Key
developments since May 2001: Afghanistan has experienced dramatic
political, military, and humanitarian changes. The cabinet approved
Afghanistan’s accession to the Mine Ban Treaty on 29 July 2002 and the
following day the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed the instrument of accession
on behalf of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan.
Mine action operations were virtually brought to a halt following 11
September 2001. The mine action infrastructure suffered greatly during the
subsequent military conflict, as some warring factions looted offices, seized
vehicles and equipment, and assaulted local staff. Four deminers and two mine
detection dogs were killed in errant U.S. air strikes. Military operations
created additional threats to the population, especially unexploded U.S. cluster
bomblets and ammunition scattered from storage depots hit by air strikes, as
well as newly laid mines and booby-traps by Northern Alliance, Taliban, and
Al-Qaeda fighters.
A funding shortfall for the mine action program in Afghanistan prior to 11
September 2001 had threatened to again curtail mine action operations. But
since October 2001, about $64 million has been pledged to mine action in
Afghanistan. By March 2002, mine clearance, mine survey, and mine risk
education operations had returned to earlier levels, and have since expanded
beyond 2001 levels.
In 2001, mine action NGOs surveyed approximately 14.7 million square meters
of mined areas and 80.8 million square meters of former battlefield area, and
cleared nearly 15.6 million square meters of mined area and 81.2 million square
meters of former battlefields. Nearly 730,000 civilians received mine risk
education. A total of 16,147 antipersonnel mines, 1,154 antivehicle mines, and
328,398 UXO were destroyed. In all of these activities, 95 to 99 percent of the
actions were completed prior to 11 September 2001.
The ICRC recorded 1,368 new landmine and UXO casualties in Afghanistan in
2001, but that number is not comprehensive.
BACKGROUND
Mine action activity in Afghanistan was suspended
after it became clear that a military response in Afghanistan would follow the
11 September 2001 attacks on the United States. International and local NGO
staff was evacuated, although some local staff voluntarily remained behind to
handle emergencies. The training of deminers was suspended, due to fears that
their training camps would be mistaken as terrorist
camps.[1] The cessation of mine
action came as many civilians fled cities for rural areas, crossing mined areas
in the process, due to the threat and the eventual reality air strikes. Both
the Program Manager of the UN Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA) and the
head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mine risk education
unit considered population movements as increasing the risk of casualties from
mines and unexploded ordnance
(UXO).[2]
As international and local staff departed, the Taliban and other warring
factions raided a number of UN and mine action NGO offices. They seized
buildings, vehicles, and equipment, and assaulted local staff. The Kandahar
offices of MAPA and several other local mine action organizations were
repeatedly attacked and occupied by Taliban forces between the end of September
and the middle of October.[3]
Mine action NGOs were also assaulted in Kabul and Jalalabad during the same
period.[4] The HALO Trust
(HALO) office in Puli-Khumri in Baglan province was occupied by elements of the
Taliban on 28 September 2001.[5]
By 20 October 2001, MAPA estimated it had lost 80 vehicles to the Taliban, as
well as millions of dollars in
equipment.[6]
Beginning on 7 October 2001, mine action personnel and facilities were also
affected by coalition air strikes. On 9 October 2001, bombs struck the Afghan
Technical Consultants (ATC) office in Kabul. Four local staff members were
killed and four more injured. The building was destroyed, along with two
vehicles and two electrical
generators.[7] On 25 October
2001, a bomb hit the mine detection dog training center near Kabul. Two dogs
were killed, two vehicles destroyed, and a number of buildings
damaged.[8] The Demining Agency
for Afghanistan (DAFA) headquarters site was also hit by air strikes, destroying
many of their vehicles, mechanical equipment, and other stores.
Weapons used in the air strikes but not previously encountered in Afghanistan
posed new dangers, both to civilians and mine action personnel. One
particularly deadly unexploded munition was the BLU-97 bomblet, which was
dispensed from the U.S. CBU-87 and CBU-103 cluster bombs. Afghan deminers had
no operational experience or training in clearing these
devices.[9] Furthermore, MAPA
reported an increased UXO threat due to bombing of ammunition storage locations,
which spread UXO over a large radius sometimes reaching five
kilometers.[10]
On 24 October 2001, MAPA asked the United States to provide information on
locations of munitions deployed and at the end of October moved 4,000 deminers
out of the country for training on cluster bomb
disposal.[11] Key training
staff also visited the Kosovo Mine Action Coordination Center to gather lessons
learned and to develop and appropriate training plan. On 3 November 2001, MAPA
announced plans to hold training sessions in Quetta, Pakistan in mid-November
for 1,000 staff and mine clearance trainers, and 3,000 staff in Peshawar,
Pakistan.[12] On 28 November
2001, the U.S. State Department announced it would spend an additional $7
million to help demine Afghanistan, including funds to train Afghan deminers how
to clear cluster bombs.[13]
According to the Program Manager of the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan
(MACA), the U.S. was cooperative in providing information about coalition
cluster bomb strikes, providing map coordinates of cluster bomb strikes to the
UN, the Danish Demining Group (DDG), and
HALO.[14] Specialists from MACA
were also deployed on 7 December 2001 in Herat to help train local mine action
staff to deal with the new ordnance dropped by coalition
strikes.[15] In co-ordination
with the MAPA, DDG established new drills, techniques, and procedures to enable
the teams to deal with the unknown ordnance in Afghanistan. At the beginning of
December 2001 a joint Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) and DDG course about
new munitions used by the coalition forces was conducted for field
staff.[16]
Three days after the Taliban left Kabul, HALO had survey teams on the ground
conducting an urgent assessment of the mine and UXO threat along former Northern
Alliance/ Taliban fronts. HALO began survey work in the north a week
later.[17] At the end of
November 2001, some mine clearance teams resumed work. MAPA activated mine
clearance and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams in Kabul. HALO resumed
work around Bagram, clearing mines and UXO in preparation for area residents to
return home to the Shomali plain
area.[18] DDG EOD teams were on
call for emergency clearance from 20 November 2001. DDG teams assisted in a
number of EOD tasks in and around Kabul, clearing unexploded Coalition ordnance
at Wazir Akber Khan and Maidan Shahr main
road.[19]
Additional clearance teams began to clear 500-2,000 pound unexploded aircraft
bombs in and around Kabul, including three at the
airport.[20] DDG resumed
operations around Kabul and was given the co-ordination responsibility of the
day-to-day operations of mine action organizations working at Kabul
International Airport. DDG combined its manual and EOD capacity with mine
clearance flails from the Danish and British peacekeeping forces supporting the
clearance of a safety belt for the runway at the Kabul
airport.[21]
In addition, local mine action staff cleared cluster bomblets from 54 homes
in the village of Qala Shater, near Herat, by 28 November
2001.[22] At the time,
according to HALO, unexploded cluster bomblets and other coalition munitions
were the most significant danger facing Afghan civilians trying to return
home.[23] In the Shomali Plain
area, HALO had 500 deminers working by 10 December 2001, and eight days later,
12 villages in the area were declared to be
mine-free.[24]
By the middle of December 2001, 920 deminers from various agencies were
engaged in survey, mine risk education, and mine clearance operations in and
around Kabul and another 120 were doing similar activity in the northern part of
the country. Another 200 personnel were scheduled to arrive in the region by
the beginning of January.[25]
The security situation in the southern and eastern regions did not permit mine
action to resume, but 20 senior deminers were carrying out assessments in and
around Jalalabad and Kandahar and 900 deminers were prepared to go to work in
each region.[26]
By the end of December, MAPA and its local implementing partners had almost
finished clearing UXO from Kabul, had surveyed and cleared 24 kilometers of the
road to Bagram, and almost finished clearing cluster bomblets from the old road
north of Kabul.[27] OMAR had
also resumed operations and by the end of January had destroyed 290 cluster
bomblets, mines, and UXO.[28] A
section of a manual clearance team and 2 EOD teams from DDG made a general
assessment of the UXO problems in Jalalabad in order to respond to the emergency
high priority tasks, which endanger the lives of many civilians. Farm Hadda, a
cluster strike area, where people from the nearby IDP camp collect wood on a
daily basis, was cleared by
DDG.[29]
Troops from coalition forces also conducted some “area clearance”
activities and some UXO clearance in locations in proximity to their operations.
U.S. EOD units in and around Bagram began some limited mine
clearance.[30] By 5 December
2001, they had removed over 200 unexploded bombs from Bagram air
base.[31] On 14 December 2001,
American troops began clearing mines and UXO at the Kandahar
airport.[32] Coalition forces
also provided medical assistance including casualty evacuation for some injured
deminers.
