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Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

 

Country Summary

The Republic of Chad has more than 90km² of land contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), resulting from the 1973 Libyan invasion and more than 30 years of internal conflict. The contamination includes cluster munition remnants.

Chad became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty in November 1999 and has now requested four extensions to its Article 5 deadline to clear landmines from its territory. The requests have included provisions to conduct survey, to better understand the extent of contamination. However, the full extent of the problem remains unknown. Chad indicated that it is uncertain whether it will be able to meet its Article 5 deadline due to funding uncertainties beyond September 2021.[1]

Chad became a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munition on 1 September 2013. Chad expected to complete clearance of all known cluster munition contaminated areas in 2021, ahead of its Article 4 deadline of 1 September 2023.

The National High Commission for Demining (Haut Commissariat National de Déminage, HCND) is the focal point for risk education activities in Chad, which are integrated into land release operations and follow the national standard for risk education. Risk education was not included in the school curriculum.

In 2020, 34 new mine/ERW casualties were recorded in Chad. Chad is responsible for a significant number of mine/ERW survivors and cluster munition victims. The total number is not known, but there are thought to be more than 1,802 survivors in Chad. There were no emergency care services in Borkou province, which is affected by mines/ERW. Kabalaye Limb-Fitting and Rehabilitation Center was the only operational physical rehabilitation center in N’Djamena, but faced funding difficulties in 2020. Children with disabilities and children of persons with disabilities had free access to education.

Treaty Status

Treaty status overview

Mine Ban Treaty	State Party (Entry into force: 1 November 1999) Article 5 clearance deadline: 1 January 2025
Convention on Cluster Munitions	State Party (Entry into force: 1 September 2013) Article 4 clearance deadline: 1 September 2023
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)	State Party (Ratification: 20 June 2019)

 

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 clearance deadline

Chad was unable to meet its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline of 1 November 2009 for clearance of mined areas due to the extent of contamination, ongoing armed conflict, and poor management of the mine action program. Chad requested, and was granted, a 14-month extension to survey suspected hazardous areas (SHA) in 2008, but the survey failed to commence until September 2010. Three further extensions were granted in 2010, 2013, and 2019. Its current Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline is 1 January 2025. Chad is required to present an updated workplan by 30 April 2022.

Lack of funding is a recurring difficulty that Chad has faced in meeting its Article 5 obligations. Other issues have included information management problems, mismanagement at HCND, a lack of transparency in resource management, poor road networks, and security issues. Chad committed to making some national contribution to salary and running costs of the demining program in its fourth extension request, although in the past, non-payment of salaries prevented some planned survey and clearance activities from proceeding in 2018.[2]

In 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions in Chad, mine action operations continued albeit at a slower pace.[3]

Management and Coordination

Mine action

Mine action management and coordination overview[4]

Mine action commenced	1998
National mine action management actors	National High Commission for Demining (Haut Commissariat National de Déminage, HCND)
Other actors	Swiss Foundation for Demining (Fondation Suisse de Déminage, FSD) provides institutional support and capacity-building to HCND
Mine action strategies and operational plans	National Mine Action Plan 2020–2024
Mine action standards	National Mine Action Standards, updated in 2018

 

Coordination

The national mine action program in Chad is managed by HCND, under the Ministry of Economy and Planning.[5] HCND has four directorates and four provincial centers.[6]

Demining priorities in Chad are determined by HCND, in conjunction with provincial authorities. Non-technical survey highlights local socio-economic issues and serves as a basis for the priority-setting process. Operators propose operational plans based on identified priorities, and HCND is responsible for approving these plans.[7]

The European Union (EU) has been the principal source of international funding for mine action in Chad. In 2014–2016, the EU contributed to the Project to Support the Demining Sector in Chad (PADEMIN, Projet d’appui au secteur du déminage au Tchad) to provide capacity development to HCND and for the survey and clearance of mines/ERW in Boukou, Ennedi, and Tibesti provinces. A four-year Demining and Economic Development Project (Projet de déminage et de développement économique, PRODECO) started in 2017 and was due to run until September 2021. (For more information see Chad and EU support for mine action profiles)

Strategies and policies

The National Mine Action Plan 2020–2024 provides general information on the number, location, and size of remaining mined areas with a provisional timeline for operations and an overall budget with an annual breakdown.

