Key
developments since May 2001: Uganda has denied allegations of use of mines
in the DR Congo in 2000, and has reportedly been conducting an investigation, in
a spirit of cooperation. Uganda invited foreign military attaches to inspect an
alleged mine production facility, and they concluded no production existed.
Uganda submitted its initial Article 7 Report in May 2002, which provided the
first public details on a stockpile of 6,782 antipersonnel mines. Uganda will
retain 2,400 of the mines for training purposes. Mine Risk Education is
underway in the northern districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, and in Kasese
district in western Uganda. There continue to be new mine casualties.
MINE BAN TREATY
Uganda signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997 and ratified it on 25 February 1999. The treaty entered into force for
Uganda on 1 August 1999. Uganda reported in May 2002 that the “1997 Mine
Ban Treaty Implementation Bill 2002” was before
parliament.[1] In July 2002, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Landmine Monitor that the bill was referred to
the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs for more
input.[2]
Uganda participated in the Third Meeting of States Parties in Managua,
Nicaragua, in September 2001 where it denied allegations of use of antipersonnel
mines by its forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2000 and stated that
it was going to investigate the allegations. It repeated its denials at the
intersessional Standing Committee meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in
January and May 2002. (See Use section below for more details).
Uganda’s first Article 7 transparency report, which was due on 28
January 2000, was submitted to the United Nations on 24 May 2002, covering the
period 28 January 2000 to 24 May 2002. Uganda cosponsored and voted in favor of
UN General Assembly Resolution 56/24M supporting the Mine Ban Treaty on 29
November 2001.
Uganda is a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but not to
its Amended Protocol II on
landmines.[3] Uganda did not
participate in the third annual meeting of States Parties to Amended Protocol II
or the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001, reportedly because of lack
of funds.[4]
PRODUCTION, TRANSFER AND STOCKPILING
Uganda has firmly denied previously reported
allegations of ongoing landmine production at its government-owned facility in
Nakasongora.[5] At the January
2002 Standing Committee meeting, Uganda said, “In July 2001, the Uganda
Government invited all Resident Military Attaches to make an inspection tour of
the industrial facility where landmines are alleged to be made. The
representatives of the US, UK, South Africa, Libya, and Tanzania were among the
foreign military personnel who carried out the inspection and made a signed
statement in which they expressed their unanimous conviction that there was no
landmine production at
Nakasongora.”[6] In its
May 2002 Article 7 Report, it reported that the decommissioning of its landmine
production facilities was
completed.[7]
At the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001, Uganda reported on
a “national drive” to collect all existing landmines in Uganda for
future destruction. In January 2002, it reported the military was compiling
details of its stockpiles in Soroti and Masindi for transportation to Magamaga
ordnance depot near Jinja for eventual destruction “in public before the
deadline for Uganda as per Article 4 of the
Convention.”[8] The
deadline for Uganda to complete stockpile destruction is 1 August 2003.
In its Article 7 Report, Uganda for the first time publicly revealed
information about its mine stockpile. It reported having a total of 6,782
antipersonnel mines, including the following: 493 PMN; 273 POMZ-2; 4,564 T-72;
240 SRB 6721; 470 TM 200; 54 TM 500; 12 M-35; 286 NR 413; 15 LOT-11-68 (US); 60
OZM 413; 81 PMD7, 232 PM4-A1; 2 “scatterable mines” (type
unspecified).[9] It will retain
2,000 T-72 and 400 TM 200 mines for training as permitted by the
treaty.[10] The list of
stockpiled mines would appear to indicate that Uganda has obtained mines in the
past from Belgium, China, former Soviet Union, United States, and former
Yugoslavia.
