Mine victims appeal to government

KAMPALA - The Government of Rwanda should join other African countries and sign the treaty banning cluster munitions at least by the end of this year. The call was made by persons affected by Anti-Personnel Landmines in the aftermath of the 1994 Liberation struggle during the African Regional Conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions that is currently taking place in Kampala. The delegation from Rwanda consisting of persons who lost limbs and other body parts after being struck by landmines and un-detonated explosives left behind by the liberation war called upon the Ministries of Justice and Defense as well as Parliament to come up with legislations that will ensure that no more persons became victims of landmines and explosives classified under Cluster Munitions. Addressing over 200 Participants from 40 African countries, Francis Karangwa, a member of the Association of Landmine Survivors and Amputees of Rwanda (ALSAR) gave a moving testimony of how an anti-Personnel Landmine almost ended his life in December 1994 when he lost his right leg. “The devastating effect of the landmine that almost took my life did not only take my limb but it affected my dreams too and I would not want to see another person go through what I experienced,” he narrated. Karangwa like many of his colleagues in ALSAR, Survivor Corps, and the National Association of the Disabled in Rwanda called upon President Kagame to sign and adopt the convention when it is opened for signing come December 3 this year. A total of 34 African countries have so far adopted the convention on cluster munitions and 19 others are expected to sign the treaty that will ban the use of cluster bombs and explosives like Landmines which have claimed over a million lives and have left thousands injured or disabled in a continent plagued by conflicts and political instability. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Ugandan Minister of Disaster Preparedness Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere called upon countries in the Great Lakes Region to sign and implement the treaty because the region has suffered most from conflicts and war that expose civilians to these dangerous weapons. “There is no excuse for using cluster munitions that cause harm to civilians as there is no middle ground between their use and non use. There is no reason to allow these weapons to continue killing and maiming our people many years after a conflict has ended,” he noted. In Africa, Cluster munitions have been used in Angola, Chad, Somalia, D R Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda among others. In Rwanda, over 2,600 persons have been directly affected by mines since 1994, research done by ALSAR reveals. During the meeting, two amputees, Berihu Messele and Aynalem Zenebe from Ethiopia gave their moving ordeal in which they lost limbs in 1998 when a war plane dropped a Cluster bomb on a school during heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea. “Before the accident, I had my peaceful life and dreams. After I lost my two legs, I had no good future for me in mind. I lost my dreams,” narrates Messele. Many African Countries have vowed to stop importing and will destroy cluster munitions stockpiles ahead of the Oslo signing and ratification meet at the end of the year, Egypt and South Africa are the only African countries that produce cluster munitions. The Kampala meeting coordinated by UNDP, the Norwegian and Austrian governments is meant to convince African countries to sign and adopt the pact as many lives of civilians and soldiers have been lost on the African continent. “ We do not only encourage African countries to sign the treaty but also call upon states to put in place the necessary legislation to ban the use of cluster munitions” said Theophane Nikyema, the UNDP representative. The Kampala meeting will come up with the framework and recommendations for African countries to adopt towards eliminating the use of cluster munitions. Ends