A Resource and Partnership Mobilization Strategy, for 2018–2024, has been developed as part of Chad’s 2019 Article 5 deadline extension request. However, the PRODECO project was scheduled to end in September 2021, and no funding had been identified for the rest of the extension period.[8]

Information management

Since 2017, HCND has received extensive support in information management from the Swiss Foundation for Demining (Fondation Suisse de Déminage, FSD). Through FSD training, HCND has acquired a better understanding of the importance of information management in mine action. HCND uses the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database, although the use of the database as the basis for planning and decision-making was not yet systematic.[9] The cleaning of the database to identify and remove duplicate data and to verify geographic coordinates was still ongoing in 2021.[10]

National and global goals

Chad stated that its National Mine Action Plan covering 2020–2024 is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and with its National Development Plan 2017–2021. In particular, the National Mine Action Plan aims to allow the safe return of populations to formerly contaminated areas, strengthen the social fabric of affected communities, facilitate the exchange of goods and services, and empower local communities and women in mine/ERW affected areas.[11]

Gender and diversity

Gender and diversity issues were taken into consideration within HCND recruitment processes.[12]

Risk education

Risk education management and coordination overview[13]

Government focal points	HCND
Coordination mechanisms	Risk education issues are discussed during quarterly meetings of the Mine Action Subcommittee
Risk education standards	Chad did not update its national standard for risk education in 2021 as expected, but planned to do so in 2022

 

The HCND is responsible for accrediting risk education operators and for monitoring activities. However, it was reported that no monitoring took place in 2020 due to a lack of time and the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

There is no risk education technical working group, but risk education issues are discussed during the quarterly meetings of the Mine Action Subcommittee.[15]

National standards

Progress to update the risk education national standard was delayed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

Victim assistance

Victim assistance management and coordination overview[17]

Government focal points	HCND
Coordination mechanisms	Network of Rehabilitation Actors in Chad (Réseau des acteurs de la réhabilitation au Tchad, RART); inactive since 2019
Coordination regularity and outcomes	No coordination meetings were held in 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kabalaye Limb-Fitting and Rehabilitation Center coordinated the treatment of mine victims and persons with disabilities virtually)
Plans/strategies	National Plan of Action on Victim Assistance (Plan d’Action National d’Assistance aux Victimes, PANAV); adopted in 2018 but not yet implemented
Disability sector integration	Organizations representing persons with disabilities and mine survivors were included in RART before it became inactive
Survivor inclusion and participation	Survivors included in victim assistance coordination meetings and advocacy activities

Laws and policies

The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in Chad, but the government did not effectively enforce this provision. No legislation exists to ensure access to public buildings for persons with disabilities. In 2020, there were government-run education, employment, and therapy programs for persons with disabilities.[18] The implementing decree for Law 007 on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Chad was adopted in 2020.[19]

The Ministry for Women, Early Childhood Protection, and National Solidarity is responsible for guaranteeing the rights of persons with disabilities in Chad through its Directorate for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, while the Ministry of Public Health is responsible for coordinating physical rehabilitation. Humanity & Inclusion (HI) worked with these two ministries, in addition to the Ministry of Economy and Development Planning and the Ministry of Defense.[20] A national inter-ministerial Council for Disability was being established under the Directorate for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in 2021, to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).[21]

Persons with disabilities were included in decision-making bodies such as the Economic, Cultural, and Social Council, as well as the National Human Rights Commission.[22]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination (as of December 2020)[23]

Landmines	80.33km² (57.59km² CHA,22.74km² SHA) Chad reported that mine contaminated areas contained mixed contamination Extent of contamination: large
Cluster munition remnants	Some remaining contamination is suspected in Tibetsi province Extent of contamination: small

Note: CHA=confirmed hazardous area; SHA=suspected hazardous area.

