Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline: 1 October 2022
(Not on track to meet deadline)

Signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions 

Recommendations 

• The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database reporting format should disaggregate cluster munition remnants from other unexploded ordinance (UXO). Continued efforts should be made to ensure reporting and recording of mine action data according to International Mine Action Standards land release terminology.
• Somalia should develop a resource mobilization strategy and initiate policy dialogue with development partners on long-term support for mine action, including a specific focus on cluster munition contamination. 

Contamination

As a result of the Ethiopian-Somali wars in 1964 and 1977–1978 (also known as the Ogaden War), and more than 20 years of internal conflict, the Federal Republic of Somalia is significantly contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including cluster munition remnants. 

Contamination from mines and ERW exists across its three major regions: south-central Somalia (including the capital Mogadishu); Puntland (a semi-autonomous administration in the north-east); and Somaliland (a self-proclaimed, though unrecognized, state that operates autonomously in the north-west).

Mine contamination 

According to the UN, antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were newly laid as recently as 2012 in the disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag in the north of the country.[1]

No estimates yet exist of mine and ERW contamination in south-central Somalia.[2] However, surveys completed in 2008 in Bakol, Bay, and Hiraan regions revealed that, of a total of 718 communities, around one in 10 was contaminated by mines and/or ERW.[3] Other contaminated areas lie along the border with Ethiopia, in Galguduud, Gedo, and Hiraan regions.[4] 

According to HALO Trust, as of November 2014, 172 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) remained to be cleared in Somaliland, including a total of 8.5km2 of CHAs containing mines and another 6.7km2 requiring verification and/or area reduction.[5]

In Puntland, mine and ERW contamination was assessed during Phase 2 of a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), implemented by the Survey Action Centre (SAC) and the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC) in the regions of Bari, Nugaal, and the northern part of Mudug.[6] The LIS was conducted from February to April 2005 and identified 35 affected communities in 47 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs). Of the 35 communities, nine were categorized as “high impact” and nine as “medium impact;” eight sites were identified for spot clearance tasking. The LIS estimated that about 151,000 people—around 6% of the population of approximately 2.5 million—live in mine-affected communities.[7]

Cluster munition contamination

The extent of cluster munition remnant contamination in Somalia is unknown. In 2013, dozens of unexploded PTAB-2.5M submunitions and several unexploded AO-1SCh submunitions were found within a 30km radius of the town of Dolow (also spelled Doolow) on the Somali-Ethiopian border, in the southern Gedo region of south-central Somalia.[8] Cluster munition contamination was also identified around the town of Galdogob (also spelled Goldogob), in the north-central Mudug province of Puntland (a semi-autonomous administration in the northeast), further north on the border with Ethiopia.[9] At the time, more contamination was expected to be found in south-central Somalia’s Lower and Upper Juba regions.[10]

According to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the Ethiopian National Defense Forces used cluster munitions in clashes with Somali armed forces along the Somali-Ethiopian border during the 1977–1978 Ogaden War.[11] The Soviet Union supplied both Ethiopia and Somalia with weapons during the conflict. PTAB-2.5 and AO-1Sch submunitions were produced by the Soviet Union on a large scale.[12]

While the extent of cluster munition contamination along the Somali border with Ethiopia is not known, in September 2014, a Somalia Explosive Management Authority official claimed it posed an ongoing threat to the lives of nomadic people and their animals.[13]

Other explosive remnants of war

Somalia is heavily contaminated with other ERW across all three major regions. The extent of the explosive threat is not well known, except in Puntland and Somaliland where a range of survey activities have been carried out over the past decade.[14]

Unsecure and poorly managed stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, as well as the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by non-state armed groups also have a serious humanitarian impact. The extent of the explosive threat is not well known, except in Puntland and Somaliland where a range of survey activities have been carried out over the past decade.[15]

In 2015, UNMAS reported that explosive hazards, including residual ERW contamination and explosive stockpiles and ammunition caches, presented a daily threat to almost every community across south-central Somalia.[16]

The humanitarian imperative to address ERW contamination in Somalia is heightened significantly by the movement of large numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to ongoing conflict in the country. In March 2015, it was estimated that 1.1 million Somalis, or one-tenth of the population, were IDPs.[17] Contamination from mines and ERW in south-central Somalia remains a particular threat to their well-being.[18]

Program Management 

The UN implements its mine action activities in Somalia according to the three geographical regions: south-central Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland. The respective centers responsible for mine action in each of these areas are the Somalia Explosive Management Authority (SEMA), PMAC, and SMAC. All three programs design their strategies, set priorities, and operate under the supervision of, and with the support of, the UN Somalia Mine Action program (UNSOMA) and UNMAS. 