The International Security Assistance Force began some limited clearance of
mines and UXO in their immediate area of operations. By the beginning of
January, British teams were at work demining five sites in the Kabul area,
including the airport, where they were assisting DDG with Aardvark mechanical
demining machines. Two Danish Hydrema mine clearance flails also began work at
the Kabul airport. At the same time, French and Jordanian troops were clearing
areas around Mazar-i-Sharif,[33]
and Norwegian troops began clearing the Kandahar
airport.[34] At the beginning
of February, Russia announced plans it was considering to build a center for
mine clearing in Kabul.[35]
French soldiers reportedly completed the destruction of 70,000 antipersonnel
mines stockpiled at Kabul
airport.[36]
The sudden focus of international attention on Afghanistan prompted many
governments to offer their support, including specifically to demining programs.
At the international donors conference in Tokyo on 21-22 January 2002, officials
from 24 countries and international organizations pledged $27 million for mine
action in Afghanistan.[37] A
total of about $64 million has been pledged for mine action since September
2001. Prior to September 2001, the mine clearance program in Afghanistan was
experiencing a funding shortage that threatened to curtail demining operations
again, as was experienced in 2000, and forced staff to take a 1/3 pay cut to
enable continued operations.
MINE BAN POLICY
The cabinet of Afghanistan’s transitional
government approved the country’s accession to the Mine Ban Treaty on 29
July 2002, and the following day the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed the
instrument of accession on behalf of the Transitional Islamic State of
Afghanistan. According to Foreign Minister Abdullah, the cabinet’s action
is all that is necessary for joining the treaty in the absence of an Afghan
Parliament.[38] The instrument
of accession is expected to be officially deposited at the United Nations in the
near future.
The approval of accession came during Afghanistan’s first international
conference on antipersonnel mines, “Building a Peaceful Future for
Afghanistan: A Total Ban on Antipersonnel Mines,” organized by the
government, the United Nations, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and
the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines, held in Kabul 28-31 July 2002.
Hamid Karzai, while chairman of the Afghanistan interim administration, had
on several occasions publicly expressed its support for a total ban on mines.
In a statement to the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to
Afghanistan in Tokyo in January 2002, Karzai said, “We are committing
ourselves to signing the Ottawa Anti-Landmine Treaty.” He stressed,
“Also critical will be the acceleration of the mine clearing program. Our
citizens are falling victim to them
daily.”[39]
Prior to September 2001, Taliban authorities imposed a national ban on mines
by issuing a decree in October 1998. The head of the Northern Alliance told the
Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL) in May 2001 that the Northern Alliance
was not using antipersonnel mines. However, reports of continued use of mines
at the frontlines persisted, and the two sides accused each other of ongoing
use.[40]
PRODUCTION, TRANSFER AND STOCKPILING
There is no evidence of antipersonnel mine
production in Afghanistan. The Taliban stated in 1998 that they had denounced
the import and export of mines and claimed not to maintain stockpiles.
Subsequent use of mines indicates stockpiles in fact existed.
In previous years, the Taliban accused Russia and Iran of supplying mines to
the Northern Alliance/United
Front.[41] In 2002, mine
clearance organizations have reported finding Iranian-manufactured YM1 and YM1-B
antipersonnel mines, date stamped 1999 and 2000, on recently abandoned Northern
Alliance front lines.[42] Iran
had declared a moratorium on export of antipersonnel mines in 1997.
USE
Most of the landmines in Afghanistan were emplaced
during the Soviet occupation and the subsequent communist regime between 1980
and 1992. Landmines were also used in the internal fighting among various armed
groups after 1992, particularly in Kabul city and its outskirts. The Taliban
claimed to have stopped use in 1998, though some allegations persisted. The
Northern Alliance admitted to use in 1999 and 2000, but said it stopped in 2001,
despite evidence to the
contrary.[43]
In the fighting following 11 September 2001, there were reports of limited
use of mines and booby-traps by Northern Alliance, Taliban, and Al-Qaeda
fighters. The mines were reportedly used mainly in areas near the front lines
where Northern Alliance and Taliban forces faced each other close to Kabul, and
at airports under Northern Alliance, Taliban, or Al-Qaeda control. In
January 2002, an official from the UN MAPA told Mine Ban Treaty State Parties of
“new mining by Taliban in new front lines post Sept.
11.”[44] However, the
general perception is that mines were used in very limited areas, because of the
rapid changes during the fighting.
There is no evidence of coalition forces using mines during their
operations.
LANDMINE PROBLEM
The interim administration has identified mine
action as a priority area for the reconstruction of
Afghanistan.[45] Even before
the latest conflict, the full extent of the landmine and unexploded ordnance
problem in Afghanistan was not determined. In addition, there is limited
information available thus far about the UXO contamination caused by the ground
battles and aerial bombing (especially of ammunition storage facilities) during
the recent military
activities.[46]
Despite continued progress made by MAPA and its implementing partners over
the past decade, Afghanistan is still believed to be one of the most severely
mine- and UXO-affected countries in the world. MAPA continues to discover, at a
rate of 12 to 14 million square meters per year, areas that were mined years
ago, but remained inaccessible due to armed
conflict.[47] Notably, until
recently, there was no access to 100 million square meters of former Northern
Alliance front lines.[48]
The known mine/UXO contaminated area is estimated to total approximately 737
million square meters of land in 206 districts of 28 provinces. Of this, some
360 million square meters are classified as high priority land for clearance.
The areas affected include vitally important agricultural land, irrigations
systems, residential areas, grazing land, and roads. Priority areas include
those where there is a high risk of accident, high repatriation, and the area is
vital to meet the basic needs of villagers.
Known Landmine Problem in Afghanistan (as of December
2001)[49]
Area
Agriculture
Residential
Irrigation
Road
Grazing
Total Area
(Square meters)
Total mined area cleared
(All high priority)
98,022,000
29,185,000
8,414,000
29,820,000
74,175,000
239,618,000
High priority area remaining to be cleared
162,618,000
16,058,000
3,090,000
34,538,000
143,699,000
360,011,000
Low priority area remaining to be cleared
26,029,000
126,000
582,000
7,135,000
343,416,000
377,288,000
Total mined area remaining to be cleared
188,647,000
16,184,000
3,672,000
41,673,000
487,115,000
737,299,000
SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT
Landmine surveys are an ongoing process in
Afghanistan. The first “Afghanistan Mines Survey” was conducted by
MAG in 1990, and published in February 1991, with funding from the Norwegian
Committee for Afghanistan, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, and Austrian
Relief Committee for Afghan Refugees. A Level One General Impact Survey was
conducted in 1993 and is regularly updated. Level Two Technical Surveys are
undertaken where clearance operations are planned within a period of less than
one year. A socio-economic survey of landmines and mine action operations is
also being integrated into the survey component of MAPA.
As of December 2001, general survey of approximately 803 million square
meters of landmine- and UXO-contaminated areas had been completed since the
start of survey operations in
1990.[50] In addition, a
technical survey of about 311.5 million square meters of minefields and more
than 429 million square meters of former battle areas had been
completed.[51] The Mine
Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) and HALO are the two organizations that
undertake various survey activities in Afghanistan. Survey data from MCPA is
used by all clearance agencies except HALO, which conducts survey operations for
its own clearance teams.
Survey data is currently being integrated into the newly established
Information Management System for Mine Action
(IMSMA).[52] The UN Mine Action
Center for Afghanistan headquarters and regional staff have been trained on the
IMSMA. Software has been installed to enable improved collection, collation,
and analysis of mine information at the national and regional level. The
transfer of existing data from MAPA’s Management Information System mine
action database to the IMSMA is being done with technical assistance of the
Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). This task will
be done in several stages and it is estimated that it will take about 12
months.[53]
A full Landmine Impact Survey, with technical support and oversight from the
Survey Action Center, is scheduled to begin in September
2002.[54] This will provide a
clearer picture of the socio-economic problems caused by mines and UXO and
significantly strengthen the priority setting and planning capacity of the MACA.
This survey will be a retrofit of existing data, building on that which
currently exists, augmenting these resources to complete the data sets currently
available. This process, linked with the IMSMA, will provide an effective tool
for the MACA and the Afghan Interim Administration to direct mine action
activities at the national
level.[55] The European
Commission will provide funding for the
project.[56]
Additionally, in an attempt to obtain a quick picture of the landmine/UXO
contamination resulting from the coalition military intervention in Afghanistan,
a Post-Conflict Contamination Assessment will be undertaken by MCPA in all areas
affected by the latest military activities. The assessment was scheduled to
start in March 2002 and last for three to four months. Funding for the project
was secured through the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
(VVAF).[57]
Landmine survey in Afghanistan was significantly hindered by the events
following 11 September 2001. A total of 14,739,089 square meters of minefields
and 80,889,272 square meters of former battlefield area were surveyed in 2001.
