Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 6 Issue 2 The Journal of Mine Action Article 10 August 2002 Locating Landmines and UXO: A Methodological Lesson from the Ethiopian Landmine Impact Survey Michael Fleisher Ethiopian Landmine Impact Survey 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 Fleisher, Michael (2002) "Locating Landmines and UXO: A Methodological Lesson from the Ethiopian Landmine Impact Survey," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 10. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol6/iss2/10 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]. Fleisher: Locating Landmines and UXO: A Methodological Lesson from the Ethiopian Landmine Impact Survey Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2002 1 Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 6, Iss. 2 [2002], Art. 10 • Demolished Dergue Tanks in Kobo woreda. Figure 2 List of Kebeles Ethiopian Survey EHorts for Wadla Woreda, North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region No. Name Condition Access Hours Affected Possibly Affected Not Affected Cor M'cycle Foot Mule (on Foot) In Ethiopia, the survey's efforts are ~ [M] [N~ mainly focused on the five regions of the X Kane (urban) country's II that are regarded as being X X Kone (rural) the most highly suspect for landmine/ X X 2 Derero X 2 UXO contamination: Tigray, Amhara, X 3 Betehore Afar, Oromiya and the Ethiopian Somali X X 4 Yewotet X National Regional State. However, because 5 Delengo X X the ELlS's mandate is to cover the entire 6 Chen a X country, none of Ethiopia's other six 7 Sumerno X 5 regions may be neglected. Each of 8 Genchere Ethiopia's regions is divided into zones; ing rwin goals: Requests and Responses 9 Wegediet 10 Abdikome the zones, in turn, are divided into dis­ I) Acquiring firsthand knowledge of tricts (woredas); the districts are divided 11 Kurkur Solelo the magnitude of the landmine/UXO After having consulted with officials 12 Beteyohonis into sub-districts (kebefes); and the sub­ problem in the landmine/UXO-suspect at the regional level and after having se­ districts are divided into sub-kebeles 13 Gosheno corridors northbound from the Ethiopian lected one ofAmhara region's 11 zones­ 14 Yenejokinkino (tabia, but baito in Tigray region), which capital, Addis Ababa, to the Tigray region. North Wollo-for rapid assessment (RA), 15 Zugeyo are in turn made up of "communities" 2)Evaluating the reliability and the ELlS staff visited eight of the zone's 16 Quana (si ng. got; pl. gotoch), although "commu­ specificity of information concerning the nine woredas for consu ltations with 17 Meleyie nity" is not an official administrative unit. landmine/UXO situation at the regional, woreda administrators. In the course of 18 Toleit What is desirable in terms of both zonal, woreda and kebele levels of Ethio­ this effort, the following request list for 19 Nubet Alaloch X 1 economy and efficiency, assuming it is pian governmental administration. woreda administrators was developed and 20 Washo Michieol X 1.5 possible, is to pinpoint an administrative 21 Guozono Jebeyo employed (Figure 1) . X level at which sufficiently thorough and 22 Yeniketno Yewoyin In response, the woreda administra­ X accurate information regarding the pres­ 23 Yegind tion p rovided the ELlS ream with a X kebefe 24 Feresmegrio ence or absence oflandmines/UXO may X 25 Gogbio X 8 be acquired. In the ideal world, we would Figure 1 26 Monatunajo X hope to acquire all of the landmine/UXO 8 REQUEST LIST FOR WOREDA ADMINISTRATORS 27 Yenejono Misgua X data we needed at the national level with­ (To Be Recited Orally) out leaving the capital, but this ideal state list. Here is the list provided for Wadla of affairs does not exist in Ethiopia, nor Sir/ Gentlemen, we would be very grateful if you could provide for us the following: identify false negatives. Significantly, our landmines/UXO in their communities, has it existed in any of the other countries 1) A list of all the kebeles in your woreda; woreda, Norrh Wollo zone (Figure 2). of the more than 50 kebeles interviewed, whereas a false positive will invariably be where Landmine Impact Surveys have been 2) That the list of kebeles be marked to indicate, for each kebele, whether you Armed with such lists, the ELlS team not a si ngle fa lse negative was found. Al­ surveyed and, as a consequence, changed conducted interviews with the residents carried ouL Experience has shown, in and your fellow woreda officials consider it to be affected (A), possibly