Nicaragua

Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 18 December 2019

Policy

The Republic of Nicaragua signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 30 November 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 May 1999. Legislation to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically, Law 321, was enacted on 7 December 1999 and includes penal sanctions.[1]

Nicaragua hosted and was President of the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2001. Nicaragua has twice served as co-chair of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration (2000–2001, and 2004–2005).

Nicaragua occasionally attends meetings of the treaty, most recently the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties in Vienna in December 2017 and prior to that, the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November–December 2015. Nicaragua did not attend the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014. Nicaragua regularly submits annual updated Article 7 transparency reports.

On 5 December 2018, Nicaragua voted in favor of UN General Assembly resolution 73/61 promoting universalization and implementation of the convention, as it has done previously.[2]

Nicaragua is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines and Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. It is also party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, transfer, stockpile destruction, and retention

Nicaragua has always reported that it has never produced antipersonnel mines and it is not known to have ever exported mines. Nicaragua acquired its stockpile of mines from the Soviet bloc. Nicaragua destroyed its stockpile of 133,435 antipersonnel mines between 12 April 1999 and 28 August 2002.

Nicaragua last reported an update on the total number of antipersonnel mines retained for training and research in 2010, when it reported a total of 448 antipersonnel mines retained for training and stated that 515 mines were destroyed on 18 June 2010.[3] In 2009, Nicaragua had indicated that it would prepare a plan for reducing the number of mines retained for training following the completion of its demining program.[4] From 2007–2009, Nicaragua reported a total of 1,004 antipersonnel mines retained for training.[5] In previous years, Nicaragua reported consuming some of its retained mines.[6]



[1] Law for the Prohibition of Production, Purchase, Sale, Import, Export, Transit, Use and Possession of Antipersonnel Landmines, Law No. 321, published in the Official Gazette on 12 January 2000.

[2] “Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,” UNGA Resolution 73/61, 5 December 2018.

[3] The 448 mines retained are: 200 PMN-2, 124 PMN, 84 POMZ-2M, 30 PPMI-SR11, and 10 PMFH. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 31 December 2010. Nicaragua has reported the same information in subsequent reports.

[4] Interview with Dr. Juan Umaña, Technical Secretary, CND, San Fernando, 4 March 2009.

[5] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 13 April 2009; Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 28 February 2008; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 28 February 2007.

[6] It consumed 19 and 17 retained mines in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 28 February 2007; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 8 February 2006.