Key developments since May 2003: Between March 2003 and March 2004,
376,517 square meters of land were cleared, and 14,451 landmines and 27,033 UXO
were destroyed. In 2003, a total of 24,765 people in 102 high-risk communities
received mine risk education. The OAS reports that the “Safe Steps
without Mines” program has evolved into a permanent preventative mine risk
education initiative with national coverage. New minefields are still being
discovered; Nicaragua reported that as of 31 December 2003, it had cleared a
total of 10,054 unregistered antipersonnel mines reported by the civilian
population. In August 2003, Nicaragua sent a contingent of deminers to Iraq,
generating considerable controversy. Nicaragua has served as co-rapporteur of
the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration
since September 2003. Nicaragua is acting as Friend of the President-designate
of the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty, assisting with the
preparatory process.
Key developments since 1999: The Mine Ban Treaty entered into force
for Nicaragua on 1 May 1999. National implementation legislation was signed
into law on 7 December 1999. Nicaragua destroyed its stockpile of 133,435
antipersonnel mines between April 1999 and August 2002, finishing well in
advance of its treaty-mandated deadline of May 2003. Nicaragua hosted and was
President of the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in
September 2001 and served as Chair of the Coordinating Committee in 2001-2002.
Nicaragua served as co-rapporteur then co-chair of the Standing Committee on
Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration from May 1999 to September
2001. It assumed the role of co-rapporteur of that committee again in September
2003.
Nicaragua completed clearance of its border with Costa Rica in September
2002. In March 2003, Nicaragua reported the completion of mine clearance in the
departments of Boaco, Chinandega, Chontales and Región Autónoma
del Atlántico Sur. From 1990 to May 2004, a total of 3,800,928 square
meters of land was cleared, destroying 107,556 mines and 555,339 UXO. Nicaragua
has concluded mine clearance operations in fifty-eight municipalities,
benefiting 1,979,675 inhabitants. In June 2004, Nicaragua reported that donors
have contributed more than $30 million to the national demining plan, as well as
significant in-kind support. The OAS reports that from 2001 to June 2004, 91,293
people received mine risk education in Nicaragua. As of June 2004, the OAS had
registered 753 landmine/UXO casualties in the country since 1980, of which 73
people were killed and 680 injured.
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, was signed into law on 7
December 1999; it includes penal sanctions for
violations.[1] Nicaragua was
one of the early backers of a mine ban, announcing its support for an immediate,
comprehensive prohibition on antipersonnel landmines in July 1995. Nicaragua
actively participated in the Ottawa Process, including in the Oslo negotiations.
It has voted in support of every pro-ban UN General Assembly resolution since
1996, including UNGA Resolution 58/53 on 8 December
2003.[2]
Nicaragua has played an important role in the Mine Ban Treaty work program,
and more generally in efforts to universalize and promote full implementation of
the treaty. In September 2001, Nicaragua hosted the Third Meeting of States
Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Managua, the largest diplomatic meeting ever
held in the country. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Francisco Xavier
Aguirre Sacasa, was elected president of the meeting, a role held until
September 2002. As president, Nicaragua chaired the Coordinating Committee of
States Parties. Nicaragua served as co-rapporteur then co-chair of the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration from May 1999 to
September 2001. It assumed the role of co-rapporteur of that committee again in
September 2003, and is in line to become co-chair in December 2004. Nicaragua
is currently one of six States Parties acting as Friend of the
President-designate of the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty,
assisting with the preparatory process and the drafting of conference
documents.
Nicaragua has attended every meeting of States Parties, as well as every
intersessional Standing Committee meeting. Regionally, Nicaragua hosted a mine
action meeting in August 2002, and it has participated in other regional
meetings, including in a victim assistance seminar in Bogotá, Colombia in
November 2003, a mine action seminar in Lima, Perú in August 2003, and a
seminar on stockpile destruction in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November
2000.
On 28 April 2004, Nicaragua submitted its fifth Article 7 transparency
report, covering the period to 31 March
2004.[3]
Nicaragua has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties
have had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1,
2, and 3. Thus, Nicaragua has not made known its views on issues related to
joint military operations with non-States Parties, antivehicle mines with
sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines
retained for training.
Nicaragua joined the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended
Protocol II on 5 December 2000. It attended the Fifth Annual Conference of
States Parties in November 2003, but has not submitted annual reports required
under Article 13 of Amended Protocol II.
The non-governmental Nicaraguan Coalition Against Mines (Coalición
Nicaragüense de Acción Contra Minas), created in August 2001,
reports that it continues to have 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.[4] The Director of the
Joint Commission of Disabled and War Victims for Peace and Development
Foundation of Madriz (FCC, Fundación Comisión Conjunta de
Discapacitados y Víctimas de Guerra Para la Paz y Desarrollo de Madriz)
and civil society representative in the National Demining Commission (CND,
Comisión Nacional de Desminado), Uriel Carazo, told Landmine Monitor that
that there has been a lack of communication and follow-up among the various
organizations working in mine action in the country, including both the
Coalition and the CND.[5]
Production and Transfer
Nicaragua’s Ejército Popular Sandinista (Sandinista
People’s Army - EPS) is a former producer of the TAP-4 directional
fragmentation (Claymore-type) antipersonnel
mine.[6] In a 1998 interview,
the Army Chief of Operations said that a primitive version of the mine was
manufactured around 1985, but it was never exported and production ceased before
the end of the civil war.[7]
In the past the Sandinista Army acquired its mines from Soviet bloc countries
(Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and USSR), as well as
Egypt.[8] The contras
opposition forces acquired Claymore mines from the United States. The contras
may have also employed a Brazilian-made antipersonnel mine nicknamed
“quitadedos” (toe-removing
mine).[9]
Landmine Use
Both the Army and the contras used antipersonnel mines extensively during the
armed conflict of the 1980s. Massive emplacement occurred in 1984 when the
conflict intensified. The Army used mines mainly for protection of strategic
installations, economically important locations, and lines of communication.
The contras used mines to disrupt economic life and destabilize the government.
According to a December 1996 report by Americas Watch, landmines laid by the
contras “caused the great majority of civilian
casualties.”[10]
While sporadic instances of antipersonnel mine
use[11] and
transfers[12] have been reported
periodically by the media, there has been no systematic use or transfer of
antipersonnel mines since the end of the conflict, including any in 2003 or
2004. The media has also reported instances of civilian use of antipersonnel
mines for non-military purposes, such as fishing, preventing cattle theft,
souvenirs, or even as
doorstops.[13]
Stockpile Destruction
Nicaragua destroyed its stockpile of 133,435
antipersonnel mines between 12 April 1999 and 28 August 2002 in eleven separate
events.[14] The completion of
stockpile destruction was well in advance of Nicaragua’s treaty-mandated
deadline of 1 May 2003. The Nicaraguan Army destroyed the mines by open
detonation, with technical support provided through the OAS. Destruction took
place in the presence of observers, usually including representatives from the
Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Congress, OAS, NGOs, and the media.
Nicaragua has stated its willingness to share its technical expertise in
stockpile destruction with other countries.
According to its 2004 Article 7 report, Nicaragua is retaining 1,910
antipersonnel mines for training purposes as permitted by Article 3 of the Mine
Ban Treaty.[15] This is eleven
MON-100 mines less than Nicaragua reported retaining the previous
year.[16] In 2002, the Army
transferred 144 antipersonnel mines to the Canine Unit (UTC) for
training.[17] Nicaragua also
transferred 286 antipersonnel mines to the OAS MARMINCA program for canine
training in 1999.[18]
Landmine Problem
Nicaragua’s landmine problem is a result of
the 1979-1990 internal armed conflict. In June 2004, the government reported
that an estimated 28,087 emplaced mines still lie in a total of fifteen
municipalities in three of the country’s 16 departments and in both
autonomous regions.[19] The
mine-affected areas are located in the north of Nicaragua along the border with
Honduras (in Jinotega and Nueva Segovia departments and in the Northern Atlantic
Autonomous Region/RAAN) and further south (in Matalgapa department and the
Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region/RAAS).
In the north, ten municipalities were reported as affected in the departments
of Nueva Segovia (municipalities of Jalapa, Murra, Mozonte, Wiwilí, and
San Fernando), Jinotega (Jinotega municipality), and RAAN (municipalities of
Rosita, Bonanza, Waspán, and Cabo Gracias a Díos). In the central
region, the department of Matalgapa (municipalities of Matagalpa and El Tuma-La
Dalia) is affected, as well as RAAS (municipalities of Bluefields, La Cruz de
Río Grande, and Corn Island). Mine clearance in Madriz department has
been completed, but it has not yet been certified.
In August 2003, the Organization of American States (OAS) estimated that
117,100 inhabitants residing in 303 communities are considered at risk, as they
live within five kilometers or less from 402
minefields.[20]
According to the OAS PADCA Mine Risk Education (MRE) Coordinator in Nueva
Segovia, unregistered minefields continue to be discovered by virtue of new
information provided by the public through MRE activities, and by incidents in
areas not previously suspected to be
affected.[21] In March 2004, a
farmer working on a coffee farm in Jinotega stepped on a landmine on the side of
a road in an unregistered area, resulting in the amputation of his left foot;
demining teams subsequently discovered more than 70 landmines in the area, none
of which had been marked or
registered.[22] Nicaragua
reported that as of 31 December 2003, it had cleared a total of 10,054
unregistered antipersonnel mines reported by the civilian
population.[23]
According to the OAS PADCA National Coordinator for Honduras, Honduras has
approached Nicaragua to “develop a mutual agreement to address the
landmine problem” in an area where the Rio Negro divides the two
countries.[24] While the
Nicaraguan side of the river was demined following Hurricane Mitch, the OAS
PADCA National Coordinator for Nicaragua affirms “the number of mines
discovered was less than the numbers identified in the
registry.”[25] It is also
expected that Hurricane Mitch may have uncovered, moved, or even buried
landmines and other explosive artifacts up to one meter deep.
