Country & Territory Reports - Landmine Action

operations. 1698 According to its Article 7 report, Sierra
Leone is not affected by AP mines, although it recognizes
that it is affected by ERW. 1699 Landmine Monitor has
classified Sierra Leone as a mine-affected country, 1700 but
UN officials have said “there is no real threat of landmines
in the country.” As reported in Landmine Monitor 2003, 45
people were killed and 11 injured by mines during the
1992-1997 civil war. 1701
In 2000, UNMAS assessed that “the area of the problem
posed by landmines and UXO is limited in extent. Incidents
involving mines and or unexploded ordnance have been
reported in the local press but they have been relatively
few in number. Press reports of a ‘major’ problem of
uncleared landmines do not seem borne out by the
available evidence.” 1702 A small area of land adjacent to a
disused secondary school in Kabala has been identified as
likely to be affected by either mines or booby traps. It is
thought that the school was occupied by Guinean troops
serving in ECOMOG, who may have attached tripwires to
hand grenades as a protection against enemy soldiers. In
the same town, an item of ERW exploded in January 2000,
but no casualties resulted. 1703
■ In January 2000, a girl was injured by what she said was a
“mine” in the Mile 91 area. Her injuries were more
consistent with ERW, probably a hand grenade. 1704
sierra leone 153
■ A farmer in the village of Jombohun died in an explosion
that local sources attributed to an unexploded hand
grenade. More unexploded hand grenades were
subsequently recovered in the area. 1705
Efforts to address these problems
Since February 2000, UNAMSIL’s Mine Action Office has
coordinated the destruction of 28,289 items of ERW, 240
scatterable munitions, 104 AP mines and one AT mine. 1706 An
initial survey of the ERW and mine contaminated area in the
six affected districts has not yet been conducted and a mine
action programme has not been established. 1707 In early
2004, a local NGO, SHARE, issued warnings to the population
about the dangers of ERW in areas that had experienced
heavy combat during the 1991-2002 conflict. 1708
Legislation
Sierra Leone is a State Party to the CCW and on 30
September 2004 it became the third country to ratify
Protocol V on ERW. Sierra Leone is a State Party to the
Ottawa Treaty.
1694 United Nations Mine Action Service, “ Mine/UXO and Mine Action Technical Assessment in Sierra Leone. Mission Report”, 7 February 2000.
1695 Rae McGrath, “The military effectiveness and civilian impact of cluster munitions”, Landmine Action, 2000, p. 41.
1696 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Technical Evaluation Mission Report, Sierra Leone”, 06 March 2001, p. 4.
1697 International Campaign to Ban Landmines, “Landmine Monitor Report 2003: Toward a Landmine-Free world” (New York: Human Rights Watch,
2003), p. 420.
1698 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Technical Evaluation Mission Report, Sierra Leone”, 06 March 2001, p. 4.
1699 Article 7 Report, Form C, Form I, 9 February 2004, p. 4, 10.
1700 International Campaign to Ban Landmines, “Landmine Monitor Report 2003: Toward a Landmine-Free world”, (New York: Human Rights Watch,
2003), p. 420.
1701 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Mine/UXO and Mine Action Technical Assessment in Sierra Leone. Mission Report”, 7 February 2000.
1702 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Mine/UXO and Mine Action Technical Assessment in Sierra Leone. Mission Report”, 7 February 2000.
1703 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Mine/UXO and Mine Action Technical Assessment in Sierra Leone. Mission Report”, 7 February 2000.
1704 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Mine/UXO and Mine Action Technical Assessment in Sierra Leone, Mission Report”, 7 February 2000.
1705 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Mine/UXO and Mine Action Technical Assessment in Sierra Leone. Mission Report”, 7 February 2000.
1706 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Technical Evaluation Mission Report, Sierra Leone” 06 March 2001, p. 5.
1707 United Nations Mine Action Service, “Sierra Leone Country page,” available at:
. Access on 21 July 2004.
1708 Article 7 Report, Form I, 9 February 2004, p. 11.
erw and motapm – global survey 2003–2004