Policy

The Republic of Djibouti signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 18 May 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. The president signed national implementation legislation on 11 March 2006.[1] The law also created a national commission responsible for application of the law.

As of October 2011, Djibouti had not submitted its annual Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report. The last year that Djibouti submitted an Article 7 report was 2005.

Djibouti did not attend the Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in November–December 2010, or the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2011.

Djibouti is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines, but is not party to the CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. Djibouti has never submitted an Article 13 report for Amended Protocol II.

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and retention

Djibouti has reported that it has not produced antipersonnel mines. It is not known to have ever exported mines.[2]

On 2 March 2003, one day after its treaty-mandated deadline, Djibouti destroyed the last of its stockpile of 1,118 antipersonnel mines.[3] In 2005, Djibouti reported that it retained 2,996 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, the same number it first declared in January 2003.[4]  It has not provided an update since that time and has never reported in any detail on the intended purposes and actual uses of its retained mines—a step agreed by States Parties at the Mine Ban Treaty’s First Review Conference in November–December 2004.

Use

Both the government and the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy used landmines around military positions and on access roads during the 1991–1994 civil war.[5]

Contamination and Impact

Mines

With the completion of mine clearance by France in May 2008 around its ammunition storage area (ASA) at La Doudah, there were no known mined areas remaining in Djibouti. At a regional seminar for French-speaking countries in October 2008, Djibouti reported that it was “mine free since the completion of demining at La Doudah.”[1] In June 2008, however, a border conflict between Djibouti and Eritrea at Ras Doumeira had raised fears of the possibility of new contamination.[2] Moreover, in November 2009 Djibouti reported that it had a residual problem of antipersonnel mines.[3]

Cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war

Djibouti is thought to have a small residual problem with explosive remnants of war (ERW), primarily unexploded ordnance (UXO). There is not known to be a problem with cluster munition remnants.

Mine Action Program

There is no ongoing mine action program in Djibouti, although a national mine action center continues to function.[4]

Land Release

Formal mine clearance operations by Djibouti on suspected hazardous areas apart from the French ASA at La Doudah ended in 2003 and only sporadic clearance of UXO has occurred since then under the auspices of a national mine action center.[5]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Djibouti was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2009. Although it has not formally declared fulfillment of this obligation, Djibouti is not included on the Mine Ban Treaty Implementation Support Unit’s (ISU) list of States Parties with remaining Article 5 obligations and Djibouti has not requested an extension to its deadline.[6] Djibouti has not submitted a Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report since 2005. In March 2012, the director of the ICBL wrote to Djibouti’s Minister for Foreign Affairs to inquire about residual contamination. As of 1 August 2012, no reply had been received.