Key developments since May 2003: Tunisia completed destruction of
its stockpile of 18,259 antipersonnel mines in September 2003. It is retaining
5,000 mines for training purposes. In June 2003, an inter-ministerial committee
to coordinate implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty was established.
Key developments since 1999: Tunisia ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on
9 July 1999 and it entered into force on 1 January 2000. Tunisia submitted its
initial Article 7 transparency report in July 2000, providing details on its
stockpile of antipersonnel mines and five mined areas for the first time. In
January 2002, the government hosted a regional seminar on the Mine Ban Treaty in
North Africa. MAG and UNMAS conducted assessment missions in December 2002 and
January 2003 to examine Tunisia’s mine clearance needs. In June 2003, an
inter-ministerial committee to coordinate implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty
was established. Tunisia completed destruction of its stockpile of 18,259
antipersonnel mines in September 2003.
Mine Ban Policy
The Republic of Tunisia participated in the Ottawa Process leading to the
Mine Ban Treaty initially as an observer, but signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3
December 1997. It ratified on 9 July 1999, and the treaty entered into force on
1 January 2000. Since 1996, Tunisia has voted in favor of every annual pro-ban
UN General Assembly resolution, including UNGA Resolution 58/53 on 8 December
2003.
Tunisia believes that existing domestic laws are sufficient to cover any
violations of the Mine Ban Treaty, and thus it has not enacted new legal
measures to implement the
treaty.[1] In June 2003,
Tunisia established an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate implementation
of the Mine Ban Treaty. The committee oversees activities including submission
of its transparency reports, participation in treaty meetings, forming
relationships with states parties and NGOs, and national efforts on mine
awareness and victim
assistance.[2] It includes
representatives of the Prime Minister as well as the Ministries of Defense,
Interior and Local Development, Foreign Affairs, Public Health, and Social
Affairs and Solidarity.[3]
Tunisia submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report on 9 July 2000,
providing details on its stockpile of antipersonnel mines and five mined areas
for the first time. Tunisia did not submit the required annual updated Article
7 transparency report in 2001, but has since submitted four updates, including
on 8 September 2003 and on 5 May
2004.[4]
Tunisia has participated in two of the five annual Meetings of States Parties
(2000 and 2002), and every session of the intersessional Standing Committees
except in May 2001. From 15-16 January 2002, Tunisia hosted a regional seminar
on the Mine Ban Treaty in North Africa. It also attended a regional landmines
meeting held in Mali in February 2001.
Tunisia has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties have
had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2,
and 3. Thus, it has not made known its views on the issues of joint military
operations with non-States Parties, foreign stockpiling and transit of
antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling
devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.
Tunisia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its 1980
Protocol II, but has not ratified Amended Protocol II on landmines. It attended
the Fifth Annual Conference of the States Parties to Protocol II in November
2003 as an observer.
Production, Transfer, Use, Stockpiling and Destruction
Tunisia has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines. It reports last
using antipersonnel mines in February
1980.[5] Its stockpile included
mines imported from France, the United States, and Yugoslavia.