While mine clearance is advancing, development in many rural communities
continues to be limited by the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).
According to a report issued by the United Nations in October 2002, residents of
the communities of Zacatera, Las Pampas and Linda Vista in Nueva Segovia
department were often forced to engage in mine clearance activities in order to
use the land; schools and health centers could not be built because the best
sites for those projects were
mine-affected.[26] In September
2003, media reported that road construction projects between isolated
communities in the Atlantic coast had been delayed due to the suspected presence
of mines.[27] In April 2004,
firefighters extinguishing forest fires in Nueva Segovia department could not
enter forested areas due to the presence of landmines; this resulted in
increased loss of forested areas in a region already suffering from
deforestation and drought.[28]
A large quantity of UXO, such as bombs, grenades, mortars, and ammunition,
also remains in former combat areas, including urban
areas.[29] In June 2004, a
municipal worker in the capital of Managua found a fragmentation grenade while
preparing a tourism route along Lake Tiscapa (Laguna de
Tiscapa).[30]
Surveys and Assessments
While a countrywide Landmine Impact Survey has never been carried out,
several other surveys and assessments have been conducted, including by the
United Nations in December 1998. Information on mined areas, mine clearance and
casualties is housed in an Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA)
database in the offices of OAS PADCA, where it is used for program planning,
monitoring, and evaluation. Information is provided by the Army, the Ministries
of Defense and Health, the National Center for Technical Assistance and
Orthotics (CENAPRORTO), OAS MARMINCA supervisors, the Technical Secretary of the
CND, and mine risk education providers. IMSMA information on Nicaragua is
available to the public through the OAS Nicaragua webpage on
demining.[31]
In November 2000, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) carried out an assessment of
landmines and UXO impact in the Rio Coco basin, with support from Austria and
the American Red Cross.[32]
Funding could not be obtained to carry out recommendations from the
assessment.
Mine Action Coordination
Nicaragua’s National Demining Commission (CND
– Comisión Nacional de Desminado) was established in November 1998
by Decree 84-98. It is the national government body responsible for mine
action. Nicaragua’s Minister of Defense, José Adán Guerra
Pastora, is the President of the CND and in 2001 the Minister of Defense,
María Auxiliadora Cuadra de Frech, was appointed Executive Secretary.
The CND has three working subcommissions on demining, mine risk education, and
survivor rehabilitation and reintegration. The subcommissions meet three times
a year, but CND members hold monthly
meetings.[33] According
CND’s Technical Secretary, Dr. Juan Umaña, the CND is in the
process of restructuring the subcommissions to improve their effectiveness and
address upcoming needs and challenges in mine action
programming.[34] In April 2004,
the Technical Secretary of the CND provided to Landmine Monitor a list of the
activities carried out by the
commission.[35]
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, called the Assistance Mission for Mine Clearance in
Central America (MARMINCA, Misión de Asistencia para la Remoción
de Minas en Centro
América).[36]
In 2004, the OAS MARMINCA technical team in Nicaragua consisted of 17
individuals from Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala and
Honduras.[37] MARMINCA does not
operate with a defined annual budget. Salaries and living expenses of OAS
MARMINCA supervisors are covered by their respective governments, while
administrative, transportation, and other operational costs are covered by OAS
PADCA. The OAS PADCA program has a central office in Managua, and two regional
offices in Ocotal and Waspán. In total, OAS PADCA employs almost sixty
Nicaraguan personnel, including the administrative and logistics
sections.[38]
In 2002, the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
established its first Regional Support Center in Managua to support regional
IMSMA operations and provide
“first level user support, including on-site training, technical advice
and maintenance, for IMSMA users in Latin
America.”[39] The center also
organizes regional user focus group meetings and training courses (such as one
held in Guatemala in January 2003), facilitates contacts between the relevant
countries and the GICHD, and cooperates closely with the OAS. Carlos Orozco,
OAS PADCA National Coordinator, told Landmine Monitor that the OAS PADCA program
has assumed the role of sourcing information and maintaining the IMSMA
database.[40]
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 March 2004, approximately 650 Army members were trained
and equipped to engage in mine
clearance.[41]
According to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Brigadier General
César Delgadillo priority for clearance in the country is based on
population density, and location of infrastructure such as high-tension towers
and bridges. “First we concluded in the south [of the country], then the
center, and now we are focusing on the north of the country, where all units
will conclude their clearance operations, in the Atlantic coast and in the
border sectors of Nueva Segovia and
Madriz.”[42] According to
Delgadillo, the north was prioritized last because it is relatively unpopulated,
there is less mine-affected infrastructure, and clearance conditions are more
difficult due to the terrain and lack of roads. According to the Minister of
Defense, clearance priorities for 2004 include the most populated areas with
landmine problems, in the departments of Nueva Segovia, Jinotega, and in the
RAAN.[43]
There are five operational fronts for mine clearance in Nicaragua. In 2003,
front one operated in the department of Matagalpa; front two in the department
of Jinotega; fronts three (Murra municipality) and four (municipalities of
Jalapa and San Fernando) both in the department of Nueva Segovia, and front five
(Waspán municipality) in
RAAN.[44] Each operational
front deploys a company-sized 100-person unit and is accompanied by a national
supervisor working in coordination with the MARMINCA supervisors. In addition,
there are three platoon-sized units, with approximately 50 persons per unit: a
mechanized unit, a mobile quick reaction unit, and a canine
unit.[45] The canine unit has
nine mine detecting dogs (six donated by the US and three national), and 20
deminers including guides and a veterinarian, all members of the Nicaraguan
Army.
In the second half of 2004, some tasks for the operational fronts changed:
front one (San Fernando, Nueva Segovia), front two (Wiwilí de Jinotega,
Jinotega); front three (Murra, Nueva Segovia); front four (Jalapa, Nueva
Segovia); and front five (Waspán-RAAN).
According to the Minister of Defense, between March 2003 and March 2004,
376,517 square meters of land were cleared, and 14,451 landmines and 27,033 UXO
were destroyed.[46]
Nicaragua completed clearance of 96 kilometers of the southern border with
Costa Rica in September 2002 and the border was declared the country’s
first mine-free region.[47] In
March 2003, Nicaragua reported the completion of mine clearance operations in
the departments of Boaco, Chinandega, Chontales and in
RAAS.[48] However, demining
operations in RAAS continued into
2004.[49]
Nicaragua first began mine clearance in 1990. As of 31 May 2004, a total of
3,800,928 square meters had been cleared of mines, and 7,601,856 square meters
were no longer considered dangerous. A total of 107,556 mines were cleared
(97,502 of the 135,643 registered mines and another 10,054 mines that were not
registered), as well as 555,339 UXO. Nicaragua has concluded mine clearance
operations in fifty-eight municipalities, benefiting 1,979,675
inhabitants.[50]
The 58 municipalities cleared in thirteen departments include: Boaco (Boaco
and Camoapa); Chinandega (Cinco Pinos, San Francisco, San Pedro, Santo
Tomás, Somotillo, and Villa Nueva); Chontales (Juigalpa, Acoyapa, Santo
Domingo, Villa Sandino, San Pedro Lovago, and La Libertad); Estelí
(Estelí, Condega, Pueblo Nuevo, La Trinidad); Jinotega (Jinotega, San
Sebastián de Yali, Cua, Bocay, and Santa María de Pantasma);
León (municipalities of La Paz Centro and El Sauce); Madriz (Yalaguina,
Las Sabanas, San José de Cusmapa, San Lucas, Palacaguina, and
Somoto);[51] Managua (San
Francisco Libre); Matagalpa (Ciudad Darío, Matiguas, Muy Muy, Sebaco, San
Ramón, Río Blanco, Rancho Grande, and San Isidro); Nueva Segovia
(Ocotal, Dipilto, Ococona, Macuelizo, Quilali, Jicaro); RAAN (Waslala, Siuna and
Puerto Cabezas), RAAS (Bocana de Paiwas, Rama, Muelle de los Bueyes); Río
San Juan (San Carlos, Morrito, San Juan del Norte, and El Castillo); and Rivas
(Cárdenas, San Juan del Sur, and Rivas).
In April 2004, Nicaragua reported that depending on the availability of
funding the completion date for demining operations may be pushed from 2005 to
2006.[52] The Coordinator of
the OAS AICMA program expressed confidence that the goal of completing mine
clearance will be achieved by December 2005, but the OAS was discussing with
national authorities the need to maintain throughout 2006 a unit with national
capacity to deal with new mine/UXO
findings.[53] According to a
media article, in September 2004, the Nicaraguan Vice Minister of Defense said
that following the discovery and clearance of 10,054 unregistered antipersonnel
mines, the government had decided to extend the clearance program for another
year, until 2006.[54] The
Minister of Defense was scheduled to visit Washington DC to discuss adjustments
to the program.
