses its own standing operating procedures, approved by EMAO.^[30]

Strategic Mine Action Planning

In August 2005 EMAO completed a strategic plan for 2006-2011 which, as of February 2007, had not been approved by the Council of Ministers. According to GICHD, the plan “appears to serve more as a corporate strategy for EMAO as an organisation than a strategy for a national mine action programme (i.e. a document that serves to coordinate the actions of all actors involved, directly or indirectly, in all components of mine action).”^[31]

Mine Action Evaluations

Detailed evaluations of the mine action program were conducted by both UNDP and GICHD in 2006. The UNDP evaluation found that “a high degree of national management, planning and operational capacity had been developed” and that the national mine action program should transition to national execution in early 2007.^[32]

The GICHD evaluation of NPA’s mine action program and EMAO’s operations concluded that EMAO “has performed increasingly well since its establishment. Its demining operations have made a substantial contribution to the resettlement and rehabilitation efforts in the war-affected districts (‘woredas’) of Tigray and Afar, delivering significant socio-economic benefits for those regions and promoting Ethiopia’s post-war recovery.”^[33]

Demining

Demining is carried out by units attached to EMAO with NPA support (mine detection dogs and technical survey). NPA planned to begin construction in mid-2006 of a mine detection dog training center at Entoto Mountain near Addis Ababa, as part of a larger EMAO training center to be constructed on the site. After clearance of UXO from the site, a former military training area, construction of the training areas had been completed by April 2007.^[34]

Identification, Marking and Fencing of Affected Areas

The Landmine Impact Survey conducted in 2002-2004 was not certified until 2006 due to concerns within EMAO about its reliability.^[35] According to UNDP, “EMAO has developed a general survey capacity which surveys all suspected hazardous areas to verify the results of the LIS before technical survey activities are conducted.”

Technical survey (TS) is increasingly conducted in Ethiopia, using machines and mine detection dogs. Machines, previously used mainly for ground preparation, were deployed in 2006 also for area reduction, especially in areas between the Eritrean and Ethiopian frontline trenches. If the machine passes over an area and does not detonate a mine or UXO, only one dog (instead of the previous two) is sent over the area to verify that it is not contaminated.^[36] However, UNDP reported that “EMAO is not yet completely comfortable with how machines and dogs can be utilized in the technical survey process and there is therefore a need for further consultations to clarify the approach to technical survey in the country.”^[37]

Similarly, NPA reported differences in perspective between NPA and EMAO as to the purpose and function of technical survey teams. “When NPA first arrived in Ethiopia, the primary function of EMAO TS teams was to mark minefield boundaries in preparation for subsequent clearance. NPA’s approach to TS is less about minefield preparation and more about area cancellation and reduction. As such, the NPA approach involves more rigorous collection and analysis of data than has been EMAO practice, and a significantly less intensive and differently-structured technical intervention on the ground using small numbers of manual deminers.”^[38]

NPA technical survey teams use the LIS data as a baseline in areas of national priority. Community liaison task impact assessment personnel also collect data from the community, which NPA believes could be used to inform local authority decisions on priorities. Land considered low-risk following an analysis of existing data from several sources (for example, no incidents recorded and the land in use) is released as an “area without obvious risk.”^[39] According to GICHD, a key issue is how much land recorded as suspected hazard area can be released as area without obvious risk based on general survey (analysis of all available data plus a visual inspection) and intrusive investigations of remaining areas deemed ‘low risk’ using machines, dogs and manual teams.^[40]

There is no permanent marking of mine/UXO-contaminated areas in Ethiopia. Some areas may be marked for later clearance.^[41]

Mine/ERW Clearance

The Ethiopia mine action program uses manual deminers, mine detection dogs and mechanical clearance assets. Ethiopia reported that operations in 2006 cleared 6,656,727 square meters of land, with the destruction of 1,725 antipersonnel mines, 52 antivehicle mines and 35,555 items of UXO.^[42]

