Policy

The Republic of Suriname signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 23 May 2002, becoming a State Party on 1 November 2002. It has not enacted new legislation specifically to implement the Mine Ban Treaty.

Suriname has not attended any recent meetings of the treaty. It did not attend the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014. Suriname submitted its sixth Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report on 30 April 2008 but has not submitted subsequent annual reports.

Suriname is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons, nor is it party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, use, import, and stockpiling

Suriname imported antipersonnel mines from Libya (Portuguese-manufactured M-969 and Yugoslav-manufactured PMA mines).[1] Suriname never produced or exported antipersonnel mines. An estimated 1,000 mines were planted during a 1986–1992 internal conflict.

Suriname destroyed its stockpile of 146 antipersonnel mines on 25 February 2004, and retained 150 antipersonnel mines for training purposes. Suriname noted in its Article 7 report for 2007 that it did not have any antipersonnel mines retained.

Mine clearance was completed on 4 April 2005, well in advance of Suriname’s 1 November 2012 mine clearance deadline. Suriname is affected by explosive remnants of war, primarily abandoned explosive ordnance.