Earlier, in March 2003, Nicaragua had reported that mine clearance in the
country would be completed in 2005, not in 2004 as previously
estimated.[55]
Nicaragua reports that new information from the public has resulted in the
destruction of more that 288 remnants of war, including artillery grenades,
aerial bombs, and mines located in areas other than where they were officially
registered.[56] The Chief of
OAS MARMINCA in Nicaragua stated that the continued discovery of unregistered
minefields, particularly in the department of Nueva Segovia, is a complicating
factor that has slowed the demining
process.[57] Identification and
clearance of newly-reported mines is also ongoing in urban areas. In February
2003, a civilian clearing undergrowth under an electricity line in the city of
Estelí discovered and reported a PMN antipersonnel mine that was
subsequently destroyed.[58]
According to the Chief of OAS MARMINCA in Nicaragua, two mechanized demining
machines supplied by Japan have greatly improved the effectiveness of the
demining program, with each clearing approximately 480 square meters per day,
accounting for 78% of the mines removed in
Nicaragua.[59] Nicaragua
reports the average cost for removing and destroying an emplaced landmine is
estimated at between $340 and
$400.[60]
Nicaragua has identified its principal challenges in mine clearance as: the
need for technical maintenance of two helicopters for emergency medical
evacuation; the topography of the terrain; the poor condition of roads, bridges,
and highways; adverse climate; difficulties in locating mined areas due to lost
reference points; displacement of mines due to water runoff contaminating
extensive areas; and growth of dense vegetation around and in the
minefields.[61]
Civilian Demining
In Nicaragua, impoverished peasants have occasionally cleared landmines by
themselves, either on their own land or by hiring themselves out to wealthier
landowners. These amateur deminers have been reported to work without even the
most minimal protection, using wooden sticks to locate mines and machetes to
remove them.[62] In April 2001,
UNICEF reported that male adults and adolescents “had lost their natural
fear towards these objects,” and that “along the northern borders it
is disturbingly common to hear testimonies of juveniles and even children
stating that they themselves had been ‘clearing mines,’ following
the examples of their fathers and other
adults.”[63] A journal
article on the practice published mid-2001 cites one farmer who states that he
had cleared 500 mines, including 200 still fitted with the safety
pin.[64] The farmer also said
he was fed up with locals stealing his mines to fish illegally in the river.
Another farmer near the town of Mulukukú in the RAAN region reportedly
cleared 200 mines for a large landowner who paid him approximately $200 for the
task.
It is unclear if the practice of civilian demining is widespread. The OAS
PADCA Coordinator for Ocotal in the department of Nueva Segovia stated in
February 2003 that amateur demining had been significantly reduced because of
the visible presence of, and advancement made by, Nicaragua’s demining
fronts, and because of a belief that the military would demine these areas in
the near future.[65] The Chief
of OAS MARMINCA in Nicaragua however told Landmine Monitor in May 2004 that
farmers were “still moving mines to gain access to agricultural land and
removing fencing and risk signs. Many people have no fear of
landmines.”[66]
Mine Action Funding
The Nicaraguan government’s demining program
and other mine action activities are funded by the international community,
either bilaterally or through the OAS AICMA program. Mine action activities
such as those carried out by UNICEF and NGOs are funded separately. In June
2004, Brigadier Delgadillo reported that donors have contributed more than $30
million to the national demining plan in Nicaragua and provided significant
in-kind support in the form of technical supervisors. It is difficult to
identify mine action funding for Nicaragua on an annual basis, because many
donors designate funds for the OAS Central America program and not Nicaragua
specifically, and some provide multi-year funding.
Denmark has provided on a bilateral basis $6.2 million for operational fronts
one and two,[67] including $1.14
million (DKK7,500,000) in
2003.[68] Japan has provided
$2.8 million on a bilateral basis for the mechanized unit. In 2003, Japan
provided US$150,000 through UNMAS for mine risk education in
Nicaragua.[69] Donations for
the other fronts and units have been funded through the OAS AICMA program.
Sweden has provided $2.3 million for front three for 2002-2005, including
$841,584 (SEK6,800,000) in
2003.[70] Front four has
received $4 million from Norway and Canada, and $1.3 million from the European
Union for July 2003-July 2004. In 2003, Canada provided US$356,720 to OAS for
demining, victim assistance and social
reintegration.[71] The United
States has provided $3.5 million for front five, and the United Kingdom has
given $3.5 million for front five and the canine demining unit. The mobile unit
has received $70,000 from France in 2003, $500,000 from the EU for July
2003-July 2004, and additional sums from the
US.[72] Italy provided $100,000
to the OAS MRE program for
2003-2004.[73] In 2003, Spain
provided $84,863 (€75,000) for capacity-building and reintegration of mine
victims through the OAS.[74]
Austria provided $79,205 (€70,000) in 2003 to Horizont 3000 for MRE
activities in Rio Coco, and $433,385 from 2000-2003 for mine risk education and
other activities.[75]
In 2004, the Minister of Defense told Landmine Monitor that Nicaragua
provides an estimated 16 million Córdobas (about $1 million) each year to
the member institutions of the CND, including the Ministry of Defense, the
Nicaraguan Army, and the Ministry of Health, for assistance with salaries,
infrastructure, vehicles, and
communication.[76]
In April 2004, Nicaragua reported a deficit of mine action funds totaling
$2.8 million.[77] In August
2003, the OAS had reported that $3.5 million was required for Nicaragua’s
mine action program in 2004, including mine risk education and survivor
assistance.[78] According to
the OAS, the average cost of maintaining an operational front for one year is
more than $900,000.[79] In
December 2001 and September 2002, the OAS reported serious financial shortfalls
affecting OAS PADCA programs, including Nicaragua. In March 2003, Nicaragua
reported that about $8.2 million was needed to complete the humanitarian mine
clearance program.
Nicaraguan Support to Mine Action
In June 2004, the Nicaraguan Army reported that over time it has developed a
capacity to train deminers, instructors, and supervisors. Several countries of
the region have sent representatives to Nicaragua to exchange experiences and
learn from the CND’s work, including Perú, Paraguay, México,
the US, and “particularly Bolivia, to solicit our participation as
international supervisors in the clearance process in its borders with
Chile.”[80] A delegation
from Chile’s National Demining Commission visited Nicaragua from 2-6
Febuary 2004, and from 15-18 March 2004, Nicaragua’s Minister of Defense
visited Chile, where he signed a Letter of Intent with Chile’s Defense
Minister that included “collaboration, exchange of experiences, and advice
by Nicaragua in humanitarian mine
clearance.”[81]
In May 2003, Nicaraguan personnel assumed coordination and supervision of OAS
AICMA supported mine clearance in Ecuador and
Perú.[82] OAS MARMINCA
Nicaragua representatives provided training and developed a new training
manual.[83]
In August 2003, Nicaragua sent a contingent of 115 troops, including 26
deminers, to assist with the humanitarian demining program in Iraq. The
contingent formed part of the Spanish-led brigade stationed at Diwaniya, 180
kilometers south of Baghdad. Nicaragua’s President Enrique Bolaños
reportedly stated that the contingent was necessary to pay back “the
humanitarian assistance that Nicaragua has received in its long
history.”[84] The
deployment generated intense criticism from the political opposition, NGOs, and
much of the public who asked why the government was demining Iraq while large
numbers of mines remained in Nicaraguan soil. Indigenous communities on the
isolated Atlantic coast complained they had been waiting for mine clearance so
that an access road could be
built.[85] The NGO Centro de
Estudios Internacionales, among others, raised concern that the domestic
clearance goal of 2005 would be set back or delayed by the absence of the
deminers.[86] Concerns were
also raised about the safety of the contingent and the revelation of a lack of
funds to cover full life insurance for the
troops.[87] A Cid-Gallup survey
conducted in November 2003 found that 83 percent of the population did not agree
with the deployment of Nicaraguan troops to
Iraq.[88] The Sandinista
opposition party introduced a National Assembly initiative to repatriate the
troops.[89]
While Nicaragua’s President refused to reveal the identity of the donor
country that funded the first contingent of troops to Iraq, after several months
it was discovered that Taiwan had donated approximately $700,000 for this
purpose, but had requested anonymity for fear that “reprisals would be
taken against Taiwanese people and interests if their involvement became
known.”[90] A second
contingent of 115 Nicaraguan troops completed training, but was never deployed
to Iraq as planned in February 2004, because the Nicaraguan government could not
find the $950,000 necessary to cover the costs of the
mission.[91] According to media
reports, the Nicaraguan demining contingent cleared approximately 36,464
explosive artifacts between August 2003 and 15 February 2004 and provided
medical attention to more than 10,000
people.[92] In an April 2004
interview, the Minister of Defense told Landmine Monitor that the deployment to
Iraq would not affect the 2005 target date for completion of mine clearance in
Nicaragua.[93]
Mine Risk Education
In 2003 and 2004, mine risk education activities in
Nicaragua were carried out by OAS PADCA, the Nicaraguan Red Cross, UNICEF,
Acción Médica Cristiana (ACM), and the Joint Commission of
Disabled and Victims of War for Peace and Development of Madriz Foundation
(Fundación Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados y Víctimas
de Guerra Para la Paz y Desarrollo de Madriz,
FCC).[94]
The vast majority of mine risk education activities are carried out in three
departments in the remote northern border regions. UNICEF operates in Jinotega,
FCC in Madriz, OAS PADCA in Nueva Segovia, and ACM, OAS PADCA, and the Red Cross
in RAAN. The region is characterized by rugged terrain with numerous
communities that can only be reached on foot or on horseback and with great
difficulty during the rainy season. Radio signals do not reach many communities
and there are high levels of seasonal labor migration.
