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Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau signed the Convention on 3 December 1997, ratified it on 22 May 2001, with the Convention entering into force for Guinea-Bissau on 1 November 2001.

Obligations under the Convention

In its initial transparency report submitted in June of 2002, Guinea-Bissau reported stockpiled anti-personnel mines under its ownership or possession.

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.

Guinea Bissau has reported having retained nine (9) anti-personnel mines for these permitted purposes.

In its initial transparency report submitted in June of 2002, Guinea-Bissau reported stockpiled anti-personnel mines under its ownership or possession.

In its transparency report submitted on 15 September 2006, Guinea-Bissau reported that it had completed the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines.

In total, Guinea-Bissau reported having destroyed 11,654 mines.

In its initial transparency report, Guinea-Bissau 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, Guinea-Bissau undertook to destroy or ensure the destruction of all anti-personnel mines in these areas as soon as possible but not later than 1 November 2011.

On 8 September 2010, Guinea-Bissau submitted a request to extend its deadline. The request was granted at the Tenth Meeting of the States Parties (10MSP) and a new deadline set for 1 January 2012.

On 5 December 2012, Guinea-Bissau reported to the Twelfth Meeting of the States Parties (12MSP) that it had fulfilled its obligation under Article 5 of the Convention before its 1 January 2012 deadline.

On 23 June 2021, during the intersessional meetings, Guinea-Bissau reported the discovery of previously unknown mined areas. In accordance with the decisions taken by the Twelfth Meeting of the States Parties, on 11 August Guinea-Bissau submitted a request to extend its mine clearance deadline. The request was granted by the Twentieth Meeting of the States Parties in November 2022, and a new dealdline set for 31 December 2024.

Article 5 Extension Request Proces

Guinea-Bissau has indicated having significant numbers – hundreds or thousands – of landmine survivors.

Guinea-Bissau is also a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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. 

Article 9 of the Convention states that “each State Party shall 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.”

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

Individualised Approach

Guinea-Bissau finalises mine clearance operations

In 2012, the Director of the national mine action centre, Cesar Luis Gomes Lopes de Carvalho, thanked the international cooperation, a cornerstone of the Ottawa Convention, for being key to Guinea-Bissau’s mine clearance programme. “We benefited greatly from the efforts of Landmine Action and Norwegian People’s Aid to assist in addressing the country’s landmine problem as well as from other international nongovernmental organisations and home-grown demining institutions."

Press Release | English | French

Note Since this announcement in 2012, Guinea-Bissau has declared finding previously unknown contamination.