affected though woreda administrators sometimes to a negative.) fact, that the highest, most inclusive ad­ (PA), or not affected (NA) by landmines/ UXO; of more than 50 kebefes, including those identified a kebefe as positive for 3) That you indicate, on the kebele list, the kebeles that ore not accessible by that woreda-level administrators had ministrative level at which generally reliable landmines/UXO, only w be contradicted The Kebele Interview car and also by what means it is possible to get there-i.e., whether by motorcycle, deemed to be landmine/UXO positive information may be found is the district. by kebele interviewees, they never once on foot, and/ or by mule-and also the approximate length of time it will take to and others they had labeled as negative, identified a kebele as negative for In November/December 200 I, an travel to each one from (insert town nome], the waredo center; In this work, the following schedule in order to formulate as reliable an assess­ landmines/UXO that turned out w be Advance Survey Mission (ASM) to Ethio­ 4) That you provide a list of all the landmine/ UXO accidents that have oc­ of kebefe interview questions was utilized: ment as possible of the landmine/UXO positive. (It is false negatives that pose a pia, on behalf of the ELlS, identified curred in your woreda; 1) Are there any land mines in this threat in this area. approximately 5,000 of the country's 5) That you facilitate our meeting and talking with any landmine/ UXO victims serious threat to the integrity of the ELlS, kebefe? 26,000 kebefes as being possibly affected in your woreda, as well as any persons whether inside or outside your administra­ The RA strategy then employed was nor false positives-because a false negative, 2) Are there any UXO in this kebele? one of visiting and conducting a group by landmines/UXO. Four months later, tion who might possess useful knowledge of the londmine/ UXO situation here; if left uncorrected, represents a threat to 3) Have there ever been any 6) That you provide us with a letter of permission and introduction to all of interview at every kebele that had been the ELlS survey team set about the task the lives of people endangered by landmine/UXO accidents in this kebele? the kebeles in your woreda requesting their full cooperation in carrying out our labeled either as positive or suspect for of establishing the number of affected 4) lf yes , please tell us when and work; landmines/UXO by irs woreda adminis­ kebeles more precisely so as to be able to where they occurred; what the circum­ 7) And that you provide us with a police guide to help us find our way to the tration-except in those few cases where quantify Ethiopia's landmine/UXO prob­ various waredas. (This guide should not be dressed in a police uniform.) stances were; what kinds of landmines/ the distance and/or relative inaccessibil­ lem as accurately as possible for the pur­ 8) We would also appreciate your opinion as to whether, in the future, with UXO were involved; and whether any ity of a kebele rendered an interview visit pose offormulating a viable countrywide sufficient advance warning, and at our expense, it might be possible for you to person(s) or animal(s) were killed or injured. impractical given the time constraints of Landmine Impact Survey strategy. bring informants from remote kebeles into [nome town], the woredo center, to 5) Are there any areas in your kebele this mission. The team also vis ited as In April/May 2002, ELlS field staff enable us to interview them here. where people are afraid to go because they many non-suspect kebeles as possible, in carried out a I 7 -day field assessment in 9) And I would like to provide you with my contact information in Addis Ababa to enable you to contact me in the event you hove any additional information on an opportunistic manner, in an effort to Ethiopia's Amhara region, one of the five • Bulldozer disabled by a landmine in Guba the londmine/ UXO situation in your woredo. Lafto woreda . highly suspect regions, with the follow- https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol6/iss2/10 • 34 • • 35 • 2 Fleisher: Locating Landmines and UXO: A Methodological Lesson from the Ethiopian Landmine Impact Survey fear that there may possibly be land mines from the presence of hand grenades, This assessment has had (and wi ll or UXO in those areas? which have been responsible for the vast continue to have) profound implications 6) If there are any such areas in your majority of rhe UXO incidents there.