Of that, over 99 percent of minefield surveys and over 95 percent of battlefield
surveys were done prior to 11 September 2001. By March 2002, the survey rate
had increased to a level comparable to the pre-11 September 2001 figures, with
21,685,463 square meters accomplished in the first three months of 2002. All
known and accessible cluster munitions strike sites have been surveyed and are
being cleared.[58]
Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA). MCPA employs 309 people and
conducts survey operations throughout Afghanistan, with its head office in Kabul
and offices in Gardez, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Herat. Mine detection dogs from
the Mine Detection Dog Center support MCPA technical survey teams. Each MCPA
survey team consists of four surveyors and a team leader, with one surveyor or
team leader trained in first aid. In 2001, MCPA operated with 31 survey teams
and identified, marked and mapped about 10.8 million square meters of
mine-contaminated area and about 5.5 million square meters of former battle area
contaminated by UXO. MCPA is also involved in the development and maintenance
of a comprehensive computerized management information system for MAPA. It also
serves as the coordinating agency for the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines.
HALO Trust. In addition to clearance, HALO undertakes survey
operations for its own clearance teams in the central and northern provinces of
Afghanistan. HALO has 13 technical survey teams each with 10 men, and eight
general survey teams with four men in each. HALO survey teams use mine
detecting dogs, but receive support from mechanical assets including area
reduction rollers. In 2001, HALO operated with five survey teams and
identified, marked and mapped approximately 3 million square meters of
mine-contaminated area and about 71 million square meters of former battle area
contaminated by UXO.[59]
MINE ACTION COORDINATION AND PLANNING
In order to address the new realities impacting
the landmine problem in Afghanistan, the UN Mine Action Program for Afghanistan
has drafted a new strategic mine action
plan.[60] This will presumably
supplant the plans which guided mine action in Afghanistan for many years.
According to the new draft plan, Afghanistan could become a landmine-impact-free
country in a period of 7-10 years at an estimated cost of $700 million. Donors
and the Afghan Interim Administration have been briefed and the plan continues
to be updated as the situation changes. This plan is based on the past
years’ studies, experience, and outcomes. It recommends that priority
should be given to the clearance of land that will immediately be put back into
productive use when it is cleared of mines and UXO. Among land types,
irrigation systems and roads receive top priority, because they generate highest
net socio-economic benefits. Clearance of productive agricultural land is also
of high priority. The program will concentrate on: advocacy against the use of
landmines and for expansion of mine/UXO clearance; advocacy and training in
explosive ordnance disposal; expanded mine risk education initiatives inside
Afghanistan; surveying of the contaminated areas; and, clearance of minefields
and former battlefields.[61]
In the post-11 September period, mine action has been recognized as a
stand-alone sector within the Relief, Recovery and Reconstruction response of
the UN, and the MACA has been designated the lead agency (Program Secretariat)
in this regard. A coordinated work plan for all mine action activities for the
remainder of 2002 was under finalization as of June. MACA has outlined
expansion plans and budgets to all implementing NGOs, with integrated
procurement of necessary equipment for tasks during the remainder of the
period.[62]
MACA is being strengthened to enable better service provision to the national
implementing partners and the Afghanistan Interim Administration. This involves
recruitment of additional Afghan staff into key administrative, logistics and
financial positions, along with appropriate skills transfer. Approximately 15
additional expatriate staff have joined MAPA as short-term technical advisors to
do skills transfer with Afghan staff since 11 September 2001. These advisors
have stayed from two to six months. Only one staff member has been seconded
full-time by a government with one more due to arrive in July 2002 and
additional short-term assistance also being provided by a number of
states.[63]
Support to the Afghan administration is also being strengthened through the
provision of support to government infrastructure and skills transfer to the
identified counterpart organization. This is the Office of Disaster
Preparedness/Department of Mine Clearance, which has the lead role within the
Afghan government for coordination of the national mine action response. This
body is being assisted by both the MACA and UNDP to ensure that it is able to
steadily increase its role in the mine action activities underway throughout the
country. Close relationships also exist with other relevant ministries, and
partnership agreements have been signed with the government to ensure closer
cooperation.[64]
MACA and implementing NGOs have moved their head offices from Pakistan and
established headquarters within Afghanistan. All five Regional Mine Action
Centers are now operating: Central Region (Kabul), Southern Region (Kandahar),
Eastern Region (Jalalabad), Northern Region (Mazar) and Western Region (Herat).
New regional sub-offices will also be established in Bamyan, Gardez and Kunduz
in order to respond to a new UN eight-area
structure.[65]
Both the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and coalition forces
are coordinating with the MACA. ISAF assigned a liaison officer to work in MACA
in Kabul and ISAF capabilities have also been used by the MACA to carry out
specialized tasks where
possible.[66] MAPA liaison with
the Coalition is mainly through weekly meetings with the Coalition Joint Civil
Military Operations Task Force (CJCMOTF) in Kabul.
The process of transferring the responsibility for the UN Mine Action Program
for Afghanistan from the former UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA) to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), with
the UN Office of Project Services (UNOPS) as the implementing agency, was to be
completed by 1 June
2002.[67]
MINE ACTION FUNDING
Funding of mine action operations has been
primarily through the Afghan Emergency Trust Fund (AETF) under the auspices of
UNOCHA. Some donors have also provided direct funding to some NGOs and some
donors provide in-kind contributions. UN funding is now directed through the
Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action, managed by the UN Mine
Action Service. Funding requests for the MAPA are included in the annual
consolidated funding appeal for the United Nations programs in Afghanistan and
the UN Portfolio of Mine Related Projects.
MAPA received approximately $193 million in funds from 1991 through August
2001. In mid-2001, MAPA was considering reduction of its operational capacity
due to funding constraints, as it had received only $13 million of its $20
million budget. This was overtaken by events when mine action operations were
suspended in September 2001.
The following table summarizes funding for mine action in Afghanistan from
1991 through August 2001.
Funds received by MAPA from 1991 through August 2001 (all figures in US$)
[68]
Country/ Agency
91-95
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Total
Balance brought forward from last year
0
0
0
4,817,433
3,890,841
2,749,931
842,073
12,300,278
Australia
1,377,947
293,600
748,370
335,550
0
298,400
0
3,053,867
Austria
655,707
203,030
16,667
90,000
127,992
200,000
200,000
1,493,396
Belgium
0
0
0
273,224
0
0
0
273,224
Canada
1,634,973
737,419
777,940
705,938
659,659
672,261
253,164
5,441,354
European Commission
2,785,321
5,077,730
3,624,437
3,027,613
2,634,534
3,982,020
3,551,400
24,683,055
Cyprus
10,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
10,000
Denmark
1,502,823
900,000
598,802
729,639
347,502
656,916
631,756
5,367,438
Finland
1,638,304
423,191
380,952
490,081
512,540
428,578
446,122
4,319,768
France
0
0
169,779
0
0
0
0
169,779
Germany
374,232
2,388,041
2,000,000
2,373,000
2,500,000
1,700,000
0
11,335,273
Greece
16,365
0
0
0
0
0
0
16,365
Italy
0
0
0
0
100,000
0
0
100,000
Japan
11,000,000
0
1,000,000
300,268
1,300,000
0
0
13,600,268
Korea
75,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
75,000
Netherlands
2,497,674
1,363,527
2,530,993
1,482,945
1,454,525
2,749,740
1,000,000
13,079,404
Norway
4,904,965
886,163
1,508,107
2,398,649
1,477,044
615,474
555,000
12,345,402
Sweden
7,028,818
2,535,812
2,500,000
2,283,180
2,510,488
1,723,686
1,276,762
19,858,746
Switzerland
1,054,048
344,828
0
135,135
0
0
0
1,534,011
United Kingdom
6,409,268
1,183,088
1,209,678
3,346,000
979,800
2,694,840
0
15,822,674
USA
8,519,517
1,308,507
2,000,000
1,073,442
3,021,000
1,900,000
1,700,000
19,522,466
Adopt-A-Minefield
0
0
0
0
0
141,263
172,500
313,763
Direct/ in kind Contribution
17,448,672
115,328
1,111,111
3,121,990
315,147
2,266,910
3,426,743
27,805,901
Total
68,933,634
17,762,260
20,178,833
26,986,085
21,833,071
22,782,019
14,057,521
192,533,423
There has been greatly increased interest in mine action activities in
Afghanistan since the Taliban regime collapsed and the new interim
administration took over in December 2001. MAPA developed a new budget of $61
million dollars for the period October 2001 to December
2002.[69] The total amount of
funding pledged and contributed to mine action between October 2001 and June
2002 is $66,433,770. Most notable is Japan’s contribution of $18.2
million, which has allowed for replacement of much of the damaged and destroyed
equipment that was lost since September
2001.[70]
Donor Funding 1 October 2001 – 15 June 2002 (in
US$)[71]
Donor Country
Contributions in Kind and Direct to NGOs
Funding Pledged
Funding Contributed
Australia
259,700
Austria
1,000,000
Canada
2,753,978
Denmark
650,000
956,846
EC
9,000,000
Finland
588,584
Germany
6,000,000
1,100,000
Italy
1,400,000
Japan
18,200,000
Kuwait
500,000
Netherlands
2,900,000
New Zealand
406,800
Norway
500,000
1,600,000
Saudi Arabia
500,000
Sweden
1,276,762
United Kingdom
2,900,000
4,241,100
United States
7,000,000
Total
13,500,000
7,250,000
42,983,770
MINE CLEARANCE
There are nine organizations involved in mine and
UXO clearance operations in Afghanistan. During the military interventions in
Afghanistan, all of these organizations had to relocate their offices, with the
majority moving to Pakistan and the remainder to several other neighboring
countries. By February 2002, most had returned to their respective locations.
