Summary
The international community is providing assistance to authorities in Somalia through the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in South Central Somalia, and a multi-year UN Development Programme (UNDP) Rule of Law and Security (ROLS) Programme in Somaliland and Puntland.
In South Central Somalia, UNMAS' UN Somalia Mine Action (UNSOMA) project will continue supporting three types of activities in 2010: emergency humanitarian mine action assistance to address immediate threats to civilians; support to the peace and reconciliation process through training and support to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG); and technical advice, training and support to the African Union peacekeeping force, AMISOM.
Despite the unstable security situation in South Central Somalia, UNMAS, with the Government, local authorities, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Danish Demining Group (DDG) and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), will initiate mine risk education, surveys and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training to ensure a consistent, coordinated emergency mine action response.
The UNDP ROLS Programme aims to enhance the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia by improving civilian policing, increasing access to justice, ensuring the demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, implementing mine action, establishing small arms control, and supporting respect for and enforcement of human rights.
In particular, the programme supports national mine action coordination institutions, fosters national mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) clearance capacities, and gathers and analyses impact data to plan for future mine action. The programme also seeks to ensure that clearance is coordinated; that effective capacity is sustainable; and that the constraints from contaminated land and causalities are reduced.
Despite significant challenges in security and access throughout Somalia, UNDP's continued presence and assistance have resulted in the creation of national demining capacities and mine action coordination structures in both Somaliland and Puntland.
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 Somalia Country Portfolio Team's funding appeal for mine action projects in 2007 totals US $14,579,957.
Scope of the Problem
The first mine laying in Somalia occurred during the 1964 and 1977 Ogaden wars, when minefields were established along the Ethiopian border. This was followed by the mining of strategic facilities, camps and towns in the 1970s and 1980s during the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) insurgency in north-east Somalia (Puntland), and during the 1988-1991 war of secession in Somaliland (north-west Somalia) by the Somaliland National Movement (SNM). The break-up of Somalia in 1991 led to inter-clan fighting where mines were widely used.
Results from the Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) in four regions of Somaliland show some 357 affected communities and some 772 suspected hazardous areas. Of these, 45 are deemed to have high impacts, 102 moderate impacts and 210 low impacts. The affected population is estimated at 1,340,600 people.
Phase II and Phase III of the LIS for Puntland have been completed, revealing similar levels of contamination along the Ethiopian border and southern clan border areas, and less contamination in coastal and northern regions.
A significant problem facing planning for mine action in South Central Somalia is the lack of reliable information. Since the establishment of a coordinated mine action response in South Central Somalia in late 2007, over 60 communities in the Bay and Bakol regions have been identified as affected by mines and ERW. DDG has also marked 57 dangerous areas in Mogadishu. Ongoing population of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database for South Central Somalia through victim surveillance and survey will be a priority.
The lack of reliable information has resulted in wasted efforts by clearance organizations, such as double clearance of some areas during early interventions in Somaliland. The continued building of national ownership of the Somaliland Mine Action Centre (SMAC) and the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC) will ensure that future efforts can be undertaken in a coordinated manner, based on adequate analysis of information and data to guide and direct clearance activities.
Coordination and Consultation
Due to the current political situation in Somalia, coordination of mine action in South Central Somalia is led by UNMAS, whereas UNDP supports SMAC and PMAC in Somaliland and Puntland, respectively.
In South Central Somalia, UNMAS is working with the TFG, local authorities, protection and health networks, and other humanitarian actors. Coordination of mine action activities is carried out by UNMAS in collaboration with the South Central Mine Action Mine Action Centre (SCMAC), established in Baidoa in 2008. It will continue to play an increasingly important humanitarian coordination role. An emergency mine risk education programme is also being implemented in coordination with UNICEF and UNHCR as part of essential protection activities.
In Somaliland, the national coordination body is the SMAC, which is supported by UNDP. The SMAC coordinates mine action on behalf of the Somaliland authorities and is under the Office of the Vice President. It organizes monthly mine action coordination meetings. In addition, a mine risk education working group has been established to coordinate efforts in Somaliland. There are also two international demining agencies (DDG and The HALO Trust), one international mine risk education agency (Handicap International, or HI) working in cooperation with UNICEF, and a national police EOD capacity.
Somaliland has a national policy on mine action and a strategic plan. The plan was developed in the latter half of 2003, based on the results of the LIS conducted by DDG and the Survey Action Center (SAC). Produced with the assistance of Cranfield University and funded by UNDP, the plan is in line with the national development plan drafted in 2003. It clearly lays out the structure for mine action, and includes a mine action commission, board of donors and implementing partners.
In Puntland, the PMAC is the coordination body. It is currently devising a medium-term strategy for its activities, and was the implementing agency for the LIS with advice from the SAC in the Bari, Nugaal, Mudug, Sool and Sanaag Regions.
Strategy
The mine action strategy for Somalia encompasses three separate strategies due to the political situation. UNDP is the lead agency for mine action in northern Somalia (Somaliland and Puntland). Due to the humanitarian nature of the situation in South Central Somalia, UNMAS has been the lead agency since early 2009. UNICEF supports the coordination and implementation of mine risk education activities in all regions of Somalia.
The SMAC is responsible for coordinating mine action and quality assurance with the support of UNDP. UNDP has established five police EOD teams and is now working to build a regional mine clearance capacity in Somaliland. These two projects will require support to develop new capacities and maintain existing structures.
In Puntland, significant progress has been made in creating and operationalizing the PMAC, and building the capacity for unexploded ordnance clearance. Phase II of the Somalia LIS has been completed in the three regions of Puntland, and with the recent finalization of Phase III in Sool and Sanaang regions, the whole of Somaliland and Puntland have now been surveyed. Since it is less institutionally developed, the Somaliland region will require support for continued capacity development.
Due to the volatile political and security situation in South Central Somalia, a coordinated strategic plan does not exist. UNMAS will continue to ensure that an adequate humanitarian mine action response involving all five pillars of mine action addresses the urgent needs of the Somali population. In 2010, this will include supporting the existing police EOD teams and training further police teams whose engagement will lead to better information-gathering and greater access to affected areas. UNSOMA will continue to work with the TFG to support the development of emergency humanitarian mine action coordination capacities. Expanded monitoring and reporting of casualty and contamination data within South Central Somalia will enable programming to better meet the needs of the most vulnerable groups. Furthermore, in support of the peace and reconstruction process, UNMAS will ensure humanitarian mine action efforts are coordinated with the AMISOM peacekeeping mission, UN agencies, and humanitarian and development actors.
UNDP, UNMAS and UNICEF will strive to mobilize resources and commitments to respond to emergency mine and ERW needs. This will require significant resource support.
Date Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty signed: N/A
Date of Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty ratification or accession: N/A
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