Key developments since May 2002: On 28
August 2002, Nicaragua completed the destruction of the last of its 133,435
stockpiled antipersonnel mines. In 2002, according to the OAS, 339,032 square
meters of land were cleared and 5,479 antipersonnel mines were destroyed. In
March 2003, Nicaragua reported the completion of mine clearance operations in
the departments of Chinandega, Chontales, Boaco, and Región
Autónoma del Atlántico Sur.
Mine Ban Policy
Nicaragua signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December
1997, ratified on 30 November 1998, and the treaty entered into force on 1 May
1999. National implementation legislation, Law 321, which includes penal
sanctions for violations, was signed into law on 7 December
1999.[1] Nicaragua submitted
its fourth annual Article 7 report on 31 March 2003, covering the period from 30
March 2002 until 31 March 2003. It did not include the voluntary Form J on
victim assistance.
Nicaragua’s term as President of the Third Meeting of States Parties
ended in September 2002 at the Fourth Meeting of States Parties. Numerous
States Parties and the ICBL thanked Nicaragua for its leadership and guidance in
helping to advance the core humanitarian objectives of the treaty, and for its
key role in promoting the intersessional work program. Nicaragua attended
intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February and May 2003. Nicaragua
is expected to be named co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Victim
Assistance at the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2003.
On 27-28 August 2002, Nicaragua hosted a mine action conference attended by
the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador,
and representatives from Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and
Perú.[2] The
participants urged donor countries not to neglect funding to countries of the
region that had not completed mine clearance or integrated mine action and
called for governments to join the region in meeting the challenge of providing
for the needs of survivors.[3]
In October 2002, Nicaragua’s Defense Minister, José Adán
Guerra, spoke at the Organization of American States (OAS), urging continued
support for the country’s mine clearance program and confirming his
country’s commitment to “declare Nicaragua free of antipersonnel
landmines by the year
2005.”[4]
In November 2002, Nicaragua voted in support of UN General Assembly
Resolution 57/74, promoting universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty.
Nicaragua is a State Party to Amended Protocol II of the Convention on
Conventional Weapons (CCW), but did not attend the Fourth Annual Conference of
States Parties in December 2002 or submit an annual Article 13 report.
The non-governmental Nicaraguan Coalition of Action Against Mines
[Coalición Nicaragüense de Acción Contra Minas], formed in
August 2001, reported limited success in achieving its primary objective of
promoting effective participation of civil society and NGOs in implementation of
the Mine Ban Treaty in the
country.[5]
Nicaragua has stated that it has never produced antipersonnel
mines,[6] and it is not known to
have ever exported mines. There were no reports of antipersonnel mine use in
2002. According to a media report, in May 2003, a Panamanian court sentenced
four Panamanians and three Colombians to 20 and 60 months imprisonment for
attempting to import into Colombia weapons acquired in Nicaragua, which included
thirteen Russian antipersonnel
mines.[7]
Stockpile Destruction
From April 1999 to August 2002, Nicaragua destroyed
its 133,435 stockpiled antipersonnel mines in eleven separate
events.[8] On 28 August 2002,
Nicaragua completed its stockpile destruction when 18,435 stockpiled mines were
destroyed at the close of the regional mine action
conference.[9] Two other
stockpile destruction events took place in 2002 in which 25,000 mines were
destroyed.[10] The destruction
was completed well in advance of Nicaragua’s treaty-mandated deadline of 1
May 2003.
