Mine Action in Southern Africa

The document examines mine action in Southern Africa, focusing on the transition from emergency de-mining to sustainable development. It highlights the role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Ottawa Convention, while providing detailed case studies on Mozambique's impact surveys and Angola's operational challenges. The report argues that mine action should be treated as a core development activity rather than a stand-alone technical task, recommending better coordination, national capacity-building, and the use of socio-economic impact surveys to prioritize resources.

• SADC is the first regional organization worldwide to have all its member states ratify the Ottawa Convention, effectively creating an anti-personnel mine free zone.
• The Mozambique Landmine Impact Survey (MLIS) completed in 2001 found that over 10% of the population (approximately 1.7 million people) faced threats to their lives and livelihoods due to mines.
• In Mozambique, the most significant socio-economic blockage caused by suspected mined areas is the loss of access to rainfed cropland, affecting 464 communities and over 940,000 people.
• Angola's mine action efforts are hampered by a lack of a national strategic plan, bureaucratic obstacles in importing equipment, and the absence of accurate minefield maps.
• South Africa has developed a comprehensive legal framework to implement the Ottawa Convention, including severe penalties such as fines of R1 million and imprisonment for up to 25 years.
• Mine action is often incorrectly viewed by donors as a stand-alone technical or emergency activity rather than an integrated part of long-term development and poverty reduction strategies.
• The SADC Mine Action Programme is primarily focused on policy development and facilitation rather than operational implementation, and its effectiveness depends on the commitment of individual member states.
• A critical weakness in the Southern African region is the neglect of long-term rehabilitation and social reintegration for mine victims, as these services are almost entirely donor-dependent.
• The use of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) and the development of maXML allow for the integration of mine action data into other government sectors, such as health and agriculture.
• Effective mine action requires a shift toward understanding community capacities and using a 'Do No Harm' approach to ensure that interventions do not inadvertently cause damage to the populations they intend to help.

APA

Grobbelaar, N. (2003). Mine Action in Southern Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Mine-Action-Southern-Africa-Instrument-of-Development.pdf

Chicago

Grobbelaar, Neuma. Mine Action in Southern Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2003. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Mine-Action-Southern-Africa-Instrument-of-Development.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grobbelaar |first1=Neuma |title=Mine Action in Southern Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=2003 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Mine-Action-Southern-Africa-Instrument-of-Development.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grobbelaar2003mine, author = {Grobbelaar, Neuma}, title = {{Mine Action in Southern Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2003}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Mine-Action-Southern-Africa-Instrument-of-Development.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }