International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
Date | 31 March 2025
Tomorrow (01 April), the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) will convene its 1271st session in commemoration of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
The session will commence with opening remarks by Rebecca Otengo, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the AU and the stand-in Chairperson of the PSC for April, followed by a statement from Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS). It is also expected that representatives from the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), UN Mine Action Services (UNMAS), the European Union Delegation to the AU, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will address the PSC.
The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was designated by the United Nations General Assembly to be observed on 4 April to address the threats posed by anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the continent. While not always convened yearly, the PSC has been marking the day with dedicated sessions since at least 2019.
The PSC last convened a dedicated session on this theme during its 1146th meeting on 3 April 2023. In that meeting, the PSC called for the establishment of a continental mechanism for mine action to coordinate and support Member States’ efforts, and organising an advocacy forum for Member States and stakeholders to exchange views and share experiences on addressing the threats posed by anti-personnel landmines in Africa. It also underscored the importance of including victims of anti-personnel landmines in its discussions on mine action. The session further agreed to hold future commemorations of the International Day as open sessions, bringing together Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), partners, and other stakeholders to share experiences, lessons, and best practices.
While it remains unclear whether tomorrow’s session will follow this envisaged format, it affords the PSC the opportunity to follow up on these commitments and advance the mine action agenda. This year’s session is particularly important for stocktaking, as 2025 marks the final year to meet the deadline set by the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) and the 2014 Declaration of State Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines (Maputo Declaration) for a mine-free world.
Also of interest to the PSC is the protection of civilians from the humanitarian consequences arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), given the increasing prevalence of armed conflicts in urban settings, as seen in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). ICRC’s intervention in tomorrow’s session is likely to highlight the devastating humanitarian consequences of EWIPA and the measures needed to mitigate them. It is worth recalling that the PSC dedicated its 859th session, held in July 2019, to this theme as part of the AU’s efforts to promote active African participation in the global process of developing a political declaration on the protection of civilians from the use of EWIPA. The declaration was subsequently developed with significant involvement from African countries. However, only 11 AU Member States have endorsed it so far, underscoring the need for broader endorsement among Member States.
Africa has been at the forefront of the global effort to ban anti-personnel landmines. In June 1995, the 62nd Ordinary Session of the OAU Council of Ministers adopted Resolution CM/Res 1593 on the ‘UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and Problems Posed by the Proliferation of Anti-Personnel Mines in Africa,’ which, inter alia, called for a total ban on anti-personnel landmines and the universalisation of relevant legally binding instruments. This was followed by the adoption of the Common African Position on Anti-Personnel Mines during the Second Continental Conference of African Experts in September 2004.
Currently, 93% of AU Member States are parties to the Ottawa Convention—the most widely recognised treaty in mine action—which seeks to end the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines. The Convention obligates States Parties to never use, develop, produce, stockpile, or transfer anti-personnel mines and requires them to destroy existing stockpiles, clear mined areas, and assist victims. At the institutional level, the AU Commission is in the process of reviewing its Mine Action and Explosive Remnants of War Strategic Framework (2014–2017) and developing a Draft AU Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Strategy. The PSC has repeatedly called for the finalisation of the Counter-IED Strategy, including during its 837th, 1032nd, 1072nd, and 1146th meetings, and members are likely to be interested in receiving an update on the progress made in this regard.
Despite significant efforts and progress over the years, the continent continues to face serious challenges in mine action, which are likely to feature in tomorrow’s discussion. According to the latest 2024 Landmines Monitor Report, offering a comprehensive global overview of developments in mine ban and action since 1999, as of October 2024, 33 States Parties have yet to fulfill their mine clearance obligations,[1] including 14 AU Member States: Angola, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Zimbabwe. Of these, eight countries face deadlines to meet their Article 5 clearance obligations by 2025, but none appear to be on track to do so. The remaining five countries—Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan—have clearance deadlines extending beyond 2025.
