Key developments since May 2004: Nicaragua acted as a Friend of the
President of the First Review Conference and has served as co-chair of the
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration since
December 2004. Nicaragua hosted a Workshop on Advancing Victim Assistance in
the Americas in April 2005. In October 2004, Nicaragua destroyed 810
antipersonnel mines previously retained for training purposes. During 2004,
387,906 square meters of land were cleared, and 10,430 landmines and 653 UXO
were destroyed. New minefields are still being discovered in Nicaragua. From
1990 to 28 February 2005, Army demining teams cleared 120,568 antipersonnel
landmines, including 11,092 unrecorded mines, from 4,106,714 square meters. It
was estimated that 26,167 mines remained to be cleared. In 2004, 102,239 people
in 315 high-risk communities received mine risk education, as did almost 30,000
people in 102 communities January-April 2005. International donors provided $4
million for mine action in Nicaragua in 2004. At the First Review Conference,
Nicaragua was identified as one of 24 States Parties with significant numbers of
mine survivors, and with the greatest needs and responsibility to provide
adequate survivor assistance. In June 2005, Nicaragua presented some of its
objectives for the period 2005-2009 to address the needs of mine survivors.
Mine Ban Policy
The Republic of 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 ]On 19 May 2005,
Nicaragua submitted its fifth Article 7 transparency report, covering the period
to 28 February 2005.[2]
Nicaragua participated actively in the First Review Conference of the Mine
Ban Treaty held in Nairobi in November-December 2004. As one of six Friends of
the President, Nicaragua assisted with preparations for and execution of the
Review Conference, including the drafting of key documents.
Nicaragua attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June
2005. Nicaragua has served as co-chair, together with Norway, of the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration since December
2004. It served as co-rapporteur of the committee from September 2003 to
December 2004. Nicaragua has actively sought to increase awareness of and
priority given to victim assistance, and has helped to develop the initiative
focused on 24 States Parties with the greatest needs in this aspect of treaty
implementation. On 26-27 April 2005, Nicaragua hosted a workshop on victim
assistance in the Americas.[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, foreign stockpiling and
transit of antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or
antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.
However, in December 2004, the Technical Secretary of the National Demining
Commission informed Landmine Monitor that the Nicaraguan Ministry of Defense has
published a “policy document which supports all elements of Article
1.” He also said Nicaragua has taken a position against
“smart” mines.[4 ]In
December 2004 and again in June 2005 Nicaragua informed Landmine Monitor that it
has not taken a position regarding antivehicle
mines.[5]
Nicaragua is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its
Amended Protocol II. Nicaragua attended the Sixth Annual Meeting of States
Parties to Amended Protocol II in November 2004, but did not submit the annual
report required by Article 13. Nicaragua ratified CCW Protocol V on Explosive
Remnants of War on 15 September 2005.
Production, Transfer and Use
Nicaragua has stated that it has never produced antipersonnel
mines.[6 ]It is not known to have
ever exported mines. There were no reports of use of antipersonnel mines by any
actor in 2004 or the first half of 2005. Since the end of the conflict in 1990,
there have only been a very small number of reports of mine use, usually by
criminal elements or by civilians for such purposes as fishing or preventing
cattle theft.[7]
Stockpile Destruction and Retained Mines
Nicaragua destroyed its stockpile of 133,435
antipersonnel mines in eleven separate events between 12 April 1999 and 28
August 2002, in advance of its 1 May 2003 treaty-mandated
deadline.[8 ]
On 27 October 2004, 810 antipersonnel mines that had been set aside for
training by the Nicaraguan Army were
destroyed.[9 ]Nicaragua’s
2005 Article 7 report states that this leaves a total of 1,040 antipersonnel
mines retained for demining training.[10 ]According to a military official, the mines retained for training are held
at military storage areas in Managua and
Esteli.[11 ]Nicaragua has not yet
reported in any detail on the intended purposes and actual uses of its retained
mines—a step agreed to by States Parties in the Nairobi Action Plan that
emerged from the First Review Conference.
The 2005 Article 7 report cites two other amendments to previous accounts of
the number of mines retained. Fifty additional PP-MiSR-11 antipersonnel mines
are included, correcting a reporting error that has existed since the first
Article 7 report submitted in 1999.[12 ]A total of 121 MON-50 and MON-200 (Claymore-type) directional
fragmentation mines previously reported as mines retained for training have been
excluded from the list as these mines are “not included in the
restrictions established by the Ottawa
Convention.”[13 ]However,
Nicaragua has not reported on what steps it has taken to ensure that the mines
can only be used in command-detonated mode, so that they do in fact conform to
the treaty.
In Nicaragua, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) are sometimes kept by
civilians; they are collected by mine action teams where possible.
Landmine and UXO Problem
Nicaragua’s landmine problem is a result of the 1979-1990 internal
armed conflict. In the early 1990s, more than half a million Nicaraguans lived
less than five kilometers from mined areas containing 135,643 recorded
landmines. In January 2005, the government claimed that 15,779 recorded
landmines remained in 124 mine-affected areas. However, when an estimation of
unrecorded mines is included (based on the numbers found previously during
demining in other mined areas), the total number of mines is calculated to be
26,167.[14 ]The majority of
mine-affected areas are in the north of Nicaragua along the border with Honduras
in the departments of Jinotega and Nueva Segovia, and in the North Atlantic
Autonomous Region (RAAN). The department of Matalgapa, in the central region,
was also affected to a lesser degree.[15 ]
Not all mined areas are marked or fenced, in part due to the number of mined
areas in remote areas, and the fact that previously marked areas have had the
markings/fences removed by
civilians.[16 ]
New minefields continue to be discovered as a result of information provided
by the public and incidents in areas not previously suspected to be
mine-affected.[17 ]Thus, in June
2004, civilians in the community of Arados in Monsonte municipality found a hand
grenade, a rocket-propelled grenade and a bounding antipersonnel landmine. Two
of these devices were discovered by
children.[18 ]Nicaragua reported
that, from 1989 to February 2005, it had cleared a total of 11,092 previously
unrecorded antipersonnel landmines based on reports from the civilian
population.[19 ]
Nicaragua is also contaminated with UXO. The extent and nature of UXO
contamination has not been detailed as fully as has the mine problem, but the
reported destruction of over half a million items of UXO in the period to 28
February 2005 indicates substantial UXO
contamination.[20 ]The majority of
casualties in 2003 and 2004 were caused by UXO rather than mines (six UXO
casualties and one mine casualty, in each
year).[21]
There is evidence that mine/UXO contamination has adversely affected the
environment and the economic well-being of inhabitants of mine-affected areas,
and that it has made normal economic activities hazardous and limited
