Key
developments since May 2001: The Democratic Republic of Congo acceded to
the Mine Ban Treaty on 2 May 2002. On 2-3 May 2002, the government hosted an
international workshop on the Mine Ban Treaty and mine action in the DRC.
Landmine Monitor has received an admission of on-going use of antipersonnel
mines by the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy, and allegations of use by
Burundian forces. Landmine Monitor is not aware of any allegations of use of
antipersonnel mines by DRC government forces in the reporting period. A Mine
Action Coordination Center was established in February 2002. As of July 2002,
Handicap International Belgium was the only agency conducting humanitarian mine
clearance or providing mine risk education in the DRC.
MINE BAN POLICY
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) acceded to
the Mine Ban Treaty on 2 May 2002, and the treaty will enter into force on 1
November 2002. The government had completed the domestic procedures necessary
to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty on 28 March 2001, and the decree, signed by
President Joseph Kabila, states that “the Government of the Democratic
Republic of Congo, after having examined the Convention...adheres to this
Convention and commits itself to enforce faithfully all its
clauses.”[1]
On 2-3 May 2002, the DRC government, in cooperation with the government of
Canada, hosted an international workshop on “The Ottawa Convention and
Mine Action in the Democratic Republic of Congo” in Kinshasa. At the
workshop, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that
“the DRC is willing to crack down on any act that would be in
contradiction with the goal and the object of the Mine Ban
Treaty.”[2] The official
also said that legislative activities were on the way to punish any act that
would violate the Mine Ban Treaty, and that a national commission was going to
be established in order to follow up on and implement the Mine Ban Treaty in the
DRC.[3] Finally, it was
announced that the government, with the support of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), was going to organize a workshop in order to educate military staff
about the Mine Ban
Treaty.[4]
The May workshop was opened by the Deputy Foreign Minister and Canada’s
Ambassador to the DRC. Other participants included representatives from the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense and seven other ministries; the armed
opposition Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma); diplomats from eight
foreign countries; MONUC, UNMAS, UNHCR, the ICRC, GICHD, three DRC NGOs, the
ICBL, and other international NGOs.
The DRC is due to submit its initial transparency report required by Article
7 of the Mine Ban Treaty on 30 April 2003. The DRC representative at the
intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2002 called for the support of
experienced states and organizations in order to complete the
report.[5]
The DRC did not participate in the Third Meeting of States Parties to the
Mine Ban Treaty in Managua, Nicaragua, in September 2001, but did attend the
intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002. The DRC was
absent from the vote on the UN General Assembly resolution in November 2001
calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty.
The DRC is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) but
has informed the ICRC that it has completed internal procedures for
accession.[6] It did not attend
either the third annual meeting of States Parties to Amended Protocol II or the
Second Review Conference of the CCW, both of which were held in December 2001 in
Geneva.
RCD Mine Ban Policy
On 3 May 2002, at the mine ban workshop, a
representative of the armed opposition Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD)-Goma
stated that “we adhere to the principles of the Mine Ban Treaty, and we
are going to try to respect it in the best way we
can.”[7] He also provided
the Canadian embassy in Kinshasa with a list of areas which the RCD-Goma knows
or believes are mined.[8]
However, another RCD representative told Landmine Monitor that the RCD still
intends to use antipersonnel mines (see below).
NGO Activity
On 1 March 2002, the Congolese Physicians for Peace
(CPP) created the Congolese Campaign to Ban Landmines. This campaign includes
three NGOs: CPP, Paix sur Terre, and the Centre d'Education Populaire à
la Démocratie.[9]
PRODUCTION, TRANSFER, AND STOCKPILING
The DRC is not known to be a landmine producer or
exporter. The government and various rebel groups have, in the past, acquired
antipersonnel mines from a number of sources. The types of antipersonnel mines
identified at this stage in the DRC are: TS 50 (Italy), PMA2 (Yugoslavia), M-14
and M2A4 (USA), PMN (CIS), M-35 and NR-413 (Belgium), and MS-803 (South Africa),
as well as the antivehicle mines TM46 and TM57 (CIS).
