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Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country summary

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is contaminated by antipersonnel landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), as a consequence of armed conflict involving neighboring states, militias, and non-state armed groups (NSAGs) since the late 1990s.[1] In 2011, the DRC reported that contamination from mines and ERW existed across the country, although ERW contamination was a more extensive problem than mine contamination. Cluster munition remnants contamination has also been discovered, but these areas have not yet been surveyed. In 2018, the resurgence of armed conflict resulted in new ERW contamination, particularly in eastern and central regions.

In 2011, the DRC requested a 26-month extension to its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline in order to understand the extent of remaining contamination, and further requested a six-year extension in 2014, with a deadline of 1 January 2021. However, the DRC did not meet this deadline and submitted a third extension request in September 2020 for an additional 18 months. This was approved at the Mine Ban Treaty Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties, which was held virtually in November 2020.

Risk education in the DRC is carried out by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community volunteers, who conduct risk education sessions, mark hazardous areas, and convey alerts to the national authorities. High-risk groups are children, women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and refugees.

The DRC is responsible for a significant number of mine/ERW victims, and reported more than 1,700 survivors as of the end of 2019.[2] Despite existing measures benefiting mine/ERW survivors, such as free access to medical care and prostheses, and tax exemption for companies which employ a mine survivor, most survivors are not aware of these rights due to the lack of victim assistance coordination in the country.[3] Several victim assistance actors report that funding for such activities was scarce, and that there was no improvement in 2019 compared to previous years.[4]

Treaty status

Treaty status overview[5]

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline

The DRC’s initial Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 clearance deadline was 1 November 2012, but a 26-month extension was requested to conduct national survey to better understand the extent of the remaining contamination, enabling the DRC to submit a follow-up extension request in 2014.[6]

The DRC did not meet its extended Article 5 deadline, resulting from the second extension request, of January 2021. The DRC submitted a third extension request in September 2020, which was approved, setting a new deadline of 1 July 2022.[7] The DRC reports it is on track to meet this deadline, provided that sufficient funding is available and security and health conditions improve.[8] This projection is based on a budget of some US$3 million and a collaboration between three mine clearance operators, supported by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).[9] In February 2020, DanChurchAid (DCA) took responsibility for clearance of three quarters of the remaining contaminated areas.[10]

Management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview[11]

The Congolese Mine Action Center (CCLAM) was established in 2012, with support from the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). CCLAM took over responsibility from UNMAS for the coordination of mine action in the DRC in 2016, although UNMAS continues to provide guidance and support.

Strategies and policies

The DRC’s National Mine Action Strategy for 2018–2019, developed with support from the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), UNMAS, and the Government of Japan, has expired. The DRC reported in August 2020 that it was in the process of developing a new national mine action strategy.[12]

There is a gender unit within CCLAM’s advocacy department. It aims to ensure the mobilization and inclusion of women in mine action, to ensure the participation of women and men in the implementation of all five pillars of mine action, and to promote the inclusion of women in both administrative and operational activities.[13]

Mine action is integrated into the DRC’s National Development Plan, through the security governance component.[14]

Information management

CCLAM assumed responsibility from UNMAS for information management in January 2016. The alerts received from mine action operators and local communities are recorded by CCLAM in the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database.[15]

Risk education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview[16]

National Standards and guidelines

The National Risk Education Strategy was included in the expired National Mine Action Strategy for 2018–2019.[17] Led by the head of the risk education department within CCLAM, the program meets on a quarterly basis.

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination overview[18]

Note: NGO=non-governmental organization.

* The National Mine Action Strategy for 2018–2019 included a reference to victim assistance in its first strategic objective. The strategy has now expired.

Laws and policies

The constitution prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and provides specific protection, however the government did not enforce these provisions effectively and persons with disabilities often found it difficult to obtain employment, education, or government services. A new Ministry of Social Affairs in charge of people living with disabilities and other vulnerable persons was created in August 2019. Legislation does not mandate access to buildings or government services for persons with disabilities, and persons with disabilities continued to suffer social stigmatization.[19]

The DRC acceded to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in September 2015. However, the DRC has not adopted national laws to implement the provisions of the CRPD. A proposal for new legislation to protect persons with disabilities in the DRC and promote their rights was drafted in 2012, with the involvement of NGOs, but has not yet been adopted.[20]

In June 2016, the Ministry of Social Affairs adopted a National Strategic Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Persons with Disabilities.[21]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination overview (as of August 2020)[22]

Note: CHA=confirmed hazardous area; ERW=explosive remnants of war; and SHA=auspected hazardous area.

