Chad
Cluster Munition Ban Policy
Summary: State Party Chad ratified the convention on 26 March 2013. It has expressed its desire to enact national implementing legislation for the convention. Chad has participated in almost every meeting of the convention and voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution on the convention in December 2017. Chad reports that it has never produced and does not stockpile cluster munitions. In the past, armed forces from other states used cluster munitions in Chad.
Policy
The Republic of Chad signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008, ratified on 26 March 2013, and the convention entered into force for the country on 1 September 2013.
Chad has reported its 2013 ratification legislation under national implementation measures for the convention.[1] In the past, Chadian officials expressed interest in preparing specific national legislation to enforce the convention, but those efforts never progressed.[2]
Chad provided its initial Article 7 transparency measures report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 24 May 2014 and has submitted two annual updated reports, most recently on 6 June 2018.[3]
Chad actively participated in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions and supported a comprehensive ban on the weapon.[4]
Chad has attended most of the convention’s Meetings of States Parties, most recently the Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2017, as well as the convention’s First Review Conference in September 2015 and intersessional meetings in Geneva in 2011–2014. Chad did not attend the Meetings of States Parties in 2013 and 2016. Chad has attended regional workshops on cluster munitions, most recently in Lomé, Togo in May 2013.
In December 2017, Chad voted in favor of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution promoting implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[5]
Chad has also voted in favor of UNGA resolutions expressing outrage at the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in December 2017.[6]
Chad expressed concern at the use of cluster munitions in South Sudan, Sudan, and Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 in its capacity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.[7] It voted in favor of a June 2015 UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution expressing concern at evidence of cluster munition use by the government of Sudan.[8] Chad also voted in favor of a May 2014 UNSC resolution expressing concern at the use of cluster munitions in South Sudan.[9]
Chad is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling
Chad has reported that it never produced cluster munitions and does not possess any stocks, including for research and training purposes.[10]
Chad is not known to have used or transferred cluster munitions. However, French aircraft dropped cluster munitions on a Libyan airfield inside Chad at Wadi Doum during the 1986–1987 conflict, while the Libyan air force also used RBK-series cluster bombs in Chad containing AO-1SCh and PTAB-2.5 submunitions.
[1] Law 005/PR/2013, dated 18 March 2013. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, 5 March 2016.
[2] In 2013, government officials indicated that Chad was considering enacting legislation to enforce the convention’s provisions. Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) meeting with Gen. Abdel Aziz Izzo, Director, National Demining Center (Centre National de Déminage, CND), and Moussa Ali Soultani, Strategic Plan and Operations Advisor, CND, in Geneva, 16 April 2013. The ICRC provides assistance to Chad with respect to national implementation measures. Statement of the ICRC, Lomé Regional Seminar on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lomé, Togo, 23 May 2013. Notes by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV).
[3] The annual updated report covers calendar year 2017, the report provided in March 2016 covers calendar year 2015, and the initial report covers calendar year 2013. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, 6 June 2018; Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, 24 May 2014; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, 5 March 2016.
[4] For details on Chad’s cluster munition policy and practice up to early 2009, see Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 55–56.
[5] “Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” UNGA Resolution 72/54, 4 December 2017. It voted in favor of previous UNGA resolutions promoting the convention in 2015 and 2016.
[6] “Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic,” UNGA Resolution 72/191, 19 December 2017.
[7] During a 2014 UN Security Council debate, Chad expressed concern that “the Ukrainian army and separatist forces are using cluster bombs in their confrontations in eastern Ukraine…Chad emphatically condemns the use of those weapons of mass destruction in violation of international treaties and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities.” Statement of Chad, UN Security Council, 7287th meeting, 25 October 2014.
[8] The resolution’s preamble, the Security Council “expressing concern at evidence, collected by AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), of two cluster bombs near Kirigiyati, North Darfur, taking note that UNAMID disposed of them safely, and reiterating the Secretary-General’s call on the Government of Sudan to immediately investigate the use of cluster munitions.” UN Security Council Resolution 2228 (2015), Renewing Mandate of Darfur Mission until 30 June 2016, 29 June 2015.