On 3 May 2002, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated
that the DRC was now obliged to destroy the stocks of antipersonnel mines that
are under its control.[10] A
representative of the Ministry of Defense noted that with accession, the DRC was
willing to implement the Convention, which meant stockpile destruction could be
launched.[11] According to a
source from the Ministry of Defense, the DRC government forces possess thousands
of antipersonnel mines in their stockpiles, mostly of Belgian
origin.[12]
When asked whether it had stockpiles of antipersonnel mines, an RCD-Goma
representative said that the RCD-Goma had taken over stocks of weapons,
including landmines,from other parties. He denied that the RCD had
received mines from Rwanda.[13]
According to four different sources requiring anonymity, the RCD-Goma still
possesses stocks of antipersonnel mines of Italian and Yugoslav
origin.[14] An officer of the
7th Brigade of the RCD-Goma declared to Landmine Monitor that the
RCD-Goma still holds a stock of antipersonnel mines and that it plans to use
mines to protect its positions from the Mayi Mayi forces, in South Kivu and in
Maniema.[15]
USE
Landmines have been a significant feature in the
DRC conflict. They have been widely used in many different parts of the country
(see Landmine Problem section below). Virtually all forces fighting in the DRC
since 1998 have, at some point, been accused of using mines, and virtually all
have denied it. In particular, there have been persistent allegations of mine
use by the forces of the DRC government and the rebel Congolese Rally for
Democracy, as well as the forces of the governments of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda,
and Zimbabwe.
Previous allegations of use can be found in the Landmine Monitor Reports
for 1999, 2000, and
2001.[16] In each edition,
Landmine Monitor has stressed that, while it was clear mines were being laid, it
was impossible to verify responsibility for that use, particularly in view of
charges, counter-charges and denials by all parties. Moreover, it is often
difficult to determine when mines were laid, as well as by whom. That remains
the case.
The use of antipersonnel mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, even if
by unknown or disputed parties, takes on a new meaning since the DRC acceded to
the Mine Ban Treaty on 2 May 2002. As a State Party, the DRC will have a legal
obligation to prevent, suppress and punish use of antipersonnel mines by any
entity on territory under the jurisdiction or control of the DRC government.
In this reporting period, since May 2001, Landmine Monitor has received an
admission of on-going use of antipersonnel mines by the rebel Congolese Rally
for Democracy, and serious allegations of use by Burundi, a signatory to the
Mine Ban Treaty. Landmine Monitor is not aware of any allegations of use of
antipersonnel mines by the forces of the DRC or Uganda in the reporting period,
nor of any serious allegations of use by
Rwandan[17] or Zimbabwean
forces.[18]
Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD)
In March 2002, an RCD-Goma officer admitted
to Landmine Monitor, “We use antipersonnel mines in these territories
[Uvira and Fizi] in order to protect our troops against attacks by Mayi Mayi
militias.”[19] In the
same month, another officer acknowledged that RCD-Goma holds a stock of
antipersonnel mines and said it plans to use the mines to protect its positions
from the Mayi Mayi forces, in South Kivu and in
Maniema.[20] Yet another senior
RCD-Goma military officer told Landmine Monitor that the RCD-Goma and its
Rwandan allies had laid antipersonnel mines on the road between Ikela and Opala
between 1999 and 2001. In February 2002 he said, “We are currently
protecting our positions against attacks from the government and its Zimbabwean
allies.”[21] Other
RCD-Goma soldiers said, “We mined this road to prevent a smashing attack
of the Zimbabwean Army that prepares itself to take
Kisangani.”[22]
A significant number of non-governmental organizations and aid workers told
Landmine Monitor that RCD-Goma forces were laying new antipersonnel mines in
Fizi territory (South Kivu) at the beginning of October 2001. Mines appear to
have been laid in Swima, Ake, Lusambo, Kabumbe, Mboko, and in the surroundings
of Baraka.[23]
Burundi
The Burundi military continues to carry out
operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Local human rights
organizations and others in the DRC have reported the laying of mines by
Burundian soldiers around their military campsin Mboko, Swima, Ake and
Kaboke in Fizi Territory. One Congolese group reported, “The Burundian
military used antipersonnel mines on the main road and on secondary roads in
Mboko, Ake and Kabondozi villages (Tanganyika collective, Fizi Territory).
These mines caused victims, most of them children and
women.”[24] The
organization took testimony on five incidents between 7 November 2001 and 5
January 2002 in which antipersonnel mines allegedly laid by the Burundi military
caused nine civilian casualties, including three dead and six
injured.[25] Another
organization noted, “Several credible groups have reported their
[landmine] use, including eye-witness testimony to Burundian military mining
these areas.”[26]
Landmine Monitor was not able to corroborate independently these
allegations.
LANDMINE PROBLEM
Landmine Monitor has previously provided some
information on mined areas in the
DRC.[27] Various speakers at
the May 2002 workshop on the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the DRC
considered that the following areas should be considered as mined:
Equateur province: Bomongo, Losambo, Bolomba, Bulukutu, Bofili, Yalusaka,
Ikela airport, road Ikela-Sacré Cœur, road Ikela-Bomandja, road
Ikela-Bongoy, road airport-Anzi, surroundings of Regideso and Lonkendu river and
Anzi.
Orientale province: Tshopo, Mangobo and Makiso (Kisangani city), La
Forestière, Kandangba, and surroundings of Bangboka airport (surroundings
of Kisangani).
Eastern Kasai province: Tunta airport, road from Miabi to Mbuji-Mayi, road
from Mbuji-Mayi to Munkamba, surroundings of Munkamba Lake, Kabinda district (20
km around Kabinda), and road Gandajika-Kamana.
Western Kasai province: Bena Leka, Kajiba, Demba, and Domiongo.
Katanga province: Kapondo, Kashumbuyu, Kisele, Nyunzu, Kakuyi, road
Nyemba-Nyunzu-Kabalo (+ railway), road Kalemie-Bendera, road Kalemie-Kyoko
(Nyemba), Kasinge (45 km south of Kabalo), surroundings of Kamubangwa (60 km
south of Kabalo), road Kongolo-Kabambare.
South Kivu province: road Uvira-Baraka, surroundings of Fizi, road
Nzovu-Kigulube, surroundings of Luyuyu, Kilembwe
airport.[28]
The
mine problem has been further described by a number of sources. In Kisangani,
in the area Bangboka-La Forestière-Kandangba, about 57 hectares (570,000
square meters) of land were abandoned because of the mine
threat.[29] In this area, 45
percent of the children are malnourished and very few go to
school.[30]
Ikela is highly mined.[31]
Many areas of forest and land, including coffee plantations, have been abandoned
because of landmines. Landmines have a significant impact on the daily life of
local people, including reduced access to homes, fields, forests, clean water,
and hospitals.[32] Mines
increase the risk of starvation and the development of
diseases.[33] In addition, mines
make it difficult for humanitarian agencies to distribute food to the
people.[34] In mid-March 2002,
on the road between Ikela City and Ene, a UN vehicle hit an antivehicle mine,
but the mine did not
explode.[35] In May 2002, a
vehicle carrying two UN military observers on patrol in the vicinity of Ikela
detonated an antivehicle mine, killing one and injuring the
other.[36] Yalusaka, nine
kilometers west of Ikela, is also reported to be
mined.[37]
In Uvira, the Ruzizi plain and the sugar plantations of Kiliba refinery are
reportedly mined.[38]
In the Bas-Congo province, reports indicate the presence of landmines along
the border with Angola. However, it remains unclear whether the mines are
located in Angola or the
DRC.[39]
MINE ACTION COORDINATION, SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT
A Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC) was
established in February 2002, with the arrival of three international staff. It
is based in Kinshasa with initially one regional office in
Kisangani.[40] The goal of the
MACC is: “To achieve within DRC an environment where people can go about
their lives free from the threat of mines and where there exists an environment
conducive to growth and prosperity. This does not imply the removal of all
mines, but rather limiting their effects to achieve a state of
normalcy.”[41]
Its four immediate objectives are to develop a mine action information
system, to raise awareness of the problem and define the level of support
needed, to provide emergency clearance, and to develop a quality management
system.[42]
No national Landmine Impact Survey has been carried out yet. Depending on
the security situation, the Mine Action Coordination Center intends to launch a
survey focused on mine-affected areas in the eastern part of the
country.[43] MACC has developed
and started to distribute a Rapid Impact Survey Form and a Victim Form, which it
hopes the UN, international agencies and NGOs will use to collect relevant
information.[44]
In Kisangani, since March 2001, a survey team from Handicap International
Belgium (HIB) has been collecting data on areas affected by mines and unexploded