According to UNDP, however, 1,692 antipersonnel mines, 55 antivehicle mines and 16,734 ERW were cleared in 2006.^[43] Demining statistics differed in 2005 also; Ethiopia reported over 11 square kilometers of land were demined whereas UNDP reported some six square kilometers returned to civilian use in 2005.^[44] In April 2007 EMAO’s Director General was unable to explain the discrepancy but reiterated his conviction that the EMAO figures were accurate.^[45]

According to NPA its mine dog detection (MDD) rates “have consistently remained at the high end of what NPA considers safe – approximately 800–1,000 square meters per MDD/working day.” Between the start of operations in December 2005 and the end of 2006, NPA reported that its MDD capacity demined more than 1 square kilometer of land.^[46]

Ethiopia reported at the April 2007 Standing Committee meetings that the program cleared a further 2,764,199 square meters in the first quarter of 2007.^[47] In March the EMAO Director General stated that mine clearance operations had been completed in Afar region with the exception of two areas it was not yet feasible to clear.^[48]

Summary of Efforts to Comply with Article 5

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Ethiopia must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2015. In April 2007 Ethiopia informed States Parties that high priority mined areas will be cleared by 2010 and the remaining areas by its Article 5 deadline.^[49]

The total amount of land cleared from 2002-2006 cannot be calculated, as data for some periods (notably 2003) has not been reported. Between mid-2002 and February 2004, 4.6 square kilometers of land was cleared.^[50]

Mine Risk Education

In 2006, as in 2005, mine risk education (MRE) in contaminated areas was limited in comparison to the years to 2004. Over 200,000 Ethiopians received MRE in 2006 (2005: 55,000; 2004: 800,000; and 2003: 725,000).^[51] MRE also reached 102,550 Sudanese refugees in refugee camps in western Ethiopia.

Four operators conducted MRE in 2006: The Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO), Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs (BoLSA), Rehabilitation and Development Organization and, for the first time, the NGO Cheshire Services Ethiopia. UNICEF continued providing technical and financial support. The Somali region continued to be under-served in terms of MRE. Reportedly, in Tigray and Afar the Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs does not provide MRE on a systematic basis. GICHD’s February 2007 review of the mine action program concluded that “no MRE services are available to the majority of mine-affected communities in Ethiopia.” Coordination at national level was considered inadequate; there was no complete surveillance system; a needs assessment was needed for Somali region.^[52]

The most at-risk groups in Ethiopia are children, farmers, herders and migrant workers; incidents occur mainly as a result of intentional risk-taking behavior. In poor rural areas the collection of scrap metal is a common practice; farmers often enter mined areas because of shortages of farmland. However, migrant workers may be unaware of contaminated areas and of the risk in working there.^[53]

The Ethiopian Mine Action Office organized MRE in the context of its clearance activities in Tigray (four sites), Afar (one site) and Somali (one site), reaching 40,624 people (12,188 children and 28,436 adults) in some 1,200 sessions. Activities included door-to-door and public events. EMAO community liaison personnel are trained in MRE management, material development, task impact assessment and surveillance by UNICEF, NPA and GICHD. MRE activities generated several clearance requests; from January 2006 to May 2007 communities reported 59 antipersonnel mines, 18 antivehicle mines and 30,650 UXO, resulting in 10 clearance operations. The EMAO MRE project is financed by the government, UNDP, NPA and others; its field budget in 2006 was $30,000.^[54] The GICHD review concluded that EMAO provides “effective MRE services in communities in the vicinity of demining operations.”^[55]

The national NGO Rehabilitation and Development Organization (RaDO) has conducted MRE for Sudanese refugees in five refugee camps in western Ethiopia since October 2005, in order to facilitate safe repatriation to Sudan. In 2006 RaDO trained 102,550 adults and 32,051 children in 1,464 sessions. Activities included drama clubs, circus shows, house to house trainings, sports and drawing competitions, community dialogue, murals, mini-media, church-focused and school-focused trainings. MRE was provided by church leaders, women, youth association leaders and teachers, as well as RaDO staff. The project was financed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with a 2006 budget of $109,186. RaDO activities have not been coordinated through EMAO.^[56]

