The Sudan people’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) commits itself to renunce to the use of anti-personnel mines

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) Commits Itself 
to the Renunciation of the Use of Anti-personnel Mines

4 October 2001

The SPLM/A has today in Geneva, Switzerland, signed the « Deed of Commitment under Geneva Call for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Mines and for Cooperation in Mine Action ». The signing was carried out on behalf of SPLM/A by Nhial Deng Nhial, the Chairman of the SPLM Commission for External Relations, Information and Humanitarian Affairs.

The signing was witnessed by Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey, President of Geneva Call, Lare Okungu, Geneva Call’s Regional Director for Africa, and Robert Hensler, Chancelier d’Etat, who represented the Government of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

The « Deed of Commitment » has been deposited with the Government of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, who acts as the custodian of the declarations of commitments made by non-State actors or rebel groups.

Under the « Deed of Commitment », the SPLM/A commits itself to:

– prohibit under any circumstances the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines;
– to cooperate and undertake, in areas under its control, stockpiles destruction, mine clearance, victim assistance, mine awareness, and various other forms of mine action activities;
– to allow and cooperate in the monitoring and verification of their commitment to a total ban on anti-personnel mines, notably by providing information and reports as well as allowing field visits and inspections.

Geneva Call is an international NGO based in Geneva, whose focus is to engage non-State actors in adhering to a total ban on anti-personnel mines and to other humanitarian norms. To facilitate this process, it provides a mechanism whereby non-State actors – which by definition cannot adhere to international treaties such as the Ottawa Treaty – can commit themselves to the mine ban through the « Deed of Commitment ».

Geneva Call was initiated by leading members of the Non-State Actors Working Group of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).