ordnance (UXO), which is then used for rapid response to communities’
requests for clearance and mine/UXO risk
education.[45] HIB intends to
double its survey capacity in
2002.[46]
MINE CLEARANCE
Between 1997 and 2001, most parties to the conflict
in the DRC conducted military mine clearance to facilitate the movement of their
own troops.[47] On 3 May 2002,
a representative of the Ministry of Defense urged all signatories of the Lusaka
accords to provide information about their mined areas so that they can be
cleared. He also called for the support of the United Nations Organization
Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), and added that the military
command of the Armed Forces had agreed that Military Engineers should be
involved in clearance of landmines in general and antipersonnel landmines in
particular.[48]
Uruguayan demining specialists are part of MONUC. The Uruguayan Army
reported that its engineering company has cleared approximately 100,000 square
meters of land in the area where it is stationed
(Kisangani).[49] The UN
reported that the Uruguayans deminers are aiding an investigation into the
incident near Ikela in which an antivehicle mine killed a UN military observer
and injured another.[50] A
diplomatic source told Landmine Monitor that the Uruguayans are only allowed to
provide clearance for their own contingent, and in general, in order to
facilitate UN troop
movements.[51]
MONUC contracted a commercial mine clearance company from South Africa,
MECHEM, to verify or clear the surroundings of Kisangani and Kindu airports;
work was to begin in mid-2002. Quality Assurance of MECHEM activities will be
performed by MONUC with the technical assistance of the
MACC.[52]
Handicap International Belgium is so far the only agency conducting
humanitarian mine clearance in the
DRC.[53] After eight weeks of
training, clearance began in June
2001.[54] In 2001, HIB
destroyed 77 antipersonnel mines, 28 antivehicle mines, 4,020 UXO and 1,418
pieces of ammunition in Kisangani; 725 of the UXO destroyed came from a
stockpile that was located in the center of the
city.[55]In order to
speed up clearance and facilitate area reduction, HIB intends to import a
Tempest MK4 vegetation cutter produced in Cambodia by a non-profit organization
employing landmine
survivors.[56]
MINE RISK EDUCATION
The only organization providing mine risk education
in the DRC is Handicap International Belgium. In 2001, about 41,000 people took
part in mine risk education sessions and approximately 200,000 were reached via
the radio and television.[57]
At this stage, the HIB program is working in Kisangani and its immediate
surroundings only. The interactive approach combines drama, dance, storytelling
and audio-visual presentations. The sessions usually attract big crowds (from
200 to 600 people) and last about two hours. During mine risk education
sessions, the HIB staff collect communities’ requests for clearance of
mines and UXOs.[58]
In June 2002, in the wake of the incident near Ikela in which an antitank
mine killed one UN military observer and injured another, the UN reported that
“MONUC personnel have been warned to exercise extreme caution with regard
to the mine threat, particularly in the areas where tension is running high. In
the meantime, MONUC is strengthening its mine-awareness
programme.”[59]
MINE ACTION FUNDING
The Mine Action Coordination Center was established
in February 2002 with contributions from Belgium (US$ 575,000) and the US
(approximately US$25,000).[60]
As of 30 June 2002, the entire amount appears to have been spent. Partial
funding of the MACC is expected from the MONUC assessed budget, but the UN has
indicated an additional US$150,000 is needed to sustain operations until the end
of the year. There is also a need to deploy a mobile mine clearance-mine risk
education capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies, which is estimated to
cost US$565,000.[61]
Handicap International Belgium receives its mine action funding from the
Belgian Directorate General for International Cooperation (US$639,200) and the
Canadian government
(US$27,835).[62] In 2001, HIB
had four international staff and 38 local staff in
Kisangani.[63]
LANDMINE CASUALTIES
Instability within the DRC and the lack of
communication makes comprehensive data collection on landmine casualties
impossible at this stage. Landmine Monitor has analyzed data from hospital
records, UN agencies, the RCD, and media on incidents reported in the provinces
of Equateur, Orientale, Maniema, South Kivu, and West
Kasai.[64] Between 1 January
2000 and 30 June 2002, 228 landmine and UXO casualties were reported in the DRC.
