Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlcostarca



Costa Rica <![CDATA[Although Costa Rica was largely unaffected by the Central American military conflicts of the 1980s, landmines were placed along the northern border by forces involved in the Nicaraguan conflict. Colonel Jose Fabio Pizarro, head of the Costa Rican Ministry of Security’s mine clearing program stated, “There are an estimated 5,000 mines planted along our border with Nicaragua.” Official estimates of the number of buried landmines in Costa Rica range from one to two thousand to a maximum of five thousand.

All of the landmines are believed to be within one kilometer or less of the Nicaraguan border. The affected area stretches approximately from the Pan-American Highway in the west to the point where the Rio San Juan begins to flow along the border in the east. The total amount of land affected is limited to some 20 to 25 areas dispersed intermittently along the border. These areas range from about 100 by 200 square meters to 200 by 500 square meters. Most of the mines found to date have been located just north of the village of Los Chiles.

Data concerning landmine victims is mainly anecdotal. No casualties have been reported from the OAS demining activities. According to the demining protocols, paramedics are on continuous standby on-site during all operations, and surgical trauma care is provided at a Costa Rican government-supported hospital in the capital, San Jose. The United States Department of State reported seven casualties in Costa Rica in the 1998 Hidden Killers report, though no specific details were available. Colonel Case reported that several accidents had occurred when local inhabitants crossed the border to fish or gather food. He stated, “The presence of mines, if not always a deterrent, certainly discourages the free movement of people in these areas, in Costa Rica and the other countries (of Central America).”

Exact figures concerning economic loss resulting from landmines are not available, although the fields where the mines are planted are fertile and are not cultivated because their owners are afraid to work them. According to Colonel Case of the IADB, “Most of the areas where mines have been found so far are definitely useful for agriculture. In fact, some of the mines were discovered by farmers who were injured while preparing their land for cultivation. The terrain in these and most affected areas along the border is relatively flat and close to large areas already under cultivation."

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