Notes: UXO = unexploded ordnance; CHA = confirmed hazardous area; SHA = suspected hazardous area; ERW = explosive remnants of war.

Mine Contamination

At the end of 2017, the Republic of Chile had just over 5.1km² of mined area left to clear, down from 5.65km² at the end of the previous year. Confirmed and suspected mine contamination, which is spread across five regions (see table below), is believed to total 1,905 antipersonnel mines.[1] The majority of the confirmed contamination is in the Arica and Parinacota region.

The mines were all laid during the Pinochet regime in the 1970s on Chile’s borders with Argentina in the south, and with Bolivia and Peru in the north. The mined areas, which typically contain both antivehicle and antipersonnel mines, are generally difficult to access and mostly in unpopulated regions. Of the 28 mined areas identified in the table below, nine mined areas contain only antipersonnel mines.[2] The vast majority of the mines were laid in the northern region, with some minefields located as high as 5,000 meters above sea level.[3]

Mined area by province (at end 2017)[4]

Clearance is prioritized according to proximity to populated areas, impact on land that has been designated a national park or is a historical site of touristic interest, and impact on land that obstructs development.[5]

The humanitarian impact of residual contamination is reported to be minimal.[6] Clearance of mined areas north of the city of Arica has enabled the development of agricultural projects. The Tambo Quemado sector of Arica and Parinacota region, the Chungará Border Complex, an international crossing on the border with Bolivia, was built after two mined areas were cleared.[7]

Cluster Munition Contamination 

Chile has reported almost 97km² of cluster munition-contaminated area in three of its 15 regions. Contamination is the consequence of deployment of cluster munitions on military training ranges. Since the reported extent represents the total area of military land used for training, and cluster munitions were only deployed in the impact areas or target areas, it is very likely that the actual extent of the contamination is significantly smaller.[8]

Cluster munition contamination (as of July 2017)[9]

The impact of cluster munition contamination is believed to be minimal, and there have been no reports of any casualties.

Program Management

The national mine action program is managed by the National Demining Commission (Comisión Nacional de Desminado, CNAD), which is chaired by the Minister of Defense. Its main functions are to advise the President, mobilize resources, coordinate demining with state agencies, and develop plans for implementing the Mine Ban Treaty. 

Strategic planning

The “National Plan for Humanitarian Demining 2016–2020” was formulated in accordance with the request of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Eleventh Meeting of the States Parties that Chile provide updates relative to the timelines presented in its 2011 extension request.[10] The main objective of the plan is to eliminate all existing antipersonnel mines on national territory by the March 2020 deadline.[11] In its Article 7 report for 2017, Chile submitted an updated annual clearance plan for 2018–2020 taking into account contamination newly found in San Pedro de Atacama during 2017.[12]

Updated clearance plan

Annually, CNAD issues a National Directive on the Execution of Demining Activities from the government of Chile, which contains a set of provisions and tasks that supports the planning of demining activities.[13] 

Legislation and standards

The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) have been incorporated into the processes for the development of demining operations.[14] In addition, Chile developed a joint demining manual for its armed forces in 2014, which includes procedures for destruction of unexploded ordnance (UXO).[15]

Information management

During 2017, Chile upgraded to Version 6 of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) after starting the MARS (Mine Action Reporting System) application that replaced IMSMA Mobile. This application has equipped Chile with high-quality geographic information to support decision-making around clearance.[16] 

Operators

Demining is conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy Peace and Demining Division. During 2017, six machines were used in clearance operations (including two Minewolf MW370 and two Bozena 5+) in Arica and Parincota, Antofagsta, and Magallanes y Antártica Chilena. In 2017, a total of 207 deminers were deployed across seven teams.[17] 

Land Release (mines)

Chile cleared 0.86km² of mined area in 2017 (see table below), a huge reduction in output from 3.5km² in 2016. This decrease is due to the change of location of the mined areas from an area of desert coast, which allowed for more efficient clearance, to the highlands of the Arica and Parincota region, which are difficult to access. They areas are located at high altitude (more than 4,000m above sea level) and subject to extreme weather conditions.[18] Chile also confirmed 2.3km² as contaminated with mines through technical survey.

Survey in 2017 (mines) 

In October 2017, a technical survey was carried out in Seilao, Antofagasta, identifying suspected contamination of 2,279,112m², an increase from the previous estimate of 1,971,780m².[19]

Clearance in 2017 (mines)

Clearance in 2017 was conducted over 17 areas in four of the five contaminated regions (Antofagasta, Arica and Parinacota, Magallanes y Antártica Chilena, and Tarapacá).

Mine clearance in 2017[20]

Note: AP = antipersonnel; AV = antivehicle.

Deminer safety 

In March 2017, a deminer detonated an antipersonnel mine while carrying out technical survey of the Cerro Purichari minefield, resulting in serious injury to one of his legs.[21]

In August 2017, a deminer detonated an antipersonnel mine while carrying out clearance in the “Pampa Blanca” sector of the General Lagos district, in the Arica and Parinacota region, resulting in serious injuries to one of his legs.[22]

Land Release (cluster munition remnants) 

Cluster munition contamination in Chile is limited to land that has been used for military training. Chile has claimed that the military usually conducts clearance of submunitions and UXO after their use.[23] As of the end of May 2018, however, Chile had not reported conducting any survey or additional clearance of its four cluster munition-contaminated areas. 

Progress in 2018 

In the Antofagasta region, Chile intends to conduct further survey of the newly identified Seilao hazardous area in San Pedro de Atacama to more accurately determine the contaminated area. Chile intends to begin demining operations in Isla Deceit and/or Freycinet in the region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica.[24]

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 Compliance

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the eight-year extension granted by States Parties in 2011), Chile 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 2020. It is unclear whether Chile will achieve the clearance output in its updated clearance plan.

Chile’s original Article 5 deadline was 1 March 2012 but in 2011 Chile submitted a request for, and was granted, an Article 5 deadline extension to 1 March 2020. Chile cited the extreme climate and challenging topographical conditions as barriers to it being able to complete clearance as planned.

Chile may still be able to meet its extended deadline. At the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties, Chile stated that as of December 2017 it had achieved “85.57%” of total clearance and was planning to achieve “91.75%” by the end of 2018 (see the table below).[25] However, this calculation is based on the number of mined areas rather than the size of the mined areas, and the total original number of mined areas (194) is different from the figure given in its 2011 Article 5 deadline extension request (199) and its latest Article 7 report (147/151).[26] Despite only clearing 0.86km² of its forecast 3.24km² in 2017, Chile has submitted an updated clearance plan for 2018–2020 that aims for completion by 2020.[27] Chile reiterated its commitment to fulfil its Article 5 obligations by 2020 in its statement to the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties and in its statement at the 2018 intersessional meetings.[28]

Overall progress in release of mined areas (at 7 December 2017)[29]

Chile is moving into the final phase of operations but, by its own admission, will face considerable challenges to implementation from the climate and topography. The mined areas in the Altiplano and the Austral Islands are difficult to access and are subject to heavy rains and snow which restricts the length of the dmining season.[30]

Clearance in 2013–2017 (km²)

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 Compliance

Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Chile is required to destroy all cluster munition remnants in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 June 2021. It has not reported any survey or clearance of the contaminated area, nor has it provided a plan to do so.

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the primary mine action research in 2018 and shared all its country-level landmine reports (from“Clearing the Mines 2018”) and country-level cluster munition reports (from “Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2018”) with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.