In 2001, 135 new casualties were reported, including 92 military casualties. In
the first five months of 2002, 12 new casualties were reported. The precise
year of the incident was not clear for another 81 casualties. Details on the
number of casualties killed or injured, or whether they were male, female, or a
child, was not always provided. However, it is known that, of the total
reported casualties, at least 33 people died and 26 were injured, including at
least 26 men, 17 women, and 11 children. The high mortality rate reported
appears to be due to the severity of the injuries and the weakness of health
structures. As the statistics come mostly from hospital records, data generally
does not include casualties who die before reaching medical assistance.
Antipersonnel mines caused at least 34 casualties, antivehicle mines 7, and UXO
18 casualties, of which 14 died.
The most recent reported mine/UXO incidents occurred in Uvira, Kisangani,
Bena Leka, Kabinda and Ikela. The incident in Ikela, on 13 May 2002, killed one
peacekeeper, a colonel from Algeria, and injured another, a major from
India.[65]
In addition to the casualties reported above, during the reporting period
Tanzania was receiving a stream of refugees from the DRC, some of them landmine
survivors. Landmine Monitor was shown the records of three Congolese landmine
survivors, two men and one woman, injured in the DRC in September
2001.[66] One of the new
arrivals reported seeing two people being brought in for medical assistance
after stepping on a landmine at Bwali. Information was also provided by the
International Rescue Committee (IRC) on landmine casualties from the DRC that
had been referred to the Kigoma Baptist Mission Hospital. Seven landmine
casualties were recorded between August and October 2001, including five men,
one woman, and a three year-old
boy.[67]
In August 2001, a British mine clearance technical adviser lost his thumb
when a grenade detonator exploded during a training session in the
Kisangani.[68]
SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE
Under the primary healthcare system, the DRC is
divided into numerous health zones, and each health zone is divided into health
centers. This organizational structure covers the entire country, but hospitals
and health centers are often not sustainable because they lack equipment and
medicine, salaries are not paid, and the staff is not motivated. However, some
hospitals have been in a position to provide assistance to landmine and UXO
casualties with the support of international agencies including the ICRC,
UNICEF, WHO, and
CARITAS.[69]
In 2001, the ICRC provided 22 hospitals and health centers in Bukavu, Uvira,
Kalemie, Kisangani, Goma, Bunia, and Equateur Province, with medical and
surgical supplies, training and expertise. Hospitals treated 940 war-wounded, of
whom 47 were mine/UXO casualties. Training was provided to more than 1,000
first aiders and to surgeons at the Kinshasa, Kalemie, and Uvira hospitals. The
ICRC, Ministry of Health, and armed-forces medical services also convened a
war-surgery seminar in
November.[70]
In Kinshasa, the DRC Red Cross and the ICRC run an orthopedic workshop. The
Kalembe-Lembe prosthetic/orthotic workshop was established in 1998. In 2001, it
assisted 188 patients, of which 26 percent were landmine survivors, and produced
236 prostheses, 22 orthoses, and provided 453 crutches and walking sticks, and
71 wheelchairs. The patients pay for services according to their income. The
workshop, with an annual budget of US$275,000, also receives funding from the
British Red Cross.[71]
In Goma, the Shirika la Umoja center provides physical rehabilitation and
socio-economic reintegration to persons with disabilities, including landmine
survivors. In 2001, the center provided physical rehabilitation for 1,580
persons and produced 45 prostheses and 84 crutches. The center cares for war
victims referred by the ICRC. The center includes support for disabled children
in the school system, as well as an outreach program aimed at raising awareness
about disability among communities. The center is funded by churches and the
Liliane Fund.[72] Following the
eruption of Nyiragongo volcano, in January 2002, Handicap International Belgium
provided support to the center in order to rehabilitate the sections destroyed
by the eruption.[73]
In Mbuji-Mayi, Handicap International Belgium supports a rehabilitation
center based in the Saint Jean-Baptiste Hospital. In 2001, the center produced
14 prostheses, 106 crutches and provided assistance to 1,217 people, but few
landmine survivors are reported in the area. The budget for 2001 was EUR180,000
(US$161,640). The project is funded by the European Union, in the framework of
the PATS program.[74]
In Kisangani, the Simana center provides physical rehabilitation and
socio-economic reintegration to persons with disabilities. In 2001, 1,005
patients were assisted, and six prostheses, three crutches, and 15 tricycles
were produced. The expenditures for 2001 amounted to a total of EUR85,000
(US$576,330). The center is funded by its own activities, interest on savings,
various institutions (including the Liliane Fund, Milles Missievrienden,
Gemeente Mill, Cordaid, Misereor, and the Limburg Fund), the Department of
Social Affairs, which provides water and electricity, and private
donors.[75]
DISABILITY POLICY AND PRACTICE
On 3 May 2002, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs
representative stated that, according to a decree of the transitional
government, all disabled persons have access to healthcare, education and jobs
within the administration. He also called for support from international NGOs
and local associations.[76] At
the same workshop, a Ministry of Defense representative declared that a general
directive had been created to care for soldiers who had been disabled during the
war,[77] and a Ministry of
Health representative called for all assistance to rely on a community-based
approach, as it is both cheaper and provides reference structures to disabled
persons within their
community.[78]
[1] Government Decree n°006/01 of 28
March 2001 authorizing the accession to the Ottawa Convention of 4 December 1997
on the ban on use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines
and their destruction adopted in Oslo, 18 September 1997, opened to signature on
3 and 4 December 1997 in Ottawa. [2]
Statement by Mindia Monga, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, at the Workshop on the Ottawa Convention, 2 May 2002.
