Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlnicaragua



Nicaragua <![CDATA[Nicaragua is contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) as a result of armed conflict between 1979 and 1990. Most of the mines used were antipersonnel, but antivehicle mines were also laid along the northern border with Honduras. Mined areas have been reported in 105 communities in 74 municipalities in 14 of the 15 departments and the two autonomous regions.

More than 24,000 people were believed to be living within about 5km of the remaining mined areas. This represents a 95% reduction in the number of people impacted since the start of the mine action program in 1991. All the remaining mine-impacted communities—the number has not been made explicit, but is no more than 51 —are said to be impoverished.[24]

In 2007, the OAS Assistance Program for Demining in Central America (PADCA) registered 15 new mine/ERW casualties in four incidents and two clearance accidents (one person killed and 14 injured). Three casualties were deminers and all the others were civilian (three men, three women, five children, and one person of unknown age/gender). Five casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines and ten by ERW.

Casualties occurred in the departments of Nueva Segovia, Esteli, and Matagalpa. On 8 June, one farmer was killed and another injured when an antipersonnel landmine exploded while they were working outside the boundaries of a previously cleared minefield in San Fernando, Nueva Segovia. On 25 July, two deminers were injured while clearing a minefield in Penas Blancas, Matagalpa. Scrap metal collection caused nine casualties in two ERW incidents, including five children.One incident, involving five people in San Ramon, Esteli, occurred after the family returned home and was sorting through the metal they had collected.

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