The coalition forces have also conducted some landmine/UXO clearance operations
in some areas where they have set up bases and camps.
From 1990 to 2001, over 239.6 million square meters of mined areas and
approximately 401 million square meters of former battle areas were cleared of
mines and UXO. During these operations, 230,077 antipersonnel mines, 10,194
antivehicle mines, and 1,571,260 UXO were detected and
destroyed.[72] The areas
cleared of mines/UXO were all high-priority clearance, requested by individuals,
groups, local authorities, and organizations involved in humanitarian programs
in Afghanistan (a breakdown of areas cleared is given under the Landmine Problem
section above).
In 2001, organizations cleared 15,645,634 square meters of mined area and
81,297,888 square meters of former battle areas. A total of 16,147
antipersonnel mines, 1,154 antivehicle mines, and 328,398 UXO were destroyed
during clearance operations.[73]
As with landmine survey operations, the rate of mine clearance in 2001 dropped
dramatically in the months following 11 September 2001. More than 99 percent of
minefield clearance and more than 95 percent of battlefield clearance took place
prior to 11 September 2001. Between September 2001 and December 2001, 13,100
square meters of minefield and 244,000 square meters of former battlefields were
cleared.[74]
In the first quarter of 2002, as mine clearance operations reconstituted and
re-commenced, a total of 4,000,514 square meters of minefields and 19,825,097
square meters of battlefield areas were cleared. During this period, 16,196
antipersonnel mines, 751 antivehicle mines, and 251,169 UXO were cleared and
destroyed.[75]
On-going security constraints in conflict zones have prohibited the
re-establishment of operations in some areas. In order to address needs in high
priority areas, these security constraints are being closely monitored. Based
on recent assessment missions to Paktia and Paktika provinces, as well as the
Tora Bora region, clearance and survey capacity is being re-established in those
priority areas.
The clearance of BLU-97 cluster bomblets has been a high priority activity in
all regions and new procedures have been put in place to address this new
post-September 2001 threat. Clearance of cluster munitions is also being
achieved at a rate faster than
anticipated.[76]
Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC). ATC has more than 1,300
employees. In 2001, manual and mechanical teams of ATC carried out landmine/UXO
clearance operations in central, southern and western regions of Afghanistan,
covering the provinces of Kabul, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Laghman, Nangarhar,
Paktia, Paktika, Kandahar, Zabul, Helmand, Nimroz, Farah, and Herat. The 21
Manual Clearance Teams, four Mechanical Excavation Teams, and four Explosive
Ordnance Teams of ATC cleared 2.5 million square meters of minefields, and 11.5
million square meters of former battlefields.
During these clearance operations, ATC destroyed 2,508 antipersonnel mines,
37 antivehicle mines, and 134,828 UXO in 22 provinces of
Afghanistan.[77] ATC activity
was suspended on 12 September 2001, and ATC partially resumed its landmine/UXO
clearance operations in Kabul, Jalalabad, and Herat in late November and early
December. Four employees of ATC were killed when the ATC office compound in
Kabul was destroyed in a coalition air strike. In addition, ATC equipment worth
$400,000 was damaged or looted during the recent military activities in
Afghanistan.[78]
Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA).
One of the AREA’s projects is community-based mine clearance in
Sorkhrod and in the Khogiani districts of Nangarhar province in the eastern part
of the country. AREA employs 114 people, in three demining teams. In 2001,
AREA cleared 186,691 square meters of mine-contaminated area and destroyed 27
antipersonnel mines, 2 antivehicle mines, and 146
UXO.[79]
Danish Demining Group (DDG). DDG operates in the Central and Eastern
regions of Afghanistan with the head office in Kabul, a field office in
Jalalabad, and a logistical rear office in Islamabad. By the end of 2001, DDG
had three manual mine clearance teams as well as 12 quick response teams in
Afghanistan. In 2001, DDG’s staff increased from 108 to 193 employees.
The program is financed through DANIDA, SIDA, EU, and ECHO.
In 2001, DDG cleared approximately 136,294 square meters of mined area and
895,289 square meters of former battlefield area. During these clearance
operations, DDG teams destroyed 163 antipersonnel mines, 13 antivehicle mines,
and 5,533 UXO.[80] DDG’s
budget for 2001 was approximately $863,317. ECHO provided an additional
$295,950 for the EOD teams. DDG did not suffer any losses/damage to its
equipment or staff in recent military activities in
Afghanistan.[81]
By June 2002, DDG had cleared 14,088,911 square meters of battlefield and
strike areas, disposing of 74,221 items UXO. A total of 16,353 square meters of
mined land had been cleared of 68 antipersonnel mines and 7 antivehicle mines.
The total budget for 2002 is approximately $4.5
million.[82]
Demining Agency For Afghanistan (DAFA). DAFA conducts mine clearance
mainly in the southern and western regions of the country, with its head office
located in Kandahar. It employs about 658 people with a 2001 budget of $3.9
million.[83] In 2001, DAFA
operated with 11 manual clearance teams, four battle area clearance teams, and
three mechanical mine clearance teams, clearing about 1.148 million square
meters of mine-contaminated area and 3.3 million square meters of former
battlefield area. During these clearance operations, 267 antipersonnel mines,
94 antivehicle mines, and 11,069 UXO were
destroyed.[84] DAFA states that
it suffered damage/loss of equipment worth $5-6 million dollars during the
recent military operations in Afghanistan.
HALO Trust. HALO has been operational in Afghanistan since 1988 and
works mainly in northern and central regions of the country, coordinating its
activities with MACA. HALO employs more than 1,800 people. In 2001, HALO
operated with 31 manual clearance teams (682 demining lanes), five battle area
clearance/EOD teams with ten members each, and 11 mechanical mine clearance
teams with eight members each, and five survey teams with ten members each. In
2001, HALO cleared 3.230 million square meters of mined areas and 69.3 million
square meters of former battle area contaminated by UXO, destroying 14,478
antipersonnel mines, 713 antivehicle mines, and 132,693
UXO.[85] HALO’s budget
for 2001 was approximately $3.25 million dollars. Its main donors were the
U.S., ECHO, the Netherlands, and an unnamed private donor. In addition to
clearance, HALO undertakes survey activities.
In 2002, HALO has close to 1,900 Afghan staff in 43 manual demining teams, 10
mechanical clearance teams, 18 battle area clearance teams, eight general survey
teams, 13 technical survey teams, and eight mine risk education teams. These
teams are clearing villages in Northern and Central Regions in direct support of
the tens of thousands of returning refugees and IDPs. The U.S., the
Netherlands, European Commission and ECHO, AAR Japan, and Germany are providing
funding for HALO activities in Afghanistan in
2002.[86]
Mine Detection Dog Center (MDC). MDC conducts mine and UXO clearance
throughout Afghanistan, with its head office in Kabul and offices in Gardez,
Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Herat. MDC employs 732 people. In 2001, MDC operated
with 17 mine dog groups and provided 33 mine dog sets to MCPA to support its
survey operations. In 2001, MDC cleared more than 6.145 million square meters
of mine/UXO-contaminated area, destroying 75 antipersonnel mines, 146
antivehicle mines, and 895
UXO.[87] Equipment worth
$600,000 was damaged or lost during the recent military operations in
Afghanistan. In addition, a bomb from a coalition air strike in Kabul
accidentally killed two of MDC’s mine detection dogs. MDC’s budget
for 2000 was $4.6 million. However, due to funding shortages, it only received
approximately $2.5 million.[88]
Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR).
