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Humanitarian Mine Action
Humanitarian Mine Action in Burundi
Mine problem and context
In Burundi, the latest cycle of violence began in 1993 when the newly elected Hutu president was assassinated in an attempted coup. A vicious circle of ethnically based fighting, massacres and reprisals was set off leading to massive refugee influxes into Western Tanzania, DR Congo and Rwanda.
The conflict claimed 150,000 casualties and involved heavy fighting all over the country and in neighboring DR Congo. There are estimates that around 1 million Burundians were at one time forced out of their homes because of the fighting. In 2005 democratic elections were held that brought one of the former rebel groups to power. Now in 2008, Burundi is on the slow road to recovery but several challenges still remain. Negotiations are ongoing with the one rebel group that has remained outside of the peace process. The return of refugees, conflict over land and widespread weapons ownership also pose significant threats to long term peace in the tiny, hilly country,
During the conflict, landmines were laid by both the army and rebel factions. Mines were laid around along the borders to Tanzania, around military and civilian installations and in roads. In addition, explosive ordnance such as grenades, rockets and mortars were used by all sides and their remnants continue to litter the country to this day. Based on the location of known casualties, the mine-contaminated provinces in Burundi were: Bujumbura Rural, Bururi, Bubanza, Cibitoke, Ruyigi, Rutana and Makamba.
Burundi has ratified the Ottawa treaty to Ban Landmines and is one of the very few countries in the world that is on course to meet its commitment to remove and destroy almost all of the landmines in its borders within 10 years of signing the accord. Thanks to the work of DCA and other landmine operators that are working in an often unstable security environment, there are strong hopes that the country can be declared ‘free of impact’ by October 2008.
For further details on the landmine problem in Burundi as well as the country's response to the contamination, please view country pages on Landmine Monitor, Burundi .
DCA response
On the basis of the assessment missions carried out in March and June 2004, a project was developed by DCA as a response to the mine and UXO situation in Burundi, especially with the purpose of enabling safe access to the returning refugees and internally displaced persons as well as removing mines that pose blockages to war affected communities.
On 1 October 2004, the DCA Humanitarian Mine Action project started with training of two mobile demining teams to execute clearance in Makamba, Rutana and Bururi Provinces. By 2007 DCA and its partners had cleared most of the known dangerous areas in the south of the country and so operations shifted to Bujumbura Rural. DCA hopes to clear the remaining known minefields in this province and close its demining operations in 2008.
Current Donors: SIDA
Previous Donors: ECHO, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNDP, DCA own funds
Partners: Conseil National des Eglises du Burundi
Contact us
To receive more information on the DCA programme in Burundi, please contact DCA HMA Team in Copenhagen, Thomas Skov-Hansen at tsh@dca.dk
Community based Mine Risk Education through CNEB
In June 2005, DCA submitted the project proposal to US Department of State/Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement for the mainstreaming of the Mine Risk Education activities in existing activities of the National Council of Burundian Churches (CNEB) that is also implementing other relief and development project for different donors, including DCA.
The activity was designed to complement DCA’s ongoing mine clearance by both informing local communities of how to minimize the risks of mines/UXO and collecting information on contaminated areas. By the end of April 2007, over 170,000 had participated in MRE sessions delivered by CNEB’s religious leaders and an external evaluation had praised the “efficiency and effectiveness” of the approach. The activity has been integrated into the ongoing work of the churches and DCA now only provides occasional support to ensure monitoring. In August 2007, DCA and CNEB began a new project together that aimed to address the problem of small arms possession (see below)
Donor: US Department of State/Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, DCA own funds.
Mine Risk Education in Tanzania
- MRE for Burundian refugees in Western Tanzania, Kibondo and Kasulu refugee camps
Mine problem and context
DCA's Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) programme in Tanzania focused on the refugee camps of the Kibondo and Kasulu districts, where approximately 150,000 refugees originate from the mine contaminated areas of Burundi.
Recognising the significant humanitarian problem in specific provinces of Burundi and the expected large-scale repatriation from the refugee camps, capacity building and Mine Risk Education (MRE) activities in the refugee camps were seen as a pressing need.
DCA response
After an initial assessment in March 2004 the MRE programme began at the end of June in Kibondo refugee camps. As of September, 40,000 Burundian refugees in the Kibondo district attended MRE sessions, where information on safe behaviour regarding mines and unexploded ordnance was disseminated.
After the successful implementation in the Kibondo district the MRE programme expanded to Kasulu refugee camps in beginning of 2005. By September 2005 more than 50.000 refugees attended MRE sessions.
Both projects proved that with the right "hand-on" approach wide coverage of the population is possible with minimum expatriate personnel and costs.
Donors
- Danida
- DCA own funds (through ACT).
Small Arms Control
Small arms problem and context
The civil war created a huge demand for small arms as people sought to protect themselves and their families from insecurity violence. The turbulence in neighbouring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo meant that weapons were easily available and relatively cheap. At the height of the fighting an AK 47 could be bought for around $150 while a grenade for as little as $2.
From being a country with neither a history nor culture of weapons ownership, Burundi emerged from the war with an estimated 100,000 small arms circulating amongst its civilian population. Now, these tools of self-protection are contributing to an increase in violent crime, are causing deadly accidents and represent a serious threat to the fragile peace-building process. In 2006, the Burundi Government resolved to tackle the issue by establishing a national commission to oversee a programme of civilian disarmament.
DCA response
DCA has so far implemented three complementary activities to support national efforts to address the small arms issue.
Small Arms and Light Weapons Awareness through CNEB
In August 2007, DCA and CNEB built up their previous successful collaboration on MRE to start delivering Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) awareness. Following the same methodology as before, DCA and CNEB developed materials to persuade local communities of the risks of SALW possession and trained religious leaders to deliver the messages. The activity aimed to ‘disarm the mind’ in order to garner public support for the national disarmament campaign. Funding for the project finished in February 2008, by which time over 40,000 people had participated in SALW awareness sessions. The activity has now been incorporated into the daily duties of the churches.
National Survey of Armed Violence
In February 2008, DCA collaborated with the Geneva based research institute, the Small Arms Survey, on a national survey of armed violence. DCA funded part of the survey to undertake focus group discussions and interviews with different stakeholders in order to understand more the reasons behind armed violence in Burundi and identify possible solutions. The published document will be used to advocate for the rights of violence-affected communities and to direct interventions aiming to reduce criminality in the country.
Small Arms and Light Weapons Awareness with the Burundian Police
Beginning in July 2008 DCA will start working with the Burundian Police to deliver Small Arms Awareness to policemen and their families in their camps. The awareness raising materials have been jointly developed by DCA and the Police Communications Department and touch on three subjects: the risks of small arms possession; the modalities of civilian disarmament and the safe storage of police weapons in the camps.
Contact us
To receive more information on MRE for Burundian refugees in Western Tanzania, Kibondo and Kasulu refugee camps, please contact DCA HMA Team in Copenhagen, Thomas Skov-Hansen at tsh@dca.dk
