The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights meeting at its 17th Ordinary Session held from 13 to 22 March 1995, Lomé, Togo:
Recalling the 1980 United Nations Convention on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects,
Considering Resolution CM/Res. 1726 (LX) adopted at the sixtieth session of the OAU Council of Ministers in Tunis (6-11) June 1994), calling upon Member States to ratify the above Convention and considering the holding of its next Review Conference in Vienna from 25 September to 13 October 1995,
Noting with regret the extremely limited number of African States parties to this Convention,
Considering the significant ravages caused by the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel mines, particularly in Africa where more than 30 million mines are scattered,
Noting with concern the consequences of the proliferation of mines in African countries, particularly the failure of efforts of rehabilitation in the affected areas and of reconstruction, in countries which emerged from wars,
Considering that this phenomenon constitutes a flagrant violation of the provisions of the African Charter on HOR and, more specifically, of its article 4,
Further considering that one of the most adequate means to combat this calamity would be the extension of the 1980 United Nations Convention on situations of internal conflicts and, the adoption of effective provisions for the implementation of this Convention particularly aiming at the prohibition of restrictions on the use of mines;
Recognising the importance of the NGOs in highlighting public awareness and the need to strengthen their capacity in assisting mines victims:
1. Encourages African States to ratify, within the shortest possible time, the 1980 United Nations Convention on prohibition or restriction on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects;
2. Urgently Requests African States to participate in large numbers in the review conference to press for the introduction of a clause on the prohibition or restriction of the use of mines in that Convention;
3. Recommends that concrete and effective steps be urgently taken to prohibit the manufacture of anti-personnel mines and to ensure that existing stocks are destroyed and an international control mechanism is set up;
4. Appeals to the manufacturers of anti-personnel mines so that they may be conscious of the dangers and destruction caused by the use of their products;
5. Requests that the provisions of the above Convention be extended to situations of internal conflicts;
6. Calls upon Member States to closely associate the NGOs with the implementation of the present resolution, and particularly with the conception and execution of consciousness raising and mine victims rehabilitation programmes.