OMAR conducts mine and UXO clearance and mine awareness in various parts of the
country, with its head office recently relocated from Peshawar to Kabul and
offices in Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Herat. OMAR has 645 employees, with 550
involved in mine clearance and 95 in mine awareness education. It also runs
primary education, health care, and rehabilitation projects with a separate
staff and budget. In 2001, OMAR operated with ten manual clearance teams, four
battle area clearance teams, and three mechanical mine clearance teams, clearing
more than 1.9 million square meters of mine contaminated area. During these
clearance operations, 1,526 antipersonnel mines, one antivehicle mine, and 1,727
UXO were destroyed.[89]
OMAR requested technical support and training assistance from the Mines
Advisory Group (MAG) a British NGO. During April-May 2002, funded by NOVIB, MAG
provided OMAR’s national mine and UXO clearance staff with training to EOD
Class 2. As per new training requirements set out by MACA, once the staff have
six months field experience at Class 2, they will attend Class 1
training.[90] OMAR has
requested that MAG provide a full-time training and supervision capacity through
2003. This supervision is now required by the new MAPA training
requirement.[91]
Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA). While MCPA is primarily
engaged in survey, it also undertakes clearance as part of the two-meter
minefield boundary clearance and reduction of suspected mined areas. In 2001,
MCPA identified, marked, mapped, and recorded 10.85 million square meters of
minefield and 5.5 million square meters of former battlefield. During the
survey operation, survey teams reduced/cleared about 663,000 square meters of
mine-contaminated area. As part of special tasks, MCPA also cleared an area of
119,730 square meters in 2001. During these operations MCPA teams destroyed 32
antipersonnel mines, 31 antivehicle mines, and 146 UXO. Reduction of suspected
mined area during the survey process is an important element of the technical
survey, as it saves significant mine clearance
resources.[92]
Monitoring, Evaluation and Training Agency (META). METAis
responsible formonitoring and evaluating mine action operations in the
field, training mine action staff, and reporting to MAPA. It has 74 employees.
In 2001, META conducted 150 demining-related training courses attended by
approximately 3,500 mine action personnel. In addition, META conducted four
middle management training courses attended by 80 staff members from various
demining organizations. This included one middle management training course
conducted in collaboration with Cranfield
University.[93]
MINE RISK EDUCATION
Mine risk education is carried out throughout
Afghanistan and for returning refugees in Pakistan and Iran. The major aim is
to reduce accidents, injuries and deaths caused by mines and other explosive
devices through educating people on identification and avoidance of risk in a
contaminated area. Planning is based on civilian mine accident data from
hospitals reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World
Health Organization (WHO), and Handicap International Belgium, and on requests
from local organizations. The mine risk education program in Afghanistan
currently consists of 150 mine risk education trainers and approximately 2,000
community volunteers. Each NGO implements its activities using a number of
different approaches to presenting a core set of
information.[94]
In the year 2001, 729,318 civilians received mine awareness education in
various parts of the
country.[95] In the first
quarter of 2002 (January to March), mine risk education training was provided to
140,873 civilians.[96]
Implementing partners of MAPA provided mine awareness education to more than 7.3
million people from 1990 to 2001.
Mine Risk Education Report from 1 January 2001 to 31 December
2001[97]
Agencies
No of Trainees
Foreigners
AFGHANS
Total
Male
Female
Boys
Girls
ARCS
0
11,350
0
25,813
6,580
43,743
AREA
0
808
172
6,779
1,255
9,014
ARI
0
60,187
2,749
1,730
963
65,629
ATC
0
2,190
40
3,074
1,248
6,552
DAFA
0
686
3
708
52
1449
HALO
9
4,886
0
13,300
6,050
24,245
HIB
0
83,565
12,091
127,578
36,412
259,646
MCPA
0
3,240
6
7,890
1,138
12,274
MDC
0
990
0
1,256
8
2,254
OMAR
67
79,403
46,047
94,968
54,897
275,382
SCF
0
0
2,048
17,222
9,860
29,130
TOTAL
76
247,305
63,156
300,318
118,463
729,318
The NGOs engaged in mine risk education include:
Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS). Four mine awareness teams and two
quick mine awareness response teams of the ARCS have been conducting mine risk
education training in Kabul, Wardak and Parwan provinces. It has 13 employees.
In 2001, ARCS provided mine awareness training to 43,135 people in 579 villages,
with funding provided by the
ICRC.[98]
Ansar Relief Institute (ARI). In 2001, this Iran (Mashad)-based
organization provided mine risk education training to approximately 9,014
returning Afghan refugees. It has 41 employees. The training was mainly
conducted at the UNHCR encashment centers and five border crossing points.
Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) Japan. AAR-Japan runs three mine
risk education teams in Kabul, Parwan, and Takhar provinces in cooperation with
HALO.[99]
BBC Afghan Education Project (BBC/AEP). BBC/AEP disseminates mine
risk education messages through its popular radio drama series “New Home,
New Life” and in the illustrated magazine that accompanies the program.
The series is broadcast on the Pashto and Persian services of the BBC World
Service three days a week, as well as from the Peshawar center of Radio
Pakistan.
Handicap International Belgium (HIB). The community-based mine risk
education activities of HIB are mainly concentrated in the southern region and
Farah province of western region. HIB has 41 employees. In 2000, 31 HIB field
staff and a network of 1,100 volunteers provided community based awareness
training to more than 259,000 people. In November 2000, HIB conducted a survey
in central province of Ghazni to assess mine risk education needs and as a
result of the survey, mine risk education activities in eight districts of this
province started in February 2001. HIB also collected more than 600 reports of
UXO, as an integrated activity to mine awareness, and provided them to RMAC
Kandahar for necessary action. HIB’s budget for 2001 was about $280,000.
Main donors included European Union, Australia, Christian Aid, and Handicap
International.[100]
Organization for Mine Awareness and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR). In
2001, OMAR provided mine risk education training to more than 275,000 people in
various parts of the country. It has 95 mine awareness staff. OMAR distributed
mine risk education materials including notebooks, posters, silk-screens,
identification books and storybooks, which were designed to assist people who
have received training to subsequently provide information and education to
friends and family members.
Save the Children Fund-US (SCF-US). SCF-US continued its Landmine
Education Project (LEP) in hospitals, clinics, mosques, and Kuchi settlements in
Kabul and in the surrounding districts of Paghman, Khaki Jabar, and Sarobi. It
employs 72 people. In the year 2001, SCF-US provided mine risk education to
29,130 people through its field staff and a network of about 400 volunteers.
Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines (ACBL). In 2001, ACBL conducted a
series of activities to promote the landmine ban campaign in Afghanistan and in
the Afghan refugee camps in
Pakistan.[101] About 28,340
signatures in favor of banning landmines were collected. Five newsletters were
published and distributed in various languages, as were calendars and notebooks
with ban messages. The ACBL sent three letters to U.S. President Bush, from
Afghan youth, landmines victims, and mothers of landmine victims. Letters were
also sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and to Hamid Karzai, the head of
the Interim Government of Afghanistan, requesting them to accede to the Mine Ban
Treaty. An ACBL information center was opened in Kabul University library.
LANDMINE CASUALTIES
The collection of comprehensive landmine casualty
data in Afghanistan remains problematic, due in part to transportation
constraints and the time needed to centralize all the information.
Nevertheless, data is available on reported landmine casualties, giving an
indication of the extent of the problem. However, it is believed that
approximately 50 percent of mine victims die before reaching a medical facility
so are unlikely to be reported.
As of February 2002, the ICRC had identified 1,218 new landmine/UXO
casualties throughout Afghanistan in 2001; this was later updated to 1,348 new
casualties as additional information became
available.[102] The ICRC data
does not include casualties who died before reaching medical assistance;
consequently, only 5.1 percent of the recorded casualties were deaths, or 62
people, which was a similar fatality rate to that recorded by the ICRC in
2000.