In 2011, the Somalia National Mine Action Authority (SNMAA) was established by a presidential decree issued by the Republic of Somalia.[19] This decree was later cancelled and replaced by a new decree on 6 August 2013, signed by the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which renamed the institution the Somali Explosive Management Authority (SEMA) and moved it from being an independent institution under the Office of the President to become a department under the Ministry of National Security (later changed to the Ministry of Internal Security). The SEMA has the authority to coordinate, oversee, and implement mine action activities in Somalia and is also responsible for approving national strategies and implementing all obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and other disarmament treaties to which Somalia is a party, and limited responsibility for weapon and ammunition management.[20]

South-central Somalia

SEMA was established in August 2013 as the mine action center for south-central Somalia, under the authority of the SNMAA.[21] In 2015, SEMA was seeking to coordinate the work of international and local mine action operators.[22] SEMA’s goal was to assume full responsibility for all explosive hazard coordination, regulation, and management by December 2015.[23] As of June 2015, however, SEMA was not yet fully operational and lacked critical capacities to perform its mine action responsibilities.[24] SEMA’s director reported that with support from the Japanese government, UNMAS was assisting SEMA to better integrate within the Ministry of Internal Security.[25]

In 2014, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) deployed 12 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams to each sector and 30 explosive dog detection (EDD) teams. Nine government police EOD teams were deployed in south-central Somalia.[26]

Puntland

PMAC was established in Garowe with the support of UNDP in 1999. Since then, on behalf of the regional government PMAC has coordinated mine action with local and international partners, including HALO Trust, Danish Demining Group (DDG), and Mines Advisory Group (MAG).[27] UNMAS reported that PMAC was working towards integrating with SEMA as the political relationship between the regions and the Federal Government of Somalia improved.[28]

PMAC runs the only police EOD team in Puntland, which is responsible for collecting and destroying explosive ordnance. In June 2015, Puntland requested assistance to increase its capacity and deploy three EOD teams in Bosaso, Galkayo, and Garowe.[29]

Somaliland

In 1997, UNDP assisted the government of Somaliland in establishing SMAC, which has since undertaken responsibility for coordinating and managing all demining in Somaliland.[30] Officially, SMAC is under the authority of the Office of the Vice-President of Somaliland, who heads the interministerial Mine Action Steering Committee.[31]

Since 2009, UNMAS has worked with SMAC to develop a transition plan to a locally owned program. In 2015, UNMAS reported that SMAC orchestrated coordination between HALO, DDG, and police EOD teams to prioritize tasks.[32] UNMAS’s financial support to SMAC ended in May 2014, although Swiss in-kind advisors assisted SMAC until the end of the year.[33]

In 2014, seven police EOD teams were operational in Somaliland. UNMAS continued to support the teams with funding, equipment, and training, which was scheduled to continue through to October 2015.[34]

Strategic planning

Mine action activities in Somalia since 2013 have been increasingly tied to the implementation of the Somali Compact and its priorities for government stabilization and development, infrastructure initiatives, and humanitarian assistance.[35] Focus is placed on national ownership of mine action and training of national police EOD capacity, as a source of employment for local people and former combatants, and to contribute to stabilization.[36]

In 2015, UNMAS developed a draft Explosive Hazard Management Strategic Framework for Somalia for 2015–2019 (including Somaliland and Puntland), seeking to promote a comprehensive response to explosive threats with community participation.[37] The draft Framework contains objectives specific to cluster munition remnants and cluster munition victims.[38] As of June 2015, the document was awaiting final approval from SEMA and the Federal Government of Somalia. UNMAS stated the draft was serving as guidelines for implementers until the end of September 2015, when SEMA was expected to hold an initial workshop with all stakeholders to develop its national strategy.[39]