In its March 2003 Article 7 report, Nicaragua stated that it was retaining
1,971 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, as permitted under Article 3 of
the Mine Ban Treaty.[11] This
is the same number as in previous years, indicating that no mines have yet been
consumed in the training process. Nicaragua reported transferring 124 mines for
canine training on 29 June
2002.[12]
Landmine Problem
Nicaragua’s landmine problem is a result of
the 1979-1990 internal conflict. In addition to landmines, a large quantity of
unexploded ordnance (UXO) such as bombs, fragmentation grenades, mortars, and
ammunition also remain in former combat areas, including urban
areas.[13] In its 2003 Article
7 Report, Nicaragua stated that there were an estimated 46,452 mines still in
the ground, and 135.5 kilometers of mine-affected northern
border.[14] The landmine/UXO
problem is concentrated along the northern border with Honduras and also in the
departments of Nueva Segovia, Madriz, Jinotega, and the Northern Atlantic
Autonomous Region (RAAN, Región Autónoma del Atlántico
Norte).[15]
The identification of suspected mine-affected areas is an ongoing effort, but
according to the OAS the majority of mined areas in Nicaragua have been
registered.[16] In late 2002,
the OAS reported that 624 mined areas had been registered in 14 of the
country’s 17 departments, and that 332 of the mined areas had been
cleared.[17] As of July 2003,
the OAS reported that 677 mined areas had been registered, of which 398 had been
cleared.[18]
Although mine clearance is advancing, the development of many rural
communities continues to be limited by the presence of mines and UXO. The
communities of Zacatera, Las Pampas and Linda Vista in Nueva Segovia department
reported in October 2002 that schools and health centers could not be
established, as the best sites for those projects were mine-affected. According
to the United Nations, “Residents of these areas are often forced to
engage in mine clearance activities, in order to use the
land.”[19]
In April 2001, Nicaragua declared the southern border with Costa Rica
Nicaragua’s first mine-free
region.[20] In March 2003,
Nicaragua reported the completion of mine clearance operations in the
departments of Chinandega, Chontales, Boaco, and RAAS (Región
Autónoma del Atlántico
Sur).[21]
Mine Action Coordination
The Organization of American States Unit for the
Promotion of Democracy, through the Program for Integral Action against
Antipersonnel Mines (AICMA, Acción Integral Contra las Minas
Antipersonal), is responsible for coordinating and supervising the Assistance
Program for Demining in Central America (PADCA, Programa de Asistencia al
Desminado en Centroamérica), with the technical support of the
Inter-American Defense Board (IADB). The IADB is responsible for organizing an
international supervisory team in charge of training and certification, the
Assistance Mission for Mine Clearance in Central America (MARMINCA,
Misión de Asistencia para la Remoción de Minas en Centro
América).[22] OAS PADCA
and MARMINCA have ongoing mine action programs in
Nicaragua.[23]
Nicaragua’s Comisión Nacional de Desminado (CND), established in
November 1998, is the government body responsible for mine action in
Nicaragua.[24] The CND does not
have its own budget, but relies on the financial support of the Ministry of
Defense. CND has three full-time
staff.[25]
Mine Action Funding
In October 2002, Nicaragua’s Minister of
Defense said the country needed more than $15 million in the next three years to
complete mine clearance and implement mine risk education and related social
programs.[26] In March 2003,
Nicaragua reported that about $8.2 million was needed to complete the National
Humanitarian Demining
Program.[27]
In May 2003, the OAS presented a projection of financial requirements for
their total mine action program activities for the period 2003-2007. For
Nicaragua, the total was $9.5 million, by far the highest level for the
region.[28]
The OAS PADCA program has continued to suffer financial difficulties. In
September 2002, the OAS said that if additional funds were not secured, the
fourth operations front in Nicaragua would have to halt
activities.[29] The disruption
was avoided. In May 2003, the OAS stated that as a result of a shortfall in
donor funding, it was unable to support the rehabilitation of an additional
medical evacuation helicopter as planned, “which could affect programmed
operations for
2003.”[30]
Nicaragua’s National Demining Plan is funded with the support of the
international community, both through the OAS and
bilaterally.[31] According to
the OAS/PADCA National Coordinator, approximately 75 percent of funding is
dedicated to mine clearance, while the remainder is spent on mine risk education
and victim assistance.[32]
Other activities, such as those carried out by UNICEF, are funded from other
sources.
Mine clearance in Nicaragua is conducted along five operational fronts. In
2002, operational front one and front two were funded by Denmark. Front three
was funded by Sweden. Front four was funded by Norway, Canada and the EU.
Front five was funded by the United Kingdom and United
States.[33] The OAS reports that
in 2002, contributions included $1.7 million from the United States, $332,986
from Sweden, $276,601 from the United Kingdom, $158,790 from Canada, $75,255
from France, and $19,847 from
UNICEF.[34]
Reports directly from donors differ from the above numbers, in part because
some donors report for their fiscal year, not a calendar year, and in part
because grants may not have gone to the OAS. Reports from donors on mine action
funding for Nicaragua in 2002 include: Austria $81,251; Canada $84,375; Denmark
$1.77 million; European Union $1.2 million; France $147,657; Sweden $329,000;
and United Kingdom $567,000.[35]
During its fiscal year 2002, the US contributed $1.85 million to the OAS/IADB
for its mine action activities throughout Central
America.[36]
On 3 July 2002, the OAS and Sweden announced an agreement on a $2.3 million
contribution for the period from 2002-2005 to be spent on mine clearance in the
north, in particular, the heavily mined-affected municipalities of Murra in the
department of Nueva Segovia; and Wiwilí, in Jinotega
department.[37]
On 6 June 2003, the European Union donated €1,300,000 (US$1,235,000) to
the OAS AICMA program in Nicaragua, specifically for clearance in Nueva
Segovia.[38]
Mine Clearance
Mine clearance in Nicaragua is the responsibility
of the Pequeñas Unidades de Desminado (Small Demining Units) of the
Engineer Corps of the Nicaraguan Army. As of May 2003, approximately 650 Army
members were trained and equipped to engage in mine
clearance.[39]
The five operational fronts for mine clearance in 2002 included: operational
front one in the departments of Chinandega, Estelí, and Jinotega;
operational front two in the department of Río San Juan, along the border
with Costa Rica; operational front three in the departments of Boaco, Chontales,
RAAS, and Matagalpa; operational front four in Nueva Segovia department; and
operational front five in RAAN
department.[40]
Each of the five operational fronts deploys a company-sized 100-person unit.
