Key developments
since March 1999: Ecuador ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on 29 April 1999, and
it entered into force for Ecuador on 1 October 1999. Ecuador destroyed 101,458
antipersonnel mines from stockpiles. Ecuador and Perδ have made
significant progress in mine clearance along the border. In April 1999, the
“Program for Demining Assistance in Ecuador/Perú” was
established by the OAS. In August 1999, UNMAS and the OAS undertook independent
assessment missions to Ecuador. In September 1999, Ecuador established a
National Demining Center.
Mine Ban Policy
Ecuador signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December
1997. On 30 March 1999, the National Congress approved ratification of the
treaty. After a presidential decree authorizing ratification, Ecuador deposited
its instrument of ratification on 29 April 1999. According to the Ministry of
Foreign Relations ratification of the Ottawa Treaty constitutes an important
aspect of Ecuador’s foreign
policy.[1] The treaty entered
into force for Ecuador on 1 October 1999. Ratification of international
treaties automatically makes them law in Ecuador, but no specific implementation
legislation has been enacted.
Ecuador’s Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Francisco
Carrión, led the country’s delegation to the First Meeting of the
State Parties in Maputo in May 1999. Ecuador has participated in the
intersessional meetings of the treaty in Geneva.
Ecuador voted in favor of the December 1999 UN General Assembly resolution in
support of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it had or similar UNGA resolutions in 1997
and 1998. Ambassador Mario Aleman, Ecuador’s Permanent Representative to
the UN, said to the General Assembly, “My country participated with
tremendous interest in the Ottawa process and has begun implementing the
Convention through the creation of the Ecuadorian Demining Centre, a little more
than a month ago.”[2]
Ecuador submitted its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency report in
Spanish on 29 March 2000. The report covers the period from April 1999 to March
2000.
Ecuador is a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons but has
not ratified Amended Protocol II on landmines. Ecuador participated as an
observer in the First Annual Conference of State Parties to Amended Protocol II
in December 1999 in Geneva.
In August 1999 Ecuador was made a member of the Conference on
Disarmament.
Production and Transfer
A military official confirmed to Landmine Monitor
that Ecuador has not produced or exported AP
mines.[3] From information
contained in Ecuador’s Article 7 report, it appears Ecuador imported
antipersonnel mines in the past from Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Singapore, the
former Soviet Union, Spain, and the United
States.[4]
Stockpiling and Destruction
In its Article 7 report, Ecuador reported a
stockpile of 271,802 AP mines:
128,931 T-AB-1 blast AP mines from Brazil;
93,278 MAPP 78 F-2 blast AP mines from Chile;
4,655 MAPP 78 F-2 blast AP mines from Chile (instruc.);
70 P-4-B blast AP mines from Spain;
58 PMD-6M blast AP mines from the former Soviet Union;
200 PRB-M 35 blast AP mines from Belgium;
10,061 PRB-M 409 blast AP mines from Belgium;
25,151 VS-50 blast AP mines from Singapore;
3,525 MAPT 78 F-2 fragmentation AP mines from Chile;
17 M18A1 Claymore minesfrom the USA;
5,856 MON-50 fragmentation AP mines imported from the former Soviet
Union.[5]
Ecuador
reports destroying 101,458 antipersonnel mines between April 1999 and March
2000, including 93,278 MAPP 78 F-2 mines; 4,655 MAPP 78 F-2 training mines; and
3,525 MAPT 78 F-2 mines.[6] The
mines were transferred to the “Brigada de Apoyo Logístico No.25
Reino de Quito” for destruction by detonation at the Army’s
“El Corazón” Practice Institution in Machachi, Pichincha
province.[7] Military officials
told the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in August 1999 that they planned to
destroy from stockpiles in the year 2000 a total of 110,000 antipersonnel mines,
9,000 antitank mines and 4,000 assorted
munitions.[8]
In its Article 7 report, Ecuador reported that it would retain 170,344 AP
mines for training. This includes: 128,931 T-AB-1 mines; 25,151 VS-50 mines; 58
PMD-6M mines; 200 PRB M-35 mines; 70 P-4-B mines; 10,061 PRB M-409 mines and
5,856 MON-50 mines, and 17 M18A1 Claymore
mines.[9]
On 22 May 2000, at the second Standing Committee of Experts on Stockpile
Destruction, the ICBL stated its concern at the number of mines Ecuador had
chosen to retain, noting that it was ten times the number retained by any other
country, and far outside of the treaty’s requirement that the amount
“shall not exceed the minimum number absolutely necessary.” The
ICBL voiced it concern again on 30 May 2000 in an information session on mines
retained for training under Article 3 at the Standing Committee of Experts on
General Status and Operation of the Convention. Ecuador’s representative
came to the closing session of the meeting and said he wanted to clarify a
“mistake in the presentation of the [Article 7] report.” He said
the reported number of mines retained for training will need to be revised, and
will be “in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the exact
figure will be provided prior to the Second Meeting of States
Parties.”[10]
Use
Ecuador states that it has not used antipersonnel
mines since the Cenepa border conflict with Peru in
1995.[11] Ecuador contends that
Peru laid mines as well during the conflict, but Peru denies any use.