[9] UN Security Council, “Security Council, Adopting Resolution 2155 (2014), Extends Mandate of Mission In South Sudan, Bolstering Its Strength to Quell Surging Violence, SC11414,” 27 May 2014.
[10] Chad entered “néant” or “nothing” in the report sections on production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Forms B, C, and D, 24 May 2014.
Mine Ban Policy
Policy
The Republic of Chad signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 6 July 1998 and ratified it on 6 May 1999, becoming a State Party on 1 November 1999. National implementation legislation was promulgated on 26 August 2006.[1]
Chad has submitted an Article 7 transparency report every year since 2012.
In November–December 2009, Chad participated in the Mine Ban Treaty Second Review Conference in Cartagena, Colombia, where it gave an update on the status of its mine clearance deadline extension.[2] Chad also attended the Third Review Conference in June 2014 in Maputo, Mozambique.
Chad has consistently attended annual Meetings of States Parties, most recently the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November 2018.
Chad is party to the Convention on Cluster munitions. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
Production, transfer, stockpiling, and use
Chad is not known to have produced or exported antipersonnel mines. It completed destruction of its stockpile of 4,490 antipersonnel mines in January 2003. It destroyed 1,407 newly discovered stockpiled mines from 2003 to 2005.[3] Chad reported destroying another 11 stockpiled antipersonnel mines in 2007 but did not report details of the locations or sources of the mines.[4]
In all its Article 7 reports, Chad has reported that it does not retain any antipersonnel mines for training purposes.
In June 2009, authorities in Chad reported new use of antivehicle mines by unknown armed groups near its borders with Sudan and the Central African Republic, as well as the seizure of 190 antivehicle mines after a clash with an unidentified armed group.[5]
A few incidents involving antivehicle mines were reported in Chad in 2019.[6] Previously, several antivehicle mine attacks were reported in August 2016[7] and August 2017.[8]
It was reported in 2008 that smugglers had lifted and sold antipersonnel mines found in mined areas in Chad bordering Niger.[9]
[1] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Forms A and J, 1 April 2007. For the text of Law No.28 PR/2006, see the ICRC website.
[2] See, Landmine Monitor Report 2009, pp. 281–282.
[3] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form G, 1 September 2006; and Landmine Monitor Report 2006, p. 274.
[4] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form G, 1 April 2008.
[5] Email from Saleh Hissein Hassan, National Mine Action Centre (Centre national de déminage du Tchad, CND), 7 May 2010; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Le Coordinateur Militaire du MRE, le GL Idriss Dokony Adiker a présenté aux Ambassadeurs et Représentants des Organisations Internationales accrédités à N’djamena, un lot de Matériels de Guerre saisi sur les mercenaries à la solde Soudan” (“The Military Coordinator of MRE, GL Idriss Dokony Adiker presented to Ambassadors and representatives of International Organizations a batch of war materials seized from mercenaries under the pay of Sudan”), 20 June 2009.
[6] “Tchad: 6 morts don’t un cameraman de la Télé dans une explosion à Ngouboua,” Alwihda Info, 25 May 2019; “Director-General deplores death of journalist Obed Nangbatna in Chad,” UNESCO, 3 June 2019.
[7] “Boko Haram landmine kills four Chadian soldiers,” Reuters, 27August 2016.
[8] “Tchad: un véhicule d’orpailleurs saute sur une mine près de Zouar dans le Tibesti, 8 morts et 11 blessés,” TchadConvergence, 20 August 2017.
[9] See, Landmine Monitor Report 2009, pp. 588–589.