Landmine contamination

Landmine contamination in Chad is the result of the 1973 Libyan invasion and 30 years of internal armed conflict. The contaminated areas are in northern Chad along the border with Libya, on the border with Sudan, and in southern Chad on the border with the Central African Republic. As of the end of 2020, Chad had identified 147 hazardous areas across three provinces, including 88 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) located in Borkou, Ennedi, and Tibesti.[24] The hazardous areas were estimated to cover a total area of 80.33km² of mixed contamination;[25] a 14% reduction from 93.3km² at the end of 2019. As of June 2021, over half of Chad’s mine contamination was located in Tibesti.[26] Lake province is contaminated with improvised mines.[27]

Mines/ERW are an ongoing threat to local populations, particularly in northern Chad, and have a negative impact on the socio-economic development of the poorest provinces, particularly Borkou, Ennedi, and Tibesti.[28] Contamination obstructs key transport routes and diversions are sometimes opened through potentially contaminated areas, increasing the level of risk to local populations.[29]

Recent contamination

HCND suspected that new contamination could be discovered in Tibesti province, resulting from violent clashes from 2018 to 2020.[30] In June 2019, Chad reported new use of antivehicle mines by unknown non-state armed groups (NSAGs) near its borders with Sudan and the Central African Republic.[31] Several antivehicle mine attacks were reported in Chad in August 2016 and August 2017.[32] In April 2018 and September 2019, Chadian soldiers were killed and wounded during a series of operations in Lake Chad province against Boko Haram forces, who used landmines and other forms of attack.[33] Risk education teams in Lake province informed affected populations about the dangers of improvised devices and other ERW.[34]

Cluster munition remnants contamination

Chad’s cluster munition remnant contamination is small. Following the end of armed conflict with Libya in 1987, unexploded submunitions and cluster munition containers were found in the three northern provinces of Borkou, Ennedi, and Tibesti. Cluster munition remnants were also found in the Biltine department of Wadi Fira province in the northeast; and east of the capital, N’Djamena.[35]

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) reported in 2017 that most of Tibesti province, thought to be the most heavily contaminated province in Chad with mines/ERW, still had to be surveyed, and that local informants might know of contamination. MAG also noted the possibility that cluster munition remnants might be found around former Libyan military bases.[36] However, Chad stated that no reports of contamination had been made.[37]

HCND reported in June 2021 that the land release process in relation to the last area known to be contaminated with cluster munition remnants in Chad was almost complete, and awaiting quality assurance and quality control before the area could be declared free from contamination.[38]

Casualties

Casualties overview[39]

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

Casualties in 2020: details

In 2020, the Monitor identified 34 new mine/ERW casualties in Chad, representing a 24% decrease from 45 mine/ERW casualties in 2019. Annual casualty totals have fluctuated in recent years, with 45 casualties in 2019, 30 in 2018, 146 in 2017, 17 in 2016, 25 in 2015, 53 in 2014, and 20 in 2013.[40] However, data reported in previous years was inconsistent and not indicative of trends.[41]

Over 30 additional casualties were reported in Chad as a result of incidents caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in water in Lake province in November 2020. Information on these incidents was insufficient to determine whether these devices were either victim-activated or command-detonated. Further incidents were reported in Lake province in August and September 2020, but it was again unclear whether these incidents were caused by victim-activated devices.[42]

At least 3,249 mine/ERW casualties had been identified for all time in Chad, by the end of 2020.[43] HCND reported that information received on new casualties was generally incomplete.[44] The total number of mine/ERW survivors in Chad is not known, though there were thought to be more than 1,802.[45] Only 106 survivors are recorded on the IMSMA database, even though CND and HCND have reported many more survivors in Chad since 2008.[46]

Cluster munition casualties

No cluster munition casualties have been identified since 2015. In 2015, there were at least four casualties (three girls and one boy) in Chad caused by cluster munition remnants.[47] The number of casualties caused by unexploded cluster submunitions or the use of cluster munitions in Chad remains unknown, due to a lack of detailed and comprehensive data collection.[48]

Addressing the Impact

Mine action

Clearance operators

National	HCND, with support from the Swiss Foundation for Demining (Fondation Suisse de Déminage, FSD)
International	Mines Advisory Group (MAG), since 2004 Humanity & Inclusion (HI), since 2014

Clearance

Land release overview[49]

Landmine clearance in 2020	Cleared: 0.21km² Cancelled: 0.43km²*
Landmines destroyed in 2020	39 antipersonnel mines, 7 antivehicle mines
Landmine clearance (2016–2020)	2016: 0.58km² 2017: 0km² 2018: 0km² 2019: 0.47km² 2020: 0.21km²   Total: 1.26km²
Cluster munition remnants clearance in 2020	Cleared: 0.41km² Reduced: 0.33km²
Cluster munition remnants destroyed in 2020	9
Cluster munition remnants clearance (2016–2020)	2016: 0km² 2017: 0km² 2018: 0km² 2019: 4.3km² 2020: 0.41km²   Total: 4.71km²
Other ordnance destroyed in 2020	887 ERW; 4,318 other small-caliber ammunition
Progress
Landmines	Chad is uncertain if it will meet its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline, due to funding uncertainties beyond September 2021 and because the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down operations in 2020
Cluster munition remnants	In June 2021, Chad estimated that it would be able to complete clearance of all known areas contaminated by cluster munition remnants ahead of its Article 4 deadline of 1 September 2023

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

*These areas were cancelled through GPS coordinates verification missions (0.16km²), and via non-technical survey (0.27km²).

Land release

Landmines

In 2020, HI and MAG conducted survey and clearance operations in Borkou and Ennedi provinces. Although operations were suspended for five months in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chad reported the release of 0.64km²; including 0.21km² through clearance, and 0.43km² through GPS coordinates verification missions and non-technical survey.[50]

In January 2019, HI began testing the use of drones to detect landmines, in Faya-Largeau in Borkou province.[51] HCND is equipped with two drones, and two staff members are trained to fly them.[52]

Possible new mine contamination is expected in the Miski area, Tibesti province, following violent clashes in 2018 and 2019.

Cluster munition remnants

Chad reported clearance of land contaminated with cluster munition remnants in 2019 for the first time in five years. In 2020, Chad reported clearing 0.41km² of cluster munition contaminated land in the Delbo area of West Ennedi province. Nine cluster munition remnants were reported cleared and destroyed.[53] This is reported by Chad to be the last area known to be contaminated with cluster munition remnants. Chad expected that clearance of the area would be complete by the end of July 2021.[54]

Border cooperation

Technical and operational exchanges with Sudan commenced in 2019, aimed at clearing the border area.[55]

Residual risk

HCND has a multipurpose intervention unit, which is responsible for clearing isolated mines and ERW in Chad. Staff working within the unit received refresher training from FSD in 2020.[56]

Risk education

Operators and service providers

Beneficiary numbers

Beneficiaries of risk education in 2020[57]

Operator	Men	Boys	Women	Girls
HCND	1,742	2,805	1,809	1,697

HI reported reaching 1,087 men and 656 women in 2020, but did not disaggregate the beneficiaries by age.[58] HI also conducted 17 risk education sessions for 275 adults (79 women and 196 men) at risk from cluster munition remnants.[59] MAG did not report risk education beneficiary numbers to the Monitor.