Landmine Problem
According to the Latin American Association for
Human Rights (ALDHU), both parties laid some 130,000 to 150,000 AP
mines.[12] UNMAS reports that
these figures do not contradict information received by the Ecuadorian military,
who estimate the number of mines on the Ecuadorian side of the border in the
Cordillera del Condór region to be in excess of
90,000.[13]
Ecuador’s mine problem is along its southern border with Peru and the
two southern provinces of El Oro and Loja. According to UNMAS, the most mined
area is the Cordillera del Cóndor, where the 1995 conflict broke out,
along 78 kilometers of the previously unmarked
border.[14] The majority of
mines are believed to be located in the headwaters of the Cenepa and Coangos
Rivers, in an area of approximately 80 square
kilometers.[15]
In its Article 7 report, Ecuador reported five mine affected areas from the
border dispute: Cordillera del Cóndor in the south-east border region;
Cusumaza-Bombuiza in the east-central border region; El Oro Province in the
southern border region; Loja Province in the southern border region; and,
Tiwintza on the Peruvian side of the
border.[16] Antipersonnel mines
may also have been laid in Montalvo in the east-central border region. The
landmines laid are almost exclusively antipersonnel and include T-AB-1, MAPP 78
F-2, MON-50, P-4-B, PMD-6M, PRB M35, PRB M409, TS-50, VA-50 and
M28A1.[17]
Ecuadorian military minefield records were provided to Multinational
Observation Mission (MOMEP) but have not been made public. The Cordillera del
Condór contains an immensely rich biological and floral ecosystem, and in
relation to the rest of the country, is sparsely populated with an estimated
13,000 inhabitants on the Ecuadorian side of the border, including 7,000 Shuar
and Achuar indigenous peoples and 6,000 mestizo
settlers.[18] It is expected
that Shuar and Achuar displaced by the conflict will return now that there is
peace.
According to UNMAS, there are a “limited” number of minefields in
the southern provinces of El Oro and Loja, laid as barrier minefields by Ecuador
in 1995. Ecuador’s military claims that the minefields are well marked
and fenced and “pose a limited threat” to civilian populations, but
acknowledge that there has been some significant displacement of mines due to
the heavy flooding resulting from El Niño. Both El Oro and Loja provinces
have higher population densities than the Cordillera del
Condór.[19]
UNMAS reports that Ecuador’s forces state that they have not laid mines
along the border with Colombia, but they did raise the possibility that
Colombian guerrilla forces active in these areas may have laid mines
there.[20]
Mine Action Funding
UNMAS notes none of the funds for the Ecuador-Peru
Bi-National Development Plan are being set aside for mine action.
The Peruvian and Ecuadorian governments sent a joint note on 18 March 1999
from their Permanent Missions to the OAS, requesting the OAS to establish a
specific fund to support demining related to the demarcation of the
border.[21] In April 1999, the
“Program for Demining Assistance in Ecuador/Perú” (PADEP) was
established by the OAS with a Canadian government contribution of CAN$300,000
(US$198,000) to be divided equally between the countries and used exclusively
for the purchase of equipment and materials for activities to support
humanitarian demining associated with the demarcation of the border between
Ecuador and Peru.
At the 30th General Assembly of the OAS held in Windsor, Canada on 4-6June 2000, delegates voted unanimously on a resolution calling on the OAS to
continue efforts to provide assistance in combating AP mines in Ecuador and
Peru.[22]
Several countries have contributed to the Ecuadorian mine clearance operation
with both monetary and in-kind contributions including Canada, Spain, and the
United States. Japan has offered financial assistance and Brazil has offered
technical assistance.[23]
Ecuador was included in the U.S. humanitarian demining program on 22 February
1999 and will receive approximately $3.225 million in assistance between 1999
and 2000.
Surveys and Assessments
From 16-20 August 1999 the Organization of American
States conducted a multi-disciplinary mission with the U.S. Department of State
in Ecuador and Peru to evaluate the antipersonnel landmine situation in the
border region of the two
countries.[24]
From 23-27 August 1999, the UN Mine Action Service organized and led a
multi-disciplinary and inter-agency mission to
Ecuador.[25]
Mine Clearance
The Centro de Desminado del Ecuador, CEDESMI
(Ecuadorian Mine Clearance Center) was officially established by Executive
Decree 1297 on 22 September 1999. Mine clearance in Ecuador is the
responsibility of the Army Engineers, specifically the 23rd Cenepa Engineer
Brigade, which has a 95-man company consisting of six 15-man demining
teams.[26] The Engineers hope
to increase their demining capacity by at least another 95-man company in 2000,
subject to receiving international support.
The Engineers are described by UNMAS as “professional, well trained
and generally well equipped” with a “good, trust based relationship
with the local
population.”[27] The UNMAS
Assessment Mission report gives a detailed description of the challenges faced
in mine clearance as well as techniques, equipment and other
aspects.[28]
In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Army has developed a
plan for clearance of all mines from Ecuador by the year 2008. The first
priority for mine clearance was the demining of the sites for the border
markers, in collaboration with Perú’s Armed Forces. Ecuador cleared
12 of 23 sites in the Cordillera del Condór, a task completed in 1999.
Now there are five phases planned for mine clearance: the Twinza memorial
area in Peru; the Ecuadorian side of the cross-border ecological Peace Park; the
minefields in El Oro; the minefields in Loja; and the remainder of the
Cordillera del
Condór.[29]
Mine Awareness
Some limited mine awareness education has been
undertaken by the military’s psychological operations branch which
recently produced and distributed posters and pamphlets with mine awareness
messages, using Army funds and some assistance from the U.S. military. In Loja
and El Oro provinces, some mine awareness education has taken place by the
military with the help of local schools. Young Ashuar and Shuar men used by the
military as scouts during the conflict are conceivably the most knowledgeable of
all concerning the location of mined areas and they are thought to pass this
information on to their communities, alerting them about mine areas and how to
avoid accidents.[30]According
to the Director of ALDHU, Ashuar and Shuar indigenous peoples are at risk
because of the levels of illiteracy and lack of knowledge of the
problem.[31]
UNMAS has recommended that the military strengthen coordination and seek
assistance from other crucial actors in mine awareness education including the
Ministries of Health and Education, the church, NGOs, local authorities, and
affected communities.[32]
Landmine Casualties
There is no systematic data gathering mechanism for
landmine incidents in Ecuador and exact figures are unavailable. The Ministry
of Health of Ecuador does not have an official registry of landmine casualties
and the National Statistics Institute (INEC) also does not have information on
landmine victims in the country.
The military told UNMAS that since the end of the conflict in 1995 there have
been approximately 34 landmine-related accidents involving soldiers, including
seven deaths.[33] Military
authorities in Patuca reported five civilians injured by landmines in 1995, and
the Achuar representative in Macas reported four landmine victims in 1997,
including one death.[34] ALDHU
reported eleven Shuar deaths and seven military deaths due to landmines between
April 1995 and April 1999.[35]
ALDHU’s director, Juan de Dios Parra, told Landmine Monitor that nine
children and four women from indigenous communities of the border areas between
Ecuador and Perú injured were injured by mines in the same
period.[36]
UNMAS was told of a 1999 accident involving a civilian in an area near Mirado
that had reportedly been declared
“demined.”[37]The
Director of ALDHU told Landmine Monitor that the incident raises doubts over the
success of the demining process and points towards a need for quality assurance
and verification.[38]
There are not believed to have been any new mine victims so far in 2000.
