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.
