Peru
No mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were recorded in 2016 in the Republic of Peru.[1] The last reported casualties occurred in 2014, when three casualties were identified.[2]
Three Peruvian citizens, however, became antipersonnel mine casualties in incidents in Chile near the border with Peru, in February and September 2016.[3] In recent years, the majority of casualties in Chile and Peru occurred in the border area between the two countries.
Previous to 2014, the last recorded casualty in Peru occurred in 2012, in the region of the River Apurímac, River Ene valley, and Mantaro (VRAEM), where there was one incident involving an improvised mine, also referred to as a “homemade mine,” that caused four casualties among soldiers from the antipersonnel mine deactivation unit of the Peruvian army.[4]
Since 2007, when the last confirmed casualty caused by factory-made mines was recorded,[5] most casualties identified have been caused by victim-activated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in areas of coca cultivation.[6]
The total number of mine/IED and ERW casualties identified in Peru since 1991 is 463 (63 people killed and 400 injured).[7]
Peru has reported that it has registered 345 people as victims of antipersonnel mines, 150 of civilian origin, 119 military, and 76 national police.[8]
[1] Monitor analysis of media reports; Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (to March 2017), Form J; and email from Carlos Lujan, Volunteer Researcher for ICBL, 9 February 2016.
[2] “Bomba que mató a una niña salió de antigua zona militar” (“The bomb that killed a girl was taken from former military zone”), El Comercio, 21 January 2014; and “Militar pierde ambas piernas al estallar mina antipersonal” (“Military officer loses both legs following explosion of antipersonnel mine”), La República, 16 October 2014. See Peru’s 2015 Country Profile on the Monitor website.
[3] “Dos peruanos heridos tras explosión de mina en frontera de Perú y Chile” (“Two Peruvians injured after mine explosion at border of Peru and Chile”), RPP Noticias, 5 September 2016; and “Un hombre murió trás pisar una mina cuando cruzaba de forma ilegal a Chile” (“A man died after stepping on a landmine while crossing the border illegally to Chile”), Soy Chile, 8 February 2016.
[4] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Wilyam Lúcar, Coordinator, and Javier Santillán, Victim Assistance Officer, Peruvian Center for Mine Action (Centro Peruano de Acción contra las Minas Antipersonales, CONTRAMINAS), 17 April 2013; and María Elena Hidalgo, “Éstas son las minas caseras con las que Sendero mata a oficiales” (“These are the homemade mines with which the Shining Path kill officials”), Diario la República, 16 June 2012.
[5] Monitor analysis of media reports in 2007; interviews with Carlos Estrada, President, and Bruno Celiz, Secretary, Association of Victims and Survivors of Minefields (Asociación de Víctimas y Sobrevivientes de Campos Minados, AVISCAM), Lima, 6 and 19 March 2007; emails from Jorge Liza, Coordinator, Security Division (División de Seguridad, DIVSECOM), 3 March 2007; and from Carlos Estrada, AVISCAM, 6 March 2007; Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Reports, Form J, April 2007, and April 2008; response to Monitor questionnaire by Jorge Liza, DIVSECOM, 31 March 2008; and “Lanzan campaña para prevención de minas artesanales” (“Launch of campaign to warn against homemade mines”), Info Región (Lima), 6 December 2007.
[6] See previous editions of the Monitor on the Monitor website.
[7] This total includes 341 mine casualties recorded through 2015 by CONTRAMINAS (of which 147 are civilians, 119 military, and 75 national police officers; 15 female and 327 male). Response to Monitor questionnaire by Javier Edgar Santillán Galdós, CONTRAMINAS, 7 March 2016; 109 ERW casualties were identified through 2014, 14 casualties caused by IEDs were identified between 2009 and 2013, along with one mine casualty in 2014 by the Monitor through media monitoring. Response to Monitor questionnaire by Javier Edgar Santillán Galdós, CONTRAMINAS, 7 March 2016; and Monitor analysis of media reports January 2009 to December 2015.
[8] Statement of Peru, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, June 2017.