In 2003, the OAS provided mine risk education to 24,765 people in 102
high-risk communities in two departments (Nueva Segovia and Jinotega) and one
autonomous region (RAAN).[95]
In 2002, the program reached 17,171 people in 198
communities.[96] Between
January and May 2004, the program reportedly reached some 21,400 people in 56
communities in four municipalities in Nueva Segovia and
RAAN.[97] From 2001 to June
2004, OAS PADCA reports that 91,293 persons received mine risk education in
Nicaragua.[98]
According to the OAS PADCA National Coordinator, the “Pasos Seguros sin
Minas” (Safe Steps without Mines) MRE program established in 2003 to
follow up the “Un Mundo Sin Minas” (A World without Mines) program
has evolved into a permanent preventative education initiative with national
coverage.[99] The program has
four staff in Nueva Segovia (a coordinator and three MRE technicians), four
staff in RAAN (a coordinator and three technicians), and a network of
volunteers.[100] Mine risk
education activities include community and house visits, child to child
education, coordination with the demining fronts, training workshops, and
provision of MRE materials. In May 2003, the OAS started a new mine risk
education campaign in the RAAN (Waspán municipality), using materials
translated into Miskito for dissemination through community and school
visits.[101]
The National Demining Commission supported mine risk education activities in
2003 and the first half of 2004 in coordination with the OAS PADCA, including
the dissemination of MRE messages on two radio stations for communities in the
northern border region and installation of MRE billboards on highways and near
mine-affected areas.[102] In
high-risk areas of Jalapa, the OAS PADCA team based in Ocotal hosted a popular
one-hour weekly radio program that combines MRE messages with traditional
“Ranchera” music, jokes, and
interviews.[103] The MRE
activities in Jalapa have led to the discovery of new unregistered minefields as
recently as May 2004.
In 2004, UNICEF continued to support its Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance
Accident Prevention project, established in 1999. Nicaragua reported that
UNICEF together with OAS PADCA and CND started a MRE program called
“Sigamos por el Camino Seguro” (Let’s follow the safe path) in
2004 primarily in the department of
Jinotega.[104] UNICEF delivered
MRE to 14,916 people in 2002 (January to October) and 14,477 people from October
2003 to April 2004.[105] A
media report in June 2004 indicated that the UNICEF program had reached 95
communities in five municipalities of
Jinotega.[106] According to its
national MRE coordinator, UNICEF collaborates with the OAS and the CND to
prioritize mine risk education activities in high-risk communities and in
communities where other organizations are not working. In 2004, UNICEF has
intensified the use of community-based MRE methodologies, provided more
coverage, utilized a variety of MRE techniques, and developed new MRE materials
that are culturally
sensitive.[107] In 2004, UNICEF
employed three MRE staff. It received $155,000 for its MRE activities between
October 2003 to December 2004 from Japan via the UN Mine Action
Service.[108]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has supported mine risk
education activities by the Nicaraguan Red Cross since 1998. The Red Cross has
been conducting an MRE campaign in rural schools in the RAAN in both Spanish and
the local Miskito language.[109]
Acción Médica Cristiana (Christian Medical Action, ACM) has
provided MRE to over 20,000 people in 37 communities in the RAAN (Waspán
municipality). ACM has a four-person MRE team and works in coordination with
the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and local mayors and schools.
The ACM has received funding from Austria and in 2004 had an operational budget
of $105,000.[110]
Between October and November 2003, the Joint Commission Foundation provided
MRE training in eleven communities suspected to be at risk from UXO in the
department of Madriz.[111] In
2002, FCC provided MRE to seventeen at-risk communities in Madriz.
In addition to the challenges of reaching remote communities in difficult
terrain, MRE is hampered by the limited number of full-time mine risk
educators.[112] Other
challenges include youth removing minefield warning signs, high numbers of
children in remote rural communities who do not attend school, and the limited
ability of the mobile demining unit to respond to the high number of calls from
individuals reporting mines or UXO in their communities or
homes.[113]
Nicaragua has a problem with civilians storing landmines and UXO in their
homes. According to UNICEF, MRE activities in Jinotega in 2003 and 2004 found
UXO stored under beds, ovens, in wells and suspended from beams to hold down tin
roofing.[114] In 2003, the OAS
PADCA responded on nine occasions to reports of civilians storing landmines
and/or UXO in their homes.[115]
In 2002, the OAS MARMINCA program established a free telephone line directly
connected to the mobile quick reaction demining unit. In April 2004, Nicaragua
reported that calls from the public have resulted in the destruction of more
that 288 artifacts of war, including mines, located in areas which had not been
officially registered as
mine-affected.[116] In other
instances, reports from civilians have been made directly to local police or the
Army.
In 2002, the MRE program in Nicaragua was criticized for its lack of a
“systematic and overarching strategy to harmonize mine risk education work
methods.”[117] In April
2004, Nicaragua reported that the CND’s education and prevention
subcommission has succeeded in harmonizing the activities of the various MRE
organizations by providing supervision, revising MRE materials to ensure
consistency, and providing a National Guide for the Elaboration of Educational
Materials.[118]
In June 2004, UNICEF told Landmine Monitor that MRE activities in the country
have become more organized and effective in terms of the coverage, coordination
between organizations and methodologies
utilized.[119]
Earlier MRE activities in Nicaragua included the development of a National
Prevention Guide (Guía Nacional de Prevención) in 2001, and an MRE
seminar held by UNICEF and the OAS in April of that year. In August 2000, the
UK-based NGO Mines Advisory Group (MAG) conducted a safety and mine risk
education project in northeast Nicaragua with funding provided by the American
Red Cross.
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2003, six mine/UXO casualties were reported from
three incidents in which one person was killed and five others injured according
to the OAS PADCA.[120] One
incident involving a landmine took place in Jinotega in the north, while two
incidents, both involving UXO occurred in Estelí and RAAS in the south of
the country. The 2003 casualty numbers represent a significant decrease from 15
mine/UXO casualties reported in 2002. In the first half of 2004, three
incidents were recorded in which one person was killed and two others injured.
Two of the incidents involved UXO and the other involved an unknown
artifact.[121]
OAS PADCA and other sources 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
unreported.[122] It is
estimated that there are between 700 and 2,000 landmine and UXO survivors in
Nicaragua.[123] Before the
installation of the IMSMA database, there was no centralized source of
information on landmine casualties in Nicaragua. The OAS PADCA released the
first report from the database detailing mine/UXO casualties in October 2001.
The database is continuously being updated as past incidents are reported and
between May 2003 and June 2004, another 121 casualty incident reports were
added.
By June 2004, the OAS PADCA had registered in the database a total of 753
landmine/UXO casualties in the country since 1980, of which 73 people were
killed and 680 injured. The casualties were reported in 632 separate incidents,
of which 478 (76 percent) involved landmines, 103 (16 percent) were from UXO,
and in 51 cases (8 percent) the type of device was not known.
Mine/UXO Casualties 1980-18 June 2004
Year
Total
Killed
Injured
Pre-1998
682
62
620
1999
9
0
9
2000
12
4
8
2001
26
2
24
2002
15
3
12
2003
6
1
5
2004 (to 18 June)
3
1
2
Total
753
73
680
Children under the age of 12 accounted for at least 41 casualties (five
percent), and adolescents aged between 12 and 20 accounted for 113 casualties
(15 percent). Women or young girls accounted for 82 casualties (11 percent).
The majority of mine/UXO survivors were engaged in agricultural activities at
the time of the incident.[124]
The database does not identify any mine survivors from among the approximately
15,000 disabled
ex-combatants.[125]
The database includes 23 incidents that occurred during clearance operations,
resulting in 37 casualties (five killed and 32 injured). This number does not
include a June 2002 incident in which a demining instructor was killed and four
others injured during a training
exercise.[126]
The majority of mine/UXO casualties were reported in the northern departments
of Nueva Segovia (38 percent) and Jinotega (20 percent), as well as in ten other
departments and in the RAAN and RAAS autonomous
regions.[127] The departments
of Boaco and Granada have not reported casualties.
The principal causes of landmine casualties are reportedly a lack of
information about mine-affected areas; economic needs causing people to enter
mine-affected areas for their livelihoods; intentional handling of mines or UXO;
or changes in the location of mines/UXO due to storms, hurricanes, or erosion.
While the majority of incidents recorded in the database are attributed to
landmines, UXO is now reportedly emerging as a greater threat to the civilian
population than
landmines.[128]
Survivor Assistance
In 2001, the government of Nicaragua claimed a “shift in course”
in mine action, toward “placing people and community rehabilitation at the
heart of new programs,” and efforts were reportedly made to ensure that
survivor assistance became an integral part of the public health system, and of
other State institutions including the Ministry of the Family, the Institute for
Youth, and the National Technological Institute
(INATEC).[129] The NGO Centre
for International Studies subsequently reported in 2002 that while a limited
rehabilitation budget had been directed toward meeting the medical needs of mine
survivors, little had been done to strengthen outdated rehabilitation services,
including to improve their technical capacity to handle severe mine
injuries.[130] CEI also
reported that there was also a lack of facilities to provide for the physical
rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration of mine survivors living in
remote rural communities in mine-affected
regions.[131]
There are more than 60 organizations/associations working for persons with
disabilities in the
country.[132] It is unclear how
many of these organizations are able to adequately assist landmine survivors.
Major providers of mine survivor assistance include CENAPRORTO, the Polus Center
for Social and Economic Development, Handicap International, Falls Brook Centre,
and a number of small NGOs.
The National Center of Technical Assistance and Orthopedic Elements (Centro
Nacional de Ayudas Tecnicas y elementos Ortoprotésico, CENAPRORTO) in
Managua continues to provide physical rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics,
and psychological support, for persons with disabilities, including mine
survivors who account for about 30 percent of amputees assisted by the center.
