Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlsleone



Sierra Leone <![CDATA[Sierra Leone signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 29 July 1998, ratified on 25 April 2001 and the treaty entered into force for the country on 1 October 2001. Sierra Leone did not participate in the Ottawa Process and joined the pro-ban movement against a background of political upheaval — three coups d’etats between 1992 and 1997, and the first multiparty elections in almost two decades in 1996.

Sierra Leone declares in its Article 7 report that it has no mined areas. It states, “As of this date, there are no known or suspected areas where anti-personnel landmines were emplaced during the rebel conflict.”

In 2002, Landmine Monitor reported that landmines used during the civil war had for the most part been removed, either by ECOMOG or IMATT. A UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) mission in 2000 concluded that there was more of an unexploded ordnance (UXO) and booby-trap problem in Sierra Leone than an antipersonnel and antivehicle mine problem. This view was reiterated by UNAMSIL in 2002, and by the government delegate at the intersessional meetings in Geneva in February 2004. UNMAS reported that landmines and UXO were not having any impact on peacekeeping operations, organizations involved in aid distribution, or returning refugees, and described any socioeconomic impact as “extremely limited.” ]]> <![CDATA[]]>