Latest news with #Anti-PersonnelMineBanConvention
Muscat Daily
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Oman reaffirms commitment to anti-personnel mine ban treaty
Geneva, Switzerland – Oman has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the principles of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and its continued cooperation with the international community to safeguard civilians and enhance human security. This pledge was reiterated during Oman's participation in the 12th Preparatory Session of the convention, held in Geneva, Switzerland, with broad participation from State Parties and representatives of international and humanitarian organisations. Delivering Oman's national statement, H E Idris bin Abdul Rahman al Khanjari, Permanent Representative of Oman to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, underscored Oman's steadfast support for the convention's core principles. He also announced that Oman has fully met the requirements of Article 5 of the convention, highlighting the sultanate's firm commitment to implementing its provisions and actively engaging with its executive mechanisms. An official delegation from the Ministry of Defence, including Staff Colonel Khalid bin Abbas al Balushi and Staff Colonel Mohammed al Kaabi, attended the technical sessions.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Guterres To Launch Life-Saving Campaign Strengthening Mine Action Worldwide
16 June 2025 António Guterres announced the move in a statement issued on Monday, in response to plans by several UN Member States to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The 1997 treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of these weapons. Landmark global agreeement Since then, it 'has led to a virtual halt in global production of anti-personnel mines, and a drastic reduction in their deployment,' and 'more than 40 million stockpiled mines have been destroyed,' according to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). To date, 165 States are party to the treaty and 133 have signed it. Five European countries – Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – have recently announced that they intend to leave, or taken steps in this direction, reportedly due to security concerns related to Russia. Weakening protection, undermining progress Without naming countries, the Secretary-General expressed grave concern over the development. 'At a time when civilians face heightened risks from widening conflicts, it is imperative that we strengthen the frameworks that protect human life and dignity,' he said. 'These announcements are particularly troubling, as it risks weakening civilian protection and undermining two decades of a normative framework that has saved countless lives.' He urged all States 'to adhere to humanitarian disarmament treaties and immediately halt any steps towards their withdrawal,' and appealed to the 32 States that have yet to join the treaty to do so without delay. These countries include China, Iran, Israel, Russia, and the United States. About the campaign The Secretary-General's campaign will centre around upholding the norms of humanitarian disarmament, accelerating mine action as an enabler of human rights and sustainable development, and driving forward the vision of a mine-free world. 'To achieve these aims, over the next six months this campaign will aim to re-energise public support for disarmament and will also facilitate concrete actions by States to uphold humanitarian norms and strengthen mine action,' he said. He concluded by stressing that ' the urgency of this matter cannot be overstated,' saying 'the protection of innocent lives depends on our collective action and commitment.'
Euronews
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
EU countries' withdrawal from anti-landmine convention sparks controversy
ADVERTISEMENT Russia's war against Ukraine has led some EU countries to reassess use of anti-personnel mines leading to the prospect of their re-introduction to Europe after a long-standing ban under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention . Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have all recently announced their plans to withdraw from the treaty, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines. The treaty was agreed in 1997, since when 164 states have signed it including all EU member states as well as most African, Asian, and American countries. The 33 states which haven't signed up include China, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the US along with several Arab countries. Countries not joining the Ottawa Convention Euronews Anti-personnel mines were widely used around the world in 2024, according to the Landmine Monitor 2024 report, published by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines – Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC). In some cases, national armies or government forces have used them, such as Myanmar, which has deployed them since at least 1999, and Russia has made extensive use of them in its invasion of Ukraine, turning the country into the most heavily mined in the world. Anti-personnel mines are also often used by non-state armed groups. This was the case in 2024 in Colombia, Gaza, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and probably also in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, according to the report. At least 58 countries around the world are currently contaminated by anti-personnel mines. Where anti-personnel mines have been used in 2024 Euronews A 'weapon from the past' 'We know that over 80% of the victims of anti-personnel mines are civilians and especially children,' Gilles Carbonnier, vice president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Euronews. He considers anti-personnel mines 'weapons of the past', since they principally kill and maim civilians and have little military effectiveness. 