The ban is a reversal of former us president barack obamas policy that outlawed all types of anti personnel landmines, except on the korean peninsula along. This book provides an overview of the work of the icrc concerning landmines from 1955 through 1999. Over the past decade, both insurgents and government forces have used mines as a cheap means of controlling territory and the movement of civilians. Richard lloyd, uk working group on landmines written by a nobel peace prize colaureate who is one of the leading voices in the antilandmines campaign, this timely book is a comprehensive, practical guide to landmines and unexploded ordnance. If current presidential policy continues, all of the pure apl described here, with the exception of the claymore, will be unavailable to the u.
An anti personnel landmine is designed to injure or kill a person, while an anti tank landmine is designed to incapacitate tanks or other vehicles. Many military manuals set forth special precautionary measures to be taken when using landmines. Landmines are broadly classified into two categories, as 1 anti personnel and 2 anti tank, that are targeted at. The united nations general assembly passed a resolution in 1996 calling for vigorous pursuit of negotiations on a ban treaty as soon as possible. There are also indications that the provisions of protocol ii to the convention on certain conventional weapons are considered to constitute an authoritative minimum standard in relation to the use of landmines which are not specifically prohibited under treaty obligations, as are anti personnel. After princess dianas death, governments pledged to end the scourge of anti personnel landmines. The process was a bold gamble that paid off largely as a result of the advocacy work of the international campaign to ban landmines and the international committee of the red cross working in partnership with a core group of states that were equally committed to a ban on anti personnel mines. Trumps announcement on anti personnel mines is a death sentence for civilians, said anne hery, the groups advocacy director. In 1992, senator leahy wrote the first law enacted by any government to prohibit the export of these weapons. The landmine treaty, popularly known as the ottawa treaty was drawn up in 1997dec.
A 1998 publication, the history of landmines, argues that modern landmines trace their lineage from nonexplosive predecessors such as the spikes and stakes that were employed by ancient armies. Mike croll describes the history of these weapons, which some specialists trace back to the 5th century bc, from their earliest use to the present day. Officially entitled the convention on the prohibition, use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines and on their destruction, the treaty is sometimes referred to as the ottawa convention. Daryl kimball, executive director, 202 4638270 x107 the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti personnel mines and on their destruction, typically referred to as the ottawa convention or mine ban treaty, seeks to end the use of anti personnel landmines apls worldwide. It should be of interest to to both military and civilian mineclearance specialists. The use of landmines in the vietnam war the smine, or bouncing betty, was a a type of bounding mine developed by germany in the 1930s and used by them extensively during the second world war. In that same period tens of millions of stockpiled landmines have been destroyed before they could be planted in the ground and over 1,000 sq km of land has been cleared of five million mines.
The records of 14 th century describe the use of cannonball shells of cast iron which were filled with gunpowder. While the original mines were anti tank mines, anti personnel mines were developed to prevent enemy forces from reusing or removing anti tank mines. Mines can be either designed as anti personnel or anti tank. Army is trying to develop new land mines ones that dont harm civilians a mineclearing line charge being detonated during livefire training at fort irwin in california, october. Antipersonnel landmines are designed specifically to reroute or push back foot soldiers from a given geographic area. List of books and articles about landmines online research.
In a statement released friday, the white house said the ban. The ottawa convention at a glance arms control association. Free uk delivery on book orders dispatched by amazon over. Read more by entering this website, you consent to the use of technologies, such as cookies and analytics, to customise content, advertising and provide social media features. Antipersonnel mines international committee of the red. Cambodia is a country located in south east asia that has a major problem with landmines, especially in rural areas. This book provides a detailed history of the global movement to ban antipersonnel landmines apl, marking the first case of a successful worldwide civil society movement to end the use of an entire category of weapons. Understanding landmines and mine action july 2003 prepared by robert keeley page 9. Its design is typical of many post world war ii anti tank blast mines, circular with a central fuze well fitted with a plug in this case. Antipersonnel landmines are prohibited under the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines.
In recent conflicts the former variety has predominated. Africa 26 countries somaliland, chad, djibouti, malawi, mozambique, namibia, niger. The apopo scent detection rats, nicknamed herorats, help to rid the world of landmines and tuberculosis returning safe land back to communities for development, and freeing people from serious illness so they can get back on their feet. Trump just legalized antipersonnel landmines and human. They can lie dormant for years and even decades under, on, or near the ground until a person or animal triggers their detonating mechanism. The old ones are often sold before they become worthless. Mike croll released his book the history of landmines ten years ago.
The use of landmines in the vietnam war vietnam war books. Landmines date back to th century when song dynasty of chinese was fighting against the mongols to save a city in the southern china. Discover librarianselected research resources on landmines from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines. The banning of antipersonnel landmines the legal contribution of the international committee of the red cross edited by. This appendix provides descriptions of currently available antipersonnel landmines apl and some antitank at mines that are part of mixed systems see table c1. Anti personnel ap mines there are hundreds of different types of ap mine 7, though probably only about. It bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti personnel landmines. The 1997 convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti personnel mines and on their destruction is the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines.
