Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlfrance



France <![CDATA[ In 2007, the French Republic had one known mined area to clear around its ammunition storage area (ASA) outside the town of La Doudah in Djibouti.[1] The ASA was protected by antipersonnel mines laid by the French army in the 1970s, reportedly “to protect it from thieves.” Heavy rainfall and floods in 1989 resulted in the movement of some mines beyond the barbed wire fence that enclosed the minefields. Limited demining operations were conducted after the flooding, but many mines remained. In October 2003, the French army conducted a preparatory mission, which determined the area was contaminated by some 700 mines. The affected area was estimated to be 103,000m2.

Demining

The high ferrous content of the soil at the ASA in La Doudah made the use of metal detectors impracticable. In addition, the size of the area—and the impending Article 5 deadline—excluded manual demining as a realistic option. The 2003 preparatory mission recommended that a mechanical sifter be used to clear the area. The decision to use machines obliged specific administrative approval as well as training for the army personnel in their use.

Support for Mine Action

France reported providing support for mine action valued at €1,744,055 ($2,391,274) in 2007, a decrease of one-third compared to 2006. Moreover, 2007 represents the lowest level of reported funding by France since 2004. France reported to Landmine Monitor that because of a lack of time available for collecting funding data from embassies, some funding items may have gone unreported, and actual 2007 funding might have been greater than that reported.

According to its reported funding, France discontinued support in 2007 to Afghanistan, Angola, Chechnya, Croatia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Somaliland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Yemen, all of which received funds or in-kind support in 2006. New lines of support were extended to Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea (Conakry), Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Zambia, none of which received support in 2006.

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