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Zambia

Zambia signed the Convention on 12 December 1997, ratified it on 23 February 2001, and the Convention entered into force for Zambia on 1 August 2001. 

Obligations under the Convention

In its initial transparency report submitted on 31 August 2001, Zambia reported stockpiled anti-personnel mines under its ownership or possession or under its jurisdiction or control.

Notwithstanding the obligation to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines, the Convention permits the retention of the minimum number of anti-personnel mines absolutely necessary for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques.

As of 2019, Zambia reported having retained 907 anti-personnel mines for these permitted purposes.

Training previously carried out covered mine identification and awareness, minefield marking and layout, detection and destruction techniques for mainly military personnel preparing for United Nations Peace Keeping Operations deployment, combat engineers undergoing mandatory career progression courses, and national and regional military officers undergoing Command and Staff Courses.

In its initial transparency report submitted on 31 August 2001, Zambia reported stockpiled anti-personnel mines under its ownership or possession or under its jurisdiction or control.

In its transparency report submitted in 2004, Zambia reported that it had completed the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines.

In total, Zambia reported having destroyed 3,345 mines.

In its initial transparency report, Zambia reported areas under its jurisdiction or control in which anti-personnel mines were known or suspected to be emplaced. In accordance with Article 5 of the Convention, Zambia undertook to destroy or ensure the destruction of these anti-personnel mines as soon as possible but not later than 1 August 2011.

On 11 November 2009, the Director of the Zambia Mine Action Center (ZMAC) and the Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister of Zambia, announced that mine clearance operations had been completed.

A formal Declaration of Completion was presented by Zambia at the 2009 Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World.

Annually and no later than 30 April, each State Party is to update information covering the previous calendar year. The latest Article 7 reports for this State Party can be found on this page.

Each State Party is to take all appropriate legal, administrative and other measures, including the imposition of penal sanctions, to prevent and suppress any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention undertaken by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control.

Zambia has reported having established national implementation measures or that it considers existing legislation to be sufficient. 

Zambia declares mined areas safe again

(2009) - ZAMBIA has become the third country in Southern Africa to declare that all mined areas are now safe for normal human activity. The announcement puts the country ahead of schedule regarding its obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which it joined in 2001.

 This will enhance cross border trading, open rail and road routes to the coastal towns and a railway to Angolan ports, and revitalize tourist zones,” said Sheila Mweemba, Director of the Zambia Mine Action Center (ZMAC).

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