The trump administration has lifted a ban on the u. Anti personnel ap mines are designed to be activated by people, whilst anti tank at mines are intended to defeat tanks or other armoured vehicles. Antipersonnel landmines are explosive devices designed to injure or kill people. The international committee of the red cross has played a key role in the effort to ban anti personnel landmines. The cambodian mine action centre cmac estimates that there may be as many as four to six million mines. Synopsis the international committee of the red cross has played a key role in the effort to ban antipersonnel landmines.
Protecting civilians from the effects of explosive weapons. There are also smart mines, which automatically deactivate themselves after a certain amount of time. Antipersonnel landmines international committee of the. The devastation caused by mines in mozambique is striking. The numbers are impressive and the commitment of signatories to the ottawa convention to rid the world of anti personnel devices is far reaching. The mine ban treaty, or the ottawa treaty, is the international agreement that bans antipersonnel mines. Other articles where antipersonnel mine is discussed. Various angles, from the military who sows them, to the deminers who defang them, and ultimately, the unfortunate who encounter them are highlighted. These mines can kill or disable their victims, and are activated by pressure, tripwire or remote detonation. Five years on, her legacy has been squandered, argues paul donovan. A boundary fence and markers to indicate the presence of mines 28 typical conventional minefield layouts mixed minefields.
History and negotiation of the ottawa treaty,article by s. More landmine photos, rendersafe procedures, equipment. Land mines are containers of explosive material with detonating systems that are triggered by contact with a person or vehicle. The literature of mid 14 th century when yuan dynasty was falling and ming dynasty was emerging records of cast iron made mines. When tripped, the body of the mine was propelled 34 feet into the air, where the main charge was detonated, spraying fragments at roughly waist height. Landmines have been much in the news in recent months, but few today know much about them. But anti personnel mines continue to kill and maim even though the war is over. Electrically triggered mines of surprising sophistication were used by confederates defending charleston and wilmington in the american civil war, but the. Similar in function is the boobytrap, which the protocol.
Media in category anti personnel landmines the following 48 files are in this category, out of 48 total. This volume illustrates and describes all known antipersonnel landmines that have been. Charles stanley delves greatly in the specific dangers of each landmine and the consequences if we ignite them. The british insisted that the germans clear the mines before they left denmark because they had the required experienced personnel, because otherwise the danes would have to spend years trying locate and clear the mines in fact, the last mine was removed from skallingen in 2012, and because many of the mines had been planted on farmland that was vital to rehabilitating the. This book is a great concise history of the use and defeat of landmines from early history to today.
Landmines can remain active for 50 years, posing a deadly threat to civilians long after a war is over. By the end of the war they had manufactured 16 different types of anti tank mines, 10 different types of anti personnel mines and employed many different types of booby traps improvised devices. The campaign to ban antipersonnel mines was one of the major humanitarian initiatives of the last three decades. In addition to farmable land, power lines, roads, bridges, railroads, and airports, even schools, factories and cattle dip tanks were mined. This is the legacy of three decades of war which has taken a severe toll on the cambodians. Landmines are often used to extort support from local populations. Landmines are designed to incapacitate that person or vehicle through damage caused by an explosive blast, fragments, or, in the case of some antitank mines, a jet of molten metal. Unless otherwise indicated, all figures are from the international committee of the red cross document anti personnel mines. Trump administration loosens obamaera restrictions on. According to the information gathered from the extensive landmine monitoring project by the international campaign to ban landmines icbl, the following countries suffer from some level of mine contamination. This book is great for teaching us chrisitians the importance of avoiding these landmines in our lives. And it is mainly civilians who suffer the horrific consequences. This volume illustrates and describes all known anti personnel landmines that have been produced, are available or have been used in battlefields and areas of conflict worldwide.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the british library isbn 0 521 78317 8 hardback. The mine ban treaty was adopted in oslo, norway, in. There are acts of war that are simply outside all rules. Since coming to the senate, senator leahy has been active in the international effort to ban the production, export and use of anti personnel landmines.
Antipersonnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to antitank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. The icrc, along with governments, the international campaign to ban landmines and the united nations, argued for a comprehensive prohibition on their use, stockpiling, production and transfer. The exact origin of the anti personnel mine is the subject of debate. The ottawa treatyto ban the production, stockpiling and use of antipersonnel landmines. In the anti personnel mine ban convention also known as the ottawa treaty and the protocol on mines, boobytraps and other devices, a mine is defined as a munition designed to be placed under, on or near the ground or other surface area and to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person or vehicle. Antipersonnel ap mines to act as an obstacle to troops, and hence delay clearance of antitank mines. The germans entered ww ii with just 2 types of anti tank mines and one anti personnel mine. Antipersonnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines, the latter may or may not be a bouncing mine. In 1997 the coalition was awarded the nobel prize for peace, which it shared with. China is believed to have the largest stockpile, mostly of anti personnel mines.