infrastructure development. In February 2005, an exploding landmine in La
Chamuscada, in the municipality of San Fernando which borders Honduras, started
a forest fire which in turn brought on the explosion of at least nine more
mines. Volunteer firefighters were not able to enter the mined areas to
extinguish fires due to the presence of landmines; 332 hectares (250
manzanas) of pine trees were
affected.[22]
Civilians storing landmines and UXO in their homes pose a particular problem
in Nicaragua. UNICEF staff in Jinotega reported finding UXO stored under beds,
in ovens, in wells and suspended from beams to hold down tin
roofing.[23 ]In January 2005, a
15-year-old boy lost both hands and sustained severe damage to his eyes and body
when he discovered an F4 antivehicle mine that had been stored in a house in
Juan de Río Coco, department of
Madriz.[24 ]
Mine Action Coordination and Planning
The government body responsible for mine action is the National Demining
Commission (CND), established in November 1998. The Commission's president is
the Minister of Defense, Avil Ramírez, and the Executive Secretary is the
Vice-Minister of Defense, María Auxiliadora Cuadra de Frech. The CND's
employees are paid by the Ministry of Defense, but it has no operational budget
and works with resources from donor countries channeled through the Organization
of American States (OAS) and bilateral
assistance.[25 ]
CND has three working sub-commissions, on demining, mine risk education, and
survivor rehabilitation and reintegration, which meet three times a year. They
are made up of representatives of over 20 government institutions, local NGOs
and international organizations, including the ministries of defense, health and
education, the Army, OAS, Nicaraguan Red Cross, UNICEF, Fundacion Commission
Conjunta and Handicap International. The process of restructuring the
sub-commissions continued into 2005. CND members hold monthly
meetings.[26 ]
OAS, through the Program for Integrated Action against Antipersonnel Mines
(AICMA), coordinates and supervises the Assistance Program for Demining in
Central America (PADCA), with the technical support of the Inter-American
Defense Board (IADB). IADB is responsible for the international supervisory
team in charge of training and certification, called the Assistance Mission for
Mine Clearance in Central America
(MARMINCA).[27 ]In 2005, the MARMINCA technical team in Nicaragua consisted of 17
individuals from Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and
Venezuela.[28 ]MARMINCA salaries
and living expenses are covered by their respective governments, while other
costs are covered by OAS
PADCA.[29 ]
On 14 June 2005, public consultation on a white paper proposal for a
national defense policy was completed, with no changes to the section on the
national demining program. The white paper is expected to be presented to the
President of Nicaragua. As proposed, it will make the national demining program
state policy.[30 ]Nicaragua’s
national demining plans are outlined in the Policy on Removal and Destruction of
Landmines, and in the Policy for Comprehensive Assistance to Survivors of Mines
or War-related Objects, both formulated by
CND.[31 ]These two policies form
part of the National Humanitarian Demining Program.
Mine clearance in Nicaragua is the responsibility of Pequeñas
Unidades de Desminado (Small Demining Units) of the Engineer Corps of the
Nicaraguan Army. As of February 2005, approximately 650 Army members were
trained and equipped to engage in mine
clearance.[32 ]Mine clearance is
organized on five geographical fronts, each with an operational
team.[33 ]
A national impact survey has not been carried out in Nicaragua, but several
other assessments have been conducted, including by the UN in December 1998.
However, the Army bases its work on records of mine-laying and information
received from the public.[34 ]
Nicaragua’s mechanical demining unit consists of four demining
machines. Japan donated two Hitachi demining machines in 2001 and a third
machine equipped with a metal detector and integrated magnet in
2005.[35 ]In February-March 2005,
Nicaragua received a mine clearance vehicle on a one-year renewable loan from
the US government.[36 ]Two
Nicaraguan Army personnel were trained in the US on how to operate the vehicle,
which began operations in January 2005 in San Antonio de las Cuchillas,
Jinotega.[37 ]According to the US
Department of State, training in the US took place in November 2004. Additional
training was provided in February-March 2005 after the vehicle arrived in
Nicaragua. Clearance operations commenced immediately after the
training.[38 ]
The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) has been used in
Nicaragua on a regional basis since 2002. In 2004, the OAS PADCA program
assumed the role of sourcing information and maintaining the IMSMA
database.[39 ]Information on mined
areas, mine clearance and casualties in IMSMA is used for program planning,
monitoring and evaluation. Information is provided by the Army, ministries of
defense and health, National Center for Technical Assistance and Orthotics,
MARMINCA supervisors, CND’s Technical Secretary and mine risk educators.
IMSMA information on Nicaragua is available to the public through the OAS
Nicaragua webpage on
demining.[40]
Mine and UXO Clearance
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Nicaragua’s deadline for the
destruction of all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or
control is not later than 1 May 2009. Nicaragua has moved back its projected
date for completing demining operations several times, from 2004 to 2005 to
2006.[41 ]On 29 September 2004, the
Minister of Defense met the OAS Secretary-General to discuss extending the
clearance deadline for Nicaragua’s National Humanitarian Demining Program
to 2007.[42 ]In December 2004, Dr.
Juan Umaña, CND Technical Secretary, informed Landmine Monitor that
“Nicaragua hopes to have cleared 99% of registered AP mines by December
2006 and to have cleared all UXOs by
2008.”[43 ]In a report
provided to Landmine Monitor in April 2005, OAS states that Nicaragua will be a
“Mine Safe country in
2006.”[44 ]Nicaragua also
reports that in 2007 it plans to maintain one demining team of roughly 130
people with the capacity for manual demining, mechanical demining, a mobile
response to public calls, explosive ordnance disposal and certification of
demined areas.[45 ]
In its Article 7 report of 19 May 2005, Nicaragua reiterated the challenges
that its mine clearance operations
face.[46 ]In November 2004, the
Engineers Corps Chief of Staff added that 20 percent of the Army's demining
equipment has to be replaced
annually.[47 ]According to Colonel
Rafael Guerra Ibarra, the continuing discovery of previously unknown minefields,
particularly in the department of Nueva Segovia, is a complicating factor that
has slowed the demining process.[48 ]
In 2004, demining teams cleared 387,906 square meters, destroying 10,430
landmines and 653 UXO. Between January and March 2005, OAS PADCA reported that
demining teams cleared 65,294 square meters and destroyed 1,903 mines and 143
UXO.[49 ]Demining teams responded
to 279 civilian reports in 2004, identifying 437 mines and 3,938 UXO. Between
January and March of 2005, demining teams responded to 32 civilian reports,
identifying 76 mines and 299 UXO.[50 ]Also in 2005, mines were discovered in the area around a radio antenna
near Tipitapa, in the department of Managua; as of 22 April, eight mines had
been removed from this area.[51]
In the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS), demining operations
continued during 2004, following the discovery of unrecorded mined areas;
clearance in RAAS was completed by May
2005.[52 ]Nicaragua had previously
(March 2003) reported the completion of mine clearance in RAAS, as well as