Landmine contamination

The DRC is contaminated by antipersonnel mines and ERW as a result of armed conflict involving neighboring states, militias, and NSAGs, which has worsened since the late 1990s.[23]

Mine contamination limits circulation of populations and access to water, food, shelter and health services. IDPs and returnees are particularly vulnerable to the threat posed by mines/ERW.[24]

Remaining contamination in the DRC is low, but primarily affects the Ituri and North-Kivu provinces, which are difficult to access due to the presence of NSAGs and the Ebola epidemic.[25] The DRC also reported that some contaminated areas in North-Ubangi, Tanganyika, and Tshuapa provinces were difficult to access, and therefore will require more time and resources to clear.[26]

As of the end of 2019, CCLAM reported remaining mine contamination totaled 0.33km² across 47 areas.[27] However, in its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline extension request of August 2020, the DRC reported 33 mined areas remaining, totaling 1.28km².[28]

In addition, the Aru territory in Ituri province, and the Dungu territory in the Haut-Uele province, still remain to be surveyed.[29] These two territories were not surveyed as part of the national survey in 2013 due to security concerns.[30]

Improvised mine contamination was identified in North-Kivu. Surveys could not be conducted due to ongoing security concerns in the region, and the extent of the contamination there is unknown.

Various types of improvised mines have been discovered in the DRC, and identification of these types was ongoing as of the end of 2019. Some of the devices discovered have been described as ‘‘pressure-release’’ mines, and survivors’ testimonies indicate that some of the devices were activated by the contact or weight of a person.[31]

Cluster munition remnants contamination

The expired National Mine Action Strategy for 2018–2019 stated that in addition to landmines and ERW, “some areas contaminated by submunitions have also been reported but the areas affected remain negligible.”[32]

In August 2020, the DRC reported that several areas were found to contain cluster munition remnants, but these areas had not been surveyed and their size had not yet been determined. Cluster munition remnants contamination has been identified in at least five provinces: Ituri, Maniema, Tanganyika, Tshuapa, and South-Kivu.[33]

ERW Contamination

The DRC is affected by other ERW as a result of years of conflict involving neighboring states, militias, and rebel groups. Successive conflicts have also left the country with significant quantities of abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO).[34]

In 2019, explosive ordnance continued to pose a significant risk to civilians in the DRC, increased by the resurgence of armed conflict that has resulted in new ERW contamination in eastern and central regions. The DRC reports that there are 44 confirmed hazardous areas (CHA) contaminated with ERW, covering 0.06km² in total. ERW contamination has also been reported at firing ranges in Kitona, Kisangani, and Mbandaka.[35]

Casualties

Casualties overview[36]

*The age and gender of two casualties in 2019 was not reported.

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

Casualties in 2019: details

In 2019, 42 civilian casualties were identified in the DRC. As in previous years, children constituted a significant portion of all casualties, with nearly half of casualties being minors. The 2019 casualty total represented an increase from the 31 mine/ERW casualties recorded for 2019.[37]

All casualties in 2019 were civilians; and all incidents resulting in casualties involved ERW, except one incident that was reported to have been caused by an antipersonnel landmine.

Casualty data for the DRC significantly under-represents the true number of people killed and injured, due to the absence of a national data collection system for mine/ERW casualties and the fact that parts of the country remain inaccessible due to lack of infrastructure and security constraints.[38] In 2020, CCLAM reported that identifying mine/ERW victims remained challenging in the DRC.[39]

Cluster munition casualties

Unexploded cluster munition remnants have caused 207 casualties in the DRC, for all time.[40] The last unexploded submunition casualties identified in disaggregated data occurred in 2010.