[3] Ibid., 3 May
2002. [4]
Ibid. [5] Statement of the DRC
delegation at the intersessional Standing Committee meeting, Geneva, 31 May
2002. [6] Email from Legal Adviser,
ICRC, 13 June 2002. [7] Comments by
Commander Ngizo S.T. Louis, RCD Representative at the Joint Military Commission,
at the Workshop on the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, 3 May 2002. The Joint Military Commission was set
up to oversee the implementation of the DRC Ceasefire Agreement. The following
day, a daily newspaper reported that the RCD “promised to respect the
provisions of the Ottawa Convention that bans antipersonnel mines, a convention
signed by the government against which the rebel group is fighting.”
“Révélations sur l’arrivée d’un
émissaire du RCD/Goma à Kinshasa,” Le Palmarès, 4 May
2002. [8] List provided by Commander
Ngizo S.T. Louis, RCD Representative at the Joint Military Commission, Kinshasa,
3 May 2002. See section on Landmine
Problem. [9] Email from Dr. Simon
Bokongo, Congolese Physicians for Peace, 7 July 2002.
[10] Statement by Mindia Monga,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kinshasa, 3 May 2002.
[11] Statement by Colonel Medard Unyon
Pewu, Director of Cabinet at the Ministry of National Defense, at the Workshop
on the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Kinshasa, 3 May 2002. [12] Interview
with a representative of the Ministry of Defense of the DRC, Kinshasa, 3 May
2002. [13] Interview with Commander
Ngizo S.T. Louis, RCD Representative at the Joint Military Commission, Kinshasa,
3 May 2002. [14] In March 2002, a
military officer of the RCD-Goma said, “The RCD-Goma holds an important
stock of antipersonnel
mines.” [15] Interview with a
senior officer of the 7th RCD-Goma Brigade, Kisangani, 6 March
2002. [16] In addition to the
information on past use in previous reports, Landmine Monitor recently received
allegations of use of antipersonnel mines by the Liberation Movement of Congo
(MLC) of Jean-Pierre Bemba in 1999 and 2000 in the following regions: Boende,
Basankusu and on the line Libenge-Menewiya-Boende. Interviews with aid workers,
16 March 2002; interviews with businessmen in Boende and Basankusu, February
2002; interviews with staff of Boende and Basankusu hospitals, February
2002. [17] There have been allegations
that, following killings that took place in Kisangani between 14 and 18 May
2002, the RCD-Goma and its Rwandan allies had laid antipersonnel mines around a
mass grave located close to Bangboka airport. Information provided to Landmine
Monitor by a local NGO, 5 June
2002. [18] Since 1999, there have been
allegations of use of landmines by Zimbabwean forces in Ikela. In interviews in
February and March 2002, local people from Ikela continued to state that
Zimbabwean troops laid mines when they learned that RCD-Goma and Rwandan troops
were surrounding them. In 2001, MONUC cleared some of the mines located in the
center of Ikela city and at the airport. Interviews with local people, landmine
victims and their families, and medical staff, Ikela, February and March 2002.
