Book I: Weapon contamination environment

8/14/2019 Book I: Weapon contamination environment

1/84

1

weaponcontamination

environment

physl, sl d

nl rc/rc

Ss

cdu

hsls

chss

Lgl x

m d

rl h Un

th ds hh l s dds h, hh s lxths bk ds h ky ssus sds bss l ds kg

BooK i: weapon contaminationenvironment

Photo:BenL

ark


2/84

p

This manual has been written to act as the ICRCs institutional reerence and to provide

guidance or those working in weapon-contaminated areas. This includes to a greater

or lesser extent any situation where the persisting presence o contamination continues

to impact people physically, socially or economically.

The manual consists o three books and is based on the Preventive Mine Action

Operations Framework, approved by the ICRC in 2005. It outlines a broad and exible

approach which includes rapid response, multisectoral approach (the application o

assistance and protection to reduce impact) and cooperation/capacity building.

This manual was primarily written by Ben Lark and Lena Eskeland with important

contributions rom many people working both at headquarters and in the eld, in

particular Boris Cerina, Robin Coupland, Herbi Elmazi, Patrick Fruchet, Ute Homeister,Srdjan Jovanovic, Matthieu Laruelle, Kathleen Lawand, Lou Maresca, Morris Tidball-Binz

and Andy Wheatley. External contributions were made by Stuart Maslen o the Geneva

International Centre or Humanitarian Demining, and photographs were provided by

Chris Clark, the Danish Demining Group, Tim Lardner, Ben Lark, Matthieu Laruelle,

Chris North and Andy Wheatley.

International Committee of the Red Cross

Mine Action Sector

19 Avenue de la Paix

1202 Geneva, Switzerland

t + 41 22 734 60 01 F + 41 22 733 20 57

e-mail: [email protected]

.icrc.org

ICRC, August 2007


3/84

contentS BooK i

1. weapon contamination anD itS conSeQUenceS 3

1.1 Lds d d 5

1.2 ps 22

1.3 th hysl, sl d 29

2. LeGaL conteXt 37

2.1 idu 39

2.2 1996 ccw add pl ii

s, bby-s d h ds 40

2.3 1997 o c h hb -sl s 42

2.4 2003 ccw pl v

xls s 44

3. mine action actorS 47

3.1 th Ud ns 49

3.2 il -gl gzs (nGos) 54

3.3 nl -gl gzs (nGos) 56

3.4 ady, sh d g sus 57

3.5 cl s 59

3.6 pl, ly d l d 60

4. manaGement tooLS anD coorDination mecHaniSmS 62

4.1 il g ls 63

4.2 cd hss 65

5. mine action coorDination StrUctUreS 67

5.1 nl uhs 69

5.2 nl s 71

5.3 Ud ns d s 72

5.4 oh l suus 74

GLoSSarY oF aBBreviationS 75


4/84


5/84

weapon contaminationanD itS conSeQUenceS

1.1 Lds d d 5

1.2 ps 22

1.3 th hysl, sl d 29

1


6/84


7/84

Dlg s, qus bsudsdg d ys, h uds hy us dh bbl hysl, sl d .

Weapon contamination reers to landmines and explosive remnants o war (ERW). ERW

consists o both unexploded ordnance (UXO) that has been red but has ailed to

explode, and abandoned ordnance (AXO).1 Abandoned ordnance is let behind by

combatants because it is too dicult to move, or because it has simply been orgotten

or abandoned in the heat o battle. Mines are deliberately scattered or planted with the

intention o inicting casualties, channelling orces or tactical reasons and precluding

access to certain areas. Unexploded ordnance, on the other hand, should be considered

as the unplanned consequence o the use o weapons systems with the exception omunitions dropped or planted with an anti-disturbance element deliberately

incorporated with the express intention o hampering clearance operations.

The reasons or ordnance ailure may include manuacturing aults, poor storage, use

o out-o-date ammunition, ailure to properly set uses, incorrect ring procedures, sot

terrain or terrain which the ordnance was not designed or and heavy rain. This list is

not exhaustive, but gives some idea o the range o reasons why unexploded ordnance

is created.

This ollowing section gives an overview o the main categories o landmines and

ordnance. It is important to remember that new weapons systems, explosives and

delivery systems are constantly being developed, especially now that the typical

tactical requirements have changed rom the more conventional industrial war

scenario to smaller less conventional engagements, or war amongst the people.

Fuss

Fuses are the rst element in the explosive train which is the sequence o events that

culminates in the detonation o ordnance or landmines. For example, a ame will not

cause plastic explosive to explode, but it will light a use which will detonate the initial or

primary explosive that will trigger a secondary high explosive and cause it to detonate.

For saety reasons, most widely used high explosives are dicult to detonate. A primary

explosive o higher sensitivity is thereore used to trigger a detonation o the main body

o the explosive. Although the primary explosive itsel is generally a more sensitive

compound, it is only used in small quantities, normally as an integral part o a use.

Without a use, most ordnance and landmines are relatively sae. However, uses are

oten ound in battle areas and can pose a serious threat i handled. Some types o use

pose a particular threat to children who sometimes mistake them or pens.

1 Througout the manual, dierent combinations o these terms may appear. Please note, however, the technical

dierences outlined in this chapter, and the dierent legal rules that apply (See Chapter 2 or more details, and

also Book III).

1.1Lds d d

5

1 WEAPON CONTAMINATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Examples o anti-personnel mine uses.


8/84


9/84

Bby-

Explosive or non-explosive device, deliberately placed to cause casualties when an

apparently harmless object is disturbed or a normally sae act is perormed, like

opening a door or turning on a television. See Book III or more details on the law related

to this.

Sll s, lgh s d u

Small arms are assault ries, machine guns, hand grenades and other military weapons

designed to be carried and used by an individual combatant. The denition also

includes commercial rearms such as handguns and hunting ries. The term light

weapons reers to portable weapons designed or use by several persons serving as

crew, such as heavy machine guns, mounted grenade-launchers, portable anti-aircrat

guns, portable anti-tank guns, portable launchers o anti-tank missiles, and mortars.

Their ammunition includes cartridges, shells, missiles, rockets and grenades and

other projectiles red by small arms and light weapons. These are covered in the

ollowing sections.

Small arms and light weapons, together with their ammunition, constitute a hazard in

post-conict situations or a variety o reasons. Though eforts to disarm ex-combatants

and remove surplus weapons are usually undertaken, large numbers o weapons

requently remain in the hands o both ex-combatants and civilians as well as in

abandoned weapons caches. These are oten acquired or held or purposes o

protection and sel-deence where criminality is rie. They may also end up on the illegalmarket and thereore be easily obtainable or criminal or political purposes. High levels

o armed violence conducted with readily available small arms characterize many post-

conict environments. Accidents involving small arms and ammunition are also

common, or example due to tampering, accidental discharge or in some areas

celebratory shooting. Small-arms ammunition can be particularly attractive to children

who may cause it to detonate by striking the base or throwing it into a re. Either

activity can cause death or injury. Children may also separate the bullet rom the case

to extract propellant which when lit can cause burns.

7


1. A simple booby-trap a hand

grenade attached to the bottom o a

car, with a wire stretched rom the

grenade pin to the car wheel.

2. When the wheel turns, the wire will

tighten, pulling the pin and causing

the grenade to explode.

1

2


10/84

ids d yhs

Incendiaries and pyrotechnics are materials such as napalm, thermite or white

phosphorus and can be used or starting res, as anti-personnel weapons, or

illumination and to produce smoke. These substances can be dispensed by mortar,

artillery, grenade, air-dropped bombs, rockets, etc. Use o such weapons in an anti-

personnel mode is prohibited under international law.

wh hshus is a manuactured compound o the chemical element phosphorus.

It has been extensively used by the military as a smoke-screening agent, a target marker,

an illuminator and as an incendiary weapon. It is waxy yellow or white in colour. White

phosphorus, commonly known as WP or white phos. spontaneously ignites when

exposed to oxygen, and will continue burning until all the available oxygen is gone.

When it ignites, it ares in spectacular bursts with a yellow ame and produces dense

white smoke. It can be delivered by aerial bomb, artillery, mortar and grenade.

nl is a re bomb uel gel mixture. It does not burn spontaneously and is ignited

by an ignitor which orms part o the bomb. During its history, it has been manu-

actured in various mixture combinations, and can be generally thought o as jellied

gasoline. Early orms were used in the First World War but it was urther developed by

the United States o America during the Second World War and, in this ormulation o

a powdered aluminium soap o naphthalene mixed with palmitate, a atty acid, it

became known as napalm (the na and the palm o these two chemicals). Essentially,

napalm is a sticky substance which burns at high temperatures and, i its target is

ammable, ignites it. The napalm inamously used during the Vietnam war was a urther

development (called napalm-B), and was generally delivered by aerial bombs.