In addition, there are three platoon-sized units, with approximately 50 persons
per unit: the mechanized unit, a marking and quick reaction unit, and an
independent unit that includes mine detecting dog
teams.[41] The OAS PADCA Mine
Detection Dogs project has nine mine detection dogs, and 20 deminers who are all
members of the Nicaraguan
Army.[42]
In 2002, according to the OAS MARMINCA Coordinator, 339,032 square meters of
land was cleared and 5,479 antipersonnel mines were
destroyed.[43]
Nicaragua’s Article 7 report states that 273,500 square meters were
cleared during the reporting period of March 2002-March
2003.[44]
The identification and clearance of emplaced mines is also ongoing in urban
areas. For example, in February 2003, a civilian clearing undergrowth under an
electricity line in the city of Estelí discovered and reported a PMN
antipersonnel mine.[45]
As of March 2003, 89,191 of the 135,643 emplaced antipersonnel mines had been
cleared.[46] An estimated
46,452 mines remain to be cleared in 135,500 square meters of the northern part
of the country.[47]
According to the OAS MARMINCA Coordinator, priority areas for demining
operations in 2003 are in front three (including Matagalpa, Wanito), front four
(Jalapa), and front five (Puerto
Cabezas).[48] CND’s 2003
work plan includes the start of demining activities in the RAAN border
region.[49]
Nicaragua reports that mine clearance in the country will be completed in
2005, and not 2004 as previously
estimated.[50] According to the
2003 Article 7 report, the principal challenges to mine clearance in Nicaragua
are: a) the need for two helicopters for emergency medical evacuation; b) the
topography of the terrain; c) the poor condition of roads, bridges, and
highways; d) difficulties locating mined areas due to lost reference points; e)
movement of mines from original position due to water runoff, contaminating
extensive areas; and f) growth of dense vegetation around and in
minefields.[51]
According to Ramón Zapeda, OAS Ocotal Victim Assistance and Mine Risk
Education Coordinator, “amateur” demining has been reduced
significantly in Nicaragua because of the visible presence of, and the
advancements made by, Nicaragua’s demining fronts, and because of a belief
that the military will demine these areas in the near
future.[52]
In 2002, the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
established its first Regional Support Center (RSC) in Managua to support the
regional operations of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA)
there.[53] According to GICHD,
the RSC will provide “first level user support, including on-site
training, technical advice and maintenance, for IMSMA users in Latin
America.”[54] It also
organizes regional user focus group meetings and training courses, facilitates
contacts between the relevant countries and the GICHD, and cooperates closely
with the OAS.[55]
Nicaragua’s IMSMA database is housed in the Nicaraguan offices of OAS
PADCA and is comprised of information provided by the Army’s demining
units, the Ministries of Defense and Health, the National Center for Technical
Assistance and Orthotics (CENAPRORTO), the IADB, OAS, ICRC, and NGOs.
