MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Land de-mine increase threatened by drop in global funding

More land was de-mined in 2005 than before, but global funding for mine action decreased for the first time raising concerns about future progress in eradicating mines, according to Landmine Monitor Report 2006. Toward a Mine-Free World released Wednesday in the United Nations by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, ICBL.

The Landmine monitor reports that mine action programs in 2005 de-mined more than 740 square kilometres, an area equal to the size of New York City, and more than in any other year since the start of modern de-mining in the late 1980's. This included active clearance of a total of almost 145 square kilometres of mined areas and 190 square kilometres of battlefields. More than 470.000 landmines including around 450.000 antipersonnel mines and more than 3.75 million explosive devices were removed and destroyed.

"Record de-mining was reported in 2005", said Stuart Maslen of Norwegian People's Aid, Landmine Monitor's Mine Action Editor. "But landmines remain in over 78 countries and seven territories. Global mine action funding will need to be sustained is states are to complete mine clearance in time".

Guatemala and Suriname completed clearance of all mined areas in 2005. Twenty nine countries still have to meet deadlines set down by the Mine Ban Treaty to clear all antipersonnel mines on their territory by 2009 or 2010. Thirteen are not on track to meet this target, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Mozambique and Thailand.

"Countries who joined the treaty committed themselves to finish de-mining in ten years", said Ms Jody Williams ICBL Ambassador, who shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize with the ICBL.

"The longer states take to clear these mines, the longer these mines wait in the ground for innocent civilians to step on", she said.

The report says three governments used antipersonnel mines in 2005/06: Burma/Myanmar, Nepal and Russia. Non state armed groups in at least ten countries used anti personnel mines or antipersonnel mine-like improvised explosive devices.

For the first time, Landmine Monitor recorded mine risk education, MRE activities in China, while new projects and activities were recorded in 28 countries. Despite these efforts, reported casualties, which are often less than half of the real number, totaled 7.328 in 2005, an 11% increase from 2004. Over 80% of new casualties were civilians including Burma/Myanmar, India, Nepal and Pakistan, with Colombia having the highest number of recorded casualties, 1.110.

The Colombian terrorist group FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) "continues to be the main planter of antipersonnel mines in the country and possibly the world", said the Monitor adding that FARC has extended mining activities to municipalities that until now were free of these deadly and mutilating explosives.

The number of mine survivors increases each year, and these survivors often have life-long needs. Up to 500.000 people alive today have survived a landmine explosion. But millions more continue to live in mine-affected areas and funding for survivor assistance remains insufficient and programs are inadequate in all but 10 of the 58 countries which recorded mine casualties in 2005.

"In addition to overcoming physical and psychological trauma, many survivors also struggle to achieve social acceptance, gain meaningful employment and ensure their rights as disabled people are respected", said Ms Kathleen Maes from Handicap International, Landmine Monitor's Victim Assistance Editor.

The European Commission, United States and eight other major donors decreased support for mine action in 2005. Mine action includes mine clearance, mine risk education, stockpile destruction, survivor assistance and promotion of the mine ban. In 2005, global mine action funding totaled 376 million US dollars, 23 million less than in the previous year.

Currently there are 151 States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, three countries have signed but not ratified, forty countries remain outside including China, Russia, United States and Israel. The treaty comprehensively prohibits use, production and trade of antipersonnel landmines, requiring clearance of mined areas within ten years and the destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel mines within four years.

Landmine Monitor reports on the global landmine situation and scrutinizes the implementation of and compliance with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. The 2006 report includes information in 126 countries and areas.