| New Landmines for Iraq, Post Nairobi Perspectives, Speech by Desmond Tutu... In this edition. . .
New Landmines for Iraq Raise Fears of Civilian Risk Human Rights Watch Washington - The U.S. Army plans to deploy a new system of remote-controlled antipersonnel mines in Iraq by May, but the Pentagon has failed to answer crucial questions about the potential harm these mines could pose to innocent civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. The new mine system, which is called Matrix, allows a soldier with a laptop computer based several kilometers away to detonate Claymore mines remotely via radio signal. Claymore mines normally propel lethal fragments from 40 to 60 meters across a 60-degree arc. However, U.S. Army tests indicate that the actual hazard range for these types of mines can be as high as 300 meters. The plan to use the Matrix Claymore mine system raises two key unanswered questions in terms of their humanitarian impact. The first is how a soldier will be able to make a positive identification of his target from great distances. "A faraway blip on a laptop screen is hardly a surefire method of determining if you are about to kill an enemy combatant or an unsuspecting civilian," said Steve Goose, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Arms Division. The second key humanitarian question is whether the mines could be inadvertently detonated by civilians themselves, rather than a U.S. soldier operating the system. The original technology behind Matrix was designed with a "battlefield override" feature that substituted activation by a victim for detonation by command. Victim-activated Claymore mines are prohibited by the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which has been agreed to by 152 nations but not the United States. "The Pentagon needs to give concrete assurances that innocent civilians can’t accidentally detonate these new Matrix mines," said Goose. "Otherwise, this system would end up functioning like the old-fashioned antipersonnel mines that more than three-quarters of the world’s nations have banned." One year ago, on February 27, 2004, the Bush administration announced the outcome of a lengthy review of U.S. landmine policy, rejecting U.S. accession to the Mine Ban Treaty outright. The new policy reversed a 10-year pledge by the United States to eliminate all antipersonnel landmines. Instead, the Bush administration opted to retain self-destructing and self-deactivating antipersonnel mines indefinitely. It is not known whether Matrix possesses a feature to self-destruct or self-deactivate. Human Rights Watch has expressed concerns that the new U.S. policy has set the stage for the United States to resume production, trade and use of antipersonnel mines prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty. The U.S. has not used such mines since the 1991 Gulf War, has not exported them since 1992, and has not produced them since 1997. The Army’s high-tech Stryker Brigade plans
to field a total of 25 Matrix systems in Iraq by May, according
to an article in the March edition of National Defense Magazine.
The mines will reportedly be used primarily to protect bases. Take Action on the Matrix Mine System We need to learn more about the proposed deployment of the Matrix Mine System. Follow the links below and you will be directed to action alerts calling for letters to Congress and the Pentagon. Post Nairobi Summit: Perspectives on Global Policies to End the Landmine Crisis The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and UNA-USA held a convention March 2-7, 2005, in New York City to commemorate the UN’s 60th Anniversary. As part of this convention, Adopt-A-Minefield held a panel discussion on Member’s Day, March 5th, titled Post Nairobi Summit: Perspectives on Global Policies to End the Landmine Crisis. In light of the recent Nairobi Summit review of the Mine Ban Treaty, the purpose of the panel discussion was to explore the many debates within the mine action community regarding the best ways to save lives and promote post-conflict reconstruction. Panelists provided viewpoints on the most effective means to achieve these critical goals through national and international policies. Follow this link http://www.state.gov/ to read the speech by Richard Kidd, the Director of the Weapons Removal and Abatement Office of the State Department. His speech at the Adopt-A-Minefield event gives a good overview of the Bush administration’s views on the landmine crisis. Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships for Humanitarian Mine Action State Department The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs invited non-governmental organizations, foreign officials and Federal agencies to a meeting February 9-11 in Washington to study new ways that the public and private sectors can cooperate to make the world safe from the devastating humanitarian impact of persistent landmines. More than 80 representatives from civic associations, demining organizations, and humanitarian groups, including officials from Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq and the United States analyzed the results of the public-private partnership program. The program reinforces humanitarian mine action, mine clearance, mine risk education and mine survivors’ assistance. Additionally, the attendees charted new initiatives to better harmonize non-governmental organizations’ mine action programs and to increase civil society support. The workshop, organized by the Bureau’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement and facilitated by James Madison University’s Mine Action Information Center, also familiarized participants with the humanitarian and security threats posed by illicitly trafficked small arms and light weapons to include man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). As with persistent landmines, uncontrolled and illegally trafficked small arms and light weapons endanger public health and hinder development. The results of the workshop and a calendar of evolving post-workshop initiatives will soon be posted at a special website hosted by the Mine Action Information Center. Dream to Reality: The Ban on Antipersonnel Landmines, by Desmond Tutu Monday 28 February 2005 Desmond Tutu, Anglican bishop of South Africa, spoke at the launch of the South African Campaign to Ban Landmines, an ICBL member. He speaks here about what has been achieved since then and the challenges that remain. (Credit: http://nobelprize.org.) When we started working to eradicate antipersonnel landmines I could not have dreamt that so much would be achieved in a such a short period. In 1996 I addressed African leaders who had come together to talk about building a mine-free continent. There I argued that history and humanity would be on their side if they foreswore this diabolical weapon. Indeed, this has turned out to be true. Today, 3⁄4 of the world has taken sides
