Humanitarian Mine Action in Mozambique
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Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 6 Issue 2 The Journal of Mine Action Article 8 August 2002 Humanitarian Mine Action in Mozambique Hildegard Scheu Consultant Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Scheu, Hildegard (2002) "Humanitarian Mine Action in Mozambique," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol6/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Scheu: Humanitarian Mine Action in Mozambique structure organisational responses. "7 mid-I 993 a tender process for a $12 mil to in tegrate overall development priori lion road clearance contract. A consor ties in the national plan, IND organises Humanitarian Mine History ofMine Action tium of commercial companies was fi inter-ministerial coordination biannually. Mine action in Mozambique started nally contracted in mid-1994. The IND has a regional office in Nampula and in 1993. A preliminary plan of action was United Nations' Accelerated Demining one in Sofala province. developed in January 1993, but approved Programme (ADP) starred irs activities in A National Mine Action Plan, based Action in Mozambique by FRELJMO and RENAMO only in the southern provinces at rhe end of on the results of the Landmine Impact November. Irs emphasis was on clearing 1994. At rhe same rime a demining Survey (LIS), was formulated in Novem 11 and South Africa . RENAMO targeted roads to facilitate the UNOMOZ peace school was established. After UNOMOZ ber 200 I . The plan covers a period of Mozambique is a geographically vast country populated by diverse ethnic mission, humanitarian aid delivery and withdrew in December I 994, the United five years (2002-2006), with subsequent and linguistic groups. While most areas are not heavily mined, landmines major in frastructure co weaken t he economy; roads, rai lways and power lines the return of refugees and [ DPs. The fo Nations D evelopmen t Programme annual work plans scheduled. UNDP and UXO and still affect a large part of its population. The author discusses the cus on emergency-oriented objectives "re (UNDP) rook over the management and the donors hope that the national plan past, present and future of mine action in this country. were heavily mined. Both sides have been accused of having used mines to terrorise sulted in a failure to recognise the need financial support of ADP. will enhance and improve the coordina civil ians. for long-term demining in rhc country. tion and prioririsarion of operations. The In addition, lirtle attention was placed on Mine Action Coordination Mine Action Plan recognizes the need for by Dr. Hildegard Scheu, The t raditio nal system of gover The Peace Agreement rha tended the rhe needs for comprehensive data gath Since the end of the civil war, m ine "aggressive and sustained Mine Risk Edu Consulting and Training nance, which the socialist Mozambique civil war was signed in Rome in October eri ng and rhe establishment of sustain action operations in Mozambique, be cation and marking campaigns ro be re Liberation Front (FRELIMO) govern 1992, and a UN peacekeeping force, the able indigenous capacities."8 they humanitarian or commercial, have launched"11 based on rhc Program for rhc Introduction and ment sought to abolish after indepen United Nations Operation in The United Nations wanted ro es been carried out with a minimum of Prevention of Mine Accidents (PEPAM), Background dence, still operates in many villages, bm Mozambique ( UNOMOZ), was de tablish a m ine action unit of its own, ro monitoring, coordination or planning at which was executed by Handicap Inter legitimacy, functi ons and power diffe r ployed to oversee rhe two-year transition be converted into a national capacity at the national level. The establishment of national (H l) in cooperation with the T he United Natio ns Institute fo r from place to place. "T he level of respect period until multiparty elections were the termination of the UNOMOZ mis relatively independent NCO capacities in government between 1995 and 2001. Disarmament Research, Geneva, com given to the traditional versus the gov held in 1994. sion. Bur donors did not support this plan Mozambique, which persists today, can The Plan also affirms !NO's coordinat missioned three pilot studies on Participa ernment leadership seems to vary a great Early estimates of the magnitude of and remained commined ro securing largely be seen as a reaction to the slow ing role "to develop a coherent and coor tory Monitoring and Evaluatio n (PM&E) d eal. "~ Therefo re, it is essential ro study the landm ine problem in Mozambique demining contracts for specific non-gov United Nations response.10 