Of the initial 1,218 casualties recorded, 638 (52.3 percent) were children
under the age of 18. Men and boys accounted for 1,115 (91.5 percent) of the
total casualties, while 6 percent were girls under 18 years of age, and only 2.4
percent were women. In Afghan society, the active labor force is predominantly
male, and women are not very involved in outdoor activities. A total of 65.5
percent of the people injured were tending animals, farming, traveling,
collecting wood/water/firewood, and other productive activities at the time of
the incident.
Of the 1,218 casualties, the type of device causing the incident was
identified for 1,110: landmines 472 casualties, UXO 476 casualties; antivehicle
mines 35 casualties; booby-traps 14 casualties; fuses 50 casualties; and cluster
munitions 63 casualties. Of the 63 cluster munition casualties, 48 occurred
between October and December 2001.
In 2000, the ICRC recorded 1,114 mine and UXO casualties throughout
Afghanistan, while MAPA recorded 1,003
casualties.[103]
In the period January to June 2002, the ICRC has collected data on 658 new
landmine/UXO casualties in Afghanistan, of which 91.9% are civilians. Of
the total casualties reported, 5.9 percent (about 39) were killed, and almost
half of the reported casualties, 323, were children. Antipersonnel landmines
were responsible for 31.8 percent of the
casualties.[104]
As of June 2002, the ICRC database contained information on 5,168 mine/UXO
casualties between March 1998 and June 2002, plus more than 1,500 casualties
recorded of people injured between 1980 and
1998.[105]Data
collection in an on-going process and statistics are continually updated as
casualties, both new and from previous periods, are identified.
MAPA receives data on new casualties from the ICRC, Handicap International
Belgium, and Save the Children Fund-U.S. In 2001, 928 mine/UXO casualties were
recorded in the MAPA database: 64 people were killed, 300 required an
amputation, and 564 received other injuries. Of the 928 casualties, 848 were
male and 80 female. Casualty data was collected in the provinces of Kabul,
Parwan, Kapisa, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Nangarhar, Takhar, and Baghlan. Data
gathering activities were restricted after the events of 11 September
2001.[106] MAPA receives 80 to
90 percent of its data from the ICRC. In addition, for the period January to 11
September 2001, Handicap International Belgium collected data on 161 new
mine/UXO casualties, which were transmitted to
MAPA.[107] The discrepancy in
casualties recorded in 2001 may be caused by a time delay in recording available
data.
Initially, the ICRC was only collecting casualty data from 36 ICRC supported
health facilities in the Kabul region. However, in order to better understand
the mine problem, data collection was expanded to over 300 health facilities
with the support of several organizations, including the Ministry of Public
Health (MoPH), Afghan Red Crescent Society, International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Aide Medicale International, Healthnet, Ibni
Sina, Mercy Committee International, Afghan Health and Development Services,
Norwegian Afghanistan Committee, and Swedish Committee for
Afghanistan.[108]
Since January 2002, the ICRC has initiated community-based data gathering in
all mine-affected areas of Afghanistan, except the Kandahar region where
Handicap International Belgium has been involved in community-based data
collection since 1998. Using a 10-person team the ICRC Mine Data Collection
Program includes: interviewing mine/UXO casualties in hospitals and clinics;
providing training on mine victim data collection; managing the database;
producing statistics and analytical reports; preparing/collection of reports
about suspected minefields; and cooperation and coordination with other mine
action organizations.[109]
In 2001, as of August, six deminers/surveyors had been injured during
demining operations. MAPA’s record of demining accidents indicates that
from 1990 to August 2001, 59 deminers/surveyors were killed and 552
injured during mine clearance
operations.[110] In December
2001, one deminer working with HALO was killed and three injured in an accident
while clearing a Taliban ammunition dump hit by a coalition air
strike.[111]
In 2002, foreign nationals in Afghanistan have been killed and injured while
engaged in mine or UXO clearance and disposal. In March, three Danish and two
German peacekeeping soldiers were killed and another eight injured while
destroying missiles at a munitions dump in Kabul. In April, four U.S. EOD
soldiers were killed and one injured in an explosion that may have been caused
by a booby-trap. In an early accident in February, the commander of the unit
was injured after stepping on a
fuze.[112] And in May 2002, a
Bosnian demining specialist lost a foot after stepping an antipersonnel
mine.[113]
Since the U.S.-led ground war in Afghanistan, several soldiers have been
killed or injured in landmine incidents. In December 2001, four U.S. soldiers
and one British soldier were injured; two of the victims had a foot
amputated.[114] Between January
and March 2002, one Australian soldier was killed and another injured, while one
U.S. soldier was killed and three injured, in landmine
incidents.[115] There are also
reports of Afghan soldiers fighting with coalition forces falling victim to
landmines. In March 2002, two Afghan soldiers were killed and another two
injured in a mine blast,[116]
and in April another Afghan soldier was killed when his vehicle hit a mine near
Kandahar.[117]
Decades of conflict have had a severe impact on
health care in Afghanistan: the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed;
health care workers disappeared without being replaced, while at the same time
the demand for care increased. Afghanistan has 17 national, 9 regional, 34
provincial and 41 district hospitals, along with a network of 365 basic health
care centers and 357 health posts. However, of the available 8,333 hospital
beds, 50 percent are in the capital, Kabul; 20 percent of districts have no
health care facilities.[119]
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 65 percent of Afghans do not
have access to health
facilities.[120] As previously
reported, it is believed that as many as 50 percent of mine victims die before
reaching a medical facility due to the lack of emergency medical care or an
adequate evacuation/transport system to a suitably equipped health facility. In
many mine-affected areas no regular ambulance service exists and the roads are
in poor condition or non-existent. It has been reported that sometimes
casualties are transported by donkey or pack
mule.[121] According to the
WHO, one of the priorities in Afghanistan should be establishing and
strengthening of emergency health services with the appropriate geographic
coverage.[122]
In 2001, the ICRC supported up to sixteen first aid posts and clinics with
supplies, and more than 25 hospitals were regularly supplied with surgical
materials. In addition, the ICRC has been providing surgical training in
emergency techniques to Afghan surgeons for nearly ten
years.[123]
Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) provides essential medical aid
in Afghanistan, with a team of more than 50 expatriate staff and over 400 Afghan
staff working from Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Taloqan, Kabul, Faizabad and
Jalalabad. MSF’s program supports emergency interventions, surgical care,
general health care, and safe blood transfusions in several hospitals and health
clinics throughout
Afghanistan.[124]
The Italian NGO Emergency has operated surgical centers in Anabah since 1999
and Kabul since April 2001, providing emergency medical care, surgery, physical
rehabilitation, psychological support and social reintegration programs for
victims of war, including mine victims. In 2001, the Anabah Center provided
assistance to 1,106 surgical patients, of which 87 were landmine victims. In
Kabul, activities were suspended from 17 May to the beginning of November.
Since November 2001, 242 surgical patients were assisted, of which 33 were mine
victims.[125]
It has been estimated that 4 percent of the Afghan population is disabled as
a result of landmines and UXO, armed conflict, accident or illness. Only 60 out
of 330 districts have rehabilitation or socioeconomic reintegration facilities
for the disabled and even in those districts the needs are only partially
met.[126] National and
international NGOs and agencies play an important role in the delivery of
assistance to disabled persons including landmine survivors in Afghanistan.
Prior to 11 September, approximately 26 organizations and NGOs provided
assistance to disabled persons. However, only six of these organizations were
actively and directly involved in providing various types of assistance to
disabled persons, including landmine survivors.
The Comprehensive Disabled Afghans’ Program (UNOPS/CDAP) operates a
community-based rehabilitation program that reaches about 25,000 disabled
persons a year, including landmine survivors, in almost 45 urban and rural
districts of Afghanistan. UNOPS/CDAP’s main area of work includes
orthopedic services, physiotherapy, employment support, home-based therapy, and
special and primary education. In 2001, approximately 400 paid staff and a
network of approximately 1,000 community volunteers were engaged in the program.