In June 2003, the Minister of Defense announced that 840 soldiers from
Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic would carry out
mine clearance and humanitarian assistance in central and southern Iraq as part
of an international force under Spanish command and paid for by the United
States. An estimated 110 people from Nicaragua will contribute to the Iraq
operation, including forty deminers. Nicaragua’s President Enrique
Bolaños reportedly said that sending the contingent to Iraq was a way of
“paying back for the humanitarian assistance that Nicaragua has received
in its long history.”[56]
The OAS cautioned that landmines in Iraq are quite different from those known in
Central America and soldiers may face problems in clearance
operations.[57] The Nicaraguan
NGO Centro Estudios Internacionales (CEI) raised concern that the domestic mine
clearance completion goal of 2005 would be set back or delayed by the absence of
the deminers.[58]
Mine Risk Education
The government reports that in 2002, the Nicaraguan
Army, OAS PADCA, the Nicaraguan Red Cross, UNICEF and Christian Medical Action
carried out mine risk education (MRE) activities across the
country.[59]
An OAS PADCA mine risk education campaign in the department of Nueva Segovia,
especially in San Fernando and Jalapa municipalities, employs a team of three
MRE educators, including landmine survivors, who visit mine-affected
communities.[60] The team works
in coordination with the demining fronts, and trains MRE student trainers, and
makes follow-up visits.[61] In
2002, 17,171 individuals in five departments received mine awareness
education.[62] According to the
OAS PADCA National Coordinator, funding requirements for this program are
between $40,000 and $60,000 per
year.[63]
The Nicaraguan Red Cross, with the support of the ICRC, has been conducting
an MRE campaign in rural schools in the RAAN using notebooks and graphic
materials with MRE messages in both Spanish and the local Miskito
language.[64] In May 2003, the
OAS also started a new campaign in Waspán municipality in the RAAN, using
MRE materials translated into Miskito to disseminate through community and
school visits, and workshops with community
leaders.[65]
Despite limited funding, in 2002 a local NGO, CCDPRM (Comisión
Conjunta de Discapacitados para la Paz y la Reconstrucción de Madriz),
provided MRE training in seventeen high-risk communities in the department of
Madriz.[66] These activities
were directed towards primary school children, rural farm workers, cattle
ranchers, and mayors of high-risk communities located near the Honduras
border.[67]
In 2002, the OAS MARMINCA program implemented a free telephone line directly
connected to a special platoon funded by France and Spain. The platoon’s
responsibilities include “a) destruction of mines in storage, b) marking
of areas, and c) attending people’s calls.”[68]
According to the OAS, It has proven extremely difficult to provide effective
MRE in the northern regions of Nicaragua. The region is characterized by rugged
terrain with numerous dispersed communities, many of which can only be entered
by foot or on horseback. Radio signals do not enter many communities. High
levels of seasonal labor migration, and the limited number of full-time mine
risk educators, make it difficult to provide coverage to all mine-affected
areas.[69]
According to Handicap International-Nicaragua, there has been a lack of a
“systematic and overarching strategy to harmonize mine risk education work
methods” in Nicaragua.[70]
At the beginning of 2003, CND initiated a process to analyze and present the
efforts of various MRE actors in order to better assess the effectiveness of
these programs in reducing mine-related casualties; in order to improve results
the Certification Committee will review MRE materials prior to
publication.[71] In addition,
the National Guide for the Elaboration of Educational Materials was
implemented.[72]
Nicaragua has a problem with civilians storing landmines and unexploded
ordnance in their homes and/or handling the
devices.[73] In April 2002, an
item of UXO brought to school by a student exploded in a schoolyard, injuring
bystanders.[74] In November
2002, the media reported that military officials had confiscated six live
landmines from a man who had been using them since 1995 to keep his roof from
blowing away.[75] In January
2003, the OAS office in Nueva Segovia responded on nine occasions to reports of
civilians storing landmines and/or UXO in their
homes.[76]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, OAS PADCA registered three people killed
and twelve injured in new landmine/UXO incidents in Nicaragua. Landmines were
the cause of four casualties, and UXO accounted for
eleven.[77] Many sources,
including official OAS PADCA documents, acknowledge that it is difficult to
determine the exact number of landmine and UXO casualties in Nicaragua, as many
incidents in rural areas are still believed to go
unrecorded.[78]
In 2001, OAS PADCA registered nineteen new landmine/UXO casualties (two
killed and seventeen
injured).[79]
In 2003, three incidents were recorded in the IMSMA database as of May 2003,
in which there was one
death.[80] According to a media
report, in January 2003, two peasants from Santo Tomas del Nance municipality
were injured by a mine blast on the bank of the Gausaule River, in the
department of Chinandega, an area that had been declared
mine-free.[81] In April 2003,
media reported that a nine-year-old child was killed and two others seriously
injured after finding and playing with a landmine unearthed by a truck on a road
in Huapi, on Nicaragua’s Caribbean
coast.[82]
As of May 2003, the OAS PADCA had recorded 570 landmine/UXO casualties, in
488 incidents, with the first casualty reported in
1980;[83] 49 people were killed
and 521 injured.[84] Landmines
were responsible for 429 casualties, UXO for 83 casualties, and the cause of 58
casualties is unknown. The majority of casualties were male and at least 72
casualties were under 20 years of age, including 27 children under the age of
12.[85]
According to OAS PADCA, between 1989 and May 2003, five deminers were killed
and 32 injured in 23
accidents.[86] These statistics
do not include an incident on 3 June 2002 in which a mine clearance instructor
was killed and four other injured during a training
exercise.[87]
Survivor Assistance
Survivor assistance falls within the mandate of the
CND.[88] However, landmine
survivor assistance programs are reportedly not meeting the needs of survivors.