dinated national Survivor and Victim of Huma nitarian Mine Actio n during and understand the governance systems have been modified as more data has be ernmental o rganizations (NGOs) or The National Demining Commis Assistance Poli cy and Program tha t 2002. Fact-finding missio ns were under in place in a village and the complexities come available, and the landmine prob commercial operators. The difference in sion (CND), established in May 1995 adopts an integrated long-term approach taken in Cambodia, N icaragua and of com muniry strucwres if HMA is to lem is now considered to be much less approaches benveen the United Nations with representatives from seven minis to the plight of victims and survivors." 11 Mozambique' to assess the general state be effective and make an impact on the severe rhan assessed after the 1992 peace and the major donors is seen as the ma tries, was supposed to coordinate opera The responsibiliry for urvivor and Vic of play in human itaria n mine act ion livel ihood of those affected by m ines. accord. C u rrently, land mines no longer jor obstacle in establishi ng a functioning tions, maintain a national database, de tim Assistance is shared between the Min programmes and activities, including the figure as one of the main obstacles facing 6 central coordinating mechanism. ~ velop strategic plans and set procedures istry of Health (MJNSAU) and the Min current provisio ns fo r victim assistance, The Landmine Situation in the country. Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) was for prioritisarion. CON, however, proved istry for Women and the Coordination and ro explore rhe potencial of applying Mozambique Mo7~1 mbique experienced devastat the first organisation to establish a unable ro develop the capacity ro set na of Social Action (MMCAS). participatory moniroring and evaluation ing floods in 2000 in rhe sourhern prov demining capacity in Mozambique in tional priorities. After the development techniques to humanitarian mine actio n. Mine and UXO Contamination inces of Gaza, Maputo and In ham bane, 1993. Areas for clearance were selected of the "National M ine Clearance Strat Mozambique Landmine Impact A compilatio n of the history and recent Land mines were fi rst used by the which killed about 600 people, d isplaced on the basis of expected refugee return; egy Approach" (November 1998), follow Survey (2001) develo pments in Humanitarian Mine Portuguese during the liberation war of about 200,000 and affected rhe liveli hood priorities were set by the United Nations ing negotiations among the government The Mozambique Landmine Impact Action in Mozambique is summa rized the FREU MO against the Portuguese of about rwo million people. The coun High Commissioner for Refugees of Mozambique, the UNDP and major Survey (M LIS) was performed between here. Colonial Power between 1964 and 1974. t ry also suffered a major flood in 200 I in (UNHCR), which also co-financed the donors, CDN was replaced by a new January 1999 and August 200 I on be Mozambique is a huge country with After independence in 1975, FREUMO the central provi nces of Sofa Ia , Manica, clearance operations. body with larger autonomy from minis hal f of rhe mine-action authorities of the a la nd su rface of 799,380 squa re formed the government and followed a 1ete and Zambezia. After rhe floods, it The Hazardous Area Life-Support terial control. government of Mozambique. Funding kilometres and a long eastern coastli ne Marxist approach, which was soon vio was feared rhar displaced m ines would Organization (HALO) Trust carried our In June I 999, the government of ($2.2 mill ion) was provided by rhe Ca of approximately 2,700 kilomet res. T he lently opposed by rhe Mozambique Na pose an uncontrollable risk, but fortu a first national Level One Survey of rhe Mozambique established the National Jn nadian International Development population of about 18 m illion (2002)2 tional Resistance (RENAMO) supported nately, the accident rare did nor increase. mine situation in 1993 under contract srirurc for Demining (IN D) with a man Agency (CJDA) as part of the Canadian is composed of different ethnic, linguis by Rhodesia and South Africa. T he civi l Mine specialists claimed that mines might for the Unired Nations Office for Hu dare to coordinate, supervise and man Mine Action Programme in Mozambique. t ic and religious groups. Mozam bique is war benveen 1977 and 1992 caused m il have been washed into the river and into manitarian Assistance Coordination age the cost-effective execution of a na The principal findings were as fol amo ng rhe least developed countries in lions of people to fl ee their villages and the ocean and in some rare cases might (UNOHAC).