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The quest to rid Asia of anti-personnel (AP) mines has taken another step forward with
an armed non-State actor (NSA) - the Zomi Re-unification Organisation (ZRO) -
signing Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment. By signing this instrument, the ZRO has
joined 35 NSAs around the world which have pledged to ban AP mines, as well as
carry out, or co-operate in, necessary mine action.
The ZRO becomes the third NSA operating in Northeast India to have signed the
"Deed of Commitment for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Mines and for
Cooperation in Mine Action". The ZRO began to destroy its stockpiles and clear the
mines that it had laid after commencing dialogue with Geneva Call in 2008. The ZRO
reports that it was able to complete these tasks prior to its signing of the Deed of
Commitment.
Katherine Kramer, Geneva Call’s Programme Director for Asia, commented: ‘We are
delighted that ZRO has taken the step to renounce the use of AP mines. We believe
that this sends a clear message to other armed NSAs operating in Northeast India that
it is possible to give up mine use. We strongly urge these other organizations to
consider urgently taking steps against the use of these insidious devices.’
The ZRO formed in 1993. Its struggle is based on a desire to reunify the Zo people of
the region (known variously as Zomi, Mizo, Kuki and Chin) who are dispersed
throughout parts of northeast India, Burma/Myanmar and Bangladesh, and to strive for
the establishment of a Zo homeland.
About Geneva Call
Geneva Call provides an innovative mechanism for NSAs, who do not participate in
drafting treaties and thus may not feel bound by their obligations to express adherence
to the norms embodied in the 1997 anti-personnel mine ban treaty through their
signature to the "Deed of Commitment for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-
Personnel Mines and for Cooperation in Mine Action". The Government of the
Republic and Canton of Geneva serves as the guardian of these Deeds.