Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlsomalia



Somalia <![CDATA[Landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW)—both abandoned explosive ordnance and unexploded ordnance (UXO)—affect many parts of Somalia as a result of internal and international conflicts since 1964. In a March 2007 evaluation, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) concluded that ERW were “very widespread” and, in most of the country, “constitute a greater threat than do minefields.”

Further contamination in the south has resulted from fighting between Ethiopian troops, who entered the country in 2007 in support of the TFG, and non-state armed groups; as noted above, media reports have attested to the use of roadside bombs, IEDs, and mines, as well as to casualties. According to David Bax, the Chief Technical Advisor for UNDP Mine Action, “communities in South Central Somalia are exposed to large quantities of Explosive Remnants of War…and the socio-economic impact on the local population is immeasurable.” Combat continued in Mogadishu as of August 2008, with heavy artillery bombardment of urban areas.

Despite significant difficulty in verifying reported incidents, Landmine Monitor believes there were at least 74 casualties from mines/ERW in 2007 (26 people killed, 40 injured, and eight unknown). All 74 casualties were civilian, including 27 children. ERW, including abandoned victim-activated IEDs, caused 46 casualties. One casualty was caused by an antipersonnel mine, and explosive devices reported to be victim-activated caused 27.

Of these casualties, the Isha Human Rights Organization (IHRO) reported two casualties caused by ERW, one boy killed and another injured. However, they recorded 41 casualties of explosive devices in total.

According to the September 2007 UN Inter-Agency Assessment Report, 466 casualties in 61 incidents were recorded by SOMMAC and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in the first six months of 2007. However, the reports stated that “It should be noted that IED victims are included, though normally they would be classified as victims of ‘active weapons’ and not traditionally counted by mine action surveillance systems and that while the casualties are divided between mines and ERW/IED, the system of reporting makes it difficult to be sure of the exact type of device that caused the injury...”

A journalist based in south Mogadishu reported that many civilian mine/ERW casualties went unreported because not all casualties were of interest to the press, who focused on large (command-detonated) explosions with numerous casualties. He noted that civilian mine casualties occurred regularly.

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