According to CEI, a limited rehabilitation budget has been directed towards mine
survivors medical needs, but little has been provided to strengthen outdated
rehabilitation services. Problems include extremely limited medical facilities
in or near communities in mine-affected regions, and limited technical capacity
to deal with the severity of mine
injuries.[89] There is also a
lack of facilities to provide for the physical rehabilitation and socioeconomic
reintegration of mine
survivors.[90] The Regional
Directory of Rehabilitation Resources listed 231 organizations in Nicaragua that
provide services to persons with disabilities, but it is unclear how many of
these organizations are able to adequately assist landmine
survivors.[91]
The Centro Nacional de Ayudas Tecnicas y elementos Ortoprotésico
(CENAPRORTO) in Managua, partly supported by the ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, continues to provide physical rehabilitation, prosthetics and
orthotics, and psychological support, for all persons with disabilities. In
2002, the center produced 473 prostheses, 935 orthoses, and distributed 523
crutches and 114 wheelchairs. The ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD)
supports CENAPRORTO with orthopedic components and staff training. During 2002,
seven prosthetists, the technical director and one physiotherapist took part in
a training course. Two other students continued their studies at the Don Bosco
University in San Salvador, funded by the SFD, and three out of five prosthetics
taking the internet course organized by the Center for International
Rehabiliation passed their final examinations. The cost of the SFD program in
2002 was CHF346,519 (approximately
$250,000).[92]
The OAS reports that by the end of November 2002, the Landmine and Victim
Assistance Program, in coordination with CENAPRORTO, had assisted over 468
landmine survivors with transportation to rehabilitation centers, lodging, food,
prostheses, therapy, surgery and
medications.[93] In 2002, at
least 168 mine survivors received rehabilitative or specialized medical
attention through this
program.[94] In 2002, OAS
funding for this program was $60,000 but it is estimated that an additional
$10,000 per year is needed to meet program
requirements.[95] In 2002,
Handicap International (HI) continued to provide support through an orthopedic
center and four physiotherapy centers in Trinidad, Estelí
department.[96]
In 2002, the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development continues to
assist persons with disabilities in León through its “Walking
Unidos” Prosthetic Outreach Program. In 2002, the ICRC, through the
Special Fund for the Disabled, imported orthopedic components for the center,
worth Sfr 14,000.[97] The Polus
Center’s Ben Linder Cyber Café employs some amputees from its
prosthetic program, and offers computer training. Revenues from the café
are used to support the Walking Unidos
project.[98] The Center’s
annual budget for all its projects in León is approximately $250,000;
donors for the program include the US government’s Leahy War Victims Fund
and the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO).[99]
In 2002, the Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados para la Paz y la
Reconstrucción de Madriz (CCDPRM) continued to act as both an advocate
for, and provider of, rehabilitation services for landmine survivors in the
department of Madriz, assisting 42 survivors with rehabilitation services, and
referring 67 survivors to other
providers.[100]
The OAS AICMA, in 2002, began financing a training project in three northern
departments, in coordination with National Technological Institute of Nicaragua
(INATEC), which provided six vocational training courses for 86 landmine
survivors, in carpentry, bread-making, organic agriculture, tailoring, and non-
traditional products. Participants and organizers claimed the program did not
allow sufficient time to create employment opportunities to utilize new
skills.[101]
In April 2002, OAS AICMA, with INATEC, began a job-training project for
landmine survivors, with 25 participating in the first eight-month course at the
Technical Institute of Boaco, and over 30 starting in February
2003.[102] Courses were
provided in carpentry, welding, auto mechanics, automobile electrics, and
computers.[103] In 2002, the
budget for this component of the OAS program was
$70,000.[104]
In 2002, 34 people, including 25 landmine survivors, received micro-credit
assistance for small business and home repairs through CCDPRM, with funding
provided by Solidarite Union Cooperation, a Canadian
organization.[105] The 2002
budget for the project was 103,803 Nicaraguan Cordobas (approximately $7,000)
for the small business component, and 61,000 Cordobas ($4,000) for home
repairs.[106]
Ten landmine survivors benefited from a solar energy-related employment
project in Madriz department in 2002, run by Fénix Madriz, with funding
from the Falls Brook Centre (FBC), a Canadian
NGO.[107]
FBC, in coordination with Movimiento Communal Somoto (Somoto Community
Movement), is also implementing a CIDA-funded “Kitchen Garden”
project to assist subsistence-based rural farmers, including the families of
landmine survivors suffering from high levels of malnutrition, illiteracy and
poverty. In 2002, eight of the 44 project beneficiaries were landmine
survivors. The Kitchen Garden project received C$198,000 (US$145,679) from
CIDA, for the period 2001 to 2003, and in early 2003, FBC staff initiated a
Canadian citizen-supported scholarship program that assists with the education
costs of 26 impoverished rural children, including eight children of landmine
survivors.[108]
Disability Policy and Practice
The 1995 Law 202 on the Prevention, Rehabilitation
and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities relates to the social
reintegration of all persons with disabilities, including landmine survivors.
