Contaminated by: landmines (light contamination)

Article 5 deadline: 1 March 2017
(Extension requested until 31 December 2024)

The Republic of Peru’s clearance output increased in 2015 to 76,355m², compared to 8,458m² in 2014.

Recommendations for action 

• Peru should consider using mine detection dogs or other technical survey methods to speed up land release in the Condor mountain range (Cordillera del Condor).
• Peru should distinguish between suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) and confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) in its reporting.
• Peru should clarify how it understands reporting on land released and ensure that this conforms to the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).
• Peru should request—or should only be granted—a final extension period of no more than five years to fulfil its obligations under Mine Ban Treaty Article 5.

Contamination 

Mine contamination in Peru results from a 1995 border conflict with Ecuador. The mined section of the border was predominantly in the Condor mountain range that was at the center of the dispute.

Peru has reported that as of end 2015 an estimated 480,394m² of mined area on its territory was spread across 140 SHAs. Contamination was believed to comprise a total of 6,338 antipersonnel mines.[1] The size and extent of mined areas varies widely, with one such area only 5m² in size while the largest, by far, is estimated to extend over 160,000m². The true amount of contaminated land is probably no more than 100,000m² as Peru does not use polygons to delineate SHAs, despite having detailed mine maps of almost all the affected areas.[2]

In April 2014, Peru had reported 438,254m² of CHA. The higher figure for total mined area reported in 2016 resulted from information on 10 SHAs that was provided by Ecuador in the course of 2015, as well as the recording of two additional SHAs found during technical survey the same year.[3]

Program Management 

The national mine action program is managed by the Interministerial Executive Council of the Peruvian Mine Action Center (Centro Peruano de Acción contra las Minas Antipersonal, CONTRAMINAS), which is chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CONTRAMINAS is responsible for setting strategy and priorities and for the overall coordination of mine action activities.

Mine clearance in the Condor mountain range is conducted by the Peruvian military and the Security Division of CONTRAMINAS (División de Seguridad, DIVSECOM) in the Peruvian National Police (PNP). A total of 60 military and 40 police are trained deminers.

At any one time, Peru was using 58 deminers for its clearance operations in 2015, divided into four teams of 12, including up to 10 PNP deminers. An additional team of 10 military deminers was matched with 10 Ecuadorian army deminers, working together in a “binational unit.”[4] This unit, which was operating in the 1km² area in Tiwinza, was due to continue its work until the end of 2017.[5]

Strategic planning

Peru’s first Article 5 deadline extension request provided a timeline with conservative yearly targets for clearance in 2009–2017.[6] According to its national clearance plan, Peru planned to release four mined areas in 2015 and three in 2016.[7] In the first iteration of its second extension request, however, Peru stated that it would release 12 mined areas during 2016, totaling an estimated 68,300m².[8] According to its new strategic demining plan, which is annexed to the request, the remaining suspected mine contamination of some 0.41km², spread across 128 SHAs, will then be released over a seven year and 10 month period ending on 31 December 2024.[9] Peru expected to clear 6,318 mines from the hazardous areas.[10]

Standards 

In April 2013, under the Binational Cooperation Program (Programa Binacional de Cooperación) established in 2000, Ecuador and Peru adopted a Binational Manual for Humanitarian Demining to unify the demining procedures of both states in accordance with the IMAS.

Information management 

In 2015, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) was providing support to CONTRAMINAS for the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database.[11]

Quality management 

Quality management is assured through the Peruvian Army’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Demining (DIGEDEHUME), headquartered in Lima.[12]

Land Release

The total mined area reportedly released in 2015 was 122,925m². Release by clearance amounted to 76,335m², which compares favorably with release by clearance in 2014 of only 8,458m².[13] A further 46,590m² was canceled by non-technical survey.[14] No land was reported to have been reduced by technical survey in 2015. Land release operations during the year resulted in the destruction of 897 mines.[15] 

Peru has not used machines for demining, and until 2015, mine detection dogs (MDDs) were only used for quality control after clearance. In 2015, MDDs were used to identify mines for the first time.[16] In its revised second Article 5 deadline extension request, Peru announced that it would be using both machines and MDDs for demining.[17]

Survey in 2015 

As noted above, 46,590m² was canceled by non-technical survey in 2015, while no area was released by technical survey.[18]

Clearance in 2015 

Seven mined areas were released by clearance over 76,335m², with the destruction of 897 antipersonnel mines.

Demining in the Condor mountain range (Cordillera del Condor) area is a challenging endeavor due to its topography as a mountainous jungle, prone to heavy rain for much of the year, and reaching heights of 2,900m that makes it accessible only by a two-hour helicopter flight. Owing to rain, the demining season is limited to April to November.[19]

Demining is performed by teams who spend 20 days in the area of the Condor mountain range and then receive 10 days off.[20] In 2015, for the first time, Peru conducted continuous demining during the season, resulting in a huge increase in productivity. According to the DIGEDEHUME, each deminer can clear an average of 7m² to 12m² per day.

Peru reports spending approximately US$1.5 million annually on its demining. In fact, expenditure is extremely high, with helicopters and air ambulances “hired” from the army at private corporate rates. In 2020, according to Peru’s 2016 extension request, 8,000m² of mined area would be cleared at a cost of $1.5 million, equating to a cost per m² of cleared land of $187.50.[21]

Article 5 Compliance 

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the eight-year extension granted by States Parties in 2008), Peru is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2017. Peru will not meet its 2017 deadline, and has requested a second extension, this time of seven years and 10 months’ duration, until 31 December 2024.[22]

In the last five years, Peru has reported clearing a total of only some 170,000m² of mined area with the destruction of 9,265 mines (see table below).

Mine clearance in 2011–2015[23]

Peru’s 2008 extension request cited limited transportation and communication networks, difficult meteorological conditions in the areas of operations, the geography of the region, and limited financing for operations as the main reasons for needing additional time. In granting the eight-year extension, the Ninth Meeting of States Parties noted that “after sporadic progress since entry into force, the request indicates a commitment on the part of Peru to proceed at a more constant rate though the extension period.”[24] Unfortunately, this has not been the case, though the increase in clearance output reported for 2015 is a welcome development. 

In its revised 2008 extension request, Peru estimated that a budget of US$26 million would be needed to complete clearance, of which $17.8 million (almost 70%) would be provided by its national budget.[25] This projection was not able to take into account the need for increased resources due to additional mined areas identified in 2012–2013 and subsequently.

In its revised second extension request, submitted in August 2016, Peru estimated that US$38.6 million would be needed to finish the job, all of which was due to be funded by the Peruvian government.[26]