8

WEAPON CONTAMINATION MANUAL BOOK I

1 2

3

1. A white phosphorus grenade used

primarily to produce smoke, but

which in reality can also be used as

an anti-personnel weapon,

particularly against people in

buildings or military positions.

2. A trip are, used to protect military

positions by illuminating areas when

a tripwire is disturbed.

3 Napalm in use.


11/84

clus us

Cluster munitions can be dropped rom aircrat, or red rom mortars, artillery or rocket

systems. In each case the clamshell, projectile or rocket splits or releases at a pre-

selected altitude, spreading many smaller sub-munitions over the targeted area. The

number o sub-munitions or bomblets dispersed depends on the type o ordnance.

This results in saturation o the targeted area. Sub-munitions may have anti-armour,

anti-vehicle or anti-personnel efects or a combination o these.

I incorrectly used, red or dropped, the target area can increase or change shape with

the very real possibility that areas outside the dened target area are hit areas in which

there may well be non-combatants. In modern conicts combatants are increasingly

mixed with the population, rendering area weapons indiscriminate in their efect.

The ailure rate o sub-munitions varies, depending on issues such as correct use andthe type o terrain. Failed sub-munitions may either penetrate the ground, rest on the

surace or hang on trees, oliage or inrastructure. They thereore pose a double threat

and in any strike area the sub-surace must be checked at the same time as the surace,

oliage and inrastructure. Failure to do so may result in deaths and injuries as people

dig oundations or elds in later years. Removing only the surace contamination means

that visible signs o a strike area are erased, posing a serious risk to those using the land

in the uture. Sub-munitions are generally very powerul and i they have not unctioned

as designed, very sensitive. They are a particular danger to children.

1. A cluster munition fred by 155 mm

artillery, armed and very dangerous.

2. The same type hanging in a tree by

its drogue ribbon. I it alls, it may well

explode. Cluster munitions such as

this pose a serious threat, particularly

to armers harvesting crops.

3. An air-dropped cluster munition

(BLU97) which has ailed to explode.

4. Comparison between air-droppedhumanitarian rations used in the

2002 Aghan conict and air-dropped

cluster munitions (BLU97). There was

concern that the similarities

between the two, when dropped in

the same areas would lead to

accidents and the colour o the ood

parcels was eventually changed.

5. Diagram showing the dispersal o

BLU 97 cluster munitions rom their

container, having just been released

by an aircrat.

1

5

3 4

2

9



12/84


13/84

Lds

The use o anti-personnel mines has been stigmatized since the introduction o the

campaign to ban landmines and the advent o the Ottawa Convention. Anti-personnel

mines (APM) are however still in the arsenal o several armies and continue to contaminate

ormer conict areas, even where clearance has been under way or some years. They

have been used in the past by regular armed orces and non-State actors. For some

armed non-State actors, they remain a weapon o choice. APM are used in diferent ways

depending on the context and the situation o the user. Armed orces may use them to

protect their ronts and anks and also to give extra protection around outposts or

roadblocks where there was a risk o being attacked by surprise rom the side or rear.

They have also been used to protect individual temporary positions, or instance an

overnight position or a patrol. In these cases and in situations o less organized ghting

over several years, this type o use has resulted in many small areas containing just a ew

mines. This is much harder to deal with than a mineeld laid by engineers to a pattern.Mines have been used by non-State actors either to cover their retreat when pursued by

more powerul orces or to sow ear and uncertainty through random use in areas

occupied by military orces. APM have also been used to block access to water or other

basic needs. See Book III or more details on the law related to this.

a-sl s are divided into three categories, blast, bounding

ragmentation and directional ragmentation. They are oten improvised by armed

non-State actors examples o this are the johnny mine ound in Sri Lanka and many

o the mines ound in Myanmar and Colombia.

Bls s are usually buried just beneath the surace and thereore normally cannot

be seen. They are designed to explode when pressure is applied to the top o the mine

and depending on the explosive content will destroy one or both legs either above or

below the knee. I a victim then alls onto another mine, they may also destroy one or

two arms. In addition, dirt and debris rom the explosion will be driven into the body.

11


1. Surace laid PMA 2 AP mine, partially

concealed by grass.

2. T72 blast mine laid a centimetre

under the surace, excavated by

deminers.

3. Typical blast mine crater. The crater is

airly small as the blast propagates

upwards. The edge o the crater is

tinged grey, the result o chemical

and heat residue rom the explosion.

The presence o small craters such as

this is an indication o anti-personnel

mine contamination.

1 2

3


14/84

Budg g s are either buried just below the surace with the

use protruding or are laid on the surace. The use may or may not be connected to a

tripwire. Walking into the tripwire or hitting the use will cause the body o the mine to

re an explosive canister to hip height where it will explode. Fragments are thrown over

a 360 degree radius, to a distance o up to 50 metres. The likelihood o death and

severity o injury depend on the distance rom the mine and the presence o solid

objects between the explosion and the victim.

Dl g s are placed above ground and re an arc o

ragments to a range o approximately 50 metres when a tripwire is hit. See also

Improvised explosive devices.

Fg sk s: a ragmentation body is mounted on a stake implanted

in the ground. The mines are normally tripwire initiated and spread ragmentation over

360 degrees up to a range o 50 metres, depending on the type o mine.

12


2

1. PROM bounding ragmentation

mine one o the most dangerousmines ound in the ormer

Yugoslavia.

2. Valmara 69 bounding

ragmentation mine emplaced.

The use can be seen protruding

above the ground. It may be

connected to a tripwire.

1


15/84

a-k (hl) s

More commonly known in the humanitarian world as anti-vehicle mines (AVM), the

presence or suspected presence o these items can restrict the use o land and access

along routes. Anti-tank mines are designed to destroy armoured ghting vehicles,

either by blast or by penetration o the tanks skin. They are normally buried and

initiated through pressure or through the movement o a tilt rod protruding above

the ground.

In many cases the pressure required to initiate an anti-tank mine can be provided by

livestock, carts, tractors or vehicles. Mines can also be initiated by vehicles pressing

against a tiltrod. Anti-vehicle mines are also sometimes used to boost the power o

anti-personnel mines, by placing them directly underneath. The level o destruction

varies according to the type o mine, the depth the mine was buried, the type o soil

and the part o the vehicle closest to the mine when it explodes.

13


1. Anti-vehicle mine with tiltrod

initiation. This will detonate the mine

i pushed. It increases the risk o

triggering by livestock or civilians.

2. An anti-vehicle mine uncovered by

deminers. It has been laid at a depth

o about 20 cm.

3. Anti-vehicle mine crater, with a pen

to show scale. As with the AP crater,

note the grey tinge around the edge,

the result o the chemical reaction

and heat rom the explosion.

4. Anti-vehicle mine laid under snow.

1

2

3

4


16/84

There is no easy and reliable way to check whether a route is ree o anti-tank mines

which is one o the reasons why even the rumour o a single mine on a road can block

the route. The act that vehicles have previously driven saely down a road is no

indication that it is ree o mines. The maps below are rom Angola (Kwanza Sul and

Malange provinces) and show roads that have not been surveyed, threat-reduced or

cleared by recognized clearance organizations and thereore not used by the ICRC

(2007).

14



17/84


18/84

Gds

Hand grenades and rie grenades can pose a serious post-conict risk.

Hd gds (1) are simple devices which as their name implies, are thrown by

hand and have an anti-personnel (ragmentation), smoke, illumination or blast (stun)

efect. They normally consist o a main body, a use and a saety device held in place

with a pin. They oten lie abandoned in ormer battle areas and are generally attractive

to children. They have also been used or the purpose o robbery, revenge

or extortion.

rl gds as the name implies are ired rom an attachment on a rile. Their

using mechanisms are such that unexploded rile grenades can be very sensitivei disturbed.

16


2. 40 mm grenade designed to be fred

rom a grenade launcher or an

attachment on a rie. These can be

very sensitive i disturbed and are

attractive to children. This one has

not been fred.

3. Rie grenades designed to be fred

rom the end o the barrel o a rie.