Since 1999, CENAPRORTO has produced 2,162 prostheses: 532 in 2003, 473 in 2002,
498 in 2001; 312 in 2000; and 347 in 1999. CENAPRORTO also produces and
distributes orthoses, wheelchairs and crutches. At the end of 2003, 490
amputees were on the waiting list for prostheses, 157 people needed orthoses,
and 509 people with a disability required
wheelchairs.[133]
A number of agencies assist the center. In 2003, the ICRC Special Fund for
the Disabled (SFD) covered 48 percent of the cost of prosthetic and orthotic
services at CENAPRORTO; about CHF300,000 (US$235,358). In 2003, the SFD covered
the cost of 258 prostheses, 119 orthoses, 128 wheelchairs, and 229 pairs of
crutches.[134] The Nicaraguan
Red Cross also identifies amputees and if necessary provides transport to the
center. The SFD supports the supply of orthopedic components, staff training,
and the cost of accommodation, transport and food during fittings. In 2000, the
SFD entered into a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Health to
restructure operations at CENAPRORTO, which resulted in the renovation of
workshops, installation of new rooms, introduction of polypropylene technology
and a reduction in staff numbers. As a result of the restructuring, production
costs for lower limb prostheses were reduced by 27 percent and upper limbs by 62
percent. Since 1997, the Landmine and Victim Assistance Program by the OAS has
assisted over 590 landmine/UXO survivors, including 244 in 2003, with
transportation to the center, lodging, food, prostheses, therapy, surgery and
medications.[135]
In 2004, the SFD’s support to CENAPRORTO will be gradually transferred
to a newly created center in Managua established by the “Walking
Unidos” program of the Polus
Center.[136] The US-based Polus
Center for Social and Economic Development Inc. has assisted persons with
disabilities in Nicaragua, particularly those who have lost limbs due to war,
landmines or other trauma, since 1999 through its “Walking Unidos”
Prosthetic Outreach Program in León in western Nicaragua. Walking Unidos
manufactures and fits above and below knee and upper limb prostheses and
orthotics, and provides repairs, adjustments and foot replacements. It provides
prosthetic/orthotic services free of charge or at a reduced cost for the poor
and the SFD provides materials and technical advice. A total of 34 landmine
survivors benefit from the program on an on-going basis.
The Polus Center also supports other activities that provide socio-economic
opportunities for persons with disabilities; including, the Ben Linder Internet
Cafe and Restaurant which provides employment and computer training
opportunities for some amputees from its prosthetic program; the Disabilities
Leadership Center which helps the University of León to integrate
students with disabilities into the school and coordinates advocacy activities
by more than a dozen grassroots NGOs in Nicaragua; “A City for
Everyone” Access Project to remove barriers and install ramps in public
places throughout León and conduct awareness-raising activities; and, a
small grant program to support local organizations in addressing transportation,
healthcare, education, employment, and access needs of persons with disabilities
through their own
initiatives.[137] Walking
Unidos is also implementing an economic integration project, funded by the
Inter-American Foundation, to help over 50 persons with disabilities a year to
participate in existing cooperatives and receive access to small business
development training and micro-credits. The Polus Center receives funding or
support from the ICRC SFD, the Pan American Health Organization, USAID Leahy War
Victims Fund, and a number of private foundations including Grapes for Humanity,
the International Foundation, the Frees Foundation, Julia Burke Foundation,
World Emergency Relief, and the Harold Seewald Charitable
Fund.[138]
Handicap International works in coordination with municipalities, local NGOs,
the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to provide medical
rehabilitation, physiotherapy, and job training to persons with disabilities,
including landmine survivors. HI provides support to the services of physical
medicine and rehabilitation at an orthopedic center and four physiotherapy
centers in Trinidad, Estelí department, and through a community based
rehabilitation network. Between 2001 and 2004, HI assisted 48 landmine
survivors, and it supported the training of three prosthetic technicians.
Handicap International in Nicaragua serves as the regional headquarters for
other HI offices throughout Latin
America.[139]
The Organization of Disabled Revolutionaries (Organización de
Revolucionarios Discapacitados, ORD) based in Managua manufactures wheelchairs,
crutches, and other items for persons with disabilities which are either sold to
the INSS, hospitals, and private individuals, or donated to members of the
organization; approximately 12 wheelchairs are sold a
month.[140]
Since 1999, the Canadian NGO Falls Brook Centre (FBC) has implemented
survivor assistance programs in northern Nicaragua, working with three local
NGOs: La Comición Conjunta de Descapacitados por la Paz and
Reconstrucción de Madriz (CCDPRM), Fenix Madriz, and Movimiento Comunal
Somoto. A “Kitchen Garden” project established by the FBC in 2001
in coordination with Movimiento Comunal Somoto (Somoto Communal Movement)
assists subsistence-based rural farmers, including the families of landmine
survivors, to establish organic food production. In 2003, 18 mine survivors and
their families benefited from the project; an increase from eight in
2002.[141] The Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA) funded the project between 2001 and
2003, but in 2004 private donors in Canada provided $12,000 and volunteers also
assisted. The FBC also implements a solar energy project that provides training
and assistance with physical rehabilitation and prostheses. After CIDA funding
ended in May 2001, private donors and landmine survivors who sell and install
solar energy systems in rural areas have supported the project. By July 2002,
the project had provided 40 landmine survivors with prostheses and other medical
assistance, trained 25 mine survivors in solar energy technology, and provided
solar electrification in 56 rural communities. With funding and staff support
from FBC, ten mine survivors in Madriz department benefited from a project shift
to a solar energy related entrepreneurial based initiative run by Fénix
Madriz since 2002.[142]
Since 1999, the Since 1999, the Joint Commission of Disabled and War Victims
for Peace and Development Foundation of Madriz (Fundación Comisión
Conjunta de Discapacitados y Víctimas de Guerra Para la Paz y Desarrollo
de Madriz, FCC) has supported landmine survivors in the department of Madriz.
In 2002, a total of 42 survivors were assisted with rehabilitation services, and
67 referred to other providers. In 2002, in coordination with Solidarité
Union Coopération (SUCO), a total of 34 people, including 25 landmine
survivors, received micro-credit assistance for small business and home repairs.
In 2003, the same project provided micro credit assistance to sixteen landmine
survivors. SUCO, a Canadian organization, provided $18,498 for the two-year
project.[143]
By June 2004, three groups consisting of a total of 106 mine survivors from
30 municipalities had graduated from a job-skills training course program
established in April 2002 by the OAS and the National Technical Institute
(INATEC). A fourth course began in June 2004 for another 39 mine
survivors.[144] Upon completion
of the course, graduates can access financial resources and tools to help them
establish income generation
activities.[145] The training
costs $2,000 per person. OAS reports that it has donor support to train 70
survivors during 2004, including from France and
Spain.[146] While graduates
speak positively about their experience in the course, limited employment
opportunities and ongoing support have prevented many from finding
work.[147] Several other
factors also limit opportunities for employment including low academic levels
among landmine survivors and limited access to education; limited government and
private/public sector awareness about disability and equality issues; and
discrimination.[148]
Organizations representing mine survivors and other persons with disabilities
include the Consejo Nacional de Prevención y Rehabilitación
(National Rehabilitation Council), the Federación de Coordinadora de
Organismos por la Rehabilitación e Integración (Federation for
Coordination of Rehabilitation and Integration Organizations, FECONORI), a
federation of 31 disability organizations, Asociación de Discapacitados
de la Resistencia Nicaragüense (Association of Disabled Persons from the
Nicaraguan Resistance, ADRN), and the FCC.
The FCC is made up of ORD members (veterans from the Sandinista Army) and
ADRN members (veterans from the contras) in the department of Madriz. In 2003,
the FCC continued to act as both an advocate for, and facilitator of,
rehabilitation services for landmine survivors; 45 mine survivors were assisted
in coordination with the ICRC and OAS
PADCA.[149]
Started in 2003, the “Planting Hope Education Fund” scholarship
program, supported by donations from Canadian citizens, is assisting with the
educational costs of 35 impoverished rural children, including ten children of
mine survivors; in 2003, of 26 children assisted, eight were children of mine
survivors.[150]
Capacity building of healthcare providers is on-going in Nicaragua. In April
2004, the OAS PADCA sponsored specialized medical training for 20 medics and 43
auxiliary paramedics/nurses working for the national health system in Jalapa and
San Fernando (Nueva Segovia) and Waspán (RAAN); 23 medics and 30
paramedics working with the Army Engineering Corps also received training which
included first aid, emergency pre-hospital treatment, and dealing with trauma.