Tunisia’s original stockpile contained 23,259
mines.[6] A total of 5,000 of
these mines have been retained for training and research purposes under Article
3: 4,000 PMA-3 mines and 1,000 PROM-1
mines.[7]
Tunisia completed destruction of its 18,259 stockpiled antipersonnel mines on
4 September 2003, destroying a final 3,015 mines. It finished four months ahead
of its treaty-mandated deadline of 1 January
2004.[8] The destruction
operation began on 30 June 1999 with the destruction of 1,000 antipersonnel
mines.[9] It was carried out in
phases: 12 January 2000 (1,000 mines), 5 September 2002 (5,000
mines),[10] 12 December 2002
(4,684 M-51 mines),[11] and 12
June 2003 (3,560 mines).[12]
The national army carried out the destruction by open detonation, sometimes in
front of invited witnesses including diplomats and United Nations
officials.[13]
Landmine Problem
Tunisia is mine-affected, but officials state that the mines have little
humanitarian impact; mine incidents are rare because the mined areas are remote
and difficult to access.[14] A
March 2003 assessment report by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) described the
problem as a relatively low-impact landmine presence and noted that the nine
minefields maintained by the Tunisian military are not very dangerous for the
local population, because they are clearly identified and located in the
less-populated border
zones.[15]
Minefields were emplaced by Tunisia in 1976 and 1980. In addition, mines and
unexploded ordnance (UXO) remain in World War II-era battlefields. Areas
suspected of containing mines and UXO are located in three parts of the country:
in Mareth, Matmata and Elhamma regions in the south; Kasserine and Faiedh
regions in the center; and Cap-Bon and the northwest regions in the
north.[16]
Tunisia has disclosed information about nine minefields containing 3,526
antipersonnel mines and 1,530 antivehicle mines, emplaced by its Army in four
areas along the Tunisian border with Libya (at Ras Jedir, M’guisem, Bir
Zar, and M’chiguig) and a fifth area where the borders of Tunisia,
Algeria, and Libya meet (at Borj
El-Khadhra).[17]
Tunisian officials state that the nature of the soil in the desert areas
causes the emplaced mines to shift locations, reducing the reliability of the
records made at the time the mines were
laid.[18] According to the UN,
the minefields are marked and extensively fenced with barbed wire, which is
maintained regularly by the
Army.[19]
Mine Action
There is currently no national body to comprehensively address the mine
problem in Tunisia. In September 2002, Tunisia made a plea for assistance to
help initiate mine action activities in the
country.[20] From 9 to 18
December 2002, the UK-based mine clearance NGO, Mines Advisory Group (MAG),
undertook an assessment mission to Tunisia, with the support of Canada. Another
assessment mission by UNMAS took place from 20 to 24 January 2003. Tunisian
officials consider the missions as the first elementary stage of mine action
activities in the country.[21]
The UNMAS mission concluded that demining the nine minefields should take about
six months and cost about $1
million.[22] Tunisia is
obligated by the Mine Ban Treaty to destroy all mines in mined areas as soon as
possible, but no later than January 2010.
The national Army is the only body authorized to take any practical actions
related to landmines or UXO, but it did not engage in mine clearance in 2003.
Between 1991 and March 2001, 6,997 mines and UXO were reported
cleared.[23] While the
Army’s capabilities are adequate for the performance of military clearance
and emergency UXO response, the UN believes some technical and procedural
adjustments will be necessary before the Army can engage in humanitarian
demining.[24]
There are no formal mine risk education programs in Tunisia, but authorities
maintain that they take all necessary measures to alert civilians of mined
areas.[25] The UNMAS assessment
suggested there should be a national campaign for mine/UXO risk education done
“delicately,” so that the program does not cause civilian panic and
exacerbate the problem; it suggested the Tunisian Red Cross could be in charge
of this.[26]
Landmine Casualties and Survivor Assistance
In 2003, no new landmine casualties were reported in
Tunisia.[27] The last reported
mine incident occurred in January 2002 when two shepherds were injured by an
antipersonnel mine that exploded in a fire in the Kairouan
area.[28] According to UNMAS,
four civilian mine casualties were registered in the preceding two
years.[29] Between 1991 and
1996, Tunisian authorities registered three mine and UXO
casualties.[30] No mine
casualties were reported in the first half of 2004.