Boaco, Chinandega and Chontales
departments.[53 ]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.[54 ]OAS said that the
previously affected Rio Negro area has been demined “to the best degree
possible,” uncovering buried landmines and UXO up to one meter
deep.[55 ]
In April 2005, OAS reported that the number of people living less than five
kilometers from danger areas had been reduced to 45,300 in 180
communities.[56]
At the end of February 2005, and since operations began in 1990, Nicaraguan
demining teams had cleared a total of 120,568 antipersonnel landmines, including
11,092 unrecorded mines from 4,106,714 square meters of land. This left an
estimated total of 26,167 mines to be cleared, representing a completion rate of
80 percent. In addition, 558,490 UXO were also cleared. Following a process of
area reduction, a further 8,213,428 square meters were no longer considered
dangerous.[57 ]
According to the Minister of Defense and the 2005 Article 7 report,
clearance priorities for 2004 and 2005 included the remaining populated areas
with landmine problems in the departments of Nueva Segovia, Jinotega and
RAAN.[58]Mine clearance in these
areas will allow for their repopulation and for increased agricultural
production to enhance the national
economy.[59]Prioritization for
clearance is reported to be based on population density and location of
infrastructure, such as high-tension towers and bridges. The Army Deputy Chief
of Staff said, “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.” He added that 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.[60]
In 2005, the five operational teams for mine clearance were deployed as
follows: Front 1, San Fernando, department of Nueva Segovia; Front 2,
Wiwilí, department of Jinotega; Front 3, Murra, Nueva Segovia; Front 4,
Jalapa, Nueva Segovia; Front Five, Waspán municipality in RAAN
department.[61]
In late 2004, OAS provided the National Demining Commission with US$28,000
for the repair of a 16-kilometer route, uniting the community of El Corozo,
headquarters of Front 4, with minefields located in the community of Las Pampas,
Nueva Segovia. The infrastructure project allowed minesweeping equipment to
access mine-affected areas, permits the evacuation of sappers in the case of
accidents, and provides improved access to markets for the inhabitants of five
communities.[62 ]Rural road
rehabilitation in the mine-affected areas along the Honduras border in the
departments of Nueva Segovia and Jinotega is one of the major problems faced by
the national demining program.[63 ]
Official studies have not been completed to identify the quantity of demined
land used for productive purposes. However, Carlos Orozco, National Coordinator
of OAS PADCA, stated that the “OAS has knowledge about demined land being
used productively in numerous
communities.”[64]
In its 2005 Article 7 report, Nicaragua indicated that 558,490 UXO had been
destroyed through demining
operations.[65 ]A large quantity of
unexploded ordnance, such as bombs, grenades, mortars and ammunition, remain in
former combat areas, including urban
areas.[66 ]For example, 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).[67 ]According to Colonel
Spiro Bassi, it is difficult to estimate the number of munitions that may exist
in urban and rural areas. For this reason, Nicaragua will maintain mobile
clearance teams after the official demining program is
completed.[68]
There were no reports of mine accidents causing deminer casualties in 2004.
On 4 February 2005, a deminer from Front 3 was injured while working in
Juanito.[69 ]The 2005 database of
casualties since 1990 includes 24 mine/UXO accidents that occurred during
clearance operations, resulting in 38 casualties (five killed and 33
injured).[70 ]
MARMINCA and the Army investigate deminer accidents. Deminers are insured.
Survivors are treated in a military hospital and provided access to OAS
rehabilitation programs and military
support.[71]
So-called civilian demining has been reported in previous years. In May
2004, the then-head of MARMINCA in Nicaragua reported 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.”[72 ]However, no
specific instances of village demining were
reported.[73]
Mine Risk Education
In 2004 and 2005, mine risk education (MRE) in Nicaragua was provided by OAS
PADCA, Nicaraguan Red Cross, UNICEF and Christian Medical Action (Acción
Médica Cristiana). MRE activities were coordinated by the CND’s
Education and Prevention Sub-commission.
MRE is focused on priority communities in the remaining mine-affected areas,
including two departments, Nueva Segovia and Jinotega, and the autonomous
province of RAAN. In 2004, UNICEF operated in Jinotega, OAS PADCA in Nueva
Segovia, and Acción Médica Cristiana, OAS PADCA and the Red Cross
in RAAN. These regions are characterized by rugged terrain, poor access and
high levels of seasonal labor migration that results in a flux of people
entering mine-affected areas. Prioritization of MRE depends on the number of
accidents that have occurred in a given area and the proximity of mine-affected
areas.
OAS PADCA reported that in 2004 a total of 102,239 people in 315 high-risk
communities received MRE, primarily in Nueva Segovia (municipalities of Mosonte,
San Fernando, Jalapa and Murra) and RAAN (municipality of
Waspam).[74 ]In 2004, a joint
UNICEF-OAS MRE project operated in Jinotega (municipalities of Jinotega and
Wiwili).[75 ]From January to April
2005, 29,707 people in 102 communities received MRE.
OAS PADCA has four staff in Nueva Segovia to directly deliver MRE (a
coordinator and three MRE technicians), four staff in RAAN (a coordinator and
three technicians), and a network of volunteers. MRE activities include
community and house visits, child-to-child education, coordination with demining
teams, training workshops and dissemination of MRE
materials.[76 ]One of the defining
characteristics of the OAS MRE program is that the MRE message is delivered
directly to affected communities. MRE promoters visit each house and school in
the mine-affected area.[77 ]The
Paso Seguro Sin Minas campaign has been strengthened by including community
leaders, teachers, students and MRE promoters from affected
areas.[78 ]
CND supported MRE in 2004 in coordination with OAS PADCA, including MRE
messages on two radio stations for communities in the northern border region,
and MRE billboards on highways and near affected areas. In high-risk areas of
Jalapa, the OAS PADCA team based in Ocotal hosts a weekly radio program
including MRE messages.[79 ]The OAS
reports that community members “do not just learn about the danger of
mines, types of mines, mechanisms of reporting mines, but in many cases are the
main source of information for locating mines and
UXOs.”[80]
On 22 October 2004, OAS PADCA and CND held an awards ceremony for a painting
contest as part of an MRE campaign in 79 affected communities. The contest was
held in schools in the municipalities of Jalapa, Mozonte, San Fernando, Murra
and Waspan. More than 300 students
participated.[81]
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 an MRE program called
“Sigamos por el Camino Seguro” (“Let’s follow the safe
path”) in 2004, primarily in the department of
Jinotega.[82 ]According to OAS, the
UNICEF program reached 47,637 people in Jinotega between January and November
2004.[83 ]UNICEF collaborated with
the OAS and CND to prioritize MRE activities in high-risk communities and in
communities where other organizations were not working. In 2004, UNICEF reports
that it intensified the use of community-based MRE methodologies, provided more
coverage, used a variety of MRE techniques and developed new MRE
materials.[84 ]In 2004, UNICEF
employed three staff to deliver MRE directly.
ICRC has supported MRE activities by the Nicaraguan Red Cross since 1998.