Basic medical training was also provided to the MRE program in Pasos
Seguros.[151] In June 2001,
prosthetic technicians from Nicaragua attended a regional conference on victim
assistance technologies held in Managua by the OAS and the Center for
International Rehabilitation
(CIR).[152] Since 2000, two
CENAPRORTO students have completed a three-year training course at the Don Bosco
University in San Salvador, seven prosthetic technicians, the technical director
and one physiotherapist took part in a training course, and three out of five
technicians taking the internet course organized by the CIR passed their final
examinations.[153]
A five-year tripartite assistance project for mine
survivors in Central America by Canada (through Queens’ University),
México and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), ended in March
2003. The project supported prosthetic and orthotic services, vocational
training, and job placement programs for mine survivors and persons with
disabilities, and the integration of community based rehabilitation into the
networks of primary healthcare services. The initiative reportedly strengthened
the national capacities to address the needs of landmine survivors through
improved planning and organization of rehabilitation
services.[154]
Also at the regional level, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador
have presented a project to the Regional Security Commission (Comission de
Seguridad Regional, Sistema de Integration Centro Americano – SICA) to
address the physical and psychological rehabilitation and socio-economic
reintegration needs in their respective countries. Bilaterally, Nicaragua has
provided Norway with a proposal to continue with, and improve, existing
skills-training initiatives. Nevertheless, limited resources and funding from
international cooperation continues to be the principal problem to ensure
adequate survivor assistance
programs.[155]
Survivor assistance falls within the mandate of the CND, which consults with
the National Rehabilitation Council (Consejo Nacional de Prevención y
Rehabilitación) to find effective mechanisms to improve the social
reintegration of mine
survivors.[156] The CND claims
that it can guarantee services for landmine survivors registered with the
organization until 2005 when demining is expected to be
completed.[157] One priority is
to create a socio-economic reintegration program for landmine survivors, but CND
states there are insufficient resources to establish and maintain such
projects.[158]
According to consultations undertaken by Landmine Monitor in 2003 and 2004,
some prosthetic and orthopedic programs have improved, but a number of issues
have reportedly not been addressed, including the limited access to
rehabilitation services in rural areas; limited funding and access to medicines,
and other rehabilitative needs including wheelchairs and prosthetic eyes;
ongoing problems with improper fitting, poor quality, or old prostheses; limited
access to surgery for war-related injuries including the removal of shrapnel or
bullets from the body; and a lack of psychological
support.[159]
Nicaragua was co-rapporteur and then co-chair, with Japan, of the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration from May 1999 to
September 2001, and renewed its involvement by assuming the role of
co-rapporteur, with Norway, in September 2003.
Nicaragua submitted the voluntary Form J with its Article 7 Report in 2001,
but has not done so in subsequent
reports.[160]
Three Nicaraguan mine survivors participated in the Raising the Voices
training program in 2001.
Disability Policy and Practice
Legislation affirming the social reintegration of
all persons with disabilities, including landmine survivors, is contained in Law
202 on the Prevention, Rehabilitation and Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities, approved on 21 September 1995. Executive Decree No.50-1997
established the legal framework for improving the quality of life and assuring
the full integration of persons with disabilities into
society.[161] Government
support has, however, been constrained by a lack of resources. Organizations
complain that the needs of many persons with disabilities living in poverty are
still not being met and they have raised their concern about a lack of support,
financing, and awareness to achieve the commitments made by Law
202.[162] 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.[163]
Landmine survivors from both the Sandinista Army and the contras are covered
by separate legislation and have the right to medical care, rehabilitation and
pensions covered by the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (Instituto
Nicaragüense de Seguro Social,
INSS).[164] In June 2002,
pensions increased for some persons with disabilities, including
veterans.[165] The pensions are
still reported to be insufficient to maintain a reasonable standard of living
and difficult to obtain.[166]
Military deminers receive financial compensation, which is graded according to
the severity of injuries sustained, but according to media reports, some
deminers have not received sufficient medical attention or disability
pensions.[167] With the
privatization of INSS, associations are concerned about the future of disability
pensions.
Civilian mine survivors receive no social welfare entitlements under the
existing legal provisions. The CND acknowledges that judicial issues continue to
impede civilian entitlements to pensions. Any changes to the law require
reforms through the National Assembly. The OAS victim assistance programs aim
is to remove the dependency of civilian mine survivors on
pensions.[168] According to the
head of one disability rights organization, several recent projects have raised
awareness on disability issues, but few projects have been implemented at the
municipal level to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and
resources for mine action and disability NGOs and associations run by landmine
survivors remain
limited.[169]
[1] Law for the Prohibition of Production,
Purchase, Sale, Import, Export, Transit, Use and Possession of Antipersonnel
Landmines, Law No. 321, published in the Official Gazette on 12 January 2000.
Article I of this law adds “installation” to the prohibition on
antipersonnel mines. Article III states that the Armed Forces must destroy its
stockpiles in the “period determined by the relevant authorities.”
Article VI states that persons who violate the Law will be charged with
“exposing the public to danger,” and will be punished accordingly.
See “Prisión para vendedores de minas,” Confidencial, No.
158, 5-11 September 1999, p. 5. [2]
Nicaragua introduced UNGA Resolution 56/24 M in 2001, together with Norway and
Belgium. [3] The previous Article 7
reports were submitted: 31 March 2003, for the period from 30 March 2002 to 31
March 2003; 22 May 2002, for an unspecified period to 30 March 2002; 7 May 2001
for an unspecified period, but containing information as of 20 April 2001; and
18 May 2000, for an unspecified period, but containing information as of 30
September 1999. The initial report was submitted about six months
late. [4] Email from Alejandro
Bendaña, Centro de Estudios Internationales (CEI), 7 December 2003;
interview with Alejandro Bendaña, CEI, 29 March
2004. [5] Interview with Uriel Carazo,
FCC, Director, Somoto, 18 March 2004.
[6] US Department of Defense,
“Mine Facts” CD-ROM. [7]
Information from Lt. Col. César Delgadillo, Army Chief of Operations, 4
December 1998. [8] The mines
consisted of OZM-4, PMD-6 and -6M, PDM-1M, MON-50, MON-100, PMN, PMN-2, POMZ,
POMZ-2 from the Soviet Union; POMZ-2 and PMFM-1 from the former East Germany;
PP-Mi-SrII from the former Czechoslovakia; PMFC-1, PMFH-1, and PMM-1 mines from
Egypt. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
266. [9] Americas Watch, Landmines in
El Salvador and Nicaragua: The Civilian Victims, December 1985, pp. 55-56.
[10] Ibid, p.
3. [11] In November 2001, Army and
Police units seized two antipersonnel mines during a raid on the criminal gang
“Frente Unido Andrés Castro.” See Moisés
Martínez and Herberto Jarquín, “Golpean al FUAC,” La
Prensa (Manauga), 10 November 2001; “Tyson se salva descalzo y armado
sólo de revólver,” El Nuevo Diario (Managua), 15 November
2001. [12] In May 2003, a Panamanian
court sentenced four Panamanians and three Colombians to 20 and 60 months
imprisonment for attempting to import weapons acquired in Nicaragua into
Colombia, including thirteen Russian antipersonnel mines. “Desmantelan en
Panamá red de traficantes de armas para Colombianos,” Notimex
(Panamá), 16 May 2003. [13] In
November 2002, 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. “Man In Rural Nicaragua Used Six Land Mines To Weigh Down
His Roof,” Associated Press, 12 November
2002. [14] The stockpile destroyed
consisted of the following mines: 43,312 PMN; 37,022 PMN-2; 1,803 PMD-6M; 5,351
PPMi-SrII; 4,164 PMOZ-2; 38,682 PMOZ-2M; 1,015 PMFH-1; and 2,086 NVVR. See
Article 7 Report, Form D, 28 April 2004, p. 13. The 133,435 antipersonnel mines
were destroyed on these dates: 28 August 2002 (18,435 mines), 20 June 2002
(10,000) 25 April 2002 (15,000), 17 September 2001 (20,000), 21 June 2001
(15,000), 29 March 2001 (15,000), 12 May 2000 (10,000), 25 February 2000
(10,000), 3 December 1999 (10,000), 28 August 1999 (5,000), and 12 April 1999
(5,000). [15] The report listed a
total of 1,810 antipersonnel mines retained for training, but the list added up
to 1,910 mines: 500 PMN, 500 PMN-2, 500 POMZ-2M, 100 PP-MiSR-II, 100 POMZ-2, 100
MON-50, 50 OZM-4, 50 PMEH, and 10 MON-200 mines. See Article 7 Report, Form D,
Point 1, Table, 28 April 2004, p.
11. [16] The report listed a total of
1,971 antipersonnel mines retained for training, but the list added up to 1,921
mines (same as in the 2004 report, plus 11 MON-100 mines). See Article 7
Report, Form D, Table 1, 31 March
2003. [17] The report listed a total
of 124 antipersonnel mines transferred, but the list added up to 144 mines: 50
PMN, 35 POMZ, 33 PPMi-SrII, 20 MON-50, and 6 PTMI-K. Article 7 Report, Form D,
(second) Point 1, Table, 28 April 2004, p.
12. [18] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30
September 1999. [19] Presentation by
Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine
Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June
2004. [20] OAS AICMA,
“Portafolio 2003-2004,” August 2003, p.
51. [21] Interview with Ramon Zapeda,
MRE Coordinator, OAS PADCA Ocotal, Nueva Segovia, 28 May 2004. PADCA is the
Assistance Program for Demining in Central America (Programa de Asistencia al
Desminado en
Centroamérica). [22] Interview
with Col. Nelson Leonel Bonilla Romero, Chief, OAS MARMINCA Nicaragua, Managua,
31 May 2004. [23] Presentation by
Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June
2004. [24] Interview with Miguel
Barahona, National Coordinator, OAS PADCA Honduras, Tegucigalpa, 25 May
2004. [25] Interview with Carlos
Orozco, National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, Managua, 3 June
2004. [26] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects 2003,” October 2002, p.
203. [27] Heberto Jarquín M.,
“Minas amenazan a comunidad indígena,” La Prensa, 15
September 2003. [28] Interview with
Ramón Zapeda, OAS PADCA, 28 May
2004. [29] UN, “Portfolio of
Mine-Related Projects,” April 2001, p.
