Summary
Zimbabwe, despite its limited capacities, is striving to do all that is possible to clear anti-personnel mines in compliance with the 1999 anti-personnel mine-ban treaty. Immediately after independence, donor funding was available from the US Government. It was used to fund the clearance of the Victoria Falls to Mlibizi minefield. The project was terminated after one-and-a-half years, however. The European Union (EU) also funded the clearance of the Musengezi-Rwenya minefield by commercial deminers during the same period.
Since the end of bilateral funding, the Zimbabwean Government has used its own resources to continue clearing remaining areas, covering an additional 202 square kilometres to date. The clearance of Victoria Falls to the Mlibizi minefield has been completed, and numerous corridors have been opened through minefields. The corridors allow the passage of people and livestock to areas beyond the minefields, and support economic activities and infrastructural development.
Anti-personnel mines harm the communities living in these areas in multiple ways. People are unable to carry out economic activities such as farming and grazing cattle due to the lack of access to land. Access to clean water sources and social service facilities is also a concern. In some cases, people and livestock have been killed and injured. Since 1980, 1,550 people have been reported killed or maimed, and 120,000 livestock have been killed. Tourism has been affected, especially in the Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Game Park, where access has been compromised.
Mine risk education is one area that still poses a challenge, with only 25,000 people having been reached since 2004. They include community leaders, mainly women and youth. There is an ongoing need for repeated messaging in mine-affected areas.
Each year, UN entities, nongovernmental organizations, national and local authorities and donors collaborate to assemble a national portfolio of mine action project proposals that together reflect the strategic response developed in the field to all aspects of the problem of landmines and explosive remnants of war. A Country Portfolio Coordinator, usually a representative of a UN agency or a national authority, coordinates meetings where all mine action actors agree on a set of projects and priorities and determine funding needs. The proposals in each country's portfolio are assembled with those of other participating countries and published jointly by the UN Mine Action Service, the UN Development Programme and UNICEF in an annual "Portfolio of Mine Action Projects." This publication serves as a tool for collaborative resource mobilization, coordination and planning of mine action activities. The Zimbabwe Country Portfolio Team's funding appeal for mine action projects in 2007 totals US $990,000.
Scope of the Problem
Zimbabwe still has 813.3 square kilometres (about 60 percent of the original area) of land contaminated with 2,603,400 anti-personnel mines. They are found in six well-marked areas: Victoria Falls to Mlibizi, Mukumbura-Rwenya, Sheba Forest to Beacon Hill, Burma Valley, Rusitu to Muzite, and Sango Border to Crooks Corner along the borders with Zambia to the north and Mozambique to the east and south-east.
Areas that still need to be cleared include Musengezi to the Rwenya minefield (435.5 square kilometres), Sheba Forest to the Beacon Hill minefield (65 square kilometres), Rusitu to the Muzite Mission minefield (97.5 square kilometres), the Burma Valley minefield (3.9 square kilometres), Sango Border Post to the Crooks Corner minefield (182 square kilometres, with 5.6 square kilometres of this area already cleared under current operations), and other unmarked areas (24.4 square kilometres).
Most of the known minefields have been surveyed except for the Burma Valley, Forbes Border Post, Lusulu and Kariba minefields, where technical surveys need to be conducted.
Currently, the Zimbabwe Mine Action Centre (ZIMAC) is using military engineers to demine the Sango Border Post to the Crooks Corner minefield. A team of 6 officers and 132 men is deployed for humanitarian demining. In carrying out demining operations, both mechanical and manual means are used. Extensive mine risk education campaigns are carried out in the affected areas.
Coordination and Consultation
ZIMAC coordinates all stakeholders working on land mine issues in the country. It operates under the National Mine Action Authority, a statutory body with membership from all economic and social ministries, civil society organizations and communities.
The mine action programme is nationally executed and implemented by the Government through ZIMAC. Financial management arrangements are the task of the Ministry of Finance. It has the overall responsibility for all UN Development Programme (UNDP)-supported activities, including this year's Mine Action Portfolio submission.
Strategy
The key strategic issues for ZIMAC are capacity building and institutional strengthening; opening cleared areas for infrastructure and economic development; and the rehabilitation of mine victims.
The mine action programme aims to build a critical mass of national capacity and resources at ZIMAC in landmine clearance, mine risk education and the rehabilitation of people affected by landmines. As clearance requires substantive resources, success in this area could be used as an advocacy tool for resource mobilization so that Zimbabwe can meet its obligations under the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty.
Date Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty signed: Dec 03, 1997
Date of Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty ratification or accession: Jun 18, 1998
Consents to be bound by Protocol II of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons: N/A
Consents to be bound by Amended Protocol II of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons: N/A
Date signed Protocol V of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons: N/A