Summary

The Gambia ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 25 June 2018. It last participated in a meeting of the convention in 2018. The Gambia voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2021.

In its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention, submitted in November 2019, the Gambia formally confirmed that it has never produced cluster munitions and does not possess any stocks, including for training and research purposes. The Gambia has never used or transferred cluster munitions.

Policy

The Republic of the Gambia signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008 and ratified it on 11 December 2018. The convention entered into force for the country on 1 June 2019.

The Gambia said in November 2019 that it is “aware of its obligations” under the convention and pledged to “take all appropriate legal, administrative and other measures to implement” it.[1] The Gambia reported in 2019 that it was considering whether specific legislation was needed to guide and enforce its implementation of the convention. In May 2022, the Gambia reiterated that it would report any new developments regarding national implementation measures for the convention.[2]

The Gambia provided its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention in November 2019.[3] It provided an updated report on 15 May 2022, indicating no changes from the first report.

The Gambia attended two meetings of the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It did not participate in the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008, but signed the convention in Oslo in December 2008.[4]

The Gambia has participated in meetings of the convention, most recently the Eighth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2018.[5] It was invited to, but did not attend, the Second Review Conference held in November 2020 and September 2021. The Gambia’s Permanent Secretary of Defence, Rohie Bittaye-Darboe, reiterated her government’s full support for the convention during a meeting with Implementation Support Unit (ISU) staff on 25 April 2022.[6]

In December 2021, the Gambia voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution urging full implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[7] Previously, the Gambia voted in favor of the annual resolution promoting the convention in 2018–2020 and in 2015, but was absent from the vote in 2016–2017.

The Gambia has voted in favor of UNGA resolutions expressing outrage at the use of cluster munitions in Syria.[8]

The Gambia has not expressed its views on certain important issues relating to its interpretation and implementation of the convention, such as the prohibitions on transit and assistance during joint military operations with states not party that may use cluster munitions; the prohibition on foreign stockpiling; the prohibition on investment in the production of cluster munitions; and the retention of cluster munitions for training and development purposes.

The Gambia is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention, the Gambia formally confirmed that it has never produced cluster munitions and does not possess any stockpiles, including for training and research purposes.[9] In the past, the Gambia reiterated on several occasions that it has never used, produced, or transferred cluster munitions.[10]

Policy

The Republic of the Gambia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997. While it completed domestic ratification of the treaty on 2 November 1999, the instrument of ratification was not deposited until 23 September 2002. It became a State Party on 1 March 2003. In 2002, the Gambia reported its intent to incorporate the Mine Ban Treaty into its domestic laws, but no progress on national implementation legislation has since been reported, including in Gambia’s Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 reports submitted in 2009 and 2010.[1]

Gambia attends meetings of the treaty semi-regularly, most recently attending the Fifteenth Meeting of States Parties in Santiago in November–December 2016. Gambia also attended the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014. Gambia has submitted four Article 7 reports since it became a State Party, in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013.

Gambia is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Gambia is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and retention

Prior to ratifying the Mine Ban Treaty, Gambia submitted a voluntary report on 28 August 2002, in which it declared that it has never possessed antipersonnel mines.[2] Gambia’s 2010 Article 7 report states that the Gambia “never have [sic] a production facility.”[3]

In a statement at the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in November–December 2010, Gambia declared that in October 2010 its armed forces seized three antipersonnel mines from members of the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) who had crossed into Gambia and were intercepted by Gambian forces.[4]

In its Article 7 report submitted in 2010, Gambia declared that it retains 100 VS-50 antipersonnel mines, with “fuses separated,” for “instructional and mine awareness training purposes.”[5] This number remains unchanged from the number of mines retained for training reported in 2009. However, in its 2009 Article 7 report, the Gambia reported that its mines retained for training were used for “combat and mine awareness training,” whereas the 2010 report does not contain a reference to combat training.[6]