USE
There have been no allegations of use of
antipersonnel mines by Ugandan forces, either in Uganda or in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, during this reporting period (since May 2001). Both
Landmine Monitor Report 2000 and Landmine Monitor Report 2001
cited serious allegations that Ugandan forces had used antipersonnel mines
during fighting around Kisangani in the DRC in June 2000. The allegations came
from United Nations field officials, humanitarian aid workers, medical
professionals caring for mine victims, World Food Program staff, demobilized
Ugandan soldiers, RCD rebel officers, and people in local communities. Last
year, Landmine Monitor concluded, “While Landmine Monitor has not received
any eyewitness accounts or direct admissions by those who actually used the
mines, the testimony of a significant number and range of knowledgeable sources,
coupled with practical evidence such as the location of the mines around
defensive Ugandan positions, indicates a strong possibility of use of
antipersonnel mines by Ugandan forces, or their
allies.”[11]
The government has repeatedly denied such use. At the Third Meeting of
States Parties in September 2001, Uganda responded to the Landmine Monitor
Report by saying that it had “respected and observed all of [its]
obligations” under the Mine Ban Treaty. It said Ugandan forces had not
used mines in Kisangani in the DRC, but that others who occupied Uganda’s
defensive positions after Uganda withdrew could have planted mines. Uganda went
on to say that it supported the suggestion of the International Campaign to Ban
Landmines that a full investigation should be carried
out.[12]
At the Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee meeting in Geneva on 1 February
2002, Uganda informed States Parties of a joint Uganda-Rwanda investigative
commission looking into the conduct of the fighting in the DRC, and indicated
that the commission would be adding the landmine issue to its mandate. Uganda
said it would report back the results to the May Standing Committee meeting. At
the same time, Uganda said again it was certain that its forces had not used
antipersonnel mines in the DRC.[13] States Parties and the ICBL
expressed their appreciation for Uganda’s spirit of cooperation in
attempting to resolve the matter.
At the May 2002 Standing Committee meeting, the Ugandan delegation stressed
the country’s commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty, but reported that the
joint commission had not yet responded on the landmine issue. Uganda again said
it did not use mines in the DRC, and stated that the reports of use came after
Ugandan forces had withdrawn from Kisangani, noting that Ugandan defensive
positions were occupied after the withdrawal, making it likely that the mines
were laid by others.[14]
Use by Non-State Actors
Landmine Monitor did not receive any reports of
use of antipersonnel mines by the Lord’s Resistance Army in this reporting
period (May 2001-May 2002). It is the first time since Landmine Monitor began
collecting data in 1998 that LRA antipersonnel mine use has not been reported.
However, in late March 2002, following an agreement allowing Ugandan army units
to pursue LRA units within Sudanese territory, the Ugandan Defense Minister
claimed that the Ugandan army had overrun four LRA bases inside Sudan and seized
weapons including “55 assault rifles, grenades, bombs, land mines and
ammunition.”[15] Also, on
25 March 2002, a vehicle on the Gulu–Juba road, about 20 miles from Gulu
town, hit an antivehicle mine suspected to have been planted by the LRA, killing
the driver and seriously injuring his
brother.[16]
LANDMINE PROBLEM, SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT
As detailed in Landmine Monitor Report
2001, the Mine Advisory Group (MAG) carried out a mine assessment mission in
May 2001, finding some mined areas in northern and western Uganda, and noting
that the “problem is not acute, but is causing deaths and injuries in
these areas.”[17] The
assessment has not led to any major changes, but has spurred more funding for
NGO mine risk education and support programs, which had stopped due to lack of
funding. In its Article 7 Report, Uganda reported that no survey had been
carried out to map the exact locations of mines, which can be found in the
northern and western parts of the
country.[18]
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces is reported to have acquired new
mine clearance and detection equipment, including “chubbies or mine
breachers for detecting landmines,” a probable reference to the South
African “Chubby” mine clearance and detection machine. The military
displayed these during the 16th Anniversary of National Resistance
Movement celebrations on 26 January
2002.[19]
MINE ACTION FUNDING
In 2001, Uganda received CDN$360,000 (US$217,800
or Ug.Shs.360 million) from the government of Canada’s development agency
CIDA for an integrated mine risk education and victim support program for mainly
northern Uganda. Funds were provided through Canadian Physicians for Aid and
Relief (CPAR) to CPAR–Uganda, IPPNW-Uganda, and UNACOH for a period of 18
months, starting September
2001.[20] In February 2002, the
Canadian government announced a donation of $365,000 for ongoing landmine work
in northern Uganda.[21]
MINE RISK EDUCATION
Mine risk education (MRE) and victim assistance
are the only mine action activities coordinated in Uganda. Central coordination
and monitoring is provided by the Ministry of Health (Disability and
Rehabilitation Department), which works with relevant NGOs, international
agencies, and government departments. All partners decide the planning of
activities and priorities collectively, which are then carried out by the
implementing NGOs or government departments.