Impact
Jump to a specific section of the report:
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 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]
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]
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]
|
Casualties |
|
|
All known casualties (as of the end of 2020) |
3,249 (at least 1,802 injured) |
|
Casualties in 2020 |
|
|
Annual total |
34 (decrease from 45 in 2019) |
|
Survival outcome |
13 killed, 21 injured |
|
Device type causing casualties |
8 ERW, 20 improvised mines, 6 unspecified mines |
|
Civilian status |
14 civilian, 20 military |
|
Age and gender |
25 adults (23 men, 2 women) 9 children (2 boys, 7 unknown) |
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]
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
|
Type of organization |
Name of organization |
Type of activity |
|
National |
HCND |
Risk education in Lake province, with funding from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) |
|
International |
Humanity & Inclusion (HI) |
Risk education integrated with non-technical survey, technical survey, and clearance in Borkou, N’Djamena, and West Ennedi |
|
Mines Advisory Group (MAG) |
Risk education integrated with non-technical survey, technical survey, and clearance |
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]
|
Type of organization |
Name of organization |
Type of activity |
|
Governmental |
HCND |
Victim assistance coordination |
|
Bol Provincial Hospital |
Physiotherapy department opened in 2020 |
|
|
National |
Catholic Relief and Development (Secours Catholique et Développement, SECADEV) |
Manages the Kabalaye Limb-Fitting and Rehabilitation Center, which provides physical rehabilitation, prostheses, and post-treatment follow-up |
|
Notre Dame House of Peace (Maison Notre Dame de Paix, MNDP) |
Physical rehabilitation and socio-economic inclusion in Moundou |
|
|
Association of Mutual Aid of Physically Disabled of Chad (Association d’Entraide aux Handicapés Physique du Tchad, AEHPT) |
Advocacy, psychological support, and social inclusion for persons with disabilities |
|
|
Voice of Persons with Disabilities (Voix des Personnes Handicapées, VPH) |
Social inclusion, community-level psychological support, and advocacy |
|
|
International |
Humanity & Inclusion (HI) |
Referrals, inclusive education, socio-economic inclusion via income-generating activities and vocational training, capacity-building of local NGOs and survivor associations; advocacy |
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]
[1] Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), p. 15. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[2] “Chad: deminers strike after 10 months without pay,” Agence de Presse Africaine, 10 May 2017; and email from Julien Kempeneers, Humanity & Inclusion (HI), 26 September 2017.
[3] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[4] Information on the National Mine Action Plan from Chad Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Article 5 deadline Extension Request (revised), 13 August 2019; and on the National Mine Action Standards from response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[5] Email from Romain Coupez, Regional Security Manager, MAG, 4 July 2018.
[6] Chad Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Article 5 deadline Extension Request, (revised) 13 August 2019, pp. 10–11.
[7] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[8] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[9] Ibid.
[10] FSD France, ‘‘Report on the national workshop on the implementation of Article 5 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines in Chad,’’ April 2021, p. 4.
[11] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 15 April 2020; and Chad Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Article 5 deadline Extension Request (revised), 13 August 2019, p. 15.
[12] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[13] Information on risk education coordination obtained from Protection Cluster Chad, “Chad Cluster Protection Strategy: 2019,” undated, p. 3; response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021; and by Ludovic Kouassi, Community Liaison Manager, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), 8 May 2020.
[14] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[15] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[16] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[17] Information on victim assistance coordination obtained from response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations and Paulin Askem, Victim Assistance Project Manager, HI, 11 June 2018; FSD France, ‘‘Report on the national workshop on the implementation of Article 5 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines in Chad,’’ April 2021, p. 6; Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Article 5 deadline Extension Request (revised), 13 August 2019, p. 29; Statement of Chad, Victim Assistance Experts Meeting, Mine Ban Treaty Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties, held virtually, 11 November 2020; HI, “Country Card: Chad 2020,” undated, pp. 5–6; International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), “Annual Report 2013,” 14 May 2014, p. 132; Statement of Chad, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 4 December 2013; and email from Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 28 April 2020. RART was formed in 2013 to address physical rehabilitation needs in Chad.