In rural schools in RAAN, the Red Cross provided MRE to 1,150 children in two
districts (Waspán and Siuna), and facilitated first aid training to 21
volunteers. This MRE program was conducted in both Spanish and the local
Miskito language, and was completed in
2004.[85 ]
In 2004, Acción Médica Cristiana (AMC) provided MRE to more
than 20,000 people in 37 communities in RAAN (municipality of Waspam). AMC has
a four-person MRE team and works in coordination with the ministries of
education and health, and local mayors and
schools.[86]
The MRE program implemented by OAS PADCA uses standards from the national
prevention guide, which have been certified by the CND. The design of MRE
materials is said to take into consideration the behavior of people in
mine-affected communities, including their livelihood activities, and materials
are disseminated in local languages.[87 ]Prior to use in the community, MRE materials are validated by the
community and certified by
CND.[88]
OAS PADCA's national coordinator reported that the success of the MRE
program in Nicaragua can be measured by: the reduction in mine incidents; the
number of mines collected from civilian homes; the creation of community-based
MRE (to students, teachers and community leaders), which enhances the
sustainability of the campaign; progress with the national demining plan;
increased security in affected and formerly affected
communities.[89 ]The President of
CND stated that Nicaragua has “been able to drastically decrease the
number of accidents from landmine and explosive devices, through the design and
implementation of education and prevention campaigns that provide door-to-door
mine risk education in order to ensure that the message reaches all the people
that reside in communities near the
minefields.”[90]
Ongoing challenges include the difficult terrain and access to isolated
mine-affected communities, which requires MRE promoters to travel on horse, foot
and/or boat, and heavy rain that limits access to many communities for several
months each year. The dispersed nature of settlements can also limit direct MRE
and makes face-to- face MRE more difficult and
expensive.[91]
Funding and Assistance
It is difficult to identify mine action funding for Nicaragua on an annual
basis, because many donors designate funds for the OAS AICMA program and not
Nicaragua specifically, and some provide multi-year funding. The Nicaraguan
government's mine action activities are funded by the international community,
either bilaterally or through the OAS AICMA
program.[92 ]
In 2004 five donor countries reported contributing US$3,988,969 to mine
action in Nicaragua.[93 ]This is
more than the $3.5 million that OAS had reported was required for
Nicaragua’s mine action program in
2004.[94 ]However, in April 2004
Nicaragua reported a $2.8 million shortfall in mine action
funding.[95 ]The following
countries reported donating funding in 2004:
Canada: C$300,000 ($230,468) to OAS for mine clearance on the Honduran
border (Front 4);[96]
Denmark: DKK5,043,384 ($842,094) for mine clearance, capacity-building and
MRE;[97]
Norway: NOK3,250,000 ($482,203) to OAS for mine clearance (Front
4);[98]
Sweden: SEK6,600,000 ($898,204) to OAS for mine clearance (Front
3);[99]
US: $1,536,000 to OAS for mine clearance (Front
5).[100]
The OAS Director of Mine Action told Landmine Monitor that approximately
$800,000 is needed annually to maintain an operational front. The canine
demining unit costs some $1.2 million a year to
run.[101 ]
The OAS PADCA MRE program in Nicaragua operates with an average annual
budget of $150,000; funds are provided by Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden and
US.[102 ]In September 2004, OAS
AICMA reported to the OAS Hemispheric Security Commission that “operations
of one of the five 100-man demining units may be suspended if some $250,000 in
additional financing are not received” by the end of October
2005.[103 ]
Nicaragua has also received in-kind assistance for mine action. A number of
countries have contributed military personnel to the mine action program in
Nicaragua, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Uruguay, Venezuela and
Bolivia.[104 ]OAS reports that
the US firm RONCO has provided in-kind contributions of mine detection dogs and
vehicles.[105]
On 17 January 2005, it was announced that Japan had donated more than $1
million for the third phase of demining operations in Jinotega and the
RAAN.[106 ]
UNICEF was reported to be fundraising to re-establish MRE activities in 2005
and 2006.[107 ]Previously, UNICEF
implemented an MRE program, funded ($150,000) by Japan through UNMAS.
Nicaragua is currently seeking funding to support the process of
demobilizing mine clearance personnel in 2007 once clearance operations have
ceased. Nicaragua plans to provide partial compensation and retraining to
facilitate the transition to civilian
life.[108]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2004, OAS PADCA recorded seven new mine/UXO
casualties, including one person killed and six injured in five mine/UXO
incidents; one casualty was caused by a landmine and six by
UXO.[109 ]Seven mine/UXO
casualties (one killed and six injured) in four mine/UXO incidents were also
reported in 2003; one incident was caused by a landmine.
Casualties continue to be recorded in 2005. As of August, four mine/UXO
incidents were recorded, in which four people were injured; one incident was
caused by a landmine.
OAS PADCA and other sources acknowledge that it is difficult to determine
the exact number of mine and UXO casualties in Nicaragua, as many incidents in
rural areas are still believed to go unreported. It is estimated that there are
between 700 and 2,000 mine/UXO survivors in
Nicaragua.[110 ]
As of August 2005, the OAS PADCA IMSMA database had registered a total of
895 mine/UXO casualties in the country since 1980, of which 80 people were
killed and 815 injured. The casualties were reported in 764 separate incidents
or demining accidents, of which 600 (79 percent) involved mines and 164 (21
percent) involved UXO. The database is continuously updated as past incidents
are reported.
Of the 857 casualties in mine/UXO incidents, children under the age of 12
accounted for at least 49 casualties (six percent), and adolescents aged between
12 and 20 accounted for at least 168 casualties (20 percent). Women or
young girls accounted for 90 casualties (10 percent). The majority of mine/UXO
casualties were engaged in agricultural activities at the time of the
incident.[111 ]The profile of 90
percent of landmine survivors in Nicaragua includes: lives in a rural area; has
multiple disabilities; is an agricultural worker; is head of a family with many
children; does not own a home; has a low level of education; works in informal
activities. A small percentage of survivors receive a pension of $7 to $27 a
month.[112]
On 4 February 2005, a deminer was injured during mine clearance operations
in Juanito.[113 ]As of August
2005, the database contained records of 24 accidents during clearance
operations, resulting in 38 casualties (five killed and 33
injured).[114 ]
The majority of mine/UXO casualties have been reported in the northern
departments of Nueva Segovia (36 percent) and Jinotega (23 percent), as well as
in 11 other departments and in the RAAN and RAAS autonomous
regions.[115 ]
Survivor Assistance
At the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in November/ December
2004, Nicaragua was identified as one of 24 States Parties with significant
numbers of mine survivors, and with “the greatest responsibility to act,
but also the greatest needs and expectations for assistance” in providing
adequate services for the care, rehabilitation and reintegration of
survivors.[116 ]Nicaragua hosted
and participated in a workshop in Managua on 26-27 April 2005, which was
organized by the co-chairs of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration, to assist States Parties in developing a plan of
action to meet the aims of the Nairobi Action Plan in relation to mine victim
assistance. Since the First Review Conference, Nicaragua has been co-chair,
with Norway, of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic
Reintegration.
In June 2005, as part of its commitment to the Nairobi Action Plan,
Nicaragua presented some of its objectives for the period 2005-2009 to address
the needs of mine survivors, which include: guaranteeing medical attention and
rehabilitation to all registered survivors; providing vocational training to
mine survivors after they have received physical and psychological
rehabilitation through the OAS program; supporting small economic projects for
the benefit of groups of
survivors.[117]
Major providers of mine survivor assistance include OAS PADCA, the National
Center of Technical Assistance and Orthopedic Elements (Centro Nacional de
Ayudas Tecnicas y Elementos Ortoprotésico, CENAPRORTO), Walking Unidos,
the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, Different Capacities
(Capacidades Diferentes, CAPADIFE), Handicap International and a number of small
NGOs.