Addressing the impact

Mine action

Operators and service providers

Clearance operators

Clearance

Land release overview[41]

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

Land release: landmines

There is still a need to conduct survey in order to determine the total extent of contamination in the DRC, particularly in areas affected by recent conflict.[42] In November 2019, the DRC and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) launched a reassessment of confirmed hazardous areas (CHA) and suspected hazardous areas (SHA) in 12 regions.[43]

The DRC reported that 0.21km² was cleared in 2019, while non-technical survey (NTS) conducted in Ituri, North-Ubangi, South-Ubangi, and Tshopo provinces led to the release of 0.28km².[44]

Land release: cluster munition remnants

During clearance operations in 2019, 94 unexploded submunitions were cleared and destroyed. The DRC has reported a need to strengthen the capacities of its coordination and operational personnel with regards the clearance of cluster munition remnants.[45]

The national survey had identified two areas contaminated with cluster munition remnants in the provinces of Ituri and Tanganyika, covering 0.02km². These areas were subsequently cleared and a total of 2,688 cluster munition remnants were cleared and destroyed.[46]

Deminer safety

In 2019–2020, there were several violent incidents involving deminers, including the kidnapping of a member of AFRILAM and the murder of a TDI team leader in North-Kivu province.[47]

Residual contamination

Over 400 deminers from FARDC and PNC have been trained since 2011, and a recycling program was being developed in order to deal with any residual risk once the DRC’s Mine Ban Treaty clearance obligations have been met.[48]

Risk education

Operators and service providers

Risk education operators[49]

* Other national organizations providing risk education in the DRC, not listed in the table, include: the DRC Red Cross, ADAID, SYOPADI, ACCOLAM, COODEPE, ADES, and ADEPSU.

Note: IDP=internally displaced persons.

The network of NGOs and community volunteers listed in the above table, ensure the sustainability of risk education efforts in the DRC, mark hazardous areas, and convey alerts to national authorities.[50]

Implementation: target groups

The main target groups for risk education in the DRC are communities in conflict areas, young people, women, people living in regions worst affected by mines/ERW, refugees, IDPs and returnees, staff members of international NGOs, medical personnel, and members of peacekeeping missions.[51]

In the DRC, children are among the most vulnerable to the threat of mines/ERW due to their curiosity and lack of awareness of danger. Women are also vulnerable as their daily activities often include traveling, and searching for goods and materials needed for survival of the household. IDPs and refugees are also at risk because they are often unaware of mine/ERW contamination in the areas where they have taken refuge.[52]

Major developments in 2019

In addition to education sessions, risk education is provided through text messages, social media, radio, and television.[53] There was no assessment of the DRC’s risk education program in 2019.[54]

Victim assistance

Providers and activities

Victim assistance providers and activities overview[55]

Major Developments in 2019

The security situation in the DRC remained volatile in 2019. Ethnic violence persisted, and continued to result in casualties, displacement, the destruction of livelihoods and property, and other abuses against civilians.[56]

The DRC reported a significant decrease in funding for victim assistance in 2019, and the activities of several organizations providing such assistance stopped. There has been little funding for victim assistance since 2012.[57] AFRILAM reported that new mine/ERW survivors in eastern DRC did not receive any assistance in 2019.[58]

Some mine/ERW survivors in North-Kivu received support through the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (UNCERF) in 2019.[59]

In 2019, a draft national bill, designed to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), was submitted to the National Assembly for adoption.[60]

Needs assessment

The identification of mine/ERW survivors in the DRC remained challenging due to a lack of financial and logistical means to reach survivors, and the unavailability of victim assistance services.[61]

Medical care and rehabilitation

Access to quality healthcare remained limited in the DRC.[62] The costs of medical care and prostheses for mine survivors are covered by the state,[63] yet there was no reliable referral system for victim assistance.[64] A reference center for physiotherapy and orthopedic services was being built in 2019 with ICRC support, and will be the first center of its kind in the DRC when it opens.[65]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

Providing psychological support remained a significant challenge, as has been the case for several years. Psychological support and socio-economic inclusion services were only available in one province in 2019.[66] CNOPHAVM’s peer support activities were at a standstill.[67]

The DRC reported a lack of funding for the socio-economic inclusion of survivors.[68] The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, together with partners and US funding, created a private-public partnership, the Lake Kivu Coffee Alliance, which provided vocational training within the coffee industry for mine/ERW survivors, in addition to physical rehabilitation and prosthetics. The initiative also supports a local mine survivors’ association. In 2020, a coffee tasting lab and training center was under construction in partnership with the University of Buffalo.[69]

The Ministry of Education increased its special education outreach efforts but estimated fewer than 6,000 children with disabilities were being reached.[70] ANASDIV ran remedial teaching schools in eastern DRC for children of mine victims, but funding was insufficient.[71]

There is a tax exemption in the DRC for any company which employs a mine survivor.[72]

Cross-cutting

Few provisions exist to reach mine/ERW survivors living in rural and remote areas,[73] while there was no specific assistance for child survivors.[74]