Interview with an RCD-Goma officer, March 2002, who declared 92 RCD-Goma
soldiers had been victims of landmines in Ikela between February and May
2001. [19] Interview with an RCD-Goma
military officer, Goma, 11 March
2002. [20] Interview with a senior
officer of the 7th RDC-Goma Brigade, Kisangani, 6 March
2002. [21] Interview with a senior
RCD-Goma military officer, February 2002. He said, “We are currently
protecting our positions against attacks from the government and its Zimbabwean
allies.” The presence of mines was confirmed in interviews with local
people living between Ikela and Opala, March 2002. See also Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, p. 239. [22] Interview with
an RCD-Goma soldier returning from the Ikela frontline, March 2002. RCD use was
also mentioned in interviews with local people in Anzi, Ikela, and Opala, March
2002. [23] Email to Landmine Monitor
from the NGO Shalom Congo, 4 March 2002; interview with the Head of a Congolese
NGO, Bukavu, 10 and 11 March 2002; interview with the staff of general
hospitals of Bukavu, Uvira and Fizi, March 2002. See also
www.heritiers.org/landmine.html. [24]
Report of Congolese human rights organization from the first quarter of 2002.
The organization has requested
anonymity. [25]
Ibid. [26] Email to Landmine Monitor
from Human Rights Watch staff in Burundi, 10 June
2002. [27] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 243; Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
201. [28] From a collection of documents
and speeches given during the Kinshasa Workshop on the Ottawa Convention and
Mine Action in the Democratic Republic of Congo, provided by Sébastien
Carrière, Progam Coordinator, Mine Action Team, Department of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, Canada, June
2002. [29] Presentation by
Stéphan Jooris, Kisangani Program Director, Handicap International
Belgium, at the Workshop on the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, 3 May
2002. [30] Nutritional survey conducted
by the NGO Congolese Physicians for Peace, Kisangani, August 2001; interview
with Stéphan Jooris, Kisangani Program Director, Handicap International
Belgium, 19 June 2002. [31] Interview
with an aid worker, Kinshasa, 6 May
2002. [32] Interviews with local people,
Ikela, February 2002. [33] Presentation
by Didier Reck, ICRC Orthopedic Coordinator, at the Workshop on the Ottawa
Convention and Mine Action in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, 3 May
2002. [34] Interview with an aid worker,
Kinshasa, 6 May 2002. [35]
Ibid. [36] Eleventh report of the UN
Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (S/2002/621), 5 June 2002, p.
5. [37] Interview with an aid worker,
Kinshasa, 6 May 2002. [38]
http://www.heritiers.org/landmine.html. [39]
Presentation by Par-Dieu Mayenikini, ADDIHAC, at the Workshop on the Ottawa
Convention and Mine Action in the DRC, Kinshasa, 3 May 2002; email from Pascal
Rigaldies, Program Director, HI Belgium, 24 July 2002; diplomatic
sources. [40] Eleventh report of the UN
Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (S/2002/621), 5 June 2002, p.
8. [41] “Workplan 1 May 2002-31
October 2002,” Mine Action Coordination Center, May
2002. [42] Ibid. See also, Eleventh
report of the UN Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2002/621), 5 June 2002, p.
8. [43] Email from Patrick Tillet, UNMAS
Desk Officer, 6 June 2002. [44]
“Workplan 1 May 2002-31 October 2002,” Mine Action Coordination
Center, May 2002. [45] “Activity
Report 2001, Mine and UXO Action Project,” Handicap International Belgium,
Kisangani, January 2002, p. 12. [46]
Email from Taz Khaliq, Desk Officer, Handicap International Belgium, 10 June
2002. [47] Interview with a medical
student returning from Ikela, 10 March 2002; interview with an RCD-Goma officer,
Ikela, January 2002. Local people from Ikela showed Landmine Monitor places
where Zimbabwean forces had cleared mines before leaving the city in July 2001.
A landmine victim living in Mandombe, Kisangani, showed places to Landmine
Monitor where the Ugandan army had cleared mines before leaving. Unfortunately,
some mines were left behind and local villagers have been killed and
injured. [48] Statement by Colonel
Medard Unyon Pewu, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of National Defense, at the
Workshop on the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Kinshasa, 3 May 2002. [49]
Uruguayan National Army response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire, 5 April
2002. [50] Eleventh report of the UN
Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (S/2002/621), 5 June 2002, p.
