Oman
Mine Ban Policy
Policy
The Sultanate of Oman acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 20 August 2014, and the treaty entered into force for the country on 1 February 2015.[1]
Oman reported that it had directed the law-making authority to create legislation criminalizing any violation of the treaty, and that it had established a permanent committee for the implementation of the treaty at the office of the army chief of staff.[2] In its Article 7 transparency report submitted in May 2017, Oman reported that it had taken several legal measures to implement the Mine Ban Treaty, including Sultan’s Order 26/2014 on joining the treaty. Oman also reported that it had included the treaty’s articles in Omani Penal Law and Military Judicial Law, and had ordered all military institutions to cease instruction on antipersonnel landmine use.[3] Oman submitted an updated Article 7 report in 2021, for calendar year 2020, but did not provide any further update on the progress of its implementation legislation.[4]
Oman attended the Mine Ban Treaty’s Fourth Review Conference in Oslo in November 2019, but did not attend the Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties, held virtually in November 2020. However, Oman attended most of the previous meetings of States Parties, and intersessional meetings. At the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties, in Geneva in November 2018, Oman declared completion of stockpile destruction.[5]
Oman is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, nor the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).
Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling
In November 2018, Oman announced that it had completed the destruction of its stockpiles, ahead of its 1 February 2019 deadline.[6] Oman began the destruction process on 13 September 2015, and completed destruction on 25 September 2018. Oman destroyed 6,104 antipersonnel landmines in 2018.[7]
In its initial Article 7 transparency report, submitted in 2015, Oman declared a stockpile of 17,260 antipersonnel landmines of Belgian, British, and German manufacture.[8] It has stated its intention to retain 2,000 antipersonnel mines for training and research purposes, and has established an implementation unit to organize stockpile destruction and clearance.[9] Oman noted in its initial Article 7 report that while it possessed an operational stock of Claymore mines, they were limited to command-detonated mode; yet Oman has not described in detail the specific measures it has taken to ensure that the mines can only be used in command-detonated mode, as has been urged by other States Parties.[10] In its Article 7 report submitted in 2021, Oman reported no change in the number of retained mines, but reported that the specific use of the retained mines is for training on detection, clearance, and destruction techniques.[11]
Officials have stated that Oman has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines, but imported and used them in the past.[12]
[1] Oman’s Ambassador Lyutha Sultan Al-Mughairy deposited the accession instrument at the United Nations (UN) in New York on 20 August 2014. In a statement, she said the move “demonstrates that all States from all parts of the world have a role to play in ending the suffering caused by these insidious weapons.” Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) press release, “Oman becomes the 162nd State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention,” 20 August 2014. Oman participated in the Ottawa Process leading to the creation of the Mine Ban Treaty and has remained sporadically engaged. The ICBL engaged with Oman on the Mine Ban Treaty for years, with visits to Muscat by its diplomatic adviser in 2012 and other representatives in 2007. In March 2014, Oman’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, informed the Mine Ban Treaty envoy, Princess Astrid of Belgium, of the government’s decision to join the Mine Ban Treaty.
[2] Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, August 2015. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[3] Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, 8 May 2017, Form A. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database. No details or names of laws were provided, nor copies of their texts.
[4] Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[5] Statement of Oman, Session on Stockpile Destruction, Mine Ban Treaty Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 29 November 2018.
[6] Ibid. Oman reiterated this information in its Article 7 report submitted in 2019.
[7] Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database. The report states that in 2018 Oman destroyed 502 No. 7 dingbat mines, 4,624 M409 mines, and 978 DM 31 mines.
[8] Oman listed a stockpile of 1,556 No. 7 (UK); 12,560 PRB M409 (Belgium); and 3,144 DM31 (German) antipersonnel mines. Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, August 2015. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[9] Oman stated its intention to retain 300 No. 7, 1,000 PRB M409, and 700 DM31 antipersonnel mines for training. Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, August 2015. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database. The Article 7 report noted that there could be 99,000km2 of suspected hazardous areas (SHA) containing antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines, and explosive remnants of war (ERW) remaining from the 1962–1976 Dhofar rebellion.
[10] Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, August 2015. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[11] Oman Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), p. 1. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.
[12] Interview with Staff Cmdr. Maj. Elbarami, Ministry of Defense, Mine Ban Treaty Eighth Meeting of States Parties, Dead Sea, 19 November 2007.