In April 2004, 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.[118 ]OAS PADCA
also assisted 293 landmine survivors with 755 physical and psychological
rehabilitation treatments in 2004. Between January and March 2005, the OAS
PADCA program assisted 174 survivors, providing 365 medical and rehabilitation
treatments; 35 percent related to providing or improving prostheses and 65
percent to providing specialized medical treatment. As of 31 March 2005, the
OAS PADCA program had delivered rehabilitation services (physical rehabilitation
and psychological support), through CENAPRORTO, to 718 landmine survivors (88
percent of registered survivors) since the program was established in 1997. In
2004, the budget for the OAS PADCA medical rehabilitation program was
$150,000.[119 ]
CENAPRORTO in Managua continues to be the main provider of physical
rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics, and psychological support for persons
with disabilities, including mine/UXO survivors who account for 40 percent of
amputees assisted by the center. In 2004, CENAPRORTO produced 407 prostheses;
156 were for mine survivors. CENAPRORTO also produced 788 orthoses, and
distributed 97 wheelchairs and 146 pairs of
crutches.[120]
In 2004, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Special Fund
for the Disabled (SFD) reimbursed CENAPRORTO the cost of 119 prostheses, 60
orthoses and 97 wheelchairs. The Nicaraguan Red Cross also identifies amputees
and if necessary provides transport to the center. ICRC-SFD’s support to
CENAPRORTO has been partly transferred to a newly created center in Managua
called Different Capacities (CAPADIFE), which opened in October 2004 through a
partnership between ICRC-SFD, Foundation for Rehabilitation Walking Unidos
(FURWUS) and the Polus Center. In 2004, the center provided 21 prostheses,
eight orthoses and 28 pairs of crutches. CAPADIFE has a goal of producing 35
prostheses a month. Between January and March 2005, CAPADIFE produced 74
prostheses (four for mine survivors), five orthoses, 11 wheelchairs and 81 pairs
of crutches. Funding for prostheses in the first quarter of 2005 has been
provided by ICRC-SFD (63 prostheses), Polus Center (six prostheses), OAS (three
prostheses) and other national support (one
prosthesis).[121]
The US-based Polus Center for Social and Economic Development Inc. assists
persons with disabilities, particularly those who have lost limbs due to war,
landmines or other trauma, through the 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. ICRC-SFD provides materials and
technical advice. Services are provided free of charge, or at a reduced cost
for the poor. In 2004, Walking Unidos provided 78 prostheses and 106 orthoses,
and another 23 prostheses in the first quarter of 2005; none of the
beneficiaries were mine survivors.[122 ]
The Polus Center also supports several activities that provide socioeconomic
opportunities for persons with
disabilities.[123 ]Walking Unidos
implements an economic integration project, funded by the Inter-American
Foundation.[124]
Handicap International works with municipalities, local NGOs and the
ministries of health and education to provide medical rehabilitation,
physiotherapy and job training to persons with disabilities, including landmine
survivors. It supports physical medicine and rehabilitation at an orthopedic
center and four physiotherapy centers in Trinidad, Estelí department, and
a community-based rehabilitation
network.[125 ]
Several factors limit opportunities for the socioeconomic reintegration of
mine survivors, including: low academic levels among mine survivors and limited
access to education; limited government and private/public sector awareness
about disability and equality issues;
discrimination.[126]
As of May 2005, 137 landmine survivors (17 percent of registered mine
survivors) from 12 departments and 41 municipalities have received support
through the National Technological Institute (INATEC)-PADCA OAS socioeconomic
skills training program since the program began in 2002, including 37 in phase
four in 2004. The long-term goal of the OAS is to provide training and
education opportunities for 60 percent of survivors and access to micro projects
for 30 percent. Training is provided in carpentry and woodworking, welding,
automotive electrics, electric appliance repair, auto mechanics, computer
operation and repair, electronic repair, civil construction, tailoring,
shoemaking, hotel management and tourism, bicycle repair, classical guitar,
adult education, English language and photography. According to the OAS, 68
percent of participants in the first two phases of the training program have
secured employment or started income generating activities following the
completion of their training. The program was supported by donations from
France and Spain in 2004.[127 ]
Beneficiaries of mine survivor reintegration projects initiated by the
Canadian Falls Brook Centre (FBC) continue to have success running independent
small businesses. FBC continues to support survivor assistance programs in
Nicaragua through youth exchange programs and a youth intern program funded
through the Canadian International Development
Agency.[128]
The Planting Hope Education Fund scholarship program, supported by donations
from Canadian citizens, is assisting with the educational costs of 45
impoverished rural children in 2005, including 12 children of mine survivors.
In 2004, 35 children were assisted, 10 were children of landmine
survivors.[129 ]
Other organizations assisting or representing mine survivors and other
persons with disabilities include the: Consejo Nacional de Prevención y
Rehabilitación (National Rehabilitation Council); 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); Organization of Disabled
Revolutionaries (Organización de Revolucionarios Discapacitados, ORD);
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).[130 ]FCC is currently
working to secure funding to continue existing programs providing micro-credit
assistance to mine survivors and to initiate new survivor assistance
initiatives.[131]
Disability Policy and Practice
Nicaragua has legislation and policies to protect
the rights of persons with disabilities, including landmine survivors.
Government support has, however, been constrained by a lack of
resources.[132 ]According to a
national survey in 2003, 10 percent of the Nicaraguan population has a
disability; however, only three percent were aware of their rights under the
law, and only 19 percent belong to an organization that supports the rights of
people with disabilities.[133]
Several recent projects have reportedly 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.[134 ]
[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. See earlier editions of Landmine Monitor Report for
details. As of June 2005, there had been no prosecutions under this law.
Interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, Technical Secretary, National Demining
Commission (CND), Geneva, 17 June 2005.
[2]The previous Article 7 reports
were submitted: 28 April 2004 (for the period to 31 March 2004); 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); 18 May 2000 (for an unspecified
period, but containing information as of 30 September 1999).
[3 ]Representatives from Colombia,
Perú, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Geneva International Centre for
Humanitarian Demining, ICBL and Landmine Monitor attended the workshop.
[4 ]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World (First Review
Conference), 3 December 2004.
[5]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, First Review Conference, Nairobi, 3 December 2004; interview
with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, Geneva, 17 June 2005.
[6 ]This is stated in all
Nicaragua’s Article 7 reports. In a 1998 interview, the Army Chief of
Operations said the Sandinista People’s Army had manufactured a primitive
Claymore-type directional fragmentation called TAP-4 mine around 1985, but the
weapon was never exported and production ceased before the end of the civil war.
Col. César Delgadillo, Army Chief of Operations, communication with
Landmine Monitor researcher, Managua, 4 December 1998.