184. [30] Carlos Martínez
Morán, “Encuentran granada en Tiscapa,” La Prensa, 11 June
2004. [31] See www.oeadesminado.org.ni . MARMINCA
is the Assistance Mission for Mine Clearance in Central America (Misión
de Asistencia para la Remoción de Minas en Centro
América). [32] Email from Tim
Carstairs, Director for Policy, Mines Advisory Group, 4 October
2004. [33] Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, Technical Secretary, National Demining Commission (CND), 2 April
2004. [34] Comments by Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, Meeting at Ministry of Defense, Managua, 21 April 2004.
Landmine Monitor attended. [35] These
include: a) the promotion of demining as a national humanitarian priority; b)
support and follow up on demining program policies; c) promoting the inclusion
of landmine victims in social rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration
programs; d) coordinating demining fundraising activities, channeling and
administering funds and assistance in distributing materials and equipment; e)
maintaining a database on activities related to mine action; f) preparing
studies and reports on the demining program; g) recommending the development of
studies, projects and reports on mine action in Nicaragua; h) protecting
socio-economic development policies for Nicaragua’s landmine survivors; i)
consulting with government officials and other institutions; j) implementing MRE
programs, especially for the rural population; k) providing moral and material
support to the officials and soldiers of the Special Demining Units of the
Nicaraguan Military; and l) receiving information from the Minister of Defense
about the demining program. Interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, 2 April
2004. [36] Response to LM
Questionnaire by Carlos J. Orozco, OAS PADCA, 5 February 2003; see Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 377. [37]
Interview with Col. Nelson Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA, 31 May
2004. [38] William McDonough,
“El programa de Nicaragua es uno de los más modernos,” in
CND, “Nicaragua en la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p.
4. [39] GICHD, “Update on
activities between January and October 2002,” 31 October
2002. [40] Interview with Carlos
Orozco, OAS PADCA, 25 March 2004. [41]
Article 7 Report, 28 April 2003, p.
7. [42] Brig. Gen. César
Delgadillo, “Nicaragua generó un modelo propio de desminado,”
in CND, “Nicaragua en la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p.
6. [43] Interview with José
Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, 1 April
2004. [44] OAS PADCA Nicaragua
website, See “Desminado Humanitario,” visited March 16
2004. [45] OAS AICMA,
“Portafolio 2003-2004,” August 2003, p.
31. [46] Interview with José
Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, 1 April 2004. Nicaragua’s April
2004 Article 7 report, for the period up to 29 February 2004, gives the same
figure for area cleared, but cites 15,451 landmines destroyed. Article 7
Report, 28 April 2004, pp. 3-4. [47]
Article 7 Report, 31 March 2003, p. 6; “Costa Rica: Border with Nicaragua
free of mines by mid-September,” EFE (San Jose), 27 August 2002.
Nicaragua originally declared that demining was completed in April 2001.
Article 7 Report, Introduction, 22 May 2002; Article 7 Report, Introduction, 7
May 2001, p. 2. [48] Article 7 Report,
31 March 2003, p. 6. [49] Article 7
Report, 31 March 2004, p. 18. [50]
Presentation by Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June
2004. [51] Mine clearance in Madriz
department has been completed, but not yet been
certified. [52] Article 7 Report, 28
April 2004, p. 8. [53] William
McDonough, “El programa de Nicaragua,” June 2004, p.
4. [54] Vladimir López,
“Hallan 10 mil nuevas minas, desminado se extenderá un año
más,” El Nuevo Diario, 29 September
2004. [55] Response to LM
Questionnaire by OAS MARMINCA, 31 January 2003; Article 7 Report, Introduction,
31 March 2003, p. 7. [56] Article 7
Report, 28 April 2004, p. 6. [57]
Interview with Col. Nelson Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA, 31 May
2004. [58] “Descruben mina de
alto poder en barrio esteliano,” La Prensa, 28 February
2003. [59] Interview with Col. Nelson
Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA, 31 May
2004. [60] Article 7 Report, 28 April
2004, p. 8. [61] Ibid, p.
6. [62] Observation based on visits
and interviews in affected areas by CEI and CEEN personnel. See Landmine Monitor
Report 2000, p. 286. See also Interview with Col. Nelson Leonel Bonilla Romero,
OAS MARMINCA, 31 May 2004. [63] UN,
“Portfolio of Mine-Related Projects,” April 2001, p.
186. [64] Russel Gasser,
“Interview with an amateur deminer,” in “Landmines in Central
& South America,” Journal of Mine Action, Issue 5.2, Summer 2001, pp.
46-48. [65] Interview with
Ramón Zapeda, OAS PADCA, 5 February
2003. [66] Interview with Col. Nelson
Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA, 31 May
2004. [67] Unless otherwise noted, all
information in this paragraph is from: Brig. Gen. César Delgadillo,
“Nicaragua generó un modelo propio de desminado,” in CND,
“Nicaragua en la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p. 7.
[68] See Denmark country report in
this Landmine Monitor Report
2004. [69] See Japan country report in
this Landmine Monitor Report
2004. [70] See Sweden country report
in this Landmine Monitor Report
2004. [71] See Canada country report
in this Landmine Monitor Report
2004. [72] OAS AICMA,
“Portafolio 2003-2004,” August 2003, p.
32. [73] Interview with Carlos Orozco,
OAS PADCA, 3 June 2004. [74] See Spain
country report in this Landmine Monitor Report
2004. [75] Mine Action Investments
Database, accessed 28 June 2004. [76]
Interview with José Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, 1 April
2004. [77] Article 7 Report, 28 April
2004, p. 7. [78] OAS AICMA,
“Portafolio 2003-2004,” August 2003, pp.
34-47. [79] Ibid, p.
32. [80] Brig. Gen. César
Delgadillo, “Nicaragua generó un modelo propio de desminado,”
in CND, “Nicaragua en la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p.
7. [81] “Nicaragua y Chile
profundizarán cooperación en desminado humanitario,” in CND,
“Nicaragua en la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p.
13. [82] In 2004, Lt. Col. Jorge
Castro was to assume the lead supervisory role for the clearance mission. Luis
Felipe Palacios “Militares nicas supervisan desminado en Perú y
Ecuador,” La Prensa, 29 May 2003; Consuelo Sandoval, “Exitosa
misión militar de desminado en Perú y Ecuador,” La Prensa,
12 January 2004. [83] Interview with
Col. Nelson Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA, 31 May
2004. [84] “Evaluarán
condiciones para envio de militares nicaragüenses a Irak,” Notimex,
10 June 2003. [85] Heberto
Jarquín M., “Minas amenazan a comunidad indígena,” La
Prensa, 15 September 2003. [86] CEI,
“Realidad Del Desminado en Nicaragua,” 21 March
2003. [87] “Se declaran en
alerta máxima tropas nicaragüenses en Irak,” Notimex, 21
November 2003. [88] Luis Felipe
Palacios, “Rechazan envío detropas a Irak,” La Prensa, 11
December 2003. [89] María
José Uriarte R., “Guerra va a la guerra,” La Prensa, 13
October 2003; “Nicaraguan Troops to Remain in Iraq Despite Attacks,”
Nicaragua Network Hotline, 8 December
2003. [90] “Taiwan Financing
Nicaraguan Troops in Iraq,” Nicaragua Network Hotline, 2 September
2003. [91] “115 soldados listos
para viajar a Irak,” Associated Press (Managua), 31 January 2004;
“Short of cash, Nicaragua can't send new troops to Iraq,” Agence
France-Presse, 8 February 2004. [92]
José Seage, “Nicaragüenses desactivaron 36.000 artefactos en 6
meses de misión,” EFE, 9 February
2004. [93] Interview with José
Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, 1 April
2004. [94] FCC was previously called
Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados de Madriz para la Paz y
Reconstrucción (ORD/ADRN). [95]
OAS PADCA website, “Audiencia Sensibilizada en Campañas de
Prevención - PADCA-OEA-NICARAGUA,
2001-2004.” [96] OAS AICMA,
“Portafolio 2003-2004,” August 2003, p.
51. [97] Alina Lorío,
“Pasos seguros sin minas” en Wiwilí, La Prensa, 16 June
2004. [98] OAS PADCA website. In 2001,
6,265 people received MRE; in 2002, 17,262; in 2003, 24,765; and in 2004 to
June, 43,001. [99] “Pasos
seguros sin minas: Cientos de artefactos explosivos destruidos en Nueva
Segovia,” El Nuevo Diario, 29 November
2003. [100] Interview with
Ramón Zapeda and Danis Hernández, OAS PADCA, 28 May
2004. [101] OAS PADCA website;
Interview with Ramón Zapeda, OAS PADCA, 5 February
2003. [102] Presentation by Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, Meeting at Ministry of Defense, 21 April
2004. [103] Interview with
Ramón Zapeda and Danis Hernández, OAS PADCA, 28 May
2004. [104] Article 7 Report, Form I,
28 April 2004, p. 22. [105] Response
to LM Questionnaire by UNICEF, June
2004. [106] Alina Lorío,
“‘Wiwilí,” La Prensa, 16 June
2004. [107] Interview with Wanda
Obando, MRE Coordinator, UNICEF, Managua, 1 June
2004. [108] Interview with
César Pazos, UNICEF Program Coordinator, Managua, 1 June
2004. [109] Article 7 Report, Form I,
28 April 2004, p. 22; Article 7 Report, Form I, 31 March
2003. [110] Telephone interview with
Porfilio Rodriguez, Coordinator, Accion Medica Cristiana, 23 March
2003. [111] Fundación
Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados y Víctimas de Guerra Para la
Paz y Desarrollo de Madriz, “Acción Sobre Minas Terrestres
Antipersonales, Abril 2003 – Marzo 2004,” 29 February 2004. MRE was
provided in the communities of El lajero, la jabonera, los robles in
municipality of Cusmapa; in the communities of Miquilse, El Espino, el
Tablón in the municipality of San Lucas, and; in the communities of Las
Pintadas, Llaraje, el Tamarindo and Las Anonas in the municipality of
Somoto. [112] Interview with
Ramón Zapeda, OAS PADCA, 28 May
2004. [113] Interview with Wanda
Obando, UNICEF, 1 June 2004. [114]
Ibid; Fransisco Mendoza S., “Avanza plan de desminado,” El Nuevo
Diario, 19 April 2004. [115] Interview
with Ramón Zapeda, OAS PADCA, 28 May
2004. [116] Article 7 Report, 31 March
2004, p. 6. [117] Interview with
Phillipe Diquemare, HI, November 2002, cited in CEI, “La Situación
de la acción contra minas en Nicaragua: Cuarto Informe
Independente,” November 2002, p.