RaDO’s previous MRE activites in Tigray and Afar regions were handed over in August 2005 to the Tigray Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs (BoLSA) and the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness and Food Security Bureau (Afar). GICHD reported that neither of these agencies “have assumed responsibility for ongoing provision of MRE in their regions.”^[57]

In 2006 UNICEF continued to fund Tigray BoLSA to provide MRE in eight districts and 44 subdistricts along the mine-affected border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 2006 BoLSA provided MRE to 161,978 people: 90,515 males and 71,463 females through rehabilitation task forces and anti-mine clubs in schools.^[58] The 2006 budget was $450,000.^[59] The Village Profile Project started by UNICEF in 2006 to evaluate the type of intervention needed in 176 mine-affected villages in Tigray had reached only 11 villages by June 2007 and the project was on hold. It was taken over by BoLSA in July 2007.^[60]

Cheshire Services Ethiopia is a national NGO working with children and young people with disabilities. In 2006 it organized disability awareness activities that aimed at preventing disability, including mine risk education. It was estimated that in 2006 several thousand people including many children were reached.^[61]

Landmine/ERW Casualties

In 2006 Landmine Monitor identified at least 34 new mine/ERW casualties, including 17 people killed and 17 injured. Boys under 18 years constituted the largest group of casualties (19) followed by men (12), two were girls and one was a woman. All were civilians except one deminer and one soldier. Four casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines, six by antivehicle mines and 21 by ERW (one was unknown). Incidents occurred in the Tigray and Afar regions, and on the Ethiopian side of the TSZ.^[62] Within this total, EMAO recorded 10 casualties in Tigray and Afar regions (nine killed and one injured).^[63] The Tigray Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs recorded 19 casualties, including 12 injured and seven killed.^[64] UNMEE MACC recorded five casualties on the Ethiopian side of the TSZ (one killed and four injured).^[65]

The 2006 casualty rate appears to be a slight increase compared to 2005 (31 casualties). However, with no systematic data collection, limited information-sharing and apparent lack of effort to improve either, these figures under-represent the actual number of casualties.

Casualties continued to be reported in 2007 with at least 17 casualties (five killed, 12 injured) recorded by UNMEE MACC on the Ethiopian side of the TSZ and by BoLSA in Tigray. Two casualties were children. All incidents occurred while traveling; antivehicle mines caused at least 10 casualties.^[66]

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Ethiopia is not known.

Data Collection

There has been no nationwide data collection mechanism, although according to the government EMAO has the mandate to collect, coordinate and analyze mine casualty data using IMSMA. However, EMAO stated in March 2007 that it only collects data in areas where it is operational.^[67] Data collection in Afar and Tigray, the most mine-affected regions, has been prioritized but “is in its infancy and requires capacity building.”^[68] There is no central funding and data collection will only start “when the government decides that it is a priority worthy of scarce funds” among many other priorities to fight the humanitarian crisis.^[69] In practice, responsibility for data collection has been left to the nine ethnically-based administrative regions. In Tigray and Afar, BoLSAs is responsible for data collection.^[70] BoLSA Tigray use this data to help in planning their MRE program.^[71] It was reported that technical survey teams will be able to collect casualty data “in the future.”^[72]

The 2004 LIS recorded 16,616 mine/ERW casualties, including 9,341 people killed and 7,275 injured.^[73]

Survivor Assistance

Ethiopia’s healthcare system is inadequate due to the lack of medical personnel and supplies, budget constraints and limited geographical coverage. An estimated 49 percent of the population does not have access to medical services.^[74] Most facilities are located in the capital, Addis Ababa, where only four percent of the population lives, or other large cities, whereas more than 80 percent of people with disabilities live in rural areas.^[75] Transport is problematic outside urban areas; 20 percent of Ethiopians have to walk at least two hours before reaching a medical facility.^[76] Half of the health budget is not spent because of lack of medical capacity.^[77] Few hospitals are capable of performing emergency surgery and most health posts in the mine-affected areas cannot provide emergency care.^[78] The Somali region and Afar have fewer medical facilities than Tigray, although this does not reflect the needs of each region.