UNMAS reported that in 2015 Puntland would work to develop a “comprehensive mine action programme” and review existing structures with a view to long-term stability.[40]

Somaliland has a five-year strategic plan for mine action for 2011–2016 with goals focusing on strengthened national coordination capacity, operationalization of the IMSMA database, clearance of high priority minefields, and systematic victim support.[41]

International operators

NGOs 

DDG began operations in the country in 1999 with mine and ERW clearance in Somaliland and has since undertaken mine action programs in Mogadishu, Puntland, and Somaliland.[42] In 2014, DDG did not conduct any manual or mechanical mine clearance operations. It carried out EOD spot tasks, non-technical survey, and ERW workshops in Galdogob, in Mudug province in Puntland; Abudwaq, in the central Galguduud region of south-central Somalia; and across Somaliland. It employed 270 personnel, and at the start of 2014, deployed seven EOD teams. This was reduced to four teams in March 2014, due to the end of donor funding. One EOD team continued to operate in Puntland, two teams in Somaliland, and one team in south-central Somalia.[43]

HALO’s mine clearance program in Somaliland was established in 1999. In 2014, HALO was the only mine clearance operator there, with the program employing 452 operational and 129 support national staff.[44] It deployed three mechanical teams with front-end loaders for the majority of 2014, carrying out survey, mine clearance, battle area clearance (BAC), and EOD spot tasks.[45] In the first half of 2015, HALO opened a new program in south-central Somalia aiming to begin survey and clearance along the Somali border with Ethiopia. It reported that funding for this purpose had been secured until the end of January 2016.[46]

In 2014, MAG continued its arms management and destruction (AMD) program across south-central Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland, handing over a total of 20 armories after construction and rehabilitation work. It also carried out risk education in Puntland.[47] At its maximum capacity in 2014, MAG employed 43 national and eight international staff. MAG previously conducted non-technical survey and EOD in Puntland, along with training and support to police EOD teams, but halted its mine action program in August 2013 in agreement with donors, due to changes in strategy and a worsening security situation.[48]

NPA deployed three multitask teams (MTTs) in south-central Somalia to carry out BAC, starting in November 2014, employing a total of 41 personnel.[49]

Commercial companies 

In 2014, UNMAS continued to contract the Ukrainian commercial operator Ukroboronservice to undertake mine action-related tasks in south-central Somalia.[50] 

The Development Initiative (TDI) was operational in 2012–2013 until operations ended in December 2013 due to lack of funds.[51]

Standards

UNMAS has developed National Technical Standards and Guidelines (NTSGs) for Somalia, including Puntland, which were used by implementers in 2014. The NTSGs do not include specific guidance for cluster munition survey or clearance. There were no updates to national mine action standards during the year.[52] 

Deminer safety

HALO reported that one staff member received minor injuries while investigating a signal and excavating directly onto an antipersonnel mine, in violation of standard operating procedures.[53]

Land Release 

The total area released in 2014 in south-central Somalia and Somaliland was just over 8km2, of which approximately 3.5km2 was released in Somaliland by survey, clearance, and BAC, and 4.6km by BAC in south-central Somalia.[54] No land release occurred in Puntland in 2014; only limited operations were carried out, consisting of risk education and EOD spot tasks.[55]

In 2013, a total of nearly 7.8km2 was released in south-central Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland, including 2.5km2 through mine clearance (nearly all in Somaliland), and 5.3km2 through BAC (approximately half in Somaliland and half in south-central Somalia).[56]

In Puntland, very little mine clearance has been conducted since the LIS was completed in 2005. According to MAG, the impact from mines is still unclear and further non-technical and technical survey are required to ensure the cost effectiveness and positive impact of future clearance.[57]

There was no clearance of cluster munition remnants in Somalia in 2014. DDG did not report finding any cluster munition remnants in its EOD spot task activities in south-central Somalia, Puntland, or Somaliland in 2014.[58] However, SEMA reported that DDG had destroyed a submunition that was identified in a private stockpile in a home in Galdogob district, Puntland, which had been harvested and kept by the owner of the house.[59]