Also potentially very sensitive. 3

1

2


19/84

ms

Mortars are an extremely common weapon and can be ound in most conict

situations. They re mortar bombs over relatively short ranges and are normally man-

portable. The bombs most commonly used contain high explosive, illumination or

smoke. They are nose used and have to be struck on the nose to explode. Mortars are

a source o scrap metal and are sometimes used by people as counterweights or wells

or hammers. I the mortar has been used (had the use attached), it is signicantly

more hazardous. Un-used mortar bombs are relatively sae unless attempts are made

to salvage their explosive content or metal casings.

17


1. Mortar, complete with use and extra

propellant charge to increase range

(green plastic bands next to tail fn).

These also pose a threat to civiliansas they are sometimes used to start

fres or cooking, etc.

2. Mortar which was possibly fred but

ailed to explode. Badly corroded

and thereore more unstable.

1

2


20/84

pjls

Projectiles are red rom direct re weapons such as tank guns or indirect re weapons

such as artillery. Direct re reers to when you can see the target and re directly.

Indirect re reers to ring at a target which cannot be seen, oten by map coordinates

and oten with an observer who can see the target correcting aim by radio.

Projectiles are streamlined in shape with a pointed nose that may contain the use.

Alternately, the use may be contained at the rear o the projectile. A percentage o

projectiles will ail to unction, depending on the condition o the ordnance, the

training o the gun crew and the terrain into which they are ring. Projectiles may

contain high explosive, cluster munitions, illumination, smoke or, in rare cases, noxious

chemicals. Anti-tank projectiles contain little or no explosive, but are designed to

penetrate armour plate through the application o kinetic energy. In some o these

projectiles, the metals used are dense and extremely strong, including depleteduranium and tungsten carbide.

Many projectiles have components made o high value metal, including tungsten

carbide and copper which is used to seal the space between the barrel and the shell

and is known as the driving band. In post-conict situations, it is rare to see an expended

shell with its driving band intact as it will normally be the rst battleeld debris to

be scavenged.

Dld uu

> Depleted uranium (DU) is a heavy metal that is also slightly radioactive. It is theproduct that remains once most o the highly radioactive isotopes have been

removed or use as nuclear uel or in nuclear weapons. DU is used in armour piercing

munitions and also in some tanks as armour. Because o its density, the military utility

o DU is its armour piercing capabilities, not its slight radioactivity. DU is used in tank

ammunition and also aircrat mounted cannon.

> There is disagreement over the health efects o DU. Once red, when the DU

projectile (penetrator) strikes a vehicle or structure, it turns into a uranium oxide dust.

Ingestion or inhalation o this dust poses a health risk.

> Do not walk in close proximity to armoured vehicles which have been destroyed or

bunkers/inrastructure which have obviously been hit by projectiles. Do not pick up

any penetrators that have ailed to hit their target and are lying on the ground.

18


1. 155 mm projectile, cluster

munition carrier.

2. Two projectiles not yet fred and a

larger calibre shell fred.

3. Diagram o anti-personnel tank

projectile, using echette darts to

achieve anti-personnel eect.

1

2

3


21/84

Gudd ssls

Guided missiles may be ound either on launchers, in their transport packaging or red.

Scattered components do not have the shapes normally associated with ordnance but

may contain explosives. Unred missiles will generally be within an outer ring sleeve

which may appear attractive. Missiles on their launchers may contain uel which can be

extremely toxic.

Missiles that have been red but ailed to explode will have own at least part o the

desired mission and then impacted. This normally results in some breakage o the body

o the missile and the scattering o components. These will include the warhead and

the using mechanism, and may include unburnt propellant, thermal batteries, ares

and pyrotechnic generators.

19


1. Surace to air missiles on their trailerson the outskirts o Baghdad. These

pose a threat to people as in addition

to the explosive in the warhead,

extremely dangerous chemicals are

present in the uel.

2. A wire guided anti-tank missile, which

was fred but ailed to hit a target.

50 cm

1

2


22/84

rks

A rocket is an explosive device containing its own means o propulsion as well as

explosives. An unred or malunctioned rocket motor can pose a threat to civilians as

well as the warhead.

Where a rocket has been red but has ailed to explode, some breakage o the body

normally occurs on impact; debris will include the warhead and the use and could

include unburnt propellant. Rockets are oten red in salvos and, designed to saturate

an area. These are commonly known as multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS), Katyusha

(ater the amous Soviet Second World War system) or by a number o other names.

Possible warheads include standard high explosive, ragmentation as well as

cluster munitions.

rk-lld gds (rpG) (2) are shoulder-launched light inantry weapons.

The main types o warheads include ragmentation used against human targets and

armour piercing against vehicles. They are oten let behind in battle areas, either

having been red or just abandoned. They are internally used and i they have been

red but have not exploded they may be particularly dangerous i disturbed.

20


1. An unexploded MLRS rocket.

2


23/84

a bbs

Aircrat bombs that have been dropped and have ailed to explode pose a relatively

low risk to the population as long as they are not tampered with. Air-dropped bombs

vary in size, but generally have enormous destructive power. Attempts to extract the

explosive lling or to recycle the bodies as scrap metal can result in a bomb exploding.

Air-dropped bombs may be tted with a package that allows the bomb to be steered

to its target, either through remote designation o the target by laser or through a video

camera tted to the nose o the bomb. Aircrat bombs may penetrate deep into the

ground, European cities bombed during the Second World War are still to some extent

contaminated with sub-surace bombs.

21


1. Tail fns or air-dropped bombs.

These are kept separately and fttedbeore the bomb is loaded on the

aircrat. They have no explosive

content.

2. An unexploded bomb lodged inside

the ruins o a house. This poses a

potential threat during

reconstruction.

3. A bomb which has hit the ground,

penetrated the ground, travelled a

considerable distance and then re-

emerged some distance away rom

the impact point.

1

2

3


24/84

Armed conicts result in abandoned and unexploded ordnance contamination and

sometimes landmines. In the heat o battle ordnance is abandoned or ails to explode

when red, launched or dropped. Landmines are laid and their location orgotten,

marking is destroyed and there is oten no time or opportunity to remove them. The

result is a complex mixture o explosive pollution, most o which will have a liespan o

many decades. For example, the majority o ordnance ound every day on the ormer

First World War western ront is still live and dangerous. This section gives an overview

o the characteristics o weapons-related contamination resulting rom diferent

patterns o armed conict or other situations o violence.

ad b d s

The pattern o contamination will depend on the level o sophistication o the armed

orces, the nature o the ghting, and its duration. The use o airpower, multi-launch

rocket systems or artillery may result in the use o cluster munitions. Large air-dropped

bombs, air to surace and possibly cruise missiles may also be deployed; although these

are powerul, they tend not to pose a great threat in the immediate post-conict period

as their using systems are not sensitive. However, in the medium and long term they

may start to kill or injure people as they become a source o scrap metal or explosives

that can be salvaged and sold.

Anti-vehicle mines may be encountered i one or both armed orces have stayed in

static deensive positions or any period o time and may possibly have been used to

protect vulnerable anks during an advance. Anti-personnel mines may have been

used to protect deensive positions, checkpoints and units as they withdraw or

halt during an advance. They may also be used to slow down the enemy during

a withdrawal.

In an ideal situation, according to the law, mines laid by armed orces should have been

mapped and a record kept they may even have been marked. This is however not

always the case. The length o the conict will also inuence whether maps are available

and how much use they may be. In Bosnia-Herzegovina many mineelds were mapped

at the beginning o the conict, but as the conict developed, orces moved, mineswere laid, cleared and re-laid and those who laid mines were killed or went missing. As

a result mine maps were o limited use to clearance organizations in the atermath o

the conict.

In a conict between armed orces, there will oten be dened ront lines which may

or may not move. These ront lines oten correspond to the main lines o contamination.

The map o Bosnia-Herzegovina opposite clearly illustrates this.

22


1.2ps


25/84

Bs-Hzg

Depending on the intensity o ghting, there will be unexploded ordnance let in the

battle area. This will normally comprise a mixture o mortars, grenades, rockets, shells

and other projectiles. I armoured vehicles have been used in direct conict, it is

possible that depleted uranium (DU) projectiles may have been used. Certain ground

attack aircrat and helicopters are armed with weapons that can re a DU projectile.

There is conicting inormation on the health dangers posed by DU.

Where conventional armed orces have been engaged, strike data will most likely have

been maintained as modern artillery, rocket and aircrat systems are computer operated.

This data should be available ater the conict. It will include details o target coordinates,

types and number o ordnance used including the ll. Provision o such data to the

23



26/84

authorities responsible or clearing contamination is a requirement or signatories o

Protocol V o the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. This would normally

be either the United Nations or national authorities. See Book III.