People who cannot afford medical services can, in principle, obtain these services free; most mine survivors fit the eligibility criteria but obtaining the certificate is time-consuming and not a guarantee of free medical care.^[79]

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated that there are approximately 380,000 people with disabilities in need of physical rehabilitation; 25,000 are conflict victims.^[80] The Rehabilitation Department of Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for rehabilitation services, but these are inadequate due to the limited number of centers but also because many people with disabilities cannot afford transportation and accommodation at the centers, even if the services are free of charge.^[81]

Psychological support and socioeconomic reintegration activities are limited and exacerbated by extreme poverty, conflict and geographical obstacles. Access to vocational training and micro-credit institutions is limited by strict eligibility criteria and interest rates. The lack of job opportunities in a country with high unemployment is the main challenge for survivors.^[82]

Ethiopia has legislation to protect the rights of people with disabilities; implementation remains inadequate.^[83] Discrimination and prejudice are common especially in rural areas; this is aggravated by lack of government interest in disability issues.^[84] On 30 March 2007 Ethiopia signed the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities but not its Optional Protocol allowing for the monitoring of disability activities.

Progress in Meeting VA24 Survivor Assistance Objectives

After announcing its ratification of the treaty at the First Review Conference, Ethiopia was identified as one of 24 States 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.^[85]

As a part of its commitment to the Nairobi Action Plan, Ethiopia identified its 2005-2009 survivor assistance objectives for the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in 2005.^[86] At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006, Ethiopia provided details on disability legislation and progress in the rehabilitation sector; the objectives were not addressed directly or revised.^[87] Ethiopia participated in the April 2007 Standing Committee meetings, but did not make a statement on survivor assistance; the delegation did not include a survivor assistance expert and progress towards the 2005-2009 objectives has not been made available.^[88] To date, there is little evidence of Ethiopia’s progress in mine/ERW survivor assistance.^[89] Despite some efforts in the field of physical rehabilitation, access to services has not improved; survivor assistance remains largely dependent on international support.

Survivor Assistance Strategic Framework

EMAO does not consider survivor assistance as within its mandate and has not implemented any activities in this field; the decree establishing EMAO is unclear in this respect.^[91] GICHD recommendations for a new decree on the role of EMAO include: designating ministries for the implementation of treaty obligations including survivor assistance, charging EMAO with the responsibility to carry out nationwide casualty data collection and create a mine action strategy which includes survivor assistance. EMAO’s 2005 draft mine action strategy 2006-2011 does not cover survivor assistance issues adequately; it limits EMAO’s role to assisting “in victim assistance through the development of an information database on mine/UXO casualties, and through collaboration with the relevant agencies and organizations, where appropriate.”^[92] At the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2006, Ethiopia stated that the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for “provision of assistance of the aged and the disabled as well as the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. Indeed, the coordination of victim assistance directly falls under its responsibility.”^[93] The ministry provides disability policy guidance as well as technical assistance through 11 regional offices, the Bureaus of Labor and Social Affairs.^[94]

At least 16,225 people with disabilities received services during 2006, including at least 741 mine/ERW survivors. Centers supported by the ICRC provided physical rehabilitation to 8,956 people (739 survivors).^[95] RaDO assisted 1,258 people with physical rehabilitation, medical care and family training; some 25,529 people participated in 149 disability awareness sessions. RaDO referred 42 amputees to the Harar Rehabilitation Center and 26 to the Addis Ababa Prosthetic Orthotic Center.^[96] Cheshire Services Ethiopia (CSE) provided rehabilitation to at least 5,560 children with disabilities.^[97] The Addis Development Vision (ADV) assisted 195 people with community-based rehabilitation (two survivors). Landmine Survivors Network Ethiopia (LSN Ethiopia) assisted 357 survivors with mobility devices, economic assistance and advocacy training.^[98]

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society provides medical services and rehabilitation, countrywide ambulance services and first-aid training with ICRC support. In 2006, 15 ambulances were purchased, 716 people were trained in first-aid and four projects in Tigray benefited vulnerable groups including mine survivors.^[99]