[7]For more details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 618-619.
[8 ]The stockpile destroyed
consisted of the following mines: 43,312 PMN; 37,022 PMN-2; 1,803 PMD-6M; 5,351
PP-MiSr-II; 4,164 PMOZ-2; 38,682 PMOZ-2M; 1,015 PMFH-1; 2,086 NVVR. Article 7
Report, Form D, 28 April 2004, p. 13. The Nicaraguan Army destroyed the mines by
open detonation, with technical support provided through the Organization of
American States (OAS). Destruction took place in the presence of observers,
including NGOs and media, and Nicaragua has indicated its willingness to share
its technical expertise in stockpile destruction with other countries.
[9 ]Article 7 Report, Form D, 19
May 2005; “Nicaragua Destroys 810 Training Mines,” National
Demining Commission (CND) Magazine, November 2004, p. 8. The mines
destroyed included 260 POMZ-2M, 50 POMZ-2, 200 PMN, 200 PMN-2, 50 PP-MiSR-II, 25
OZM-4, and 25 PMEH.
[10 ]The 1,040 mines retained are
300 PMN, 300 PMN-2, 240 POMZ-2M, 50 POMZ-2,100 PP-MiSR-II, 25 OZM-4, and 25
PMEH. Article 7 Report, Form D, Table 1, 19 May 2005.
[11 ]Interview with Col. Spiro
Bassi, Nicaraguan Army, at Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 17 June
2005.
[12 ]Article 7 Report, Form D, 19
May 2005.
[13 ]Article 7 Report, Form D, 19
May 2005. This total of 121 “MON-50 and MON-200 mines” appears to
include the 100 MON-50 mines and 10 MON-200 mines that were listed in both the
2003 and 2004 Article 7 reports, as well as 11 MON-100 mines listed in the 2003
Article 7 report, but not the 2004 Article 7 report.
[14 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[15 ]In these departments, the
municipalities which are mine-affected are: Jinotega; Jalapa, Murra, Mozonte,
San Fernando and Wiwilí (in Nueva Segovia); Bonanza, Cabo Gracias a
Díos, Rosita, and Waspam (in RAAN); El Tuma-La Dalia and Matagalpa (in
Matagalpa department). “Updates from States Parties on the Status of
Implementation of Article 5,” Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, June
2005.
[16 ]Interview with Col. Spiro
Bassi, Nicaraguan Army, at Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, 17 June
2005.
[17 ]Interview with Ramon Zapeda,
MRE Coordinator, OAS, Ocotal, Nueva Segovia, 28 May 2004.
[18 ]Alina Lorío L.,
“Siguen encontrando minas en Mosonte,” La Prensa (Managua),
25 June 2004. For other examples of newly discovered mined areas, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 620.
[19 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[20 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[21]See later section, Landmine
and UXO Casualties.
[22]Alina Lorío L,
“Incendio forestal en campo minado,” La Prensa (Managua), 11
February 2005. For other examples, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp.
620-621.
[23 ]Fransisco Mendoza S.,
“Avanza plan de desminado,” El Nuevo Diario (Managua), 19
April 2004; interview with Wanda Obando, MRE Coordinator, UNICEF, Managua, 1
June 2004.
[24 ]Carlos Martínez
Morán, “Explosivo le mutila ambas manos,” La Prensa
(Managua), 15 January 2005; Iván Castro, “Viejas minas
antipersonales cobran víctimas en Nicaragua,” Reuters
(Managua), 15 February 2005; Máximo Rugama y Henry Vargas,
“Mina destroza existencia de adolescente,” El Nuevo Diario
(Managua), 19 January 2005.
[25 ]Roberto Fonseca L.,
“Interview with Maria Auxiliadora Cuadra, Vice Minister of Defense and
Executive Secretary of the CND,” CND Magazine, November 2004, p. 8.
[26 ]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, Managua, 2 April 2004; see also
www.desminadonicaragua. gob.ni/cnd.asp
[27 ]Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire by Carlos J. Orozco, National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, 5 February
2003; see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 377.
[28 ]Interview with Col. Rafael
Guerra Ibarra, Chief, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 25 April 2005;
“Traspaso De Mando De Jefatura De La Mision De Asistencia Para La Remocion
De Minas En Centroamerica (Marminca),” Nota De Prensa 03-2005, Ministerio
De Defensa, Comisión Nacional De Desminado, 28 Enero 2005.
[29 ]Interview with Col. Nelson
Leonel Bonilla Romero, Chief, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 31 May 2004. See
also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 622.
[30 ]“Finaliza Etapa de
Consulta A la Nacion e la Version Preliminar del Libro de la Defensa
Nacional,” Ministry of Defense, 16 May 2005,
www.midef.gob.ni/Prensa/Contenido.
[31 ]“Integrated action
against mines to achieve a mine-free world,” CND Magazine, November
2004, p. 21.
[32 ]Interview with Col. Rafael
Guerra Ibarra, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 25 April 2005.
[33 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 623.
[34 ]Interview with Col. Nelson
Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 31 May 2004.
[35 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005; Francisco Mendoza, “Inicia desminado
humanitario,” El Nuevo Diario (Managua), 20 March 2005.
[36 ]“EU suministra
barreminas a Nicaragua,” Hora De México (Mexico), 18 March
2005; Modern vehicle joins mine destruction effort,” CND Magazine,
November 2004, p. 17. On 30 September 2004, Maria Auxiliadora Cuadra signed the
“Agreement for the Deployment of Equipment and Field Evaluation of a
Vehicle Equipped for Mine Removal in Nicaragua” with the US.
[37 ]“Modern vehicle joins
mine destruction effort,” CND Magazine, November 2004, p. 17.
[38 ]Email from Harry Murphy
McCloy Jr., Senior Demining Advisor, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement,
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, US Department of State, 28 September
2005.
[39 ]Interview with Carlos
Orozco, National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, 25 March 2004. See also Landmine
Monitor Report 2004, p. 622.
[40]See www.oeadesminado.org.ni.
[41 ]In March 2003, Nicaragua
reported that mine clearance would be completed in 2005, and not in 2004 as
previously estimated. Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by OAS
MARMINCA, 31 January 2003; Article 7 Report, Introduction, 31 March 2003, p. 7.
In April 2004, Nicaragua reported that depending on the availability of funding
the completion date for demining operations may be postponed from 2005 to 2006.
Article 7 Report, 28 April 2004, p. 8. In June 2004, the Coordinator of the OAS
AICMA program expressed confidence that the goal of completing mine clearance
would 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. 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.
[42 ]“Guerra Se
Reúne Hoy Con Rumsfeld,” La Prensa (Managua), 29 September
2004; Luis Felipe Palacios, “Guerra y Rumfelds analizarán
cooperación militar y amenazas,” La Prensa (Managua), 22
September 2004.
[43 ]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, First Review Conference, Nairobi, 3 December 2004.
[44 ]OAS, “Mine Action
Report,” Nicaragua, received on 28 April 2005.
[45 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005; interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, CND, First
Review Conference, Nairobi, 3 December 2004.