A concerning trend is the re-emergence of landmines in countries previously declared mine-free, including Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania. Mozambique, which was declared mine-free in 2015, also faces renewed threats due to the use of improvised mines by insurgents in the Cabo Delgado province. Ethiopia also reported massive antipersonnel landmine contamination in 2023, with over 100 km² affected, while Angola, Chad, Eritrea, and Mauritania reported contamination levels ranging from 20 to 99 km².
The continued use of anti-personnel mines particularly by non-state armed groups, such as terrorist organisations, remains a major concern. The PSC, in its 1072nd and 1146th sessions, expressed ‘serious concern’ over the use of anti-personnel mines and IEDs by such groups and called for compliance with international treaties banning their use. Reports also indicate that IEDs have become the weapon of choice for terrorist groups across the continent, particularly in regions affected by conflicts involving terrorist groups such as the Sahel, the Great Lakes, and the Horn of Africa.
The human toll of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) remains high. In 2023, at least 5,757 casualties were recorded globally, with civilians bearing the brunt of the impact. Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ethiopia were among the ten countries with the highest casualty rates, pursuant to the Landmines Monitor Report.
Another challenge is compliance with the transparency reporting obligation under Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty, which requires each State Party to report on steps taken to implement the treaty. State Parties are obliged to submit annual reports by 30 April, detailing developments from the preceding calendar year. Despite this obligation, four of the five State Parties with Article 5 clearance obligations that have not submitted updated Article 7 transparency reports are AU Member States.
On a positive note, both globally and regionally, 2023 saw a record 281.5 km² of contaminated land cleared—the largest area cleared since the last review conference in 2019. Angola, Zimbabwe, and Chad were among the top ten countries conducting mine clearance, with Zimbabwe leading in the destruction of 37,330 landmines.
Progress depends on international cooperation and solidarity. As such, the increase in international funding for mine action, which surpassed $1 billion in 2023, is a welcome development. Yet, the allocation of the funds does not correspond to the need and scale of the burden of mines that countries have. Accordingly, while more than 40% of the 33 mine-contaminated States Parties are from Africa, no African country was among the top ten recipients of international support. Ukraine alone received $308 million—39% of all international donor funds—while African countries, including Chad, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal, received a combined total of just $19 million over five years (2019–2023), representing less than 1% of global mine action funding. This disparity underscores the need for attaching greater significance to needs and the scale of burden of countries if global cooperation and solidarity is going to advance the effective implementation of the treaty.
With the U.S., Germany, and the European Union being the top donors for mine action, any shifts in policy or funding priorities in these regions could further reduce available resources, exacerbating the challenges faced by AU Member States. It is to be recalled that PSC’s 1146th session raised concerns over the mine action funding gap at national, regional, and continental levels and urged the AU Commission to work closely with Member States and partners to mobilise resources and technical expertise. During tomorrow’s deliberation, PSC members may explore concrete strategies to address the funding challenges that continue to hinder mine action efforts across the continent.
The expected outcome is a communiqué. The PSC may acknowledge progress made over the years while expressing concern over the continued threat posed by anti-personnel landmines and ERW, including the increasing use of improvised explosive devices by terrorist groups and their use in some recent conflicts. In this regard, the PSC may reiterate its call for the finalisation and submission of the draft AU Counter-IED Strategy for its consideration. In light of the upcoming international conference on the EWIPA political declaration, scheduled to be held in Costa Rica in November 2025, the PSC is expected to encourage AU Member States to endorse the declaration. The PSC may call for the AU to facilitate the mobilisation of technical, logistical and financial support including through experience sharing exercises to support the efforts of member states in mine clearance operations and in enhancing efforts for preventing the use of landmines and other explosive devices. The PSC may also call on all Member States to put in place institutional measures to comply with their obligations under international instruments related to mine action, particularly the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, and urge those that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the treaty. It may also encourage States with Article 5 clearance obligations to enhance their efforts to meet their deadlines, including by strengthening technical capacity, demonstrating political will, and allocating sufficient funds for mine action. Furthermore, the PSC may request the AU Commission to ensure the implementation of previous Council decisions on mine action within a specified timeline, including the establishment of a Continental Mechanism for mine action, organising advocacy forum, the participation of landmine victims in PSC meetings on mine action, and the review of the AU Mine Action and Explosive Remnants of War Strategic Framework (2014–2017).