and chosen to abolish this inhumane and indiscriminate weapon. The Treaty is itself a major accomplishment. For the first time ever, civil society and governments worked together to forge an agreement that outlaws a conventional weapon in widespread use. The Mine Ban Treaty, which opened for signature in Ottawa seven years ago, prohibits all use, production or trade of antipersonnel mines, and requires destruction of stockpiled mines in four years, clearance of mined areas in ten, and assistance to mine victims. LEADERSHIP FROM AFRICA It is unfortunate that there are still a few dozen nations that shy away from the ban, including China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Russia and the USA. But these non-member states are increasingly responding to international pressure. Some are in de facto compliance with different aspects of the agreement. China, for example, no longer produces landmines for export and the USA contributes greatly to mine action efforts. Finland, Israel and Poland, non-member states and former producers, have given up production. Positive trends This reminds us how important it is to keep following developments and to condemn loudly and clearly when anyone - whether government or rebel group - uses antipersonnel landmines. Not only has new use declined dramatically, but the Treaty has also made a real difference on the ground. Since 1999 hundreds of square kilometres of land has been cleared and put back into productive use, allowing war-torn communities to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. In many countries this has helped to reduce new casualties each year. But this should not be a signal for complacency. African leaders were at the forefront of the movement to ban antipersonnel landmines and it is important that they face the remaining challenges. One significant challenge is to cut the number of landmine casualties even further and make sure that the needs and rights of survivors are upheld. Another is to accelerate clearance of mined areas in order to ensure that the 10-year treaty deadline is met, a deadline which is only five years away for some states. It is true that there are many other problems in Africa, such as poverty and HIV/AIDS. But the landmine issue is integrally linked, burdening over-stretched healthcare services and depriving impoverished communities of productive land. In addition to the economic benefits of banning landmines, states need to consider their moral obligation to protect their citizens. For Treaty State Parties, clearance of mined areas and assistance to victims are also legal obligations. The survivors Little Elsa is one of these children. This Angolan girl lost a limb, an eye and her mother to a landmine in the mid-90s. She became a poster child for the campaign against landmines after being photographed amongst ruined buildings in Quito. Now a teenager, she will need not only new prosthetic limbs as she continues to grow, but support to be educated and become a fully integrated member of her community. People like Elsa motivated us to start this work in the first place and they should remain at the center of efforts towards a mine-free world. Everyone who has been part of the landmine ban movement – whether from governments, NGOs or international agencies and institutions – should be rightly proud of what has been accomplished through our common efforts to rid the world of this daily weapon of terror. The Mine Ban Treaty is the comprehensive framework for the possibility of a world free of landmines. Wanted: bold and daring leadership A biography of Bishop Tutu can be found at: http://nobelprize.org/ A World of Difference Apollo Classes Raise Money to Rid Globe of Landmines Kristine Hughes Teacher Scott Sellers is mobilizing an army of world geography students to increase awareness about the effects of landmines across the globe. It goes far beyond a paper campaign. The ninth-grade, pre-Advanced Placement students from Apollo Junior High are trying to raise $20,000 to buy and deploy a dog trained for the Marshall Legacy Institute's K9 Demining Corps. "There are a lot of people getting hurt by [landmines] every day," said 14-year-old Amanda Schryver, one of the 150 students in the project. "They're innocent kids, adults, animals." Were she to face something similar in her life, she said, "That would be really stressful. I can't even imagine that." The students have named their project MIRACLE for "Many Individuals Raising Awareness Clearing Landmines Everywhere." To view the entire article, go to: Anti-Mine Lobby Lists 90 Blighted Lands Richard Norton-Taylor More than 90 countries or disputed territories are contaminated by unexploded weapons, and more than 50 by anti-vehicle mines, according to the first global survey of their impact on civilians, aid workers and peacekeepers, published today. The report is published by Landmine Action, an independent campaigning group, to coincide with a meeting of the UN's Conventional Weapons Convention in Geneva to discuss ways to control the use of anti-vehicle mines and cluster bombs. "Explosive remnants of war are costing civilian lives and livelihoods in 90 countries, many of them the world's poorest" says Richard Lloyd, director of Landmine Action. He adds: "Anti-tank mines are stopping the delivery of water, food, healthcare and other humanitarian services in impoverished countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Angola. This leaves the most vulnerable populations even weaker." He called on Britain to take the lead in pushing for an effective legal framework to protect civilians from unexploded weapons and help the victims. The report says that in Iraq, more than 2,200 sites contaminated by unexploded cluster "bomblets" have been identified along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Many accidents in the south and centre of the country are the result of people handling unexploded bombs, mortars and grenades to sell on, partly as scrap metal. There are believed to be 800 refuse sites around Baghdad contaminated by cluster bombs and dumped munitions. In Kosovo, the report continues, 75 areas of cluster munition contamination remain, nearly six years after Nato's bombing campaign. Continuing civil unrest in Kosovo has resulted in criminal gangs using anti-tank mines as booby traps. Following legal action against the British government over accidents at firing ranges in Kenya, 1,280 villagers received compensation payments totaling £5m. Forty-five routes in the Nuba Mountains area in Sudan, have been identified as "high-risk, suspect or reportedly mined". Humanitarian agencies have had to travel further and pay more to deliver aid because of anti-tank mines. Agricultural land has been abandoned after tractors hit mines. In Angola, anti-vehicle mines block access in all 18 provinces, preventing distribution of humanitarian aid and denying freedom of movement to thousands of internally displaced people and other civilians. In September 2003, a vehicle taking displaced people to their homeland hit a landmine in Malange, killing 10 and injuring 30. In Ethiopia, UN agencies suspended work after a truck detonated a mine in April, 2004. In Afghanistan the same year, eight civilians were killed when their pick-up truck hit an anti-vehicle mine. For more information about the US Campaign to Ban Landmines or to donate on-line, please see our website at www.banminesusa.org U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines To stop receiving these updates and action alerts, please write to landmines@fcnl.org from the email address that receives the newsletter and ask us to take you off the list. |
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