MRE is underway in the northern districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, and in
Kasese district, in western
Uganda.[22] MRE handbooks were
officially launched in Gulu District on 8 June 2001 before of an audience of 120
people, and in Kitgum on 11 June 2001 to an audience of 50. A total of 720
primary school teachers from Gulu, Kitgum and Pader have been trained in mine
risk education with funding from the Italian NGO Associazione Volontari per il
Servizio Internazionale (International Service Volunteers Association, AVSI) in
collaboration with the office of the District Rehabilitation Officer,
Gulu.[23]
In Kasese district, western Uganda, the Anti-mines Network Rwenzori (AMNET-R)
carried out MRE workshops in February 2002 for 68 community leaders and for 22
primary school teachers.[24] In
addition, a number of drama groups in Kasese district have started participating
in mine risk education.[25] Two
mine sensitizations were carried out in Kasese district for 50 first-level
health workers, NGO and District leaders, and Internally Displaced camp and
community leaders. Communities have been asking for more training and expansion
of the program, including more posters and
handbooks.[26]
During the first quarter of 2002, a needs assessment baseline survey was
carried out in which people expressed interest in the expansion of the program
to involve more people at the grass root level. Refresher mine risk education
training sessions were conducted for a total of 40 district trainers in March
and April 2002 in Gulu and Kasese. Further MRE refresher training sessions for
20 trainers were carried out for Kitgum and Pader districts. In June 2002,
training for mine risk educators at sub-county level was carried out, including
80 from Gulu district, 40 from Kasese district, and 38 from Kitgum and Pader
districts.
LANDMINE CASUALTIES
The total number of landmine casualties in Uganda
is not known, as there is no comprehensive data collection system. Some
information on landmine/UXO casualties is available as part of general hospital
records maintained according to the Health Information Management System
(HIMS).[27] Between 1991 and
March 2001, 602 mine casualties were reported in
Uganda.[28]
In 2001, the International Service Volunteers Association reported twelve new
landmine casualties in the Gulu, Kitgum and Adjumani
districts.[29] It was not
reported if the casualties were killed or injured. Other sources reported that
landmines had killed at least seven people and injured three others in the
mine-contaminated areas of north and western Uganda in 2001. One man was
reported killed in Kasese, western
Uganda.[30] In Gulu district,
five people were treated as a result of mine incidents at St. Mary’s Lacor
Hospital, including four males, aged 20-28 years, and one female aged 22 years.
No new casualties were reported by the Gulu regional hospital. In Kitgum, two
males were injured, including one adult and one child. The driver of a truck
was killed after his vehicle hit an anitvehicle mine suspected to have been
planted by LRA on the Gulu–Juba road in Gulu district. His passenger was
admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital with severe
injuries.[31]
Most of those injured were traveling on foot or in fields and were aged
between 20 and 40 years.[32]
Most of the casualties who reached the hospitals required an amputation except
for one victim, a soldier, who was injured in Pajule, Kitgum district and
sustained facial injuries and lost his sight. He was treated in St. Joseph
Hospital, Kitgum District.[33]
No mine/UXO casualties were reported by any of the hospitals in the first
three months of 2002.
SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE
The public health system in the mine-affected
areas of northern and western Uganda is ill-equipped to handle landmine
casualties although basic health facilities are found in hospitals throughout
the country. In the mine-affected districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, which
have experienced about 15 years of war, most of the health facilities have
broken down and some of the existing facilities are under-staffed and lack
equipment and supplies. However, in Kasese district in western Uganda, most of
the health facilities are operating reasonably well. Casualties often have to
travel long distances before reaching health facilities where they can get
adequate medical attention. Landmine casualties use whatever transport is
available to reach the nearest health facility as there is no specific emergency
transport.
The health care system and other facilities available in the country include
the provision of psychological and social support services, and physical
rehabilitation including prosthetic facilities for landmines
survivors.[34]
The ICRC provided medical and surgical supplies to 13 hospitals in the
conflict areas, and four referral hospitals in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader districts.
Sufficient surgical supplies for 100 patients were also made available to
support the six main hospitals in the Kasese region. In 2001, the hospitals
treated 189 war-wounded patients, of which 22 were mine/UXO
victims.[35]
Since December 2001, in Kasese district, the training of first level health
care providers in Emergency First Aid has been funded by International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and Canadian Physicians for
Aid and Relief (CPAR). IPPNW provided US$3,000 (Ug.Shs5.1 Million) and CIDA
provided CDN$1,230 (US$700 or Ug.Shs1.23 million) as part of the CPAR program.