'First, they often harm the army's own side, their own soldiers or friendly forces. Second, clearance is extremely costly and takes a long time,' he said, adding that Croatia has not yet cleared the last remaining mines from the Yugoslav Wars of 35 years ago. According to Landmine Monitor 2024 , anti-personnel mines caused 833 casualties in 2023, the highest annual number recorded since 2011. But beyond fatalities, anti-personnel mines leave behind a long trail of wounded and mutilated, according to Socialist Italian MEP Cecilia Strada, former president of the NGO Emergency, which was founded by her father in 1994. 'I saw the first person injured by a landmine when I was nine years old. Then I counted hundreds of them,' she told Euronews, recalling her past experiences in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia. Civilians are the main victims—84% of all recorded casualties, according to the statistics—because mines remain in situ long after conflicts end. 'In Afghanistan, I saw children stepping on landmines put there by Russians who had left the country 15 years before,' Strada said. Women and children are most affected in her experience. 'What happens in a war-economy, or a post-war economy? Men are at the front, or wounded, and so they can no longer bring home the bacon. So women and children graze sheep, take water from the rivers, cultivate the land, and go to collect metals.' ADVERTISEMENT 'Banning anti-personnel mines is quite obvious,' she states, recalling EU law and the Geneva Conventions on humanitarian law. 'But now, in Europe, we are going down a slippery slope.' Related Landmines are being used again. Bold UN action must help their post-conflict victims The plans of EU countries Defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland issued a joint statement to explain their recommendation to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, citing a 'fundamentally deteriorated security situation' in the Baltic region. Contacted by Euronews, Estonia's Defence Ministry said that 'there are currently no plans to develop, stockpile, or use anti-personnel mines.' However, with this decision, the four Baltic countries are sending a clear message, as they write in the statement: 'Our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our territory and freedom.' Finland's defence minister also explained the decision by stating: 'Withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention will give us the possibility to prepare for the changes in the security environment in a more versatile way.' ADVERTISEMENT Latvian government was even more outspoken in its answer to Euronews: "War in Ukraine has shown that unguided anti-personnel landmines, in combination with other mines and weapon systems, increase the lethality of defence forces by delaying or stopping Russian military mass movements". The Latvian Parliament will take the final decision on whether the country shall withdraw from the Ottawa Convention and Latvia does not currently plan to produce or transfer unguided anti-personnel mines to Ukraine. On the contrary, use of landmines is not ruled out: "In our opinion, anti-personnel mines can be used, to disperse enemy forces or channelize and direct it to deny terrain to the enemy that cannot be sufficiently defended", reads the government's statement to Euronews. Related Poland and Baltic states want to exit landmine treaty over Russia's military threat The European Union's institutions are broadly in line with these plans, despite the EU's position on the topic being very clear: 'Any use of anti-personnel mines anywhere, anytime, and by any actor remains completely unacceptable,' reads the official document on the ban against anti-personnel mines, adopted in 2024. ADVERTISEMENT Asked by Euronews during a press briefing, the European Commission stopped short of condemning the decisions of the five Baltic member states. 'We have contributed over 174 million since 2023 to humanitarian mine action, including 97 million euros specifically for mine clearance,' recalled Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni, without commenting on the withdrawal plans. The topic was included in the European Parliament's annual report on the 'Implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy' voted on in April in Strasbourg. An amendment that 'strongly condemns the intention of some member states to withdraw from the 1997 Convention' was rejected by a show of hands. Another motion, tabled by the European People's Party and approved with 431 votes in favour, essentially justifies the steps taken by the Baltic countries and blames Russia for them. ADVERTISEMENT But Russian threats do not justify EU countries responding in kind, Gilles Carbonnier told Euronews. 'International humanitarian law and humanitarian disarmament treaties apply precisely in exceptional circumstances of armed conflict, in the worst of circumstances. And international humanitarian law does not rest on reciprocity, because this would trigger a downward spiral,' he said. Moves such as these by EU countries could provoke a domino effect, he claimed, sending a 'negative signal' to those countries around the world that are in armed conflict but are still adhere to the convention. 'They might say: 'Why should we continue to adhere to that treaty?'' ADVERTISEMENT
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Finland to leave anti-personnel mine treaty