[18] United States (US) Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Chad,” 30 March 2020.
[19] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; and by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[20] Email from Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 28 April 2020.
[21] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; and by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[22] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021.
[23] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form F. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database.
[24] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibid.
[27] FSD France, ‘‘Report on the national workshop on the implementation of Article 5 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines in Chad,’’ April 2021, p. 5.
[28] HCND, “Mine Action Plan 2014–2019,” May 2014; responses to questionnaire by Romain Coupez, Regional Security Manager, MAG, 3 May 2017; and by Benjamin Westercamp, Head of Missionand Seydou N’Gaye, HI, 22 March 2017.
[29] Response to questionnaire by Romain Coupez, Regional Security Manager, MAG, 3 May 2017.
[30] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form I. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database.
[31] See, ICBL-CMC, “Monitor Country Profile: Chad: Mine Ban Policy,” 26 September 2019.
[32] “Boko Haram landmine kills four Chadian soldiers,” Reuters, 27August 2016; and “Tchad: un véhicule d’orpailleurs saute sur une mine près de Zouar dans le Tibesti, 8 morts et 11 blessés,” (‘‘Chad: a gold miner vehicle hits a mine near Zouar in Tibesti, 8 dead and 11 injured’’), Tchad Convergence, 20 August 2017.
[33] International Crisis Group (ICG), “Global Overview: September 2019,” undated; ‘‘Tchad: 7 morts dans des attaques de Boko Haram en une semaine’’ (“Chad: 7 killed in a week in Boko Haram attacks”), Le Figaro, 12 September 2019; and Abdulkareem Haruna, “Boko Haram: Military Winning the Lake Chad War Despite Losses – General Irabor,” Premium Times, 29 April 2018.
[34] Chad Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Article 5 deadline Extension Request (revised), 13 August 2019, p. 24; and Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form I. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[35] HI, Fatal Footprint: The Global Human Impact of Cluster Munitions (HI: Brussels, 2006), p. 17; HI, Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (HI: Brussels, 2007), p. 48; Survey Action Center, “Landmine Impact Survey, Republic of Chad,” 2002, p. 59; and Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Mines Action Canada: Ottawa, 2009), p. 56.
[36] Emails from Romain Coupez, Regional Security Manager, MAG, 10 May 2017 and 31 May 2018; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Romain Coupez, Regional Security Manager, MAG, 3 May 2017.
[37] Chad Cluster Munition Convention Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), p.5.
[38] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form F. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database.
[39] Unless otherwise indicated, casualty data for 2020 is based on response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; Monitor media monitoring from 1 January to 31 December 2020; and Monitor analysis of Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED) data for calendar year 2019. See, Clionadh Raleigh, Andrew Linke, Håvard Hegre, and Joakim Karlsen, “Introducing ACLED-Armed Conflict Location and Event Data,” Journal of Peace Research, Issue 47(5), 28 September 2010, pp. 651–660.
[40] In 2013, the Monitor had reported nine casualties (one killed, eight injured) in Chad thanks to data provided by Zienaba Tidjani Ali Mine Victim Assistance Director, CND on 17 July 2014. However, in 2014, CND reported that for 2013 it identified 20 victims (nine killed, 11 injured) in nine separate incidents. Response to Monitor questionnaire by Zienaba Tidjani Ali, CND, 26 March 2015; and Presentation of Chad, “18th International Meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and UN Advisors - Plenary Session Six: Victim Assistance and Mine/ERW Risk Education,” 17 February 2015.
[41] CND reported 44 new mine/ERW casualties (13 killed, 31 injured) between 2010 and 2012, but did not provide differentiated data for each year. However, the total figure was inconsistent with previous CND reports of annual casualty rates and Monitor casualty data. In 2010, CND reported 64 casualties for 2009; but by 2011, the 2009 casualty figure had been revised to 39. Email from Assane Ngueadoum, Technical Advisor for Strategic Planning and Operations, CND, 14 March 2011. Of the 131 casualties reported in Chad for 2008, 122 casualties were recorded by CND and nine were identified via Monitor media monitoring from 1 January to 31 December 2008. Monitor analysis of CND, “General list of mine/ERW victims: 2008,” provided by Assane Ngueadoum, CND, 15 April 2009; and email from Assane Ngueadoum, CND, 22 May 2009.