In September 2006 Ethiopia reported that the government increased the capacities of six physical rehabilitation centers, equipped three more centers and completed the construction of a National Rehabilitation Center in Addis Ababa, “with the objective of manpower development in prosthetic-orthopedic and physiotherapy professions and service delivering for referrals at higher level.”^[100] This was carried out with World Bank financing under the Emergency Demobilization and Reintegration Project.^[101] ICRC phased out its direct financial support to the rehabilitation sector.^[102]

With ICRC funds and medical supplies just over 100 weapon-injured people were treated in Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara and Gambella.^[103] The ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled regional training center for Africa is based in Addis Ababa; in 2006 it organized 11 one-month training courses and two one-week management courses for 75 people from 23 countries.^[104]

The ICRC continued to support seven governmental physical rehabilitation centers as well as the CSE center in Menagesha and another center in Addis Ababa.^[105] In 2006 it started to phase out support for the Addis Ababa Prosthetic Orthotic Center; the center’s main challenge will be to become self-sufficient.^[106]

On 30 September 2006 Veterans for America (VFA, formerly Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation) handed the Bahir Dar Physical Rehabilitation Center over to the Amhara Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs and the ICRC. In 2006 VFA terminated all its activities in Africa. It noted that coordination and planning of disability assistance was poor in Amhara region as the Bureau was understaffed and underfunded, and disability was not a priority.^[107]

In 2006 Menschen Für Menschen supported the Prosthetic Orthotic Center at the Jimma University in southwest Ethiopia. Patients were requested to pay 10 percent of service costs. In February 2007 the program was transferred to national management.^[108]

Handicap International continued to provide support to people with disabilities through local organizations and launched a project for the greater inclusion of people with disabilities into local development in Dire Dawa.^[109]

Information on other physical rehabilitation centers and social and economic assistance providers was included in previous editions of Landmine Monitor.^[110]

Funding and Assistance

In 2006 international donations totaling $7,859,540 (€6,256,101) for mine action in Ethiopia were reported by five countries and the European Commission (EC), an increase of some 200 percent from 2005 ($2,604,980 provided by six countries), due in part to substantial new funding by the EC.^[111] Donors in 2006 were:

• EC: €3,923,581 ($4,929,195) to UNDP and EMAO for mine action;^[112]
• Finland: €200,000 ($251,260) to NPA for survey and canine clearance capacity;^[113]
• Germany: €250,000 ($314,075) to UNDP for mine clearance;^[114]
• Netherlands: €300,000 ($376,890) to UNDP for capacity-building;^[115]
• Norway: NOK 10,020,000 ($1,563,120) consisting of NOK1 million to UNDP for capacity-building and NOK9,020,000 to NPA for technical assistance to EMAO;^[116]
• US: $425,000, consisting of $25,000 from USAID/Leahy War Victims Fund and $400,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.^[117]

In April 2006 the EC pledged €8 million for demining in Tigray and Afar, with funds to be channeled through UNDP and EMAO. The April 2007 agreement between UNDP and the EC covered the period from 2007 to 2008; however, €3.9 million in funds were committed to the program in 2006 as reported above.^[118]

The 2006 end-year review of the UN’s Portfolio of Mine Action Projects reported that Ethiopia received 91 percent ($7,723,482) of funds requested through the appeal process in 2006. This total included World Bank funds of $5,892,808 to support EMAO in 2006.^[119] From 2001 to 2006 EMAO has been funded by the World Bank loan of some $230 million for emergency recovery in areas of Ethiopia affected by the conflict with Eritrea, $30 million of which was originally designated for demining. The demining budget was subsequently reduced to $15 million, although in 2006 an additional $3.5 million for demining was provided.^[120]

The 2007 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects includes four project appeals for Ethiopia totaling $8,271,341, of which $5,241,386 had been funded by November 2006.^[121]

National Contribution to Mine Action

The Ethiopian government’s contribution to mine action has not been reported. Landmine Monitor sent a questionnaire to Ethiopia requesting details of national funding of mine action in 2006; no response had been received by mid-2007.