[46 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005. The challenges were also noted in Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 624.
[47 ]Ricardo Cuadra Garcia,
“Interview with Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Ugarte, Chief of Staff of the
Nicaraguan Army Corps of Engineers,” CND Magazine, November 2004,
p. 17.
[48 ]Interview with Col. Rafael
Guerra Ibarra, OAS MARMINCA, Managua, 25 April 2005.
[49 ]PADCA website,
“Consolidated Successes - January to March 2005 -
OAS-PADCA-Nicaragua,” www.oeadesminado.org.ni accessed 2
June 2005.
[50 ]PADCA website,
“Consolidated Successes 2004, PADCA-OAS-Nicaragua,” www.oeadesminado.org.ni , accessed 2
June 2005. In its Article 7 reporting period ending 28 April 2004, Nicaragua
reported that information from the public resulted in the destruction of more
that 288 items, including rocket-propelled grenades, bombs and mines in areas
other than where they were officially recorded. Article 7 Report, 28 April
2004, p. 6.
[51]Interview with Col. Rafael
Guerra Ibarra, OAS MARMINCA, Managua, 25 April 2005.
[52 ]Article 7 Report, Form E, 31
March 2004; interview with Col. Rafael Guerra Ibarra, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua,
Managua, 25 April 2005.
[53 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 31 March 2003.
[54 ]Article 7 Report, 31 March
2003, p. 6; “Costa Rica: Border with Nicaragua free of mines by
mid-September,” EFE, San Jose, Costa Rica, 27 August 2002.
Nicaragua originally declared that demining was completed there in April 2001.
Article 7 Report, Introduction, 22 May 2002; Article 7 Report, Introduction, 7
May 2001.
[55 ]Interview with William
McDonough, Director of Mine Action, OAS, Geneva, 17 June 2005.
[56]Presentation,
“Socio-Economic Reintegration in Nicaragua,” Workshop on Advancing
Landmine Victim Assistance in the Americas, Managua, 27 April 2005.
[57 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005; “Ejército de Nicaragua, Programa de
Desminado Humanitario Avance 2004,” Standing Committee on Mine Clearance,
Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2004.
[58]Interview with José
Adán Guerra, Minister of Defense, Managua, 1 April 2004.
[59]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[60]Brig. Gen. César
Delgadillo, Deputy Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Nicaragua, “Nicaragua
generó un modelo propio de desminado,” in CND, “Nicargua en
la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p. 6. In fact, the clearance in
the center has not yet been fully completed. The Municipalities of El Tuma-La
Dalia and Matagalpa in the department of Matalgapa are still affected, though
not to a significant degree. Nicaragua presentation, “Updates from States
Parties on the Status of Implementation of Article 5,” Standing Committee
Meetings, Geneva, June 2005.
[61]Interview with Col. Rafael
Guerra Ibarra, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 25 April 2005; Nicaragua
presentation, “Updates from States Parties on the Status of Implementation
of Article 5,” Standing Committee Meetings, Geneva, June 2005. For
details of the fronts, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 623.
[62 ]Email from William
McDonough, OAS, 27 September 2005.
[63 ]“Border Access Route
to be Rehabilitated,” CND Magazine, November 2004, p. 16.
[64]Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire, Carlos Orozco, National Coordinator, OAS PADCA, received 19 May
2005.
[65 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[66 ]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, First Review Conference, Nairobi, 3 December 2004.
[67 ]Carlos Martínez
Morán, “Encuentran granada en Tiscapa,” La Prensa
(Managua), 11 June 2004.
[68]Interview with Col. Spiro
Bassi, Nicaraguan Military, Geneva, 17 June 2005.
[69 ]Interview with Col. Nelson
Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 31 May 2004.
[70 ]OAS PADCA website,
“Consolidated Registry of Landmine-UXO Accidents/Accidents in Demining
Operations, 25 April 2005,” www.oeadesminado.org.ni. The 38
deminer casualties does not include a June 2002 training accident, see later
section Landmine/UXO Casualties.
[71]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, Technical Secretary, CND, Managua, 2 April 2004.
[72 ]Interview with Col. Nelson
Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 31 May 2004; for details
of civilian demining, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 623.
[73]Interview with Col. Rafael
Guerra Ibarra, OAS MARMINCA-Nicaragua, Managua, 25 April 2005.
[74 ]Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire, Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, received on 19 May 2005.
[75 ]Email from William
McDonough, OAS, 27 September 2005.
[76 ]Interview with Ramón
Zapeda and Danis Hernández, OAS PADCA, Ocotal, 28 May 2004.
[77 ]OAS, “Mine Action
Report,” Nicaragua, received on 28 April 2005.
[78 ]Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire, Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, received on 19 May 2005.
[79 ]For more details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 628.
[80]OAS, “Mine Action
Report,” Nicaragua, received 28 April 2005.
[81]Ricardo Cuadra Garcia,
“Children’s Paintings against Landmines,” CND Magazine,
November 2004, p. 5; “Entregan premios ‘paso seguro sin
minas,” La Prensa (Managua), 22 October 2004; “Entrega De
Premios A Los Primeros Lugares Del Concurso De Pintura Infantil,” OAS
Nicaragua website, www.oeadesminado.org.ni/notas/nota2.asp, accessed 22 October
2004; Arlen Pérez, “Ganan al pintar al enemigo,” La Prensa
(Managua), 23 October 2004.
[82 ]Article 7 Report, Form I, 28
April 2004, p. 22; OAS, Programa de Asistencia a la Acción Integral
Contra las Minas Antipersonales (AICMA), Portafolio 2003-2004, August
2003, p. 53.
[83 ]OAS PADCA website,
“Consolidated Successes 2004, PADCA-OAS-Nicaragua,”
www.oeadesminado.org.ni, accessed 2 June 2005.
[84 ]Interview with Wanda Obando,
MRE Coordinator, UNICEF, Managua, 1 June 2004.
[85 ]Article 7 Report, Form I, 28
April 2004, p. 22; Article 7 Report, Form I, 31 March 2003; ICRC, “Special
Report, Mine Action 2004,” p. 36.
[86]Telephone interview with
Porfilio Rodriguez, Coordinator, AMC, 23 March 2003.
[87 ]Interview with Ramón
Zapeda, OAS PADCA, Ocotal, 28 May 2004.
[88]Interview with Uriel Carazo,
Director, Foundation Joint Commission for Peace and Reconstruction in Madriz,
Somoto, 29 April 2005.
[89 ]Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire, Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, received on 19 May 2005.
[90]Jose Adan Guerra Pastora,
Minister of Defense and President of the National Demining Commission, quoted in
Ricardo Cuadra Garcia, “Children’s Paintings against
Landmines,” Nicaragua, CND Magazine, November 2004, p. 6.
[91]Response to Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire, Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, received on 19 May 2005.
[92 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 626; General de Brigada César Delgadillo, Sub Jefe
del Estado Mayor General del Ejército de Nicaragua, “Nicaragua
generó un modelo propio de desminado,” in CND, “Nicaragua en
la recta final del desminado,” June 2004, p. 7.