UNOPS/CDAP’s budget for 2001 was about $1.2 million and the main donors
were UNDP, Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
In 2002, CDAP is working with the new Afghan government through the Ministry of
Martyrs and Disabled with the aim of building national capacity in the field of
disability and the establishment of a national coordination
mechanism.[127]
The ICRCoperates prosthetic/orthotic centers in Kabul, Herat,
Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Gulbahar, and a new center in Faizabad which opened
in August 2001. Most of the staff at the centers are disabled Afghans, including
landmine survivors. In 2001, physical rehabilitation services were provided for
patients, including the supply of 3,985 prostheses, of which 76% were for mine
victims. In addition, approximately 400 ICRC-produced components were supplied
to centers assisted by the Swedish Committee for CDAP in Ghazni and by Guardians
in Kandahar. The ICRC socio-economic program for people with disabilities
resulted in jobs for 78 disabled persons, 57 young disabled people received
vocational training, 493 children attended public schools and 61 children
attended home classes, and 376 micro-credit programs were provided for new
activities. Although all ICRC expatriate staff left the country between
September and November 2001, there was no interruption to services as national
staff continued the fitting of patients and successfully protected the equipment
and premises.[128]
Sandy Gall's Afghanistan Appeal (SGAA) engages in physical rehabilitation for
disabled persons, including the prosthetics, orthotics and physiotherapy, with a
staff of over 100 technicians and support staff. It has a rehabilitation center
in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, five outreach units in Kabul and one in
Peshawar (Pakistan). Funding for the program comes from the Diana, Princess of
Wales Memorial Fund, the Community Fund in the UK, the European Union, UNICEF,
and private donors. In March 2002, training commenced for 16-20 candidates in a
three-year physiotherapy training course in
Jalalabad.[129]
Guardians provide physical rehabilitation services to people with
disabilities, including landmine survivors, and limited health services. Its
main rehabilitation center/orthopedic workshop is located in Kandahar and it has
two health units in Quetta (Pakistan). Since June 2001, Handicap International
Belgium (HIB) has been working with Guardians in Kandahar. HIB is responsible
for the production of orthoses, wheelchairs and walking aids, while Guardians
produces and fits prostheses. Up to 11 September 2001, HIB produced 48
wheelchairs, 1,236 walking aids, and provided support to the physiotherapy
department. HIB also assisted disabled Afghan refugees in camps in Baluchistan
province, Pakistan. Activities focused on physiotherapy visits and the
production of 82 walking aids and 20 pairs of
crutches.[130]
The International Assistance Mission (IAM) provides a variety of
rehabilitation services to disabled people in Afghanistan including landmine
survivors. It operates the Noor Eye hospital in Kabul and eye clinics in Herat
and Mazar-i-Sahrif and provides financial and technical support to the
Physiotherapy School of Kabul and the Blind School of Kabul as well as providing
limited vocational training and primary mental health care.
The WHO Assessment report stated that “the international aid and donor
community have immense responsibilities to ensure that the health needs of
Afghans are being addressed, and met
accordingly.”[131] Early
indications suggest that donor funding is being made available to support
landmine survivor assistance programs in 2002 and beyond. Details are not
available to Landmine Monitor on all new programs to be introduced; however, at
least two programs will assist mine survivors in 2002. In January 2002, an
Indian orthopedic team arrived in Kabul with 1,000 prostheses for Afghan
amputees, which will be fitted free of charge. The Indian government funded the
project, with the prostheses provided by the BMVSS charity from Jaipur. Each
prosthetic leg comes with the so-called Jaipur foot, specially designed for
rough or hilly ground.[132] And
in May 2002, the Association for Aid and Relief-Japan (AAR) started a
physiotherapy program in Takhar province to assist disabled persons, including
landmine survivors.[133]
[1] Matthew Fisher, “War Stymies Mine
Work,” Ottawa Sun, 11 October
2001. [2] “Afghanistan: Concern
About Growing Mine Threat,” ICRC Press Release, Geneva, 4 October 2001;
Paul Watson, “A Hidden Enemy Lies in Wait on Afghan Soil,” Los
Angeles Times, 27 September 2001. [3]
Statements by Stephanie Bunker, spokesperson for the UN Humanitarian Coordinator
in Afghanistan, during a press briefing by the UN Offices for Pakistan and
Afghanistan, Islamabad, 25 September 2001 and 3 October
2001. [4] Statement by Stephanie Bunker,
UN Spokesperson, Islamabad, 11 October
2001. [5] Statement by Stephanie Bunker,
UN Spokesperson, Islamabad, 3 October
2001. [6] Statement by Stephanie Bunker,
UN Spokesperson, Islamabad, 25 September 2001; Statement by Antonio Donini,
Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, during a press briefing by the
UN Offices for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Islamabad, 20 October
2001. [7] Statement by Stephanie Bunker,
UN Spokesperson, Islamabad, 9 October
2001. [8] Statement by Stephanie Bunker,
UN Spokesperson, Islamabad, 27 October
2001. [9] Statement by Dan Kelly,
Program Manager, UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan, during a press briefing
by the UN Offices for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Islamabad, 24 October
2001. [10] Statement by Dan Kelly,
Program Manager of UNMACA for Afghanistan, Islamabad, 3 November 2001; Philip
Patterson, “Presentation by the MAPA,” to the Standing Committee on
Mine Clearance, Mine Awareness and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 30 January
2002. [11] Stephen Farrell,
“Cluster Bombs are New Danger to Mine Clearers,” London Times, 26
October 2001. [12] Statement by Dan
Kelly, Program Manager, UNMACA, Islamabad, 3 November
2001. [13] U.S. Department of State,
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs,
“The U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program in Afghanistan,” 1 December
2001. [14] Statement by Dan Kelly,
Program Manager, UNMACA, Islamabad, 9 November 2001; HALO press release,
“Humanitarian Mine Clearance Resumes in Afghanistan,” 19 November
2001; Danish Demining Group (DDG) email to Landmine Monitor (NPA), 29 July
2002. [15] Statement by Antonio Donini,
Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Islamabad, 7 December
2001. [16] Email to Landmine Monitor
(NPA) from Danish Demining Group (DDG), 29 July
2002. [17] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Tom Dibb, Central Asia Desk, HALO, 19 July
2002. [18] Statement by Peter John
Lesueur, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Adviser, Press Briefing by the UN Offices
for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Islamabad, 28 November
2001. [19] Danish Demining Group (DDG)
email to Landmine Monitor/Norwegian Peoples Aid, 29 July
2002. [20] Statement by Peter John
Lesueur, Islamabad, 28 November
2001. [21] Danish Demining Group (DDG)
email to Landmine Monitor/Norwegian Peoples Aid, 29 July
2002. [22] Statement by Stephanie
Bunker, UN Spokesperson, Islamabad, 29 November
2001. [23] Paul Heslop, Vice President
of HALO, quoted by Claire Soares, “Unexploded Munitions the Focus for
Afghan Deminers,” Reuters (Washington), 29 November
2001. [24] Statement by Yusuf Hasan, UN
Spokesperson, Press Briefing by the UN Offices for Pakistan and Afghanistan,
Kabul, 18 December 2001; Marcus George, “Afghanistan’s Hidden
Killers,” BBC, 10 December
2001. [25] Statement by Dan Kelly,
Program Manager UNMACA, Kabul, 18 December
2001. [26]
Ibid. [27] Statement by Eric Falt,
Director of the UN Information Center, Press Briefing by the UN Offices for
Pakistan and Afghanistan, Islamabad, 31 December
2001. [28] Presentation by Karim Fazel,
“NGO Activities (OMAR),” to the Standing Committee on Mine
Clearance, Mine Awareness and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva International
Center for Humanitarian Demining, Geneva, 30 January
2002. [29] Danish Demining Group (DDG)
email to Landmine Monitor/Norwegian Peoples Aid, 29 July
2002. [30] Charles Pope,
“Landmines Litter the Path to a Rebuilt Afghanistan,” Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, 30 November
2001. [31] Laura King, “US Aids
Humanitarian Shipments,” Associated Press, 5 December
2001. [32] “US Marines to Clear
Airport of Mines, Booby Traps,” Reuters, 4 December
2001. [33] Eric Slater, “Master
Blasters Detonate Dangers,” Los Angeles Times, 5 January
2002. [34] Kimberly Heffling,
“Land Mines Pose Danger at Kandahar,” Associated Press, 23 January
2002. [35] “Russia Plans to Build
Humanitarian and Mine Clearing Centers in Kabul,” Interfax, 4 February
2002. [36] “French Soldiers
Destroy 70,000 mines found at Kabul Airport,” Associated Press (Kabul), 6
February 2002. [37] Mark Magnier,
“$27 Million Pledged for De-Mining,” Los Angeles Times, 23 January
2002. [38] “Afghanistan’s
Cabinet ratifies treaty banning landmines,” Associated Press (Kabul), 29
July 2002. [39] Statement of Hamid
Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan, Tokyo, 21 January
2002. [40] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, pp. 497-499. The ACBL met with Burhanuddin Rabani in Faizabad on 3 May
2001. [41] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
pp. 498-499. [42] Information provided
to Landmine Monitor and ICBL by HALO and DDG, July
2002. [43] Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
pp. 497-500. [44] Philip Patterson,
“Presentation by the MAPA,” to the Standing Committee on Mine
Clearance, Mine Awareness, and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 30 January
2002. [45] Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, “Co-Chairs Summary of Conclusions: The International Conference
on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan: January 21-22, 2002,” 22
January 2002. [46] Interview with Noel
Spencer, Technical/Training Advisor MAPA, Islamabad, 24 January
2002. [47] UNDP and World Bank,
“Study of Socio-economic Impact of Landmines in Afghanistan,” June
2001, p. 6. [48] Philip Patterson,
Presentation by the MAPA to the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 30 January
2002. [49] MAPA Monthly Progress Report,
December 2001. [50] MAPA database GIS
information for December 2001. [51] MAPA
Monthly Progress Report, December
2001. [52] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [53]
Interview with Marc Yarmoshuk, GICHD, Islamabad, 23 January
2002. [54] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from SAC, 24 July 2002. [55] Email
from MAPA to Landmine Monitor/HRW, 25 June
2002. [56] Interview with Philip
Paterson, Deputy Program Manger, MAPA, Islamabad 23 January
2002. [57]
Ibid. [58] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [59] Email to
Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Tom Dibb, Central Asia Desk, HALO, 19 July
2002. [60] The UN Mine Action Program
for Afghanistan is comprised of the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan, five
UN Regional Mine Action Centers (RMACs), and fifteen implementing partners or
NGOs. MACA is the national coordinator. The RMACs are responsible for the
field level coordination and oversight of mine action activities in their
respective regions. [61] Email from MAPA
to Landmine Monitor/HRW, 25 June
2002. [62]
Ibid. [63]
Ibid. [64] UN MACA, “The United
Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan,” 1 July
2002. [65] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [66]
Ibid. [67] UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “OCHA Afghanistan Brief,” 2
May 2002. [68] Annual Report of MAPA for
2000, and MAPA’s Monthly Progress Report for August 2001, 15 October
2001. [69] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [70] The
Japanese government reports this as a pledge of $19.22 million, including $18.22
million to the UN and $1 million to the International Committee of the Red
Cross. [71] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [72] MAPA
Progress Report For December 2001, p.