Survey in 2014 

According to SEMA, only limited survey activities were carried out in 2014.[60] No overview of SHAs exists in south-central Somalia and as of June 2015, no national survey had been conducted, mainly due to the security situation.[61]

Previously, a detailed LIS was undertaken in Somaliland and Puntland, including in the disputed territories of Sool and Sanaag, in 2002–2007.[62] From 2012–2014, HALO and SMAC carried out a second survey that resulted in the cancellation of many areas identified in the first LIS.[63] HALO reported cancelling 14 areas suspected to contain mines covering a total of nearly 0.6km2 (556,505m2) across Somaliland through non-technical survey and reducing a further 0.1km2 (101,221m2) through technical survey in 2014. It also confirmed an additional 86 suspected mined areas covering a total of approximately 4.2km2 (4,186,060m2).[64]

Progress in 2015 

Both HALO Trust and NPA initiated survey activities in south-central Somalia in 2015. 

HALO deployed its first operational teams in May 2015 with funding from the government of Japan via the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for a nine-month period until 31 January 2016.[65] Four community liaison teams were recruited and deployed along the border to conduct a socio-economic survey and basic impact assessment. Following trainings in the first half of 2015, HALO deployed nine non-technical survey teams in early September in the Somali-Ethiopian border regions of Bakool, Galmudug, and Hiraan. At the end of September, the results of the initial surveys were analyzed by HALO’s survey officers from Somaliland and international staff, following which the survey teams were re-deployed in October after a short refresher training. HALO reported that it expected to process the results of first of the non-technical surveys at the end of October.[66]

Clearance in 2014 

In Somaliland, HALO, released a total of 3.5km2 through survey, mine clearance, and BAC in 2014, in comparison with a total of 4.8km2 of land released in 2013.[67] Of the 3.5km2 released in 2014, 2.2km2 was released through mine clearance and a total of nearly 0.7km2 through survey, with the destruction of 29 antipersonnel mines, five antivehicle mines, and 35 items of UXO in the process.[68] HALO also released five battle areas covering a total of 0.7km2 through BAC, destroying two antipersonnel mines, 43 antivehicle mines, and 102 items of UXO.[69]

In comparison, in 2013, HALO released nearly 5km2, of which, 2.44km2 were mined areas, 2.16km2 were battle areas, and 0.2km2 was cancelled through non-technical survey in 2013.[70] During the operations, 124 antipersonnel mines, 29 antivehicle mines, 2,221 items of unexploded ordnance, and 391 items of abandoned unexploded ordnance were found and destroyed.[71] 

HALO reported that in 2014 there was a general decrease in team clearance rates as compared to 2013 due to factors such as high metal contamination and hard soil, which slowed daily demining operations, and tackling larger numbers of smaller tasks that resulted in more days lost as teams travelled between distant locations.[72]

Battle area clearance

Approximately 5.25km2 of BAC occurred in south-central Somalia and Somaliland in 2014, a slight decrease from that reported of 5.32km2 in 2013.[73]

In 2014, an UNMAS commercial contractor and NPA conducted limited BAC in specific districts in Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiraan, and Lower Shabele in south-central Somalia.[74] A total of 4,577,769m2 of BAC was completed in south-central Somalia in 2014.[75] NPA reported its MTT carried out 170,000m2 of surface BAC in November and December 2014.[76] UNMAS reported that commercial contractor Ukroboronservice conducted 4,407,769m2 of surface BAC, destroying 163 UXO items.[77]

As reported above, in Somaliland, HALO Trust released five battle areas through BAC of a total of 673,520m2.[78]

DDG did not conduct mine clearance or technical survey in 2014. It primarily focused on EOD tasks and non-technical survey. In 2014, DDG reported destroying a total of 29 antipersonnel mines, one antivehicle mine, and 4,021 items of UXO during EOD spot tasks and as part of its ERW workshops.[79] MAG reported it did not encounter any antipersonnel mines in its AMD activities in 2014.[80]