April 2 (UPI) -- Finland joined other European nations in abandoning a long-standing treaty that bans the use of anti-personnel mines. Finnish president Alexander Stubb announced Tuesday that his country "will prepare for the withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention," based on what he described as "a thorough assessment by the relevant ministries and the Defense Forces." Ministers of Defense from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland announced jointly in March that their countries would no longer observe the Ottawa Convention, or Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which was ratified in 1997. The U.N. stated that since the treaty was signed, it has "led to a virtual halt in global production of anti-personnel mines, and a drastic reduction in their deployment." The joint statement released from Poland and the three Baltic states said "military threats to NATO Member States bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased," and that due to "Russia's aggression and its ongoing threat to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is essential to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defense capabilities." Stubb did not directly connect Finland's withdrawal to Russia, but it too shares a border with Russia, and Russia's war with Ukraine is high among Finnish concerns. The nonprofit Human Rights Watch noted Tuesday that Russia has not banned the use of anti-personnel landmines and alleges "Russian forces have used anti-personnel landmines extensively in Ukraine since 2022." With the withdrawal of Finland from the Ottawa Convention, Norway is now the only European country that borders Russia but remains a member of the treaty. "'I regret Finland's intention to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention," said Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide in a press release Wednesday. Despite the plan to leave the Ottawa Convention, Stubb added that "Finland is committed to its international obligations on the responsible use of mines."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Front-line NATO allies say landmines are now fair game in a new warning to Russia
Four front-line NATO allies are pulling out of a treaty banning landmines, citing Russian aggression. The Ottawa Convention was a post-Cold War effort to prohibit the production and use of anti-personnel mines. Landmines have seen widespread and aggressive use in the Ukraine war. Four NATO members that share a border with Russia and its ally Belarus are backing out of an international treaty and lifting a ban on anti-personnel mines. The move, they said, is intended to send a message to Russia that they'll use "every necessary measure" to defend themselves. The defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland announced the decision on Tuesday, stating that since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or Ottawa Convention, was ratified, the security situation in the region have deteriorated and threats to the countries bordering Russia and Belarus have increased. "We believe that in the current security environment it is of paramount important to provide our defense forces with flexibility and freedom of choice of potential use of new weapon systems and solutions" to defend, the four members said. The decision, they added, sent a clear warning to Russia. Despite the decision to withdraw, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland said they remained committed to respecting international humanitarian law, including protecting civilians in wartime. The Ottawa Convention dates back to 1997 and was created to effectively end the production, use, and sale of deadly anti-personnel landmines worldwide, as well as the destruction and removal of any stockpiled ones. As of last fall, it had over 160 parties. The US, Russia, and China are notable non-signatories. Landmines are relatively cheap, highly effective, and easily concealed weapons that have seen extensive use in the Ukraine war. During Ukraine's largely unsuccessful 2023 counteroffensive, Russia laid widespread swaths of explosives, slowing down Ukraine's advances as they worked to clear them. Russia has also been accused of planting mines near cities and civilian centers, such as leaving booby traps in Kherson when its forces pulled back. Ukraine has used landmines, too, and the US, under former President Joe Biden, authorized sending the explosives to Ukraine. Ukraine is now recognized as the most heavily mined country in the world; estimates suggest it will take decades and billions of dollars to neutralize them, assuming they can be completely cleared at all. The work of clearing landmines is painstaking and dangerous. Ukrainian soldiers have often used atypical approaches to locate and destroy the explosives, such as fiberglass rods, and ropes and hooks. They also use drones and other robotic systems. Throughout the Ukraine war, NATO countries closest to Russia have bolstered defense investments. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are spending more on defense than the alliance's suggested 2% of GDP. They've also looked at reinstating conscription. They've also raised concerns that should Russia see its efforts in Ukraine as successful, it will rearm and could invade NATO members on its borders, triggering a war. NATO allies in Europe are grappling with questions about US involvement and support as the Trump administration steps back from some of the European security commitments that it has previously taken on. While campaigning for the 2024 election last year, Trump suggested he'd "encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies who aren't hitting the spending target. How that plays out remains to be seen, but Europe is beginning to take a hard look at its own security and defenses, especially the more vulnerable countries near Russia. Read the original article on Business Insider