1. [73] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [74]
Ibid. [75] UN MACA, “The United
Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan,” 1 July
2002. [76] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor/HRW, 25 June 2002. [77] MAPA
Database, Clearance reports by Agency from 1 January 2001 to 31 December
2001. [78] Email from ATC, 20 January
2002. [79] MAPA Database, Clearance
reports by Agency from 1 January 2001 to 31 December
2001. [80]
Ibid. [81] Response by fax from DDG, 23
January 2002. [82] Unless otherwise
noted, all information on DDG activities from email to Landmine
Monitor/Norwegian People’s Aid, 29 July
2002. [83] Telephone interview with
Abdul Sattar, Director DAFA, 22 January 2001; and response by fax from DAFA, 23
January 2002. [84] MAPA Database,
Clearance reports by Agency from 1 January 2001 to 31 December
2001. [85] MAPA Mine Action monthly
progress report, December 2001. [86]
Unless otherwise noted, information updated by email to Landmine Monitor (HRW)
from Tom Dibb, HALO, 19 July 2002. [87]
MAPA Database, Clearance reports by Agency from 1 January 2001 to 31 December
2001. [88] Interview with Mr.
Obaidullah, MDC and HADAF Newsletter of MDC, Volume 6, January 2002, p.
2. [89] MAPA progress report, December
2001. [90] In Afghanistan, Class 1 is
the disposal of all calibers of ammunition including aircraft bombs and guided
weapons. Class 2 is for the disposal of UXO between 85mm and
160mm. [91] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Tim Carstairs, MAG Director for Policy, 26 July
2002. [92] Information obtained from
MAPA’s Data section, 6 March
2002. [93] Response letter from META, 11
January 2002. [94] MAPA, National
Operational Plan for 2001, p. 9. [95]
MAPA, Monthly Progress Report for December 2000, 13 February 2001,
p.1. [96] Email from MAPA to Landmine
Monitor (HRW), 25 June 2002. [97] MAPA
Mine Awareness report from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001, p.
1. [98] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW)
from ICRC Legal Adviser, 8 August
2002. [99] Email from Yukie Osa,
AAR-Japan, 1 March 2002. [100] Email
from Pascal Rigaldies, Afghanistan Desk Officer, Handicap International Belgium,
16 July 2001. [101] ACBL Annual Report
2001. [102] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from ICRC Legal Adviser, 8 August
2002. [103] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 513. [104] ICRC Mine Action
Program, ICRC Mine Data Collection Programme Semi Annual Report January-June
2002, Kabul, June 2002. [105]
Ibid. [106] Email to Landmine Monitor
from Noorul-Haq, Projects Coordinator/Deputy Director, Mine Clearance Planning
Agency (MCPA), Kabul, 24 June
2002. [107] Email to Landmine Monitor
from Pascal Marlinge, Program Director for Afghanistan, Handicap International
Belgium, 26 June 2002. [108] ICRC Mine
Action Program, ICRC Mine Data Collection Programme Annual Report
January-December 2001, Kabul, February
2002. [109]
Ibid. [110] MAPA, Monthly Progress
Report for August, 15 October 2001, p.
3. [111] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW)
from Tom Dibb, HALO, 19 July 2002. [112]
Matthew Cox, “Booby-Trap Might Have Killed EOD Soldiers,” Army
Times, 29 April 2002. [113]
“Bosnian de-miner loses foot in Afghan blast,” Agence France Presse,
11 May 2002. [114] Doug Mellgren,
“U.S. Marine Loses Foot in Blast,” Associated Press, 17 December
2001; and “Second U.S. Serviceman Loses Foot in Mine Blast,”
Reuters, 19 December 2001. [115]
“First Australian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan,” Reuters, 16
February 2002; Mark Forbes, “SAS destroys weapons stashes,” The Age,
23 January 2002; “American soldier killed in Afghan land mine
blast,” CBC, 28 March 2002; and “U.S. Soldier Injured by Land mine
in Afghanistan,” Reuters, 12 February
2002. [116] “Canadians won’t
be deterred by ‘mad bomber’,” CBC, 3 March
2002. [117] John O’Callaghan,
“Afghan Soldiers Killed by Landmine, Grenade,” Reuters, 10 April
2002. [118] See also Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, pp. 514-517. [119] World
Health Organization (WHO), Reconstruction of the Afghanistan Health Sector: A
Preliminary Assessment of Needs and Opportunities December 2001 – January
2002, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, 2002, Document
WHO-EM/EHA/003/E/G/01.02, pp. 2-4. [120]
WHO health update Afghanistan, 5 April 2002, at
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/sasia/afghan/text/0405hcaid.htm (accessed
21 June 2002). [121] Theo Verhoeff,
Director of Physical Rehabilitation Programs, ICRC, address to the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 29
January 2002. [122] WHO, Reconstruction
of the Afghanistan Health Sector, 2002, pp.
8-9. [123] Theo Verhoeff, ICRC, address
to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, 29 January
2002. [124] “More than 50 MSF
international aid workers inside Afghanistan,” http://www.msf.org
(accessed 21 June 2002); see also “Regional Update: September 25, 2001,
MSF Programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran,”
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/2001/aip_09-2001.shtml (accessed 21
June 2002). [125] Email to Landmine
Monitor researcher for Italy from Giorgio Raineri, Emergency, Milan, 16 May
2002; and response to Landmine Monitor Survivor Assistance Questionnaire, 24
April 2002. [126] WHO, Reconstruction of
the Afghanistan Health Sector, 2002, p.
4. [127] “Rehabilitation and
socio-economic integration of victims and disabled people in Afghanistan”,
Portfolio of Landmine Victim Assistance Programs, accessed at
www.landminevap.org (11 July
2002). [128] ICRC Physical
Rehabilitation Programmes, Annual Report
2001. [129] “News Update –
February 2002”, Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal,
www.sandygallsafghanistanappeal.org (accessed 27 June
2002). [130] Handicap International
Belgium Activity Report 2001. [131] WHO,
Reconstruction of the Afghanistan Health Sector, 2002, p.
14. [132] Ian McWilliam, “Jaipur
foot for Afghan amputees: Thousands have lost limbs during 20 years of
war,” BBC, 4 January 2002. [133]
Information provided by Landmine Monitor researcher for Japan.
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