This map was provided to the United Nations by the Israeli Deense Force ater the

August 2006 conict. The areas shown as possibly contaminated are ar too large to be

o any use to clearance teams and there is no inormation on the amounts or types o

ammunition red or mines laid. In practical terms, this type o map is o little use.

In addition to unexploded ordnance, there may also be abandoned ordnance. This can

be hazardous to the population as packing cases and propellant represent a potential

source o uel or playthings or children this was a particular problem in southern Iraq

in the atermath o the 2003 conict. Propellant was used to light res and was on sale

to children in the markets as a toy. Grenade uses are oten abandoned in trenches and

are extremely dangerous to children who oten mistake them or pens. A use o this

type is capable o destroying a childs hand, burning, blinding and causing ragment

wounds to the chest.

24



27/84

a d lly gs

Campaigns that seek to destroy the capability o an enemy remotely through the

application o air power, artillery rockets and missiles are becoming more common.

Although there may be small scale ground incursions during such a campaign or

occupation ater the objectives have been achieved, the main threat comes rom

unexploded ordnance. Two recent examples are Kosovo and Lebanon.

The types o ordnance used will to a large extent determine the residual threat.

Experience has shown that i cluster munitions are used, they tend to pose a serious

post-conict problem. Iron bombs or non-cluster artillery shells are less likely to have a

serious humanitarian impact as they are unlikely to explode unless seriously tampered

with. This may happen i there is great economic need in the area, orcing people to

salvage the metal and explosives. The use o any o these weapons in proximity to

civilians poses a threat, but is particularly true o cluster munitions which are areaweapons. This means that they are used to saturate a large area and have sometimes

been used where the precise location o a target is not known, although it may be in

proximity to civilian areas. Current models (2006) all have high ailure rates.

The contamination map below was compiled by the South Lebanon UN mine action

coordination centre rom survey and clearance data. It clearly shows the extent o

the contamination.

25



28/84

As can be seen rom the above map o contamination resulting rom the August 2006

conict in Lebanon, contamination does not conorm to lines o deence. Rather it is

located on routes, junctions and inrastructure such as bridges. It is also concentrated

around villages in the south, where it was believed Hezbollah was launching rockets

into northern Israel.

Ordnance dropped or red into areas which civilians have ed rom are still likely to

have an impact ater the conict. As people return to rebuild their houses, unexploded

ordnance is likely to be present in amongst house debris.

Key actors in the volume o unexploded ordnance are the age and condition o the

ordnance and the level o military training o those doing the ring. Badly stored or

out-o-date ordnance or ordnance incorrectly prepared or ring/dropping is more likely

to ail (or example the BLU 63 sub-munitions used in Lebanon in 2006, mainly

manuactured in the 1970s). Selection o ordnance that was designed or a diferenttype o terrain may also ail: or example the BLU 117 Rock eye sub-munitions used in

the rst Gul War were not designed or desert conditions and regularly ailed to

detonate on impact.

ad s lg d -S s

Armed non-State actors are oten short o weapons and what they do have is airly light.

It is rare that they will use anything bigger than a mortar or small artillery piece. To make

up or this, armed non-State actors are likely to use improvised explosive devices, or

landmines, to ambush, cover withdrawals and to close routes. Anti-vehicle mines may

be laid and then, i they ail to nd a target, lited and used again. One suspected anti-

vehicle mine can close a route. It is extremely dicult and time consuming to check and

clear roads o mines. Such use o mines poses a threat to all other vehicles, including

those used or humanitarian purposes, as mines laid or a military target may be initiated

by any other vehicle that passes down the route at the wrong time.

To make up or their relative lack o heavy weapons, lightly armed groups are likely to

use improvised explosive devices and mines. This can result in the use o unstable

home-made explosives used in improvised devices such as the Nepalese socket bomb,

which are let lying around a battle area ater a clash has taken place. The same has

been true in the West Bank and Gaza, where Palestinians have ought with the Israeli

Deense Force (IDF), oten using improvised command detonated mines and boobytraps to counter IDF soldiers in urban areas. As ghting continues, these can be

abandoned and/or buried in rubble, posing a lethal threat to those returning home

ater the conict.

Landmines are sometimes used in these situations to slow down pursuing regular

armed orces as lightly armed groups withdraw. Landmines are heavy to carry and this

means that they are normally laid in small groups on routes or around places such as

water points which the military may need. In post-conict times, the location o these

mines will oten be orgotten, especially i a conict has run or several years and the

mine layers are dead or have simply orgotten. In some cases, mines will be retrieved as

they have a value.

26



29/84

Fghg ub s

Fighting in urban areas or reugee camps in built-up areas can result in a complex

and sensitive contamination situation. Oten non-State actors will have used IEDs to

bridge their disadvantage against regular military orces. These IEDs may be an

integral part o ront-line positions and be buried in rubble or damaged during

ghting. The end result can be an unstable mixture o rubble and relatively unstable

explosive devices. In addition, the actories or locations where the devices were made

may be in the same vicinity and i partially destroyed or abandoned may also pose a

threat to the population. The presence o such actories will thereore most probably

be a sensitive issue.

th bls sd by d skls

Stockpiles o ordnance are an increasing global problem, particularly since the break-upo the Soviet Union. Stockpiles are areas where ordnance o diferent types is stored,

sometimes amounting to tens o thousands o tonnes. Sae storage o ordnance

requires constant management and the construction o custom-built storage acilities.

In many countries this does not happen and ordnance is stored in the open or in

inappropriate structures. Much o the ordnance remaining rom the Soviet period is

beyond its sae lie and is located in acilities that are no longer properly maintained.

Stockpiles are sometimes lled beyond their designed capacity and even contain

ordnance that is used and ready to re. Many o these stockpiles date rom the Cold

War period and are becoming more dangerous as time passes. Inadequate security o

storage acilities increases the risk o thet as well as the danger to those who may enter

in search o scrap metal or out o curiosity. During the 2003 war in Iraq, vast stockpiles

o arms and ordnance were abandoned and let unsecured within easy access o

civilians and armed groups. In southern Sudan there are numerous small stockpiles

which are unsecured and in a dangerous state.

It is now beginning to be widely acknowledged that in almost all post-conict

environments, and in many developing countries, the presence o abandoned,

damaged or inappropriately stored and managed stockpiles o ordnance and explosives

presents a physical risk to communities.

RepoRted stockpile incidents Rom 2004 to 2006

da cur la k ijur pb au sur

b 04 nrh kra sggag 1000? nk Ur Bg h Bu Br 18, Au s:prg sa a sur srag ada, bruar 2005.

01 b 04 iraq karbaa 20 0 n w nAto msiAc

19 b 04 ia Arar 0 30 n w nAto msiAc

25 b 04 ph Quz c 0 4 r nAto msiAc

09 Ar 04 V na H ch mh c 1 10 n w Bg h Bu Br 18

22 Ar 04 nrh kra Rgh 54 1200+ trarh://gbaur.rg/ar/wr/r/rgh-agr.h

06 ma 04 Ura nvbgava 5 10 r hua rrr g itAR-tAss, Wa, 12 ma 2004

11 Ju 04 Aghaa Hra 5 34 sabag nAto msiAc

12 s 04 nrh kra Raggag ? ? Urh://bg.ar./arhv/2004/09/12/brag-w-ba-uhr-u-rr--rh-ra/

27



30/84

RepoRted stockpile incidents Rom 2004 to 2006 (u)

da cur la k ijur pb au sur

06 nv 04 tawa cha 3 0 Hag nAto msiAc

07 d 04 Rua chha,Ahh-mara

? ? r h://.w.ah./041207/43/2bqg.h

09 Ja 05 iraq A suwarah 8 11 Hag / dGbasuur.rg, mn-i/mnc-i 09 Ja 2005.h://www.gbaur.rg/ar/brar/w/2005/01/-050109--18.h

24 b 05 ngra kaua 4 44 r

ngra Wr nw & Arhv, 24 bruar2005. h://w.baragrawr./arhv/ha/2005/02/24/x_r_aua_au_.h

04 mar 05 c ivr Abja 2 1 Hag nAto msiAc

31 mar 05 caba Ag ch 6 20 Hgh raur eU AsAc

10 Ar 05 ia Baa s 0 4 n w nAto msiAc

02 ma 05 Aghaa Bajgah 29 13+

iga rag

sabag?