[1] Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, States Parties with contamination are required to clear and destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under their jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 10 years after the entry into force of the treaty for that country.
Provisional Programme of Work of the Peace and Security Council for April 2025
Provisional Programme of Work of the Peace and Security Council for April 2025
Date | April 2025
In April, the Republic of Uganda will serve as the stand-in Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). The Provisional Programme of Work (PPoW) for the month includes six substantive sessions, all scheduled at the ambassadorial level. Among the six sessions, only one is country-specific, focusing on developments in Somalia and the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission (AUSSOM). The remaining five sessions will address thematic issues. In addition to the sessions, the PSC will travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 4th Annual Joint Retreat with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
The first session of the month, scheduled for 1 April,[1] is dedicated to the ‘International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action’ commemorated annually on 4 April, in accordance with the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution [A/RES/60/97], adopted on 08 December 2005. This year’s theme is Safe Futures Start Here. On its part, the PSC has held sessions on this subject since 2019, with the last one held at its 1146th session. During this year’s session, the PSC is expected to follow up on its 1146th, which highlighted the enduring threats posed by landmines, explosive remnants of war (ERW), and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The PSC also reiterated its call for the establishment of a continental coordination mechanism to strengthen and harmonise mine action efforts across Member States. This session is being held on the last year of the deadline set by the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) and the 2014 Declaration of State Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines (Maputo Declaration) for a mine-free world.
On 2 April, the PSC will convene an open session under the theme ‘Hate Crimes and the Fight Against Genocidal Ideology in Africa’. The session being held as part of the 31st Anniversary Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda follows the decision of the PSC’s 678th meeting on 11 April 2017, which established the month of April for addressing the prevention of genocidal ideologies and the fight against hate crimes on the African continent. The annual commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is expected to be held at the AU Commission on 7 April under the theme “Remember–Unite–Renew”. This would be the first time that the PSC will be holding this session since the appointment by the AU Commission of a Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and other Atrocities. Against the widespread atrocities and escalating violence in several conflict-affected regions, such as eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan, it remains to be seen whether this year’s commemoration would concern itself with the question of how the subject of the session is being addressed in specific conflict situations going beyond the general discussion of previous years. This is where the role of the Special Envoy and his intervention on how to take this subject forward would become critical. It is also of interest for this session to reflect on how the theme of the session is being addressed systematically in the AU’s normative frameworks and its peace and security architecture, including early warning systems, preventive diplomacy, and the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.
In the second week of April, the PSC will travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 4th Annual Joint Retreat with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), scheduled to take place from 7 – 9 April 2025. During its 1191st session, which reviewed the outcomes of the 3rd retreat, the PSC decided that the 4th retreat would assess collaboration between the PSC and APRM in early warning and conflict prevention, as well as the synergy between the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA). It is accordingly anticipated that this year’s retreat would focus, among others, on these issues. In addition to adopting the conclusions, in its communique adopted at its 1191st session, the PSC requested the AU Commission and the APRM Continental Secretariat to develop a matrix tracking the implementation of past conclusions for review and adoption.
Following the retreat, on 10 April, the PSC is scheduled to consider and adopt a draft of the Monthly Provisional Programme of Work for May.
On 15 April, the PSC will consider (through silence procedure) the conclusions of the 4th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the APRM.