3. [118] Article 7 Report, Form I, 28
April 2004; OAS PADCA website, “Prevención,” 19 April
2004. [119] Interview with Wanda
Obando, UNICEF, 1 June 2004. [120] All
information in this section taken from reports on the OAS PADCA website dated 18
June 2004 unless otherwise stated. Reports analyzed by Landmine Monitor include
“Accidentes por minas o UXOs,” “Casos Reportados
Accidentes/Incidentes,” “Victimas Reportados
Accidentes/Incidentes,” “Victimis por Minas/UXOs,”
“Casos Reportados Accidentes/Incidentes: at May 2003,” and
“Accidentes en Operaciones de Desminado: August
2003.” [121] The UXO incident in
RAAS was reported in the media as a landmine. (“Nicaraguan landmine kills
one child, injures two,” EFE, 12 April 2003). The incident in March 2004
involving an unknown artifact was also reported in the media as a landmine.
(Silvia González Siles, “Campesino mutilado por una mina,” La
Prensa, 18 March 2004). [122] Mariela
Fernández, “Nicas los más afectados con minas,” La
Prensa, 4 March 2003; and UNMAS, “Nicaragua Landmine Situation Assessment
Mission,” 15 December 1998, p.
7. [123] Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, 1 June 2004; “Vicepresidente alerta por minas
quiebrapatas de las Farc y el Eln en la Amazonia,” El Tiempo
(Bogotá), 12 November 2003; see also UNMAS, “Nicaragua Landmine
Situation Assessment Mission,” 15 December 1998, p.
7. [124] Email report from Remy
Llinares, Comisión Europea, “Asistencia a sobrevivientes de minas
en Nicaragua,” 26 March
2004. [125] Landmine Monitor (MAC)
interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, 25 June
2004. [126] 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. [127] Mine/UXO casualties
(including 37 demining casualties) have been recorded in Nueva Segovia (284),
Jinotega (153), Matagalpa (69), RAAN (68), RAAS (40), Chinandega (36), Madriz
(33), Chontales (26), Estelí (20), Managua (14), Rio San Juan (4), Masaya
(2), León (3), and Rivas
(1). [128] “Inseguridad en el
istmo por restos de explosivos,” La Prensa, 27 June
2003. [129] Statement by José
Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, on the occasion of the XV Meeting of
the CND, 29 January 2001; Response to LM Questionnaire by José
Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, 26 February
2002. [130] CEI, “Cuarto Informe
Independiente,” November 2002, pp. 4-5; see also UNMAS, “Nicaragua
Landmine Situation Assessment Mission,” 15 December 1998, pp.
10-11. [131] Interview with Philippe
Dicquemare, Program Director, Handicap International, Managua, 14 March
2002. [132] Interview with Cyril
Loisel, Program Director, Handicap International, Managua, 16 April
2004. [133] ICRC Special Reports,
“Mine Action 2002,” July 2003, p. 37; “Mine Action
2001,” July 2002, p. 28; “Mine Action 2000,” July 2001, p. 26;
“Mine Action 1999,” August 2000, p. 31; ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, February 2004, p. 11; and
ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled, “Annual Report 2001,” May
2002. [134] ICRC, “Annual Report
2003,” Geneva, June 2004, p.
199. [135] Presentation by CND,
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration,
Geneva, 23 June 2004; William McDonough. “Report of the OAS-Mine Action
Program to the Committee on Hemispheric Security,” 14 March 2002; response
to Landmine Monitor from Carlos J. Orozco, OAS PADCA, 5 February 2003; document
provided by Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, 7 June
2004. [136] ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, February 2004, pp. 10-12;
ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled, “Annual Report 2002,” p. 5; ICRC
Special Reports, “Mine Action 2003,” August 2004, pp. 45-46;
“Mine Action 2002,” July 2003, p. 37; “Mine Action
2000,” July 2001, p. 26; and “Mine Action 1999,” August 2000,
p. 31. Previous assistance stopped in 1993.
[137] Email from Stephen Meyers,
International Program Coordinator, Polus Center for Social and Economic
Development, Inc., 28 April 2003; see also ICBL Portfolio of Landmine Victim
Assistance Programs, available at www.landminevap.org
. [138] Emails from Stephen Meyers,
International Program Coordinator, Polus Center for Social and Economic
Development, Inc., 16 March 2004 and 28 April
2003. [139] Interview with Cyril
Loisel, HI, 16 April 2004; emails from Philippe Dicquemare, HI, 24 and 31 July
2001. [140] Interview with Wilber
Torre Morales, National Coordinator, ORD, Managua, 22 March
2004. [141] Interview with Ada Diaz,
Project Coordinator, Movimiento Comunal Somoto, Somoto, 18 March 2004; interview
with Sonya Waite, International Project Coordinator, Falls Brook Centre, Somoto,
18 January 2003. [142] Interview with
Sonya Waite, Falls Brook Centre, 18 January 2003; email from Peter Sundberg,
Project Coordinator, Falls Brook Centre, Somoto, Nicaragua, 30 July
2002. [143] FCC, “Acción
Sobre Minas Terrestres,” 29 February 2004; 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. [144] Presentation by CND,
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, 23 June 2004; William McDonough,
“Report of the OAS,” 14 March
2002. [145] See OAS PADCA website,
“Reinserción.” [146]
Presentation on OAS AICMA, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk
Education, and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2004, p. 2; and
interview with Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, 3 June
2004. [147] FCC, “Acción
Sobre Minas Terrestres,” 29 February 2004; interview with Uriel Carazo,
FCC, 18 March 2004. [148] Interview
with Cyril Loisel, Program Director, Handicap International, Managua, 16 April
2004; Annie Lafreniere, “Investigacion sobre los problemas y necesidades
de las discapacitadas de guerra en el departamento de Madriz,” FCC,
Programa JSI de ACDI – SUCO-Canada, Somoto, February 2004; interview with
Wilber Torre Morales, ORD, 22 March
2004. [149] FCC, “Acción
Sobre Minas Terrestres,” 29 February
2004. [150] Interviews with Sonya
Waite, Planting Hope Education Fund, Somoto, 14 April 2004 and 18 January
2003. [151] “Programa de
asistencia de la OEA: Fortalecen Capacidad en zonas afectadas por minas,”
El Nuevo Diario, 11 May 2004. [152]
“Ayudarán más víctimas de minas antipersonales.
Primera conferencia regional de rehabilitación y
technología,” El Nuevo Diario, 19 June
2001. [153] ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, “Annual Report 2003,” Geneva, February 2004, pp. 10-12;
ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled, “Annual Report 2002,” p.
5. [154] Mariela Fernández,
“Nicas los más afectados con minas,” La Prensa, 4 March
2003. [155] Joint Intervention by
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua,” Standing Committee on
Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22
June 2004; interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, 1 June
2004. [156] Response to LM
Questionnaire by Minister of Defense, 26 February
2002. [157] Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, 2 April 2004. [158]
Presentation by CND, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic
Reintegration, Geneva, 10 February
2004. [159] Interview with Wilber
Torre Morales, ORD, 22 March 2004; FCC, “Acción Sobre Minas
Terrestres,” 29 February 2004; interview with Uriel Carazo, FCC, 18 March
2004; Annie Lafreniere, “Investigación sobre los problemas y
necesidades de los discapacitados de guerra en el departamento de Madriz,”
FCC, Programa JSI de ACDI – SUCO-Canada, Somoto, February
2004. [160] Article 7 Report, Form J,
7 May 2001. [161] Responses to
Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Minister of Defense, 18 March 2002 and 28 June
2002. [162] Juan Alonso Gaitán
Urbina, National Coordinator, ORD, quoted in “Discapacitados de guerra
mueren sin asistencia,” El Nuevo Diario, 9 July 2002; FCC,
“Acción Sobre Minas Terrestres,” 29 February
2004. [163] Intervention by CND,
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration,
Geneva, 4 February 2003. [164]
Interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, 25 June
2004. [165] Roger Olivia, “INSS
sube pensión a discapacitados,” El Nuevo Diario, 14 June
2002. [166] Roger Olivas, “De la
tragedia al éxito,” El Nuevo Diario, 8 December 2003; interview
with Wilber Torre Morales, ORD, 22 March 2004; interview with Uriel Carazo, FCC,
18 March 2004. [167] Luis Felipe
Palacios, “Ejército nica abandona a ex zapadores,” La Prensa,
25 August 2003; María José Uriarte R, “Ejército
investigará casos de ex zapadores,” La Prensa, 26 August
2003. [168] Comments by Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, Meeting at Ministry of Defense, 21 April
2004. [169] Interview with Uriel
Carazo, FCC, 18 March 2004.