BBc nw, 05 ma 2005. h://w.bb..

u/1/h/wr/uh_aa/4516291.

17 ma 05 Rua kra 0 6 Hagh://www.w./w/2005/05/17/rar.h

25 Ju 05 Aghaa Ruaq 6 20 Hag / era ar ?

duh W, 27 Ju 2005.h://www.w-wr./w/br/0,1574,1629946,00.hnAto msiAc

09 s 05 tawa tahu 3 0 Au ru nAto msiAc

12 s 05 ph tagug c 0 107 lghg ? nAto msiAc

30 s 05 Rua kahaa 0 1 ira r ?h://www.r./r/ahaa_au__x.h

25 nv 05 dRc Waa, nr-kvu 6 0 lghg nAto msiAc

08 d 05 paa Jhaa 12 50 Hag nAto msiAc28 Ja 06 ka narb 0 0 era au nAto msiAc

07 b 06 paa dra Bug 0 0 r nAto msiAc

23 mar 06 Aghaa Jabauaraj 2 45 era r ?h://www.hr.//r./a/wr/3745288.h

28 Ar 06 Rua srgv pa 2 0n w. durgarza

Ap 03 ma 06

06 ma 06 Abaa ta 1 5 Hag durg arzah://gh.rava.ru/w/wr/06-05-2006/79999-Abaa-0

10 ma 06 tawa taa 2 2 n w ig?h://.habraa./811/2006/05/10/[email protected]

19 ma 06 sua Juba 2 1 n w Undp sua

22 Ju 06 kazaha karaa ? ? r irax / BBc mrg

10 Aug 06 sr laa Aa-kaaa ? ? n wh://www.brw./h-w/aa/ba-r-a-au-r-200608104965/a/r/

19 Aug 06 Ura nvbgava 0 4 rh://www.w.ru/r/2006/08/21/016.h

Chart compiled by the South Eastern Europe Small Arms Centre (SEESAC).

28



31/84

physl

The most immediate impact o mines and ERW comes rom direct physical contact

either with the weapon itsel or rom being within its efective radius i initiated.

Hospital staf working with those wounded by landmines and ERW see a perplexing

variety o wounds. They may have little previous experience o such wounds and may

not make an accurate interpretation o what they are observing regarding the nature

o the weapon. They may also have political objectives in ascribing a certain injury to a

particular weapon. For instance, a wound rom an explosive device might be describedas being rom a cluster bomb; a large bullet wound may be attributed to use o Dum-

dum bullets, when in act such injuries are normally caused by standard bullets

destabilized in ight by oliage or i they have ricocheted. When carrying out a needs

assessment it is thereore essential that the assessor be able to interpret the inormation

available. Accepting inormation at ace value, even rom medical personnel is not

advisable as they may have little knowledge o weapon types and efects.

Diferent weapons produce diferent wounds. In addition, each type o weapon can

produce a variety o wounds depending on the specic context in which it is used. Burn

injuries aside, wounds are produced by transer to the body o kinetic energy carried by

the blast or the projectile; this energy transer lacerates and crushes tissues. The extent o

tissue damage depends on the amount o kinetic energy transerred to the tissues.

Obviously, the use o some weapons especially those using large volumes o explosive,

might result in a combination o burn injury and tissue damage rom transer o kinetic

energy. Blast alone can kill through the pressure wave created by an explosion.

The nature o the wounds and their distribution give valuable clues as to the kind o

weapon and how the person came to be injured by it. The ratio between killed and

injured is also an indicator o the characteristics o an incident. Knowing which groups

are vulnerable to which weapons and why is critical or developing efective mine

action activities. The gures below provide guidance on the characteristics o injuries

caused by diferent weapons. When dealing with mortal remains, the reason or death

may not be obvious. Fragment wounds can be very small and blast damage to internalorgans not visible.

oh

Anti-vehicle mines tend to injure people by explosive orce either directly or indirectly

via the oor o the vehicle. There are oten closed ractures, especially o the oot and

leg. I not wearing seatbelts, occupants in vehicles hit by anti-vehicle (AV) mine

explosions can also be thrown violently against the roo or other part o the vehicle,

causing trauma.

Burns associated with ordnance tend to result rom large explosions (ash burns). They

are common amongst the crews o tanks, ships and aircrat hit by missiles. They may

result rom secondary res (petrol, houses, etc.).

1.3th hysl, sl d

29



32/84

Large explosions usually wound many people as the large volume o explosive causes

injury by blast wave, burning, ragments, secondary ragments rom broken glass and

blunt trauma (collapse o buildings, etc.). The degree o injury is determined by

proximity to the explosion, the blast rom which can travel around objects such as

buildings or walls. The victim o a blast may not have external injury and there are

usually more people wounded than killed.

Bullet wounds are usually single in armed conict and in executions when the wounds

tend to be in the head. Multiple bullet wounds usually indicate shooting at close range

with automatic weapons. There is usually a small entry wound and there may be no exit

wound; i there is an exit wound, the size is variable. The length o the track is variable;

there may be long wound tracks in injuries caused by military assault ries. The size o

the wound is variable according to the mass and velocity o the bullet, its stability in

ight and its construction.

Fgu 1 gl uds xls ds

Fragments rom most explosive devices will afect any part o the body in a random

manner, depending on the situation at the time o the accident. Entry wounds are on

the side o the body acing the blast. There may be accompanying wounds rom the

blast itsel depending on the volume and type o explosive and the persons proximity

to the device.

People killed by the diferential pressure created by the blast wave o an explosion may

not have any external injuries, but will have sufered extensive damage to their internal

organs.

Fgu 2 uss

Wounds rom uses are caused when uses are handled, oten by children. There is

always severe hand injury and requently injury to the chest, ace and eyes. i.e., the parts

o the body nearest to the detonation.

30



33/84

Fgu 3 hdlg sll xls d

I an explosive device such as a small blast mine detonates whilst being handled, it may

cause lethal injury. Casualties show severe injuries to the hands, ace, eyes and the ront

o the chest. A typical variant o this pattern is when the knees are injured because the

person was handling a device on the ground between his or her knees.

Fgu 4 sll bls

A blast mine containing a small volume o explosive may cause severe injury or

traumatic amputation to only a part o the oot. There are rarely other injuries.

Fgu 5 du sz bls

Anti-personnel blast mine injuries are caused by stepping on a buried, blast-type anti-

personnel mine; there is usually traumatic amputation or severe injury o the contact

oot and leg, with dirt and other debris being orced into the wound. There may be

wounds on the other leg and in the area o the groin. The severity o the wound is

determined by the amount o explosive in the mine, the depth it was laid and the

nature o the ground.

31



34/84

Fgu 6 lg bls

A blast mine with a larger volume o explosive causes severe damage to both legs and

other parts o the body, including the groin. Such injuries requently result in bilateral

above-knee amputation.

Fgu 7 budg g

A bounding or directional ragmentation mine will cut a person in hal or at least cause

serious injury to the mid section o the body. As the distance rom the mine increases,

the injuries will become more difuse and will reduce in severity up to the maximumefective range o the device.

Fgu 8 g sk

Fragmentation stake mines tend to inict multiple ragment injuries with a predilection

or the legs because the devices are usually planted just above the ground.

Hu s d s

Human remains are oten ound in ormer battle areas. In particular, clearance

organizations regularly nd remains when clearing mineelds or conducting battle area

clearance. The protection and correct handling o these remains is essential or

identication. The primary concern o clearance operators apart rom the quality o

their work is saety. Remains are oten destroyed or lost during clearance, particularly

demining. In addition, clearance operators are sometimes requested to support the

recovery o remains rom contaminated areas.

The ICRC is periodically requested to provide guidance on these issues at delegation

level. In Book III you will nd a section entitled Clearance and human remains which lays

out guidelines or this issue. The guidelines have also been integrated into the

International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) as a technical note.

32



35/84

Sl d

Landmines and other ERW can have a wide range o impacts in the short, medium and

long terms. Many o these impacts are not immediately obvious and are inextricably

linked with other actors that impact on the wellbeing o people. Community members

are oten orced to take risks because o economic constraints or simply in order to

survive, entering areas known to be contaminated, or handling landmines and other

ERW. The ollowing chart summarizes the typical patterns o impact.

typicAl sociAl And economic impActs

issUe implicAtions impAct

War A war ur b b r aagru b eRW.

A warraruur raa b.

A a war a b v r rba urg a ar ar wh ur>hav b bra arg b h g r r a ar ara r hr ra.

War raruur aa, rug qua a qua war avaab. ea>ru urba ara.

V r v ar a ru r r war.>

p rawg war w a hr a b r jur.>

dr war r ar ur a ru warbr a.>

Agruur A br ar aa.

s ar avaabbau uawh ar b.

traa uruh a uhr ahrb a b aa ara.

p ar hr r a r r a grw u .>

V r v ar a ru r r a.>

n uru r za ru, afg a , avaab a huh>ur.

Hur, hr a gahrr a b r jur.>

u ar gr avaab, ag ur.>

n uru r za ru, afg a , avaab a huh>ur.

lv lv .

paur aa.

Ru aur araa.

e ur a/u ru.>

Hrr ar r r uw ara whh a b agru.>

c r a grazg a ru v r v .>

ia ur a ur v a ru grar vurab a.>

shr Bug araa.

A hr bb r aagru b eRW.

c r a hr a ru v r v .>

dah a jur a ur wh rbug r hr aa b UXo.>

33



36/84

typicAl sociAl And economic impActs (u)


u traa u ur ar

aa.

A u b b r a agrub eRW.

u raruur aa b a eRW gaa r rar.

p ar r r aa ara a a ufr ah/jur.>

n uru u avaab r za, afg a a huh ur.>

a b , a war a b a ab b bg.>

Hah ara wh harh wr af, a hag b.>

chr Ahugh hr ar noth vurab grugba, hr ar a ha hu

br :

> hrg, arru b ug b, gba hhgh r av,a a ajr au h ah a jur.

> u,aa a bra a a aa agr uurv hr.

> hra hrwrg h a,rawg war rgahrg hrb/uhr.

thra hr ra g h a ur u.>

prur u au urv hr a.>

ch ah a jur ur.>

phga a h hr.>

iraru ur iraruur a havb h, bb,bb-ra r rv a. Hu,h a ha ahav b u ara r, b bb-ra r hav b ua ar r a

hr.

lw, ra a b, aag, .

daag raruur b raza r.>

i a af war qua/wag ra, hu xarbag hah rb.>

Ra a ru ar b, afg raza, h a a aa a r>av.

B ru a au v r ur hrugh a w w b>aa r hrugh ara ur.

Huaaraa

Ru afu ar bb .

i b u r ra, a vurab u, r-abh a ,>vr , ur h rur rug a h a, .

34



37/84



Hah A hah rv

b.

A r hah wrr u b.

A ara r waa a aar b r aagru b aeRW.

cu hav a hah ar.>

i aa ara h rbab jur r /eRW hgh. A ha r v >rba a a au r aua.

Bu-u wa h vag a hav hah a.>

eua A h b.

th ru h h rh ara aru a baa.

eua ru.>

nraza r ar ru.>

Gg h b a agru av.>

mar a

A ar r a uru ru b.

A ar ru urhag b.

G a hgh r.>

Huh ur af.>

c ar hr u.>

e Gahrg eRW a raa b a ur .

exv ar xrar u r a.

m ar rvr ra a r-u.

Vag rv hr wg rv.

srg ra a ar rv a r g eRW. i caba 2004, h ubr >eRW v ra b 20 r , arg a a ru ra h r ra a hrg.

exrag xv agru a arr u vag. i hr a a, >ju h r xrag xv wh .

savgg au ah a jur h rvrg h /eRW a ra h avaab,>hrb uragg r.

p rvg ara rv whu rr qu r rag ar b jur r .>

a a aruur

cu ar ar a a.

Ha huh ar a a.

sa ara ur ra ar urhr aag.>

a bra w.>

sur la avaab a a r urhr vr v .

m a ra aravaab.

c r rur hr raza ar h .>

iur a r ra.>

exv r a eRW hav b u h a b ar -sa ar a>rv xv v.

35



38/84



Ru bw

ub

l bw

u a aar vr.

th w ra hr.

pr r g, ru a abur a r a a ru aa, whr ra a ah>

ar b a r agruura a ab.

Ra r ar b.>

nraza a b.>

36



39/84

2LeGaL conteXt2.1 idu 39

2.2 1996 ccw dd l ii

s, bby-s d h ds 40

2.3 1997 o c h hb -sl s 42

2.4 2003 ccw l v xls s 44


40/84


41/84

The use o landmines and other weapons is governed by the general rules o

international humanitarian law (IHL) relating to the conduct o hostilities. These rules

limit the right o parties to a conict to use the methods and means o warare o their

choice. They include the well-established rules o distinction, proportionality and

precaution, as well as the prohibition to employ weapons, means and methods o

warare o a nature to cause superuous injury or unnecessary sufering.

In addition to these general rules, which apply to all weapons and methods o warare,

certain weapons are regulated by specic treaties.

One o the principal treaties in this area is the Convention on Certain Conventional

Weapons or CCW.2 The Convention was adopted in 1980 and entered into orce in 1983.

The main regulations o the Convention are ound in the ve protocols attached tothe instrument:

> Protocol I prohibits the use o weapons which injure by ragments not detectable

by X-rays;

> Protocol II regulates the use o mines, booby-traps and other devices. The

Protocol was amended and strengthened in 1996 and the new version is reerred

to as amended Protocol II;

> Protocol III regulates the use o incendiary weapons;

> Protocol IV prohibits the use o blinding laser weapons;

> Protocol V deals with explosive remnants o war.

In addition to the relevant rules o the CCW, anti-personnel landmines are regulated by

the Convention on the Prohibition o the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transer o

Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention or short). The

Convention was adopted on 18 September 1997 and entered into orce on 1 March

1999. It completely prohibits anti-personnel mines and is stronger than amended

Protocol II in many important areas.

For the purposes o mine action, the most relevant treaties are the ollowing:

> 1996 CCW Amended Protocol II on mines, booby traps and other devices;

> 1997 Ottawa Convention on the prohibition o anti-personnel mines;

> 2003 CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants o war.

States may be party to one or more o these legal instruments. The ollowing textsummarizes their main provisions.

2 The ull title o the convention is the United Nations Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use o

Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate

Eects.

39

2 LEGAL CONTEXT

2.1 idu


42/84

th l h pl

The amended Protocol applies to both international and internal armed conicts and

to States as well as to armed opposition groups.

th d -sl d h s

The amended Protocol denes an anti-personnel mine as a mine primarily designedto be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact o a person and that will

incapacitate, injure or kill a person. The word primarily is there to ensure that anti-

vehicle mines with anti-handling devices are not considered as anti-personnel mines.3

Anti-vehicle mines are reerred to in the Protocol as mines other than anti-personnel

mines (or MOTAPM).

A booby-trap is dened as any device designed or adapted to kill or injure, and which

unctions unexpectedly when a person disturbs or approaches an apparently harmless

object (e.g. opens a door). Other devices are manually emplaced munitions and

devices, including improvised explosive devices, which are designed to kill or injure and

which are actuated manually, by remote control or automatically ater a lapse o time.

Gl uls

The ollowing general rules apply to mines (both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle),

booby-traps and other devices.

> It is prohibited to direct these weapons against the civilian population or civilian objects.

> It is prohibited to use these weapons i they are designed or o a nature to cause

superuous injury or unnecessary sufering.

> The indiscriminate use o these weapons is prohibited; i.e. they are not or cannot

be directed at a military objective; or their use is expected to cause incidental losso civilian lives which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct

military advantage anticipated.

> All easible precautions shall be taken to protect civilians rom their efects.

> Efective advance warning shall be given o any emplacement o these weapons

that may afect the civilian population.

> These weapons must be removed ollowing the end o active hostilities.

> Records as to where such weapons have been used must be made by the parties

to the conict.

> The parties to the conict must take measures to protect orces and

peacekeeping missions o the United Nations, ICRC missions and other

humanitarian missions rom the efects o these weapons.

3 For more on this point, see below The 1997 Ottawa Convention: The defnition o an anti-personnel mine.

40


2.21996 ccw addpl ii s,

bby-sd h ds


43/84

S uls

All anti-personnel mines must be detectable using commonly available mine-detection

equipment.

Manually-emplaced anti-personnel mines must be equipped with sel-destruction and

sel-deactivation mechanisms unless they are:

> placed within a perimeter-marked area monitored by military personnel and

protected by encing or other means, to ensure the efective exclusion o civilians

rom the area;

> and cleared beore the area is abandoned.

Remotely-delivered anti-personnel mines must also have sel-destruct and sel-

deactivation mechanisms.

Remotely-delivered anti-vehicle mines must, to the extent easible, be equipped with

an efective sel-destruction or sel-neutralization mechanism and have a back-up sel-

deactivation eature.