Implementation

Target groups

MAG and HI provided risk education sessions in schools located near hazardous areas in Chad, as children are particularly vulnerable to the risk posed by mines/ERW. However, risk education was not included as a formal part of the school curriculum.[60]

Nomads, animal herders, traditional guides, and trackers are considered high risk groups due to their mobility in desert areas of Chad which may be contaminated. Mine/ERW incidents involving these groups have been recorded by operators. However, these groups are challenging to reach for risk education as they are more mobile than other population groups.[61]

Risk education was delivered both in rural and urban areas in 2020.[62]

Delivery methods

Local committees were established to provide risk education, with members trained to conduct risk education sessions. Risk education messages in Chad were mainly communicated orally in local languages, and via the distribution of leaflets during risk education sessions.[63]

MAG and HI trained risk education community focal points and provided risk education as part of their land release operations.[64] Both operators conducted risk education in remote areas and host communities. Methods of delivery included face-to-face sessions, printed materials and banners, and radio broadcasts.[65]

No formal evaluation of risk education activities took place in Chad in 2020, although a team from HCND visited risk education sessions as part of their monitoring of operations related to demining in the country.[66] HI conducted an internal evaluation of its risk education activities.[67]

Major developments in 2020

In 2020, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) and Mines Advisory Group (MAG) conducted risk education in Borkou and West Ennedi provinces, while HCND conducted risk education in Lake province in November and December 2020 with funding from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In July and August 2020, emergency risk education sessions were also conducted in N’Djamena following a mine/ERW incident in July, which resulted in one casualty.[68] Risk education was not conducted in Tibesti province, thought to be the most heavily contaminated province in Chad.

In 2021, HI started a new risk education project in Lake province.[69]

Victim assistance

Victim assistance operators[70]

Note: NGO=non-governmental organization.

Major developments in 2020

In 2020, a physiotherapy department opened at Bol Provincial Hospital in Lake province, and staff were trained on manufacturing standards for technical aids. Digital rehabilitation was introduced in Chad to maintain the link between patients and rehabilitation centers amid restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[71]

Healthcare workers in Bol and Moundou received training on rehabilitation and disability in 2020, aimed at improving identification and referral of persons with disabilities in Chad to rehabilitation centers.[72]

Several training centers in N’Djamena were made more accessible to persons with disabilities.[73]

Needs assessment

HI was conducting identification and needs assessment activities in Borkou province, for referrals to the Kabalaye Limb-Fitting and Rehabilitation Center.[74]

Medical care and rehabilitation

There were no emergency care services available in Borkou province, despite it being affected by mines/ERW. Survivors needing additional surgery after an amputation were referred to Barkhane Military Hospital in N’Djamena.[75] However, resources for emergency care services in N’Djamena were also lacking. In May 2020, a 24-year-old man injured by an ERW in N’Djamena was taken to hospital and local media reported that “first aid was slow to come for lack of means.”[76]

The geographical coverage of physical rehabilitation services remained the same as in 2019. The Kabalaye Limb-Fitting and Rehabilitation Center was the only operational physical rehabilitation center in N’Djamena, but faced funding difficulties. The cost of treatment at the center was borne by patients.[77]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

Persons with disabilities in Chad were trained and supported to restart income-generating activities, and technical and vocational training as part of a HI social and economic inclusion project—“Project to improve the quality of life and inclusion of children and young people with disabilities and vulnerable people in Chad,” (Projet d'Amélioration de la qualité de vie et de l'inclusion des enfants, jeunes handicapés et personnes vulnérables au Tchad, INCLUJIPH)—and PRODECO project.[78]

Children with disabilities, and children of persons with disabilities, had free access to education.[79]

Cross-cutting

Renovation work aimed at ensuring patient privacy—by separating the treatment rooms for adults and children—was carried out at the Notre Dame House of Peace (Maison Notre Dame de Paix, MNDP) and the Kabalaye Limb-Fitting and Rehabilitation Center.[80]