The 1997 Executive Decree No.50-97 established the legal framework for improving
the quality of life and assuring the full integration of persons with
disabilities into society;[109]
government support, however, has been constrained by a lack of resources. In
July 2002, the Organization of Revolutionary Disabled Individuals (ORD) stated
that the government was not achieving commitments made through Law 202 and also
said the needs of many persons with disabilities living in poverty were not
being met.[110] In February
2003, Nicaragua acknowledged that the laws have little impact on the lives of
mine survivors and, in the context of increasing unemployment and decreasing
funding, called for stronger socio-economic reintegration
efforts.[111]
Civilian landmine survivors receive no social welfare entitlements under the
existing provisions. Military deminers receive some compensation, which is
graded according to the severity of injuries sustained.In June 2002,
pensions increased for some persons with disabilities, including veterans who
are landmine survivors.[112]
[1] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
281. [2] The conference was called
“Avances del Desminado en las Américas” [Advances in Mine
Clearance in the Americas]. The conference goals were to share national
experiences, successes, and challenges to their respective demining programs.
[3] “El Llamado de
Managua,” 28 August 2002. [4] OAS
press release E-205/2, “Nicaraguan Defense Minister Calls For Continued
Support For Clearing Landmines,” 17 October 2002.
[5] Coalición Nicaragüense
de Acción contra Minas, “Informe de Actividades de la
Secretaría Ejecutiva, Período Agosto 2001-Diciembre 2002,”
February 2003, p. 1. [6] Article 7
Report, Form H, Point 1, 31 March
2003. [7] “Desmantelan en
Panamá red de traficantes de armas para Colombianos,” Notimex
(Panamá), 16 May 2003. [8]
Article 7 Report, Form D, 31 March
2003. [9] See Luis Felipe Palacios,
“Proponen zona libre de minas,” La Prensa, (Managua), 29 August
2002; OAS PADCA, “Voladuras,” at
www.oeadesminado.org.ni. [10]
On 25 April, the Army destroyed 15,000 antipersonnel mines at a site in the
department of Chinandega, and on 20 June, 10,000 antipersonnel mines were
destroyed at the National Sergeant School “Andrés
Castro.” [11] This included 500
PMN, 500 PMN-2, 100 PP-MiSr-II, 50 OZM-4, 50 PMEH, 100 POMZ-2, 500 POMZ-2M, 100
MON-50, 11 MON-100, and 10 MON-200 mines. Article 7 Report, Form D, Table 1, 31
March 2003. [12] Article 7 Report, Form
D, 31 March 2003. Nicaragua previously reported transferring 286 training mines
to the OAS/IADB MARMINCA program for canine training, beginning in September
1999. [13] See for example, UNICEF,
“Landmine and Unexploded Ordnance Awareness Education in Nicaragua through
Community Liaison,” in UN, “Portfolio of Mine-Related
Projects,” April 2001, p.
184. [14] Article 7 Report,
“Principales Logros del Desminado en Nicaragua,” 31 March 2003, p.
6. [15] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002, p.
203. [16] Email from Carlos J. Orozco,
National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, 7 May
2003. [17] IMSMA, “Registros
consolidados a Febrero del 2003,” at
www.oeadesminado.org.ni.
[18] Email to Landmine Monitor (HRW)
from Carl Case, OAS Mine Action Program, 23 July
2003. [19] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002, p.
203. [20] Article 7 Report,
“Introduction,” 22 May
2002. [21] Article 7 Report,
“Principales Logros del Desminado en Nicaragua,” 31 March 2003, p.
6. [22] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Carlos J. Orozco S., National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, 5
February 2003; see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
377. [23] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Lt. Col. Antonio César Alves Rocha, Coordinator, OAS
MARMINCA, 31 January 2003. [24] For more
detail on the CND, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
378. [25] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by José Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, 28 June
2002. [26] “Nicaragua pide 15
millones de dólares a la comunidad internacional para remover las minas
antipersonales,” Europa Press, 17 October 2002. See also, OAS press
release E-205/2, “Nicaraguan Defense Minister Calls For Continued Support
For Clearing Landmines,” 17 October
2002. [27] Article 7 Report,
“Introduction,” 31 March 2003, p.
