Summary of the Discussions

Ambassador A Bensid, Chairperson of the Conference

Published in Towards a Landmine Free Africa
Proceedings of the First Continental Conference of African Experts on Landmines

We have reached the end of our work after an exhaustive and constructive debate. What is clear from the heated discussions we have had, and which needs to be restated, is the necessity for the steps to be taken in the future at both the national and international level.

At the National Level:

African states should establish laws which prohibit the use of mines, stop the production of mines, provide for the destruction of stocks, expansion of mine clearance activities and the increase in the assistance to victims of landmines.

At the International Level:

African states should ratify the 1980 Convention and Protocol II, and join the Ottawa Process. They should be urged to attend the Brussels and Oslo conferences, and also participate in the final conference in Ottawa in December 1997.



The international community should provide technical and financial assistance for demining activities to African states.



Further, the international community should provide the necessary resources to help victims of landmines, and to create rural development programmes which are linked to mine clearance.



The treaty to ban anti-personnel mines should cover issues of mine clearance and assistance to victims of landmines.