The Italian NGO, AVSI, continues to provide medical rehabilitation for war
victims in 13 districts of northern
Uganda.[36] In 2001, the
program of medical rehabilitation, prosthetics, physiotherapy, psycho-social
assistance and community reintegration assisted 180 patients, including 56
landmine survivors. AVSI cooperates with the Ministry of Health and local
authorities with funding support from the European Union, the Italian and
Australian governments, and private
donors.[37]
The Gulu Regional orthopedic workshop reported that between 1999 and 2001,
286 landmine survivors were treated at the center; war-related injuries
constituted 80 percent of all the injuries
treated.[38] The ICRC has
supported the Ministry of Health prosthetic/orthotic centers in western and
northern Uganda, providing training to local staff and materials and equipment.
In 2001, physical rehabilitation services were provided for patients, who
received 235 prostheses, of which 31 percent were for mine survivors. The
assistance program concluded at the end of 2001, however, sufficient raw
materials were left to continue the fitting of patients for at least another
year.[39]
In Kasese district, the Kitende Hostels Project has assisted landmine
survivors since 1998. Up to 2001, 50 survivors had been taken to Buluba
Hospital in Mayuge district Eastern Uganda for the fitting of artificial limbs.
Since 2001, survivors have been taken to the nearby Fort Portal Regional
Workshop, about 60 kilometers from Kasese district, for the fitting of
prostheses. By June 2002, 74 people had benefited from the program, which
covers all the expenses of transport, food, fitting and hospital
charges.[40]
In Kitgum district, the local council has allocated funding to a local NGO,
GUU Foundation, to provide orthopedic devices, wheelchairs, and crutches, for
landmine survivors.[41]
In September 2001, CPAR started an 18-month integrated mine awareness and
survivor assistance program in northern Uganda. The Integrated Landmine
Awareness and Victim Support Program includes capacity building, capital for
income generation activities, vocational skills training, and farming tools and
equipment, in Gulu district.
Other government ministries, NGOs, and international agencies that assist
persons with disabilities, including landmine survivors, include the Ministries
of Labor and Social Development, the Prime Minister’s Office (Department
of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees), Internal Affairs and Defense, WHO,
UNICEF, Save the Children Denmark, Save the Children U.K, World Vision, NORAD,
World Rehabilitation Fund, UNACOH, ICC-Uganda, URCS, St. John’s Ambulance,
AMNET-R, and GUSCO.
DISABILITY POLICY AND PRACTICE
Uganda has comprehensive legislation on disability
issues.[42] In addition to
previously reported legislation, the Local Government Amendment Act 2001
provides for the appointment of a secretary for disability affairs on the
Executive Committee at the district and sub county levels. It also provides for
representation of disabled persons on boards such as the Tender Board and the
District Service Committee. The Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions
Act 2001 also has provisions for the admission of disabled persons. At the
policy level there is a national action plan on
disability,[43] which was
further elaborated in a policy paper by the Ministry of Labor, Gender and Social
Development. During the Presidential elections of 2001, the president made
pledges on special needs education and on the National Disability Council; these
became policy papers after his
re-election.[44]
[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 24 May 2002,
covering the period 28 January 2000-24 May
2002. [2] Interview with Dorah Kuteesa,
Senior Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 July
2002. [3] Interview with Eunice Kigenyi,
Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 January
2002. [4] Interview with Dorah Kutesa,
Senior Secretary, Ministry of Affairs, 21 January
2002. [5] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
pp. 161-162. [6] Statement by Captain
Kagoro A. Asingura of the Uganda Delegation, to the Standing Committee on the
General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 1 February
2002. [7] Article 7 Report, Form E, 24
May 2002. [8] Interview with the
Uganda delegation to the intersessional Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 31
January 2002. [9] Article 7 Report, Form
B, 24 May 2002. The SRB 6721 is also known as the Yugoslav PMA-3. It is
unusual that Uganda would hold two scatterable
mines. [10] Article 7 Report, Form D, 24
May 2002. [11] Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 165. [12] Statement by Uganda
Head of Delegation, Lt. Col. Ramandhan Kyamulesire, Ministry of Defense, to the
Third Meeting of States Parties, Managua, Nicaragua, 19 September 2001. Notes
taken by Landmine Monitor/HRW. [13]
Statement by Captain Kagoro A. Asingura of the Uganda Delegation, to the
Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 1 February 2002. [14] Statement
by Captain Kagoro of the Uganda Delegation to the Standing Committee on General
Status and Operation, Geneva, 31 May
2002. [15] “Ugandan army finds
large rebel arms cache in Southern Sudan,” Agence France Presse (Kampala),
17 April 2002; Report by Osike Felix, New Vision, 30 March 2002, p. 1, referred
to antipersonnel mines. [16] Dennis
Ojwele, “LRA kills one in Gulu district,” New Vision, 29 March 2002,
p. 9; Oketch Bitek, “One killed as Gulu truck hits landmine,”
Monitor (newspaper), 26 March 2002, p.