8. [28] OAS, “Mine Action Program:
Making the Western Hemisphere landmine-safe,” Resource Mobilization:
Projection of Financial Resources/Requirements 2003-2007, p. 6, presented at the
Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 12
May 2003. [29] Statement by William A.
McDonough, head of delegation of the OAS to the Fourth Meeting of States
Parties, Geneva, 16-20 September
2002. [30] OAS, “Update on
regional mine action efforts,” May 2003, p.
3. [31] Article 7 Report,
“Introduction,” 31 March 2003, pp.
8-9. [32] Email from Carlos J. Orozco
S., National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, 7 May
2003. [33] OAS website, “Donantes
y contribuyentes.” [34] Email to
Landmine Monitor (HRW) from Carl Case, OAS Mine Action Program, 23 July
2003. [35] See individual country
studies in this Landmine Monitor
Report. [36] US Department of State,
“To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September 2002.
[37] See OAS PADCA website,
“Noticias.” [38] OAS press
release C-116/03, “La Unión Europea contribuye al programa de
acción contra minas de la OEA en Nicaragua,” 6 June
2003. [39] Article 7 Report,
”Introduction,” 31 March
2003. [40] All the information on the
location of the fronts was obtained from: OAS report, “Operaciones de
desminado humanitario,” available on OAS website; Centro de Estudios
Internacionales, “Minas Antipersonales en Nicaragua ‘Segundo Informe
Independiente.’” CEI website,
www.ceinicaragua.org.ni [41]
Article 7 Report, Form E, “Cronograma de Operaciones de Desminado
Proyectado para el Año 2002,” 22 May 2002, p. 21-23; letter from
Sergio Caramagna, Director, OAS National Office in Nicaragua, 11 January 2001;
email to Landmine Monitor from Col. William McDonough, Coordinator, OAS PADCA,
26 July 2001. [42] OAS website,
“Mine Detection Dogs.” [43]
Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire by OAS MARMINCA, 31 January
2003. [44] Article 7 Report, Form F, 31
March 2003. [45] “Descruben mina
de alto poder en barrio esteliano,” La Prensa, 28 February
2003. [46] Article 7 Report,
“Introduction,” 31 March 2003, p.
3. [47] Ibid., p.
4. [48] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by OAS MARMINCA, 31 January
2003. [49] Comisión Nacional de
Desminado, “Resumen de labores del año 2002 y prioridades en el
plan de trabajo 2003,” Managua, 13 February 2003, p.
5. [50] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by OAS MARMINCA, 31 January 2003; Article 7 Report,
“Introduction,” 31 March 2003, p.
7. [51] Article 7 Report,
“Principle Difficulties of Demining in Nicaragua,” 31 March 2003, p.
7. [52] Interview with Ramón
Zapeda, Responsable Programas de Asistencia de Víctimas y
Prevención de Accidentes de Minas, OAS Ocotal, Ocotal, Nueva Segovia, 5
February 2003. [53] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 378. [54] GICHD,
“Update on activities between January and October 2002,” 31 October
2002. [55]
Ibid. [56] “Evaluarán
condiciones para envio de militares nicaragüenses a Irak,” Notimex
(Managua), 10 June 2003. [57] “OEA
prevé dificultades para soldados del istmo,” La Prensa
Gráfica (San Salvador), 17 June
2003. [58] CEI, “Realidad Del
Desminado en Nicaragua,” 21 March
2003. [59] Article 7 Report, Form I, 31
March 2003. [60] OAS PADCA website,
“Proyecto de
Prevención.” [61] Interview
with Ramón Zapeda, OAS Ocotal, 5 February
2003. [62] OAS PADCA website,
“Número de Personas Sensibilizadas por Comunidad 2001-2002.
” [63] Response to Landmine
Monitor by Carlos J. Orozco, OAS PADCA, 5 February
2003. [64] Article 7 Report, Form I, 31
March 2003. [65] OAS website; interview
with Ramón Zapeda, OAS Ocotal, 5 February
2003. [66] CCDPRM, “Actividades
realizadas por la Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados por la Paz y la
Reconstrucción de Madriz, ORD/ADRN en el Departamento de Madriz en el
año 2002,” 30 January
2003. [67]
Ibid. [68] “Special Platoon for
Marking & Attending People’s Calls,” Nicaragua Project document
available on UN Mine Action website,
www.mineaction.org. [69]
Interview with Ramon Zapeda, OAS Ocotal, 5 February
2003. [70] Interview with Phillipe
Diquemare, Handicap International Nicaragua, November 2002, cite in CEI,
“La Situación de la acción contra minas en Nicaragua: Cuarto
Informe Independente,” November 2002, p.
