United Nations
Development Programme

Plot 15B Clement Hill Road

P.O Box 7184

Kampala, Uganda

Tel: (256) 414-233440/1/2/5

Fax: (256) 414-344801

Email: registry.ug@undp.org

Background

Uganda has a landmine/unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination problem resulting from successive conflicts over the past three decades. The most affected areas are the border regions with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, but there is also UXO contamination in the interior of the country - in Luwero district (also referred to as the 'Luwero Triangle'), the heart of the five-year protracted guerilla war from 1980-1985; the West Nile region, and the Rwenzori Mountains (Kasese, Bundibugyo and Kabarole districts).

The 20-year old Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in Northern Uganda has led to the displacement of more than 2.5 million people in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum, Pader (Acholi sub-region), Lira, Apac (Lango sub-region), Soroti, Kaberamaido, Katakwi and Amuria (Teso sub-region). Prospects for peace are evident and displaced people have started returning home to restart their lives and livelihoods. However, many areas of IDP return in Northern Uganda are contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).

The Government of Uganda’s (GoU) overarching Mine Action goal is to free the nation from the most severe humanitarian and economic effects of landmines and UXO by 2009. In this regard, UNDP’s support to the government is through the National Mine Action Programme (NMAP). Mine Action is critical in early recovery, safety and protection of the returning population, and the main goal of this support is to ensure safe and protected return of internally displaced persons and affected communities in Northern, North-Eastern and Western Uganda from the threat of landmines and ERW, and to support the reintegration of landmine survivors into their communities through government programmes.

Development objectives

This project aims at facilitating the establishment of a sustainable and replicable continuation training programme through the non-executive supervision and provision of technical advice to the Office of the Prime Minister's (OPM) de-mining assets, while promoting the ethos of national ownership. The direct beneficiary of the project will be the National Mine Action Programme (NMAP), which will target mine affected communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in mine/ERW affected areas in Northern, North-Eastern and Western Uganda.

The main objectives of this project, in support to the GoU, are: to develop a national institutional framework for Mine Action; to integrate mine and UXO victim data into all aspects of Mine Action planning and management, including priority setting; to develop plans to increase Mine Action capacity in the event of increased need because of the return of IDPs and refugees; and to develop resource mobilization initiatives.

Key activities & expected results

UNDP has worked in coordination with national counterparts from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) and the Uganda Police to ensure that surveys and manual battle area clearance are conducted in accordance with international and national Mine Action standards. Technical survey/clearance/EOD operations were initiated in April 2006.

Four multi-purpose technical survey/clearance/EOD teams seconded to the Mine Action Centre Uganda and consisting of 20 UPDF engineers and 39 police officers have so far been commissioned to Northern Uganda to undertake de-mining activities, following training in international humanitarian de-mining standards in Nairobi in 2005 and 2006 with UNDP support.

Implementation phase

Implementation is ongoing, including de-mining (land release) in northern Uganda.