Booby-traps and other devices may not:

> be attached to or associated with a range o items, including: recognized

protective emblems or signs; sick, wounded or dead persons; burial sites or

graves; medical equipment; toys; ood or drink; objects clearly o a religious

nature; animals; kitchen utensils or appliances or historic monuments;

> be in the orm o apparently harmless portable objects which are specically

designed and constructed to contain explosive material;

> be used in an area containing a concentration o civilians and in which combat is

not taking place unless measures are taken to protect civilians rom their efects.

41

2 LEGAL CONTEXT


44/84

th l h c

The Ottawa Convention has a very broad scope o application. States Parties undertake

never under any circumstances to use, produce, develop, stockpile, or transer anti-

personnel mines, or to assist, encourage or induce anyone to commit such acts. The

Convention thereore applies in all situations, be it armed conict, peacetime or

situations o internal disturbances or tensions.

Although the wording o the Ottawa Convention creates obligations primarily or the

States Parties, non-State actors like all other individuals within the territory o a StateParty, must respect the Conventions obligations and must not engage in any o the

activities prohibited by the Convention.

th d -sl

The denition o an anti-personnel mine was a major stumbling block during the

negotiation o 1996 Amended Protocol II and was again discussed at length during the

negotiation o the Ottawa Convention. The denition that was adopted is broader than

the one contained in Amended Protocol II, as it applies to any mine designed to be

exploded by the presence, proximity or contact o a person and not merely to one that

is primarily designed to do so. This means that even mines that are termed anti-vehicle

or anti-tank by States or private manuacturers may be caught within the ambit o the

denition o anti-personnel landmines and thereore prohibited i they are designed

with so-called sensitive uses, i.e. uses which can be detonated by a person. Examples

are mines designed to be exploded by snapping a tripwire or break wire or applying

pressure to a tilt rod. A number o States, however, do not accept this interpretation.

Like in Amended Protocol II, anti-vehicle mines equipped with anti-handling devices are not

considered anti-personnel mines precisely because they are equipped with such devices.

Other weapons prohibited by the Convention include Claymore-type directional

ragmentation devices, but only i activated by tripwire (which turns them into an anti-personnel mine). Claymore-type devices can lawully be used in command-detonated

mode where they are activated by remote control. In this mode they do not t within

the denition o an anti-personnel mine. It is also widely, although not universally,

agreed that improvised or adapted explosive devices unctioning as anti-personnel

(AP) mines are also prohibited by the Convention.

S uls

th us d du ap s lys hbd. The core o the

Convention is its prohibition on the use o anti-personnel mines. This covers the new

emplacement o anti-personnel mines, including the reurbishment o existing

mineelds, and may also extend to taking tactical advantage o mineelds laid by a

42


2.31997 o c

h hb

-sl s


45/84

State that is not party to the Ottawa Convention. Also prohibited, without exception, is

the production o anti-personnel mines.

th sklg d s ap s hbd. There is, however, a specic

exception or the retention and transer o anti-personnel mines, including importation, or

the development o and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction

techniques. In the view o the ICRC and most States, the number o mines retained or such

purposes should be in the hundreds and not more than several thousand.

ap skls us b dsyd. Once a State has become a party to the

Ottawa Convention, it has a maximum o our years to destroy all anti-personnel mine

stockpiles under its jurisdiction or control. It is not necessary that the mine or its

components be actually blown up the mine may be dismantled or otherwise disposed

o to prevent environmental damage as long as it is rendered unusable as a mine.

ap s d s us b ld. Each State Party is obliged to clear all

emplaced anti-personnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon

as possible but not later than 10 years ater it becomes bound by the treaty. The State

must also make every efort to identiy all areas under its jurisdiction or control in

which anti-personnel mines are known or suspected to be emplaced and must then

perimeter-mark, monitor and protect by encing or other means to ensure the efective

exclusion o civilians. It is possible or a State Party to apply or an extension o the

deadline or completing the clearance o such AP mines or a period o up to 10 years.

States Parties in a position to do so (the term is not dened) must provide assistance

or the care and rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration o mine victims,

or mine-awareness programmes, or mine clearance and stockpile destruction. In

addition, each State Party must exchange and provide relevant inormation, particularly

regarding mine clearance technology.

43

2 LEGAL CONTEXT


46/84

th l h l

The Protocol Vs ramework applies to explosive remnants o war arising rom both

international and internal armed conicts. It contains obligations or States as well as

armed opposition groups.

th d xls s

The concept o explosive remnants o war (ERW) covers:

> unexploded ordnance (UXO) explosive ordnance that should have exploded butailed to do so, and

> abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO) ordnance which has been let behind or

dumped by a party to the conict.

It does not cover mines, booby-traps and other devices as dened in CCW Amended

Protocol II. The latter already contains provisions dealing with the clearance and removal

o these weapons.

S uls

The Protocol allocates responsibilities or the clearance, removal or destruction o

ERW and requires all easible precautions to be taken to protect civilians rom their

risks and efects.

Among the measures laid down by the Protocol to help alleviate the humanitarian

impact o ERW are specic obligations on recording and transmission o inormation,

clearance, the provision o warnings and risk education to afected communities.

rdg

The party that uses explosive munitions that may become ERW, or that abandons

explosive ordnance, must record and retain inormation to acilitate the rapid clearance o

these weapons and provide risk education in the afected areas in order to help reduce

the consequences or civilians. The inormation recorded should include the numbers andtypes o munitions used or abandoned, the location o targeted areas, etc.

Fsbl us

The party that controls the afected areas must take all easible precautions

to protect civilians through warnings, risk education, marking and encing.

cl

Ater the end o active hostilities, the party that controls the afected areas must survey

the afected areas and mark and clear the ERW.

asss

When a party does not have control o the area where ERW are located, it must provide

nancial and material assistance to acilitate the survey, marking and clearance o ERW.

44


2.42003 ccw pl v

xls s


47/84

States Parties in a position to do so must also provide assistance or the care and

rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration o victims o explosive remnants

o war.

ps

The inormation which has been recorded must be made available to the party in

control o the afected area and to relevant organizations dealing with mine action

activities.

Although the Protocols rules apply only to uture conicts, States already afected by

ERW when they become a party, are accorded the right to seek and receive assistance

rom other States Parties to address their ERW problem.

45

2 LEGAL CONTEXT


48/84


49/84

3mine action actorS3.1 th Ud ns 49

3.2 il -gl gzs (nGos) 54

3.3 nl -gl gzs (nGos) 56

3.4 ady, sh d g sus 57

3.5 cl s 59

3.6 pl, ly d l d 60


50/84


51/84

a j y lyss h s udsdg h l, bls d lshsh d b h us skhlds. ths s gs

h skhlds lkly ly l y s.

The United Nations has been an important player in mine action and the ICRC has

regular interaction with diferent parts o the UN system both internationally and at

eld level. No less than 14 UN departments, programmes, unds and agencies are

involved to varying degrees.

py Un s> Department o Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO),

> United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS),

> United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),

> United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF),

> United Nations Oce o Project Services (UNOPS),

Un s h s

> World Food Programme (WFP),

> Oce or the Coordination o Humanitarian Afairs (OCHA),

> Department o Disarmament Afairs (DDA),

> Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),

> Oce o the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI),

> Oce o the High Commissioner or Human Rights (OHCHR),

> United Nations High Commissioner or Reugees (UNHCR),

> World Health Organization (WHO), and

> World Bank.

In 2005, the UNs Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action (IACG-MA) adopted

a new policy on mine action or the UN system: Mine Action and Efective Coordination:

The United Nations Inter-Agency Policy. This new policy document updates and

replaces the earlier one (Mine action and efective coordination: the United Nations

policy), endorsed by the IACG-MA in 1998 and amended in 1999. The new policy

recognizes in particular the instrumental role played by the ICRC among otherorganizations in raising awareness o the landmine issue and addressing the needs

o those at risk.

The earlier policy allocated thematic and operational tasks to the various UN agencies

and bodies. This had the benet o clarity but not necessarily o efectiveness. The new

policy seeks to address perceived deciencies in the UN response by placing primary

responsibility or mine action in the collective hands o the Senior UN Ocial (typically,

but not necessarily, the UNDP Resident Representative) and the UN Country Team

(UNCT).

