Eritrea

In July 2023, the President of the Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) announced that Eritrea had decided to withdraw from the Convention.  Eritrea’s Article 5 deadline had expired on 31 December 2020 after it was granted an interim extension a year earlier. Eritrea was expected to submit a more detailed extension request by 31 March 2020 but failed to do so and did not seek a further extension, placing it in serious violation of the Convention. Eritrea has also not submitted an Article 7 transparency report since 2014.

Eritrea has wilfully failed to comply with its obligation under Article 5 of the APMBC to complete clearance as soon as possible. There is no indication of any demining since the end of 2013, which, without exceptional justification, would itself amount to a serious violation of the Convention. On 9 June 2023, the President of the Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties to the APBMC announced that, following the Decision of the Twentieth Meeting concerning the situation of non-compliance by Eritrea, a request for clarification from Eritrea through the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General had been launched in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Convention.Email newsletter, “On the eve of the 2023 Intersessionals”, Implementation Support Unit (ISU), 9 June 2023. This is the first time in the history of the Convention that this formal procedure for the facilitation and clarification of compliance has been invoked.

Subsequently, on 3 July 2023, the President of the Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties to the APBMC announced that, on 21 June 2023, Eritrea responded to the request for clarification from the UN Secretary-General, indicating that the “Government of the State of Eritrea has decided to withdraw from the Convention in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention”. Letter from the President of the Twenty-first Meeting of the States Parties (21MSP) regarding “Response from Eritrea to the Request for Clarification under Article 8.2”, 3 July 2023. Eritrea cited its reason for withdrawal from the Convention as “experts on mission for the United Nations assigned to oversee the implementation process … engaged themselves in unlawful activities, for the purpose of gathering unauthorized information of the state, which could have compromised the state's classified intelligence and thereby threaten the national security.”Letter from Osman Saleh, Minister, Government of Eritrea, regarding “Decision for the withdrawal of the State of Eritrea from the Anti-Personal [sic] Mine Ban Convention” to the UN Secretary-General, 21 June 2023.

In accordance with Article 20 of the APMBC, Eritrea will have to take specific steps formally to withdraw from the Convention, which will only take effect six months after the depositary receives a formal instrument of withdrawal by Eritrea and at the end of any armed conflict in which Eritrea is involved.

• Eritrea should reconsider its decision to withdraw from the Convention and urgently take action with a view to returning to compliance with the APMBC.
• The authorities in Asmara should ensure that release of mined areas confirmed or suspected to contain anti-personnel (AP) mines are undertaken as a matter of urgency.
• Should Eritrea not formally withdraw from the Convention, it should urgently submit an Article 5 deadline extension request with an up-to-date list of all confirmed or suspected mined areas and a detailed timeline of activities planned for the period sought.
• Eritrea must urgently submit its outstanding annual Article 7 reports, the latest of which was due by 30 April 2023.
• Eritrea should reconsider its policy of excluding international technical assistance in mine action, which would support efficient land release and re-open international funding paths.

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2023" report for Eritrea.