Tanzania

Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 18 December 2019

Policy

The United Republic of Tanzania signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 13 November 2000, becoming a State Party on 1 May 2001. It enacted new legislation specifically to implement the Mine Ban Treaty.

Tanzania served as the co-rapporteur and later co-chair of the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction from 2004–2006.

Tanzania is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Tanzania is a signatory state to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, use, transfer, and stockpiling

Tanzania has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines. Tanzania used mines in Uganda in 1979 and in Mozambique in 1986–1988. Its stockpiles consisted mainly of mines of Chinese, British, and Indian origin.[1]

Tanzania completed destruction of its stockpile of 22,841 antipersonnel mines in July 2004, well ahead of its 1 May 2005 treaty-mandated deadline.[2] It initially reported 1,146 antipersonnel mines retained for training and development purposes but reported an apparent total of 1,780 by the end of May 2009. It has not provided updated numbers since 2009.



[1] According to its Article 7 report in 2004, there were also some mines of German, Russian, and Egyptian origin.

[2] As reported in its Article 7 report in 2004, the first three phases occurred as follows: 9,837 were destroyed on 27 March 2003, 5,489 on 28 August 2003, and 4,338 on 29 January 2004.