Under the policy, when conronted with a landmine or ERW problem, the Senior

UN Ocial is encouraged to seek advice rom UNMAS, which reers the matter or

3.1th Ud ns

49

3 MINE ACTION ACTORS


52/84

discussion in the IACG-MA. The Senior UN Ocial may also consult with any competent

UN mine action staf already in the country or region. I the problem is o sucient

importance, the Senior UN Ocial and the UNCT may designate a sectoral lead agency

or mine action and assign responsibilities within the UNCT or diferent aspects o mine

action, taking into account the competencies and comparative advantages o the

diferent United Nations partners and the advice received rom the IACG-MA.

For new programmes, the planning process typically starts with an overall assessment

o the country situation, known as a General Mine Action Assessment. This assessment

uses largely secondary sources, or instance, existing inormation provided by agencies

and organizations amiliar with the area and the contamination. I requested, a UN

multi-disciplinary assessment team will deploy to the country to validate and update

existing inormation, and to determine at rst hand the scale and impact o the

landmine contamination. ICRC delegations are encouraged whenever possible to meet

with representatives o these missions. The country assessment will determine whethera UN-supported national mine action programme is required, whether such a

programme is possible or what other action is required. It may also dene the scope o

additional inormation-gathering requirements. A national or general survey o

contamination may ollow.

Ud ns lus sys

Mine action comes under the Protection Cluster, currently headed (2007) by UNHCR,

which does not include any technical mine action expertise. This means in efect that

responsibility is normally delegated to UNMAS in emergencies.

Ud ns m a S (UnmaS)

UNMAS is a division o the Department o Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and is the

ocal point or mine action in the United Nations system. In this capacity, UNMAS is

responsible or coordinating the development and monitoring o the UNs mine action

policy and strategy documents. UNMAS also coordinates the development and

updating o the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), undertakes quality

assurance o landmine impact surveys and chairs the certication committee or

landmine impact surveys.

UNMAS is directly responsible or UN support to several mine action programmes,

normally those linked to peacekeeping missions or emergency situations. At eld level,

the senior staf member in an UNMAS-supported programme is normally called a

Programme Manager (PM). He or she may be supported by any number o technical

advisers (TAs).

In peacekeeping, complex emergency and rapid response settings, UNMAS establishes

and manages a Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC) and conducts operational

mine action programming. In such circumstances, UNMAS Programme Managers

report to the Senior UN Ocial in the eld and coordinate periodic reporting to the

IACG-MA.

50



53/84

In addition, in cooperation with the UN Department or Saety and Security, UNMAS

manages the Landmine and ERW Saety Project (LSP). This is a set o brieng and

reerence materials that aim to enhance the saety o UN, government and NGO staf

working in contaminated environments. The LSP is regarded by the ICRC as extremely

good and should be used whenever possible or staf brieng and training. The package

is available through the mine action sector at ICRC headquarters.

> In peacekeeping and emergency environments, UNMAS will be the ICRCs main UN

interlocutor on mine action. At ield level it may be necessary or ICRC sta to have regular

interaction with the UNMAS Programme Manager, especially with respect to the

management o inormation concerning mine and ERW victims that may be included,

or sought to be included, in any mine action database. The mine action sector at ICRC

headquarters is in regular contact with UNMAS in New York, and can be used to acilitate

support and dialogue.

During emergencies, the ICRC mine action sector is an observer on the UN mine action

planning team. This team is convened by UNMAS in New York and consists o the main

UN and NGO players in any given situation. The ICRC has observer status and seeks to

coordinate International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement mine action response

through this structure.

Ud ns Dl pg (UnDp)

Through its country oces and the Mine Action and Small Arms Team within its

headquarters-based Bureau or Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), UNDP assists

mine-afected countries to establish or strengthen mine action capacity.

UNDP support usually ocuses on building the capacity o national mine action structures

(Mine Action Centre and/or National Mine Action Authority) to manage and coordinate

mine action. There are two main components to their support: technical advice and

training. Support is normally given through the secondment o technical advisers (TAs)

under either a Chie Technical Adviser (CTA) or a Senior Technical Adviser (STA). Training

ocuses on unding multi-week senior and middle management courses, currently

provided by the Mine Action Inormation Center at James Madison University in the

United States and Craneld University, Human Resilience Unit in the United Kingdom.

Sometimes United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and UNDP will both have apresence in a country. For example, currently in Sudan there is both an UNMAS

Programme Manager and a UNDP Chie Technical Adviser. This dual presence can be

conusing and ICRC staf should be careul to ensure they deal with the organization

most relevant to them in any given situation.

> ICRC interaction with UNDP is essential where UNDP is supporting national mine action

planning and capacity building. In most scenarios where capacity building is an issue, at

delegation level, UNDP will be the ICRCs most important mine action interlocutor.

Interaction may be related to the coordination o National Society capacity building or

to a complementary role developing the capacity o national authorities. The mine action

sector at ICRC headquarters is in regular contact with UNDP in New York, and can be

used to acilitate support and dialogue.

51



54/84

Ud ns chld Fud (UniceF)

UNICEF principally supports the development and implementation o mine risk

education (MRE) projects and associated humanitarian activities. According to the

earlier UN mine action policy, it was the UN ocal point or MRE. Its mandate or MRE

goes beyond children, although they have been its main ocus. Thus, UNICEF oten

works with national governments to seek to integrate MRE into school curricula.

UNICEFs participation in global mine action eforts is coordinated by its Oce o

Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) at its headquarters in New York. UNICEF country

oces coordinate and undertake its mine action eforts in the eld.

UNICEF has drated international standards or MRE projects and programmes within

the context o the International Mine Action Standards. Although these are not binding,

it is essential that ICRC staf engaged in MRE be aware o the content o the standards.

A guide to the IMAS produced by the Geneva International Centre or HumanitarianDemining (GICHD) is an easy-to-use overview o the IMAS on mine risk education and

is available in hard copy or on line at: www.gichd.ch. I a country decides to develop

national standards or MRE and the ICRC is developing National Society capacity in

mine action, the ICRC should be involved together with the National Society.

> ICRC interaction with UNICEF will typically be necessary only on technical issues where

both the ICRC and UNICEF are conducting or supporting MRE, data collection or victim

assistance. It may also be necessary i in an emergency, either UNICEF or the ICRC agree

to take the lead in MRE.

Ud ns Hgh css rugs (UnHcr)

UNHCR has a low prole in mine action, despite the link between displaced/reugee

populations and mines and other explosive remnants o war. It has, however, supported

a number o survey, clearance and mine risk education projects and is included in

planning UN rapid response.

UNHCR heads the UN protection cluster, so there may be interaction on mine action

issues in the uture. It remains to be seen what this will mean in practice.

> ICRC interaction with UNHCR is likely to be restricted to inorming the organization where

and when the ICRC is intending to provide mine risk education to populations who arebeing assisted by UNHCR.

wld Fd pg (wFp)

WFP has had a relatively low prole in mine action although its involvement has been

growing through its increased support or survey and clearance o roads, warehousing

and distribution points. For example, it contracts mine clearance organizations when

there is a need or the organization to establish operations in areas contaminated by

mines and other explosive remnants o war.

52



55/84

> ICRC interaction with WFP is likely to be limited as regards mine action. WFP clearance

assets and inormation on dangerous areas and routes may be made available to the

ICRC on request.

of h cd Hu as (ocHa)

OCHA has had a limited role in mine action, but works closely with the UN mine action

team in its capacity as coordinator o the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) to ensure

consistency between the CAP and the Portolio o Mine Action Projects, and on

resource mobilization in its capacity as manager o the Central Emergency Revolving

Fund (CERF).

Depending on the UN country set-up, OCHA may on occasion be responsible or

coordinating mine action.

> It is unlikely that the ICRC will have reason to interact with OCHA on any mine action

issues in-country. In exceptional circumstances, OCHA may be involved in an emergency

needs assessment, which would include mine action.

53



56/84

International NGOs continue to play a role in mine action and can normally be ound in any

new emergency. The ICRC may call on these NGOs or support, notably on clearance. NGOs

will usually have relevant data and inormation or ICRC mine action operations and may

have a working relationship with Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies. The perception

o these NGOs within the country and their relationship with political authorities, and non-

State actors will inuence the degree to which the ICRC interacts with them.

> The mine action sector at ICRC headquarters is in regular contact with many o these

organizations, and can be used to acilitate support and dialogue.

HaLo tus

The worlds biggest mine and unexploded ordnance clearance NGO, whose

headquarters are now in Scotland, is the British NGO, HALO Trust. The ICRC has

previo

Book I: Weapon contamination environment

Documents

Transcript of Book I: Weapon contamination environment