The next session, set for 17 April, will be a briefing on the situation in Somalia, with a particular focus on the AUSSOM. This meeting marks the Council’s first dedicated engagement on Somalia and AUSSOM since the official transition of the AU mission from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to AUSSOM on 1 January 2025. The last session on Somalia was held during the Council’s 1253rd meeting on 19 December 2024. During the session, the PSC reiterated its request for the AU Commission to engage extensively with the UN, EU, and other strategic partners to secure predictable and sustainable funding for AUSSOM. To address the 25% funding gap identified in UN Resolution 2719, the Commission was urged by the Council to develop a resource mobilisation roadmap in collaboration with the UN, including the possibility of a pledging conference. Additionally, the PSC requested the Commission to present the AUSSOM budget for consideration, ensuring it follows due process through the AU financial committees. The Council also supported the utilization accrued interest from the AU Peace Fund and the Crisis Reserve Facility (CRF) to help finance AUSSOM, which is in line with previous PSC decisions. Additionally, the PSC requested the AU Commission to finalize consultations with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) on the mission’s composition. In implementing the request made by the PSC, the AUC, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), and representatives from AUSSOM Troop and Police Contributing Countries recently held a four-day technical working session to finalise the capabilities, force composition, and deployment plans of the AUSSOM. A key outcome of the workshop was the finalisation of the Statement of Unit Requirements (SUR), detailing the necessary troop and police capabilities for AUSSOM’s mission. Coming against the background of the recent resurgence of Al Shabaab leading to losses by the FGS, in addition to the update the PSC will receive on these issues on the operationalisation of AUSSOM, this session is also expected to review recent trends in the security situation and the fight against Al Shabaab in Somalia.
On 23 April, the fourth session of the PSC will focus on ‘The Imperative of a Combined Maritime Task Force in Addressing Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).’ Over the past decade, on the security aspect, the GoG region has made significant strides in regional cooperation and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), leveraging digital technologies to address security threats. According to the 2024 IBM Piracy Report, indicates that piracy incidents in the region have dropped from 84 in 2020 to just 18 in 2024, demonstrating the effectiveness of these collaborative efforts. Yet, many of the technological solutions that support maritime security efforts in the region are developed, controlled, and financed by external actors, making Africa vulnerable to geopolitical uncertainties. Additionally, the region still lacks sufficient physical infrastructure to verify digital maritime intelligence. Against this backdrop, the establishment of a Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF) has emerged as a strategic approach to strengthening Africa’s maritime security. During the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, President Bola Tinubu called on the PSC to establish the CMTF to bolster security in the GoG and expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host its headquarters in Lagos. This aligns with earlier commitments, such as the Port Harcourt Declaration of May 2022, where African naval and coast guard leaders endorsed the creation of a CMTF. Subsequently, at its 1174th session, the PSC directed the AU Commission to work with the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) and the CMTF to ensure operational coordination. It also called for the accelerated operationalisation of the Committee of the Heads of African Navies and Coastguards (CHANS). Given these developments, the upcoming PSC session is expected to assess the role of the CMTF in combating piracy and explore ways to enhance synergy among existing maritime security initiatives.
The final session of the PSC, set for 25 April, is dedicated to ‘Reflection on the political landscape in the Sahel Region with a focus on the regional implications of the recent withdrawal of the Republics of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS.’ Following the announcement by Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali on their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following the sanctions imposed on Niger after the July 2023 coup, it is to be recalled that the 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in February 2024 expressed ‘grave concern of (sic) the joint communiqué of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrawing from ECOWAS’. At the same time, on January 29, 2025, despite a six-month extension offer from ECOWAS, the withdrawal of the three Sahelian countries (who formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) took effect, marking the most significant crisis in West Africa’s regional integration since the founding of ECOWAS in 1975. Apart from its impact on regional and continental integration, the PSC session on 25 April will serve to reflect on the implications of this fragmentation of the West African regional order to the African Peace and Security Architecture.
[1] Additionally, 1 April also marks the Flag Day for the newly elected PSC members, during which the flags of the newly constituted PSC will be installed at the PSC Chamber. This will be accompanied by a briefing from the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) as envisaged in the PPoW.
Monthly Digest on The African Union Peace And Security Council - February 2025
Monthly Digest on The African Union Peace And Security Council - February 2025
Date | February 2025
In February 2025, the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC), chaired by Equatorial Guinea, convened two of the sessions anticipated in the Provisional Programme of Work and held a third session on a theme added during the month. The sessions were held at two levels: ambassadorial and summit levels. With the addition of another conflict situation to the summit level session initially envisaged to deal with only one country-specific situation and another theme dedicated to consideration of the outcome of the Oran Seminar, the PSC addressed four agenda items in the three sessions it held during the month.