5. [51] Diplomatic source, 7 June
2002. [52] “UNMAS Monthly
Update,” June 2002, p. 17. [53]
“Workplan 1 May 2002-31 October 2002,” Mine Action Coordination
Center, May 2002. [54] “Activity
Report 2001, Mine and UXO Action Project,” Handicap International Belgium,
Kisangani, January 2002, pp. 10-11. [55]
Ibid. [56] Telephone interview of
Mathieu Soupart, Head of Mine/UXO Operations Unit, Handicap International
Belgium, 25 June 2002. [57]
“Activity Report 2001,” HIB, Kisangani, January 2002, p.
12. [58] Interview with Odette Yalungu,
Mine Risk Education Officer, Handicap International Belgium, Kisangani, 7
December 2001. [59] Eleventh report of
the UN Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2002/621), 5 June 2002, p.
5. [60] Email from Patrick Tillet, UNMAS
Desk Officer, 6 June 2002. [61]
“UNMAS Monthly Update,” June 2002, p. 17; email from Patrick Tillet,
UNMAS Desk Officer, 6 June 2002. [62]
UNMAS Mine Action Investments
Database. [63] “Activity Report
2001,” HIB, Kisangani, January 2002, p.
18. [64] Casualty data was collated by
Landmine Monitor from hospital statistics from Kisangani, Ikela, Kindu, Uvira,
Bukavu, and Fizi; interviews with landmine survivors and their families,
March-May 2002; interview with Deputy Head of Delegation, ICRC, Kinshasa, 6 May
2002; interview with RCD-Goma officer, March 2002; interview with a landmine
survivor, Kisangani General Hospital, October 2001; interview with health staff,
Pavilion Militaire, Kisangani; email from the NGO Shalom Congo, 7 January 2002;
email from Mosala Mufungizi, 23 April 2002; email from Pascal Rigaldies, DRC
Program Director, Handicap International Belgium, 28 June 2002; and media
reports; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
245. [65] “UN Peacekeeper killed
by Landmine in the DRC,” Xinhua News Agency, 13 May
2002. [66] The three entries were
recorded at the NMC reception center for refugees arriving from the DRC. The
International Rescue Committee (IRC) is in charge of this center. Casualties
from DRC make their own way to the border way station, along with other
refugees, where they are processed by the IRC who then informs UNHCR. UNHCR
sends a boat and transports the casualties to
hospital. [67] The information came from
Kibirizi 1, where arriving refugees have their details taken and are then moved
on to various holding centers, or to hospitals if medical assistance is needed.
The agency in charge is the IRC, which keeps records of all medical cases,
including where injuries occurred and whether caused by bullets, landmines or
hand grenades. [68]
“Mine-clearance: an activity that is always fraught with danger,”
Handicap International Belgium Press Release, 7 August
2001. [69] Interviews with
representatives of WHO, UNICEF, ICRC, and MSF-B, Kisangani, March
2002. [70] Interview with Deputy Head of
Delegation, ICRC, Kinshasa, 6 May 2002; and ICRC Special Report, Mine Action
2001, ICRC, Geneva, July 2002, p.
17. [71] Ibid., pp.
17-18. [72] “Rapport Annuel
– Exercice 2001,” Centre pour Handicapés Physiques
“Shirika la Umoja” asbl, Goma, (no date); “Rapport annuel
– Exercice 2000,” Centre pour Handicapés Physiques
“Shirika la Umoja” asbl, Goma, (no
date). [73] Interview with Taz Khaliq,
Desk Officer, Handicap International Belgium, Brussels, 27 June
2002. [74] Email from Pascal Rigaldies,
DRC Program Director, Handicap International Belgium, 28 June
2002. [75] “Rapport Annuel
2001,” Centre de Rééducation SIMANA, Kisangani,
DRC. [76] Statement by Mindia Monga,
Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kinshasa, 3 May
2002. [77] Statement by Colonel Medard
Unyon Pewu, Ministry of National Defense, Kinshasa, 3 May
2002. [78] Statement by Dr Mobile
Kapanga, Advisor, Office of the Ministry of Public Health, Kinshasa, at the
Workshop on the Ottawa Convention and Mine Action in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Kinshasa, 3 May 2002.
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