Unexploded and abandoned explosive ordnance presents immediate and long-term personal and economic threats to people and societies and deserves the attention of peace processes. This Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue paper discusses explosive ordnance issues, their treatment in peace agreements to date and how to include them in future peace processes. Negotiators have a range of legal instruments and negotiating approaches at their disposal for use in future peace processes negotiations.
Explosive ordnance includes landmines designed to incapacitate people and vehicles, and cluster munitions which often directly impact civilian areas and are particularly dangerous to clear. It also includes unexploded ordnance that failed to function and weapons left behind when forces retreated.
Explosive ordnance contamination affects at least 70 countries. An estimated several hundred thousand people, most of them rural poor, suffer life-long impairments, trauma and disabilities caused by explosive ordnance. Countries face substantial costs of ordnance removal and medical assistance for victims. Indirect costs can include reduced crop harvests, restrictions on movement of animals, delays in infrastructure projects, a reduced labour force and unemployment.
Omission of the explosive ordnance issue in peace negotiations is an opportunity lost: peace processes bring together the very parties with the power to address the issue. The following principles and negotiations guidelines would facilitate explosive ordinance negotiations:
- Internationally-recognised principles and norms exist to help frame solutions to explosive ordnance issues. These include the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions and the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.
- Actions to address explosive ordinance may function as an entry-point for engaging conflict actors on other negotiations issues.
- Such actions can function as confidence-building measures to bring parties together and contribute to increased cooperation.
- Weapons-focused measures that can be included in peace agreements range from application of international mine action standards to identification of minefields, clearance of explosive ordnance and ordnance stockpile destruction.
- Too often, victim assistance is not explicitly included in peace agreements, or is considered low priority. With mediator help, conflict parties can develop strategic frameworks for assistance to survivors in association with relevant national and local authorities, United Nations’ agencies and non-governmental organisations.
The following suggestions would help mediators, conflict parties, advisors and donors produce solutions to the explosive ordnance issue:
- Use tackling explosive ordnance as a tool for dialogue – suggest at ceasefire stage that humanitarian agencies be invited to treat and rehabilitate the wounded and begin identification of contaminated areas.
- Keep agreement language firm, but open – parties should commit to all core elements of mine action.
- Keep survivor assistance front and centre – assistance to survivors is often an area that parties let slip.
- Ensure than action plans address the needs and concerns of displaced people.
- Allocate responsibility, ownership and burden-sharing to the conflict parties.