[93 ]Funding of specific
operational Fronts from: Landmine Monitor interview with William McDonough, OAS,
Geneva, 16 June 2005.
[94 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 626; see OAS AICMA, “Portafolio 2003-2004,”
August 2003, pp. 34-47.
[95 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 626; Article 7 Report, 28 April 2004, p. 7.
[96]Mine Action Investments
database; emails from Elvan Isikozlu, Mine Action Team, Foreign Affairs Canada,
June-August 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004: US$1 = C$1.3017. US Federal
Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[97]Mine Action Investments
database; email from Hanne Elmelund Gam, Department of Humanitarian & NGO
Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2005. Average exchange rate
for 2004: US$1 = DKK5.98. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates
(Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[98]Article 7 Report, Form J, 28
April 2005; emails from May-Elin Stener, Department for Global Affairs, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, April-May 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004: US$1 =
NOK6.7399. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3
January 2005.
[99]Letter from Alf Eliasson,
SIDA,23 March 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004: US$1 = SEK7.4380. US Federal
Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[100]Email from Harry Murphey
McCloy Jr., Senior Demining Advisor, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, US
Department of State, Washington, 20 September 2005.
[101 ]Interview with William
McDonough, OAS, Geneva, 16 June 2005.
[102 ]Response to Landmine
Monitor Questionnaire, Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, received on 19 May 2005, and
additional information obtained by Landmine Monitor.
[103 ]OAS AICMA report to the
OAS Hemispheric Security Commission, Washington, 21 September 2005.
[104 ]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[105]Interview with William
McDonough, OAS, Geneva, 16 June 2005.
[106 ]Speech by Lic. Norman
Caldera Cardenal, Minister of Foreign Relations, “On the Occasion of the
signing of the 11th phase of the Economic Stabilization Program and the 3rd
phase of the National Humanitarian Demining for the Nicaraguan Republic
Program,” Managua, 17 January 2005.
[107 ]Interview with Wanda
Obando, UNICEF, Managua, 26 April 2005.
[108]Article 7 Report,
Introduction, 19 May 2005.
[109 ]Unless otherwise stated,
all information in this section is taken either from Response to Landmine
Monitor Questionnaire by Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, 19 May 2005, or reports on
the OAS PADCA website, at August 2005, www.oeadesminado.org.ni.
Reports analyzed by Landmine Monitor include: “Accidentes por Minas o
UXOs: Casos;” “Victimis por Minas/UXOs;” “Casos
Reportados Accidentes/Incidentes por Minas/UXOs - Accidentes en Oper. De
Desminado: al de 4 de Agosta 2005;” “Accidentes en Operaciones de
Desminado;” “Consolidado Registro Accidentes por Minas-UXOs /
Accidentes en Operaciones de Desminado.”
[110 ]Interview with Dr. Juan
Umaña, CND, 1 June 2004; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p.
630.
[111 ]“Establecimiento,
implementación y refuerzo del marco legal y de políticas
necesarias para satisfacer las necesidades de víctimas de minas,”
presentation by Nicaragua, Workshop on Advancing Landmine Victim Assistance in
the Americas, Managua, 27 April 2005; presentation by Nicaragua, Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 16 June
2005; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 631.
[112]OAS “Mine Action
Report,” Nicaragua, undated, received 28 April 2005.
[113 ]Interview with Col.
Nelson Leonel Bonilla Romero, OAS MARMINCA, Managua, 31 May 2005.
[114 ]This number does not
include a June 2002 incident in which a demining instructor was killed and four
others injured during a training exercise. See Landmine Monitor Report
2004, p. 630.
[115 ]As of 4 August 2005,
mine/UXO casualties (including 38 demining casualties) have been recorded in
Nueva Segovia (319), Jinotega (209), RAAN (83), Matagalpa (76), RAAS (43),
Chinandega (43), Madriz (39), Chontales (28), Estelí (23), Managua (14),
León (9), Rio San Juan (5), Masaya (2), Boaco (1) and Rivas (1).
The department of Granada has not reported any mine/UXO casualties.
[116 ]United Nations, Final
Report, First Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and on Their Destruction, Nairobi, 29 November-3 December 2004,
APLC/CONF/2004/5, 9 February 2005, p. 33.
[117]Presentation by
Nicaragua, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic
Reintegration, Geneva, 16 June 2005.
[118 ]“Programa de
asistencia de la OEA: Fortalecen Capacidad en zonas afectadas por minas,”
El Nuevo Diario (Managua), 11 May 2004.
[119 ]Response to Landmine
Monitor Questionnaire by Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, 19 May 2005.
[120]Interview with Guy Nury,
SFD representative, ICRC, Managua, 27 April, 2005; ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, “Annual Report 2004,” Geneva, January 2005, pp. 25-27,
ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled, “2004 Yearly Program Report -
Nicaragua,” received from Guy Nury, 17 May 2005.
[121]Interview with Guy Nury,
ICRC, Managua, 27 April, 2005; ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled, “Annual
Report 2004,” Geneva, January 2005, pp. 28-29l; ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, “2004 Yearly Program Report - Nicaragua,” received from
Guy Nury, 17 May 2005.
[122 ]ICRC Special Fund for the
Disabled, “2004 Yearly Program Report - Nicaragua,” received from
Guy Nury, SFD representative, ICRC, Managua, 17 May 2005.
[123 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 632
[124]For more details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 632; see also Standing Tall Australia
and Mines Action Canada, “101 Great Ideas for the Socio-Economic
Reintegration of Mine Survivors,” June 2005, p. 66.
[125 ]Interview with Cyril
Loisel, Program Director, Handicap International, Managua, 16 April 2004.
[126]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 632-633.
[127 ]Response to Landmine
Monitor Questionnaire by Carlos Orozco, OAS PADCA, 19 May 2005; presentation,
Workshop on Advancing Landmine Victim Assistance in the Americas, Managua, 27
April 2005; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 633-634.
[128]Interview with Ada Diaz,
Somoto, Nicaragua, 29 April 2005; for more details see Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 633; see also Standing Tall Australia and Mines Action
Canada, “101 Great Ideas for the Socio-Economic Reintegration of Mine
Survivors,” June 2005, pp. 62-64.
[129 ]Interviews with Sonya
Sundberg, Planting Hope Education Fund, 20 April 2005 and 14 April 2004; for
more details see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 634; see also Standing
Tall Australia and Mines Action Canada, “101 Great Ideas for the
Socio-Economic Reintegration of Mine Survivors,” June 2005, p. 65.
[130 ]For more information, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 633-634.
[131]Interview with Uriel
Carazo, Director, FCC, 29 April 2005.
[132 ]For more information, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 635-636.
[133]“Establecimiento,
implementación y refuerzo del marco legal y de políticas
necesarias para satisfacer las necesidades de víctimas de minas,”
presentation by Nicaragua, Workshop on Advancing Landmine Victim Assistance in
the Americas, Managua, 27 April 2005.
[134 ]Interviews with Uriel
Carazo, Director, Managua, 18 March 2004 and 29 April 2005.
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