[42] Monitor media monitoring from 1 January to 31 December 2020; and Monitor analysis of Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED) data for calendar year 2019. See, Clionadh Raleigh, Andrew Linke, Håvard Hegre, and Joakim Karlsen, “Introducing ACLED-Armed Conflict Location and Event Data,” Journal of Peace Research, Issue 47(5), 28 September 2010, pp. 651–660.
[43] In 2008, Chad reported that by December 2007, 2,632 casualties were recorded (1,143 killed, 1,489 injured). There were 131 casualties reported in 2008, 39 in 2009, 28 in 2010, 34 in 2011, 15 in 2012, 20 in 2013, 79 in 2014, six in 2015, 27 in 2016, 146 in 2017, 30 in 2018, 45 in 2019, and 34 in 2020. See, Monitor website; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form J. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; However, Chad reported adjusted casualty data in November 2018, reporting 53 casualties in 2014, 25 in 2015, 17 in 2016, and 146 in 2017. Statement of Chad, Mine Ban Treaty Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 28 November 2018.
[44] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), p. 13. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[45] The Monitor calculates that in total some 1,802 survivors have been reported through various sources. At least 1,588 survivors had been identified by the CND through December 2008. An additional 67 casualties were reported in 2009 and 2010, of which at least 33 were likely injured based on previously reported ratios of killed to injured casualties. Twenty-eight survivors were reported in 2011, 10 in 2012, 11 in 2013, 28 in 2014, nine in 2015, seven in 2016, 33 in 2017, 11 in 2018, 23 in 2019, and 21 in 2020. See, Monitor website; and Statement of Chad, Mine Ban Treaty Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 28 November 2018.
[46] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[47] Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H, 5 March 2016. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database.
[48] HI, Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: HI, May 2007), p. 48. It is likely that there have been unexploded submunition casualties in Chad. However, despite ERW incidents in provinces contaminated by cluster submunitions, unexploded submunition casualties were not differentiated from other ERW casualties. Landmine Impact Survey data also showed that the most common activity at the time of each incident was tampering with ERW.
[49] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020); Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form F. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form F. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database. Chad reported no clearance operations in 2018, but HI reported 0.4km² released. See HI, “Country Card: Chad,” July 2019, p. 5; and Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018), Form F. For information on progress, see FSD, “Annual Report 2019,” 2020, p. 32; and Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form I.
[50] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[51] HI “Testing mine detection drones in Chad,” undated.
[52] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[53] Ibid.; and Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form F. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database; It is unclear if all of the 0.41km² was cleared in 2020, or whether some of the clearance was undertaken in 2019, but not reported in Chad’s Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019). For 2019, Chad reported clearance in Borkou province only.
[54] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and email from Olivier Shu, Senior Technical Advisor, FSD, 19 June 2021.
[55] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 15 April 2020 and 18 June 2021.
[56] Ibid.
[57] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[58] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[59] Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form G, p.6.
[60] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Ludovic Kouassi, Community Liaison Manager, MAG, 8 May 2020; and by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[61] Ibid.
[62] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[63] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021; and Chad Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form G, p. 6.
[64] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Ludovic Kouassi, Community Liaison Manager, MAG, 8 May 2020; and by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[65] Ibid.
[66] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[67] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jason Lufuluabo Mudingay, Chief of Operations, HI, 13 March 2021.
[68] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[69] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021.
[70] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; HI, “Country Card: Chad 2020,” undated; Chad Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), p. 11. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[71] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; and by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[72] Ibid.
[73] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; and by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[74] Email from Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 28 April 2020.