3. [71] Article 7 Report, Form I, 23
March 2003. [72]
Ibid. [73] For more details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
375. [74] “Mas de 20 heridos en
explosión,” La Prensa, 21 April
2002. [75] “Man In Rural Nicaragua
Used Six Land Mines To Weigh Down His Roof,” Associated Press, 12 November
2002. [76] Interview with Ramón
Zapeda, OAS Ocotal, 5 February
2003. [77] Response to Landmine Monitor
by Carlos J. Orozco, OAS PADCA, 5 February 2003; OAS PADCA/IMSMA website,
“Accidentes por Minas o UXOs: Casos – Resumen.”
[78] OAS PADCA/IMSMA website,
“Accidentes por Minas o UXOs:
Casos.” [79] OAS PADCA/IMSMA
website, “Víctimas por Minas/UXO: May
2003.” [80]
Ibid. [81] Carol Munguia, “Mina
lesiona a dos campesinos,” La Prensa, 6 January
2003. [82] “Nicaraguan landmine
kills one child, injures two,” EFE, 12 April
03. [83] OAS PADCA/IMSMA,
“Accidentes por Minas o UXOs: Casos –
Resumen.” [84] Mine/UXO casualties
(including 37 demining casualties) have been recorded in 14 of the 17
departments in Nicaragua between 1980 and May 2003: in Nueva Segovia (228),
Jinotega (125), Matagalpa (65), RAAN (35), RAAS (39), Chinandega (29), Madriz
(26), Chontales (20), Estelí (17), Managua (14), Rio San Juan (4), Masaya
(2), León (2), and Rivas (1). OAS PADCA/IMSMA website,
“Víctimas Reportadas – Accidentes/Incidentes:
Estadísticas,” May
2003. [85]
Ibid. [86] OAS PADCA/IMSMA website,
“Accidentes en Operaciones de
Desminado.” [87] Mario
Sánchez P., “Mina destroza a sargento,” La Prensa, 4 June
2002; “Un soldado muerto y tres heridos por explosión de mina en
Nicaragua,” El Colombiano (Medellín, Colombia), 4 June 2002.
[88] See Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 382. [89] CEI, “Cuarto Informe
Independiente,” November 2002, pp.
4-5. [90] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 383-384. [91] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 382. [92] ICRC
Special Fund for the Disabled, “Annual Report 2002,” p.
5. [93] See OAS PADCA website,
“Victimas.” [94] Response to
Landmine Monitor by Carlos J. Orozco, OAS PADCA, 5 February
2003. [95]
Ibid. [96] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 382. [97] ICRC Special Fund for
the Disabled, “Annual Report 2002,” p.
4. [98] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 382; see also ICBL Portfolio of Landmine Victim Assistance Programs,
available at
www.landminevap.org. [99]
Email from Stephen Meyers, International Programs Coordinator, Polus Center for
Social & Economic Development, Inc., 28 April
2003. [100] CCDPRM, “Actividades
realizadas por la Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados por la Paz y la
Reconstrucción de Madriz, ORD/ADRN en el Departamento de Madriz en el
año 2002,” 30 January
2003. [101] Interview with Rene
Canacevedo, Director of Professional Rehabilitation, INATEC, Managua, 24 January
2003. [102] OAS, “Update on
regional mine action efforts,” May 2003, p.
4. [103] Auxiliadora Martínez,
“Víctimas de minas aprenden oficios,” La Prensa, 25 August
2002. [104] Response to Landmine Monitor
by Carlos J. Orozco, OAS PADCA, 5 February
2003. [105] CCDPRM, “Actividades
realizadas por la Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados por la Paz y la
Reconstrucción de Madriz, ORD/ADRN en el Departamento de Madriz en el
año 2002,” 30 January
2003. [106] Email from Uriel Carazo,
Coordinator, CCDPRM, 8 May 2003. [107]
Interview with Sonya Waite, International Project Coordinator, Falls Brook
Center, Somoto, 18 January 2003; for details on the program see Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 383. [108]
Ibid. [109] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Minister of Defense, 28 June
2002. [110] Juan Alonso Gaitán
Urbina, ORD’s National Coordinator, quoted in “Discapacitados de
guerra mueren sin asistencia,” El Nuevo Diario, 9 July
2002. [111] Intervention by Dr. Juan
Umaña, Technical Secretary, CND Nicaragua, at the Standing Committee on
Victim Assistance and Socioeconomic Reintegration, Geneva, 4 February
2003. [112] Roger Olivia, “INSS
sube pensión a discapacitados,” El Nuevo Diario, 14 June
2002.
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