1. [17] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
pp. 166-167; Mines Advisory Group, “Uganda: Assessment Report,” June
2001. [18] Article 7 Report, Form C, 24
May 2002. [19] Jabweli Okecho reporting
in Sunday Vision, 27 January 2002, p. 3; Sunday Vision, 3 February 2002, p.
5. [20] Information provided by
IPPNW-Uganda. [21] “Canada to
Maintain Landmine Project,” New Vision, 28 February
2002. [22] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
pp. 167-168; Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 118; Landmine Monitor Report 1999,
p. 94. [23] Interview with and report by
Bernard Ocen, District Rehabilitation Officer, 7 Gulu district, Gulu Town, March
2002. [24] Interview with Wilson
Bwambale (AMNET-R), Kasese, 15 March
2002. [25] Wilson Bwambale,
“Anti-mine Network Rwenzori (AMNET-R) Report,” 26 February
2002. [26] Interviews with District,
Community and Camp leaders, Gulu, January –February
2002. [27] Interview with Dr. Olut
Charles, Medical Superintendent, Kitgum Hospital and Dr. Theresia Pellio,
Medical Superintendent, St. Joseph Hospital, 24 January 2002; interview with Dr.
Martin Ogwang, Lacor Hospital and Dr. Kaducu, Gulu Hospital, 25 January
2002. [28] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 168. [29] Davide Naggi, Coordinator,
AVSI, response to Landmine Monitor Survivor Assistance Questionnaire, 7 March
2002. [30] Hospital records for Bwera,
Kagando and Kilembe hospitals, Kasese; and interviews with District leaders and
health workers, Kasese, 20-22 December
2001. [31] Oketch Bitek, “One
killed as Gulu truck hits landmine,” Monitor Newspaper, 26 March 2002, p.
1; and Dennis Ojwele, “LRA landmine kills one in Gulu District,” New
Vision Newspaper, 29 March 2002, p.
9. [32] Gulu orthopedic workshop
records. [33] Hospital records for 2001,
Kitgum and St. Joseph hospitals; and interview with Dr. Olut Charles, Medical
Superintendent, Kitgum Hospital and Dr. Theresia Pellio, Medical Superintendent,
St. Joseph Hospital, 24 January
2002. [34] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 169. [35] ICRC Special Report, Mine
Action 2001, ICRC, Geneva, July 2002, p.
22. [36] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 169. [37] Davide Naggi, Coordinator,
AVSI, response to Landmine Monitor Survivor Assistance Questionnaire, 7 March
2002. AVSI reported to have spent 100 million Uganda Shillings (approximately
US $58,800) to train teachers in mine awareness education and physical
rehabilitation of landmine victims in northern Uganda (the districts of Gulu,
Kitgum and Pader) between June 2000 and December 2001. Interview with Amodoi
Raphael, Orthopedic Technologist with AVSI, Gulu, 25 January
2002. [38] Gulu Orthopedic workshop
records, 2002. [39] ICRC Physical
Rehabilitation Programmes, Annual Report 2001, at
http://www.icrc.org. [40] Interview with
Aaron Mukababebwa Muhindo, Coordinator, Kitende Hostels Project Landmine Victim
Program, Kasese town, 15 June 2002. [41]
Interview with District Community Development Officer, Kitgum, 23 January
2002. [42] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 170. [43]
Ibid. [44] Interview with Benon
Ndeziboneye, Senior Program Officer Action on Disability and Development, 1
February 2002.
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