Victim Assistance and Disability Policies
The military in Ecuador has a well-structured and
responsive health care system that provides integrated care to military landmine
victims through the Instituto de Seguridad Social de las Fuerzas Armadas, ISSFA
(Social Security Institute of the Armed Forces). According to UNMAS, the
military hospital in Quito offers an integrated approach to rehabilitation that
includes physical, psychological, professional and vocational programs and a
rehabilitation center for outpatient
treatment.[39] Military
personnel receive full coverage from these services.
Civilians injured by landmines do not receive the same level of attention and
are not provided with adequate services. According to UNMAS, this reflects the
gaps and weaknesses of the current health system, which is particularly acute in
the remote and relatively inaccessible border regions that are
mine-affected.[40] Individuals
who live in remote areas must rely on small medical outposts with only a basic
infrastructure or travel long distances to Quito to get appropriate medical
attention, a situation described by one local disability organization as
“absolutely
inadequate.”[41]
[1] Ministry of Foreign Relations of
Ecuador, “Informe a la Nación 1998-1999, Tomo II,” Quito,
January 2000. [2] Statement by
Ambassador Mario Alemán, Ecuador’s Permanent Representative to the
UN, at the Plenary Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, 19 November
1999. [3] Telephone interview with
Colonel Roberto Tandazo, 31 March
2000. [4] Article 7 Report, Form B,
submitted 29 March 2000. [5]
Ibid. [6] Article 7 Report, Form G, 29
March 2000. [7] Article 7 Report, Forms
D and F, 29 March 2000. [8] UNMAS,
“Mine Action Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999,
p. 20. [9] Article 7 Report, Form D, 29
March 2000. [10] Notes taken by Mary
Wareham, Human Rights Watch, 30 May
2000. [11] Telephone interview with
Colonel Miguel Patricio Proaño, 27 March 2000. There have been reports
of use since 1995. The Latin American Association for Human Rights (ALDHU) told
the UN in December 1996 that mine-laying activities were still on-going in the
contested area and that an estimated 10,000 landmines had been laid since the
cease-fire of February 1995. UNMAS, “Mine Action Assessment Mission
Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p. 11. A former Defense Minister has
said that in the last tense moments before the end of peace negotiations in
October 1998, a brief “landmine war” was fought between the two
countries, which consisted of use of AP mines used by both parties
“against enemy patrols” in border areas. Pablo Cuvi, Interview with
General José Gallardo, in Al Filo de la Paz [On the Edge of Peace],
(Dinediciones, Quito), March 2000, pp.
49-68. [12] ALDHU Report, “Human
and Environmental Security of Shuar, Achuar (Ecuador), Aguaruna, Huambisa (Peru)
Populations after the War,” August
1999. [13] UNMAS, “Mine Action
Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p.
11. [14] Ibid, p.
10. [15] Ibid, p.
11. [16] Article 7 Report, Form C, 29
March 2000. [17] UNMAS, “Mine
Action Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p.
12. [18] Ibid, p.
13. [19] Ibid, p.
11. [20]
Ibid. [21] See OAS contribution to
Landmine Monitor Report 2000. [22] Press
release 141, “Axworthy welcomes progress on democracy and human security
at the OAS General Assembly,” 6 June
2000. [23] UNMAS, “Mine Action
Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p.
17. [24] OAS contribution to Landmine
Monitor Report 2000. [25] UNMAS,
“Mine Action Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November
1999. [26] Ibid., p.
15. [27] Ibid, p.
16. [28] Ibid, p.
15-16. [29] Ibid, p.
16. [30] Ibid, p.
18. [31] Telephone interview with Juan
de Dios Parra, Director, Latin American Association for Human Rights (ALDHU), 24
March 2000. [32] UNMAS, “Mine
Action Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, pp.
27-28. [33] Ibid, p.
12. [34] Ibid, p.
12. [35] Ibid, p.
13. [36] Telephone interview with Juan
de Dios Parra, ALDHU, 24 March
2000. [37] UNMAS, “Mine Action
Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p.
13. [38] Telephone interview with Juan
de Dios Parra, ALDHU, 24 March
2000. [39] UNMAS, “Mine Action
Assessment Mission Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p.
19. [40] Ibid, p.
19. [41] Email from Carlos Alberto Soto,
Director of FEDUCA (an Ecuadorian NGO that works with disabled people) to CCCM
for Landmine Monitor, 7 April 2000.