[75] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean-Michel Mathiam, North Area Coordinator, HI, 22 April 2020.
[76] Nesta Yamgoto, ‘‘Tchad: un enfant a failli périr dans une explosion de grenade à N’Djamena’’ (“Chad: a child almost died in a grenade explosion in N’Djamena”), Tchadinfos.com, 29 May 2020.
[77] ‘‘Société : le Centre d’appareillage et de rééducation de Kabalaye est au bord du gouffre’’ (“Society: the Kabalaye orthopedic and rehabilitation center is on the brink”), Tchadinfos.com, 26 August 2018.
[78] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021; and by Brahim Djibrim Brahim, Coordinator, HCND, 18 June 2021.
[79] Ibid.
[80] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Marie-Cécile Tournier, Country Director, HI, 11 June 2021.
Support for Mine Action
Since 2010, the government of the Republic of Chad has contributed almost US$11 million to its mine action program, including $3.13 million in 2012, its largest contribution ever reported.[1] In 2014, Chad contributed US$2.77 million to its national mine action centre (Centre National de Déminage, CND), however, no funding was allocated to land release operations.[2]
In 2014, the European Union (EU) was Chad’s sole international mine action donor, contributing €767,000 ($1,019,880) as part of the PADEMIN project (Projet d’appui au secteur du déminage au Tchad) to conduct clearance in the northern regions of Borkou, Ennedi, and Tibesti.[3] This follows the European Commission decision of November 2013 to contribute €5.4 million ($7.1 million) to support demining efforts in Chad through the 10th European Development Fund, of which €3.5 million ($4.6 million) would be allocated to demining and land release operations and €300,000 (some $400,000 at the time) to information management.[4] PADEMIN project has allowed Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Chad’s sole international operator that previously had to withdrew from the country due to lack of funding, to resume its demining activities in late 2014.
In May 2014, Chad submitted its mine action plan for 2014–2019 in which it estimated its remaining contamination at 103.5km2, although more areas could still be identified as further survey needs to be conducted in four regions.[5] It also provided a budget of approximately US$61 million, including $40 million for operations and technical assistance, $4.5 million for equipment, and $16.6 million for CND’s running costs. Chad has planned to contribute about 30% of total funding ($16.6 million).[6] At the Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference in June 2014, Chad acknowledged the challenges faced by its national mine action centre and called for the resumption of technical and operational assistance in order to be able to comply with its Article 5 obligations.[7]
As of October 2015, support from the EU was the only international contribution mobilized for Chad’s extension period, meaning that $37 million is yet to be mobilized to carry out clearance without any further interruption.
Summary of contributions: 2010–2014[8]
|
Year |
National contributions ($) |
International contributions ($) |
Total contributions ($) |
|
2014 |
2,766,667 |
1,019,880 |
3,786,547 |
|
2013 |
N/R |
702,943 |
702,943 |
|
2012 |
3,135,353 |
3,645,221 |
6,780,574 |
|
2011 |
2,934,000 |
1,843,636 |
4,777,636 |
|
2010 |
2,095,380 |
1,665,238 |
3,760,618 |
|
Total |
10,931,400 |
8,876,918 |
19,808,318 |
Note: N/R = not reported
[1] High Commission for National Demining (HCND), Mine Action Plan 2014–2019, May 2014.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Email from Jérôme Legrand, Policy Officer, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Conventional Weapons and Space Division (K1), European External Action Service (EEAS), 11 June 2015; and MAG, “New Help For More Than 400,000 People in Chad,” 15 December 2014. Annual exchange rate for 2014: €1=US$1.3297. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January 2015.
[4] European Commission Decision, C(2013) 7731 Final, 8 November 2013. Annual exchange rate for 2013: €1=US$1.3281. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January 2015.
[5] HCND, Mine Action Plan 2014–2019, May 2014.
[6] Ibid, pp. 11–12.
[7] Statement of Chad, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, June 2014.
[8] See previous Monitor reports.