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Nicaragua
Mine Action
Contamination and Impact
Mines
In June 2010, Nicaragua announced it was in full compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, having cleared all known mined areas.[1] Nicaragua was contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) as a result of armed conflict between 1979 and 1990. Most of the mines used were antipersonnel, but antivehicle mines were also laid along the northern border with Honduras. Mined areas were reported in 105 communities,[2] in 74 municipalities, in 14 of the 15 departments, and in the two autonomous regions.[3] More than 80% of the mined areas were along the border with Honduras, in coastal areas, or near electric pylon towers.[4]
Based on records from the Nicaraguan Army, which Nicaragua considered to be 80% complete,[5] the total number of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines emplaced was initially said to be 135,643 in 991 minefields.[6] By April 2010 all known mined areas were reported to have been cleared. When mine clearance was completed, the final number of mines found was 179,790 (one-third more than the original estimate) from 1,029 mined areas, covering 11.92km2.[7]
Explosive remnants of war
Nicaragua has a residual ERW problem in all parts of the country. However, the problem has not been quantified and according to Dr. Juan Umaña from the Nicaraguan Demining Commission (Comisión Nacional de Desminado, CND), the problem is impossible to define. Through its risk education (RE) program, 60–70% of contamination reports pertained to ERW rather than landmines. The army regularly receives reports of ERW from civilians, the police, and the Organization of American States (OAS) RE teams. The Nicaraguan Army Engineer Corps demining units clear all ERW. Nicaragua planned to retain an unspecified number of teams, and as of August 2010 the number of teams to be retained had not been determined. Funding from Russia and Japan will cover the cost of the residual teams through 2010. After 2010, the number of teams may be reduced.[8]
Mine Action Program
Key institutions and operators
|
Body |
Situation on 1 January 2010 |
|
National Mine Action Authority |
CND |
|
Mine action center |
CND |
|
International demining operators |
OAS (for quality management) |
|
National operators |
Nicaraguan Army Engineer Corps |
|
International risk education operators |
OAS |
|
National risk education operators |
Nicaraguan Army Engineer Corps |
The CND is responsible for formulating national mine action policy, assisting and coordinating implementation of the National Humanitarian Demining Program (Programa Nacional de Desminado Humanitario, PNDH), managing international funds, and conducting mine/ERW RE.[9]
Mine clearance in Nicaragua was the responsibility of so-called Small Demining Units (Pequeñas Unidades de Desminado) of the Nicaraguan Army Engineer Corps.[10]
The OAS planned to support the Nicaraguan government to maintain a small national capacity to respond to reports of individual mine/ERW contamination that may be received through contacts with communities and their population, at least through December 2010.[11] The OAS was also committed to continuing RE and community liaison throughout 2010.[12]
Land Release
Over a 17-year period Nicaragua cleared almost 12km2 of mined areas, destroying in the process 179,970 landmines at an estimated total cost of US$82 million.[13]
Summary of land release: 1993–2010
|
Total size of mined areas cleared |
No. of mined areas cleared |
No. of mines destroyed |
No. of UXO destroyed |
Mine-affected municipalities |
Affected population |
Total cost (international and national funding) |
|
11.92km2 |
1,029 |
179,970 |
2,034,970 |
74 |
2,500,100 |
$82 million |
Mine clearance in 2009
In May 2009, Nicaragua reported it had had 1,019 mined areas on its territory of which 10 remained to be cleared.[14] In June 2010, when Nicaragua announced it was in compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, it reported it had cleared 1,029 mined areas, of which 20 were cleared from 1 January 2009 through 30 April 2010, destroying 6,246 antipersonnel mines in the process.[15]
Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the one-year extension request granted in 2008), Nicaragua was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 May 2010. In June 2010, Nicaragua announced it had cleared all known mined areas in time and was in full compliance with Article 5.[16]
Quality management
The Mine Clearance Assistance Mission in Central America (Misión de Asistencia para la Remoción de Minas en Centro América, MARMINCA) conducted quality control on all completed clearance tasks.[17]
Other Risk Reduction Measures
In 2009, the OAS Assistance Program for Demining in Central America (Programa de Apoyo al Desminado en Centroamérica, PADCA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and local authorities carried out all RE activities.[18]
[1] Statement of Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2010; and Carlos Espinoza Flores, “Nicaragua libre de minas antipersonales” (“Nicaragua is free of antipersonnel mines”), El 19, 10 June 2010, www.el19digital.com.
[2] UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), “Nicaragua Landmine Situation Assessment Mission Report,” 15 December 1998, p. 6.
[3] Article 7 Report, 13 April 2009, p. 3.
[4] Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2009), Form G, p. 5.
[5] UNMAS, “Nicaragua Landmine Situation Assessment Mission Report,” 15 December 1998, p. 6; and CND, “Presentacion Secretaria Ejecutiva 2007, Reuniones Plenaria” (“Executive Secretary Presentation 2007, Plenary Meetings”).
[6] Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 28 March 2008, pp. 6, 16.
[7] Statement of Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2010.
[8] Telephone interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, Technical Secretary, CND, 9 August 2010.
[9] Interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, Managua, 2 April 2004.
[10] Ibid, 13 March 2008.
[11] Since 1993 (except in 1995–1996) the OAS, through its Program for Integrated Action against Antipersonnel Mines (Acción Integral Contra las Minas Antipersonal, AICMA), has provided support to mine action activities in Nicaragua through PADCA, with technical support from the Inter-American Defense Board. Report of the General Secretariat on the Implementation of Resolution AG/RES.2453 (XXXIX-O/09), The Americas as an Antipersonnel-Landmine-Free-Zone, OEA/Ser.G, CP/CSH-1202/10, 7 April 2010, p. 2, www.oas.org.
[12] Email from Carl Case, Director, Office of Humanitarian Mine Action, OAS, 2 August 2010.
[13] Nicaraguan Army, “Memoria 2010: Programa Nacional de Desminado Humanitario” (“2010 Report: National Humanitarian Demining Program”), distributed at the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2010, pp. 14, 16.
[14] Statement of Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 27 May 2009.
[15] Nicaraguan Army, “Memoria 2010: Programa Nacional de Desminado Humanitario” (“2010 Report: National Humanitarian Demining Program”), distributed at the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2010, p. 14.
[16] Statement of Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2010; and Carlos Espinoza Flores, “Nicaragua libre de minas antipersonales,” (“Nicaragua is free of antipersonnel mines”), El 19, 10 June 2010, www.el19digital.com.
[17] Nicaraguan Army, “Memoria 2010: Programa Nacional de Desminado Humanitario” (“2010 Report: National Humanitarian Demining Program”), distributed at the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2010, pp. 14, 16.
[18] Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2009), Form I, p. 20.
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