Tunisia has a well-developed public healthcare system, including emergency
care and orthopedic services available from hospitals and regional
dispensaries.[31] The Center
for Professional Rehabilitation (Centre de Réadaption Professionnelle des
Handicapés Moteurs et des Accidentés de la Vie) provides
facilities for physical rehabilitation. The Ministry of Disabled Affairs is
responsible for the care of all persons with disabilities in Tunisia, including
landmine/UXO survivors.[32]
[1] Tunisia cites Laws 69-33, 96-63, and
70-60. Interview with Mona Mechareq, Disarmament Department, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Geneva, 14 May 2003; Article 7 Report, 5 May
2004. [2] Official Journal of the
Republic of Tunisia, Decree number 1266/2003, 9 June
2003. [3]
Ibid. [4] See Article 7 Report
submitted: 5 May 2004 (for the period 8 September 2003 – 5 May 2004), 8
September 2003 (for the period 15 April 2003 – 8 September 2003), 7 May
2003 (for the period 12 December 2002 – 15 April 2003), 4 October 2002
(for the period 1 July 2000 – 10 September 2002), and 9 July 2000 (for the
period 1 January 2000 – 30 June
2000). [5] Article 7 Report, Form C, 5
May 2004. [6] In its July 2000 Article
7 report, Tunisia reported a stockpile of 17,575 antipersonnel mines including
5,010 undetectable Mle 51 mines (manufactured by France), 6,331 M2 bounding
mines (USA), 684 PMA1 and 3,550 PMA3 pressure mines (former Yugoslavia), and
2,000 PROM1 bounding fragmentation mines (former Yugoslavia). The 5,000 mines
retained for training were in addition to this
number. [7] Article 7 Reports, Form D,
9 July 2000, 4 October 2002, 7 May 2003, 8 September 2003, 5 May
2004. [8] Article 7 Report, Form G, 8
September 2003. [9] Article 7 Report,
Form G, 4 October 2002. [10]
Ibid. [11] Article 7 Report, Form G, 7
May 2003. [12] Article 7 Report, Form
G, 8 September 2003. [13] Article 7
Report, Form G, 7 May 2003. [14]
Interview with Tunisian delegate, intersessional Standing Committee meeting,
Geneva, February 2004. [15] UN Mine
Action Service, “United Nations Assessment Mission on the Problem of
Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance in Tunisia,” March 2003, p.
13. [16] Article 7 reports, Form C, 9
July 2000, 4 October 2002, 7 May 2003, 8 September 2003, and 5 May
2004. [17] The minefields are: Ras
Jedir (1,327 AP mines and 368 AV mines), M’guisem (726 AP mines and 318 AV
mines), Bir Zar, (173 AP mines and 81 AV mines), M’chiguig
“76” (178 AP mines and 15 AV mines), M’chiguig
“80” (315 AP mines), Borj El-Khadhra “76” (132 AP mines
and 154 AV mines), Borj El-Khadhra “A” (182 AP mines and 102 AV
mines), Borj El-Khadhra “B” (238 AP mines and 238 AV mines) and Borj
El-Khadhra “C” (255 AP mines and 254 AV mines). Article 7 reports,
Form C, 4 October 2002, 7 May 2003, 8 September 2003, 5 May
2004. [18] Intervention by Tunisian
Delegation, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education, and Mine
Action Technologies, Geneva, 5 February
2003. [19] UNMAS, “UN Assessment
Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p.
8. [20] Tunisia last requested
international assistance in 2002. See Statement by Ambassador Ali Hachani,
Fourth Meeting of States Parties, 18 September
2002. [21] Interview with Mona
Mechareq, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geneva, 23 June
2004. [22] UNMAS, “UN Assessment
Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p.
17. [23] Document provided to Landmine
Monitor by Tunisian authorities on 25 April 2001.
[24] UNMAS, “UN Assessment
Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p.
10. [25] Article 7 Report, Form I, 5
May 2004. [26] UNMAS, “UN
Assessment Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p.
15. [27] Interview with Tunisian
delegate, intersessional Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, February
2004. [28] UNMAS, “UN Assessment
Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p. 8.
[29] Ibid; Mine Action Support Group
Newsletter, June 2003, p. 6. [30] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
497-498. [31] UNMAS, “UN
Assessment Mission to Tunisia,” March 2003, p.
11. [32] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 498.