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Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country Summary

Mine contamination in the Republic of Peru is the result of conflict with Ecuador in 1995 that culminated in the Cenepa War, and from internal conflict with non-state armed groups that ended in 1992. The mined section of the border is situated in the Condor mountain range, that was at the center of the dispute.

Since the peace accord was signed in 1998, both Peru and Ecuador have emphasized bilateral cooperation, mutual trust and transparency between their respective mine action agencies, the Ecuadorian National Center for Humanitarian Demining (CENDESMI) and the Peruvian Mine Action Coordination Center (Centro Peruano de Acción contra las Minas Antipersonales, CONTRAMINAS), in order to solve their landmine problem.[1]

However, mine clearance in the border areas has been slow, and since becoming a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty, Peru has requested two extensions to its Article 5 deadline. Its current deadline is 31 December 2024. The contamination in Peru is small, and Peru should be on target to meet its clearance deadline commitments. However, in a statement at the Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties, Peru said that clearance operations had been affected in 2020 due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Risk education is conducted in the contaminated border areas in collaboration with Ecuador.

Peru has responsibility for 348 victims of antipersonnel mines, however there are currently no mechanisms for victim assistance for landmine victims and their families.

Treaty status

Treaty status overview

Peru’s Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline is 31 December 2024, and given the small amount of remaining contamination, Peru should be able to meet this deadline. Peru’s land release output increased significantly in 2019 compared to 2018 (0.12km² in 2019 compared to 0.03km² in 2018). However, Peru reported setbacks to its demining progress with a helicopter crash in May 2019, killing two demining personnel and wounding one police officer, and the impact of COVID-19 on demining operations in 2020.[3]

Management and coordination

Mine Action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview

The national mine action program is managed by CONTRAMINAS which is chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CONTRAMINAS is responsible for setting strategy and priorities and for overall coordination of mine action activities. The mine action program is funded by the Peruvian government.

Strategies and policies

Peru’s mine action strategy, “Updated National Plan for Humanitarian Demining 2018-2024,” was submitted to the Committee on Article 5 Implementation in May 2018. The strategy reported that the remaining suspected mine contamination, covering some 0.49km² spread across 127 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs), would be released by 31 December 2024. Peru expected to clear 8,089 mines from the areas.[4]

Legislation and standards

On 22 July 2006, Peru enacted domestic legislation to support the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. The law imposes penal sanctions of five to eight years’ imprisonment for actions that contravene the prohibitions of the treaty.[5]

Information management

CONTRAMINAS uses the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA).

Cross-border cooperation

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

Risk Education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview

Coordination

CONTRAMINAS in Peru and CENDESMI in Ecuador have collaborated in the implementation of binational risk education campaigns to ensure that the border communities between both countries are aware of the danger posed by antipersonnel mines. The campaigns are bilingual and multisectoral, involving ministries of defense, education, health, and interior. Five campaigns have been conducted, with the sixth carried out in 2019.[6]

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination

Laws and policies

Peru has based its assistance to mine victims on existing laws. Antipersonnel mine victims who are not part of the armed forces or police and who are registered in the database of CONTRAMINAS can access Integral Health Insurance (SIS) or Social Security (EsSalud), allowing them to receive free care through the Ministry of Health and Social Security facilities. This is in line with Article 27 of the General Law of Persons with Disabilities (Law No.29973) that guarantees the access of disabled people to health services.[7]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination (as of December 2019)[8]

Note: ERW=Explosive Remnants of War; SHA=Suspected Hazardous Area.

Landmine Contamination

In its Updated National Plan for Demining for 2018–2024, Peru estimated remaining contamination of 0.49km² spread across 127 SHAs.[9] Peru expected to clear 8,089 mines from the areas.

As of December 2019, Peru’s remaining mine contamination comprises 0.36km² across 108 SHAs across the sectors of Achiume, Cenepa, Santiago, and Tiwinza.[10] Peru expects to clear 5,762 mines from these areas.[11]

The contaminated areas in the Condor range are in mountainous jungle areas 2,900m above sea level, with difficult access and an adverse climate.[12]

Casualties

Casualties overview[13]

Casualties in 2019—details

No mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were reported in 2019.

Addressing the impact

Mine Action

Operators and service providers

Clearance Operators

Land release

Land release overview

In the last five years, Peru has reported clearing a total of 0.20km² of mined area with the destruction of about 4,432 mines.

In 2019 there was a significant increase in the amount of land cleared, with 0.08km² cleared in 2019 compared to 0.01km² in 2018. In addition, the overall land release in 2019 was higher, with a total of 0.12km² released compared to 0.03km² in 2018.[14]

In a statement at the Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties in November 2020, Peru reported that it had not achieved its clearance plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic impact. A “Sanitary Protocol” had been drawn up to enable demining to continue in 2021.[15]

In November 2019, Peru and Ecuador agreed to continue cooperation clearing antipersonnel mines and ERW in Tiwinza, in accordance with the 1998 Brasilia Peace Accords and the roadmap approved at the twentieth Meeting of National Authorities for Action against Antipersonnel Mines of Peru and the Ecuador in August 2019.[16] As of Novenber 2020, a series of studies with Ecuador were pending completion to clarify the location of some hazardous areas, including one of 10,182m² and approximately 2,000 mines.[17]

Deminer safety

In May 2019, a helicopter crashed in the area of Coangos in the province of Condorcanqui, killing two deminers and injuring a police officer.[18] Demining operations were suspended following the accident.

Risk Education

Operators and service providers

Risk education operators

Implementation: target groups

The main target groups for risk education are people living in the border communities between Ecuador and Peru. CONTRAMINAS, in Peru, and CENDESMI, in Ecuador, collaborated in running the Sixth Binational Risk education campaign in 2019 in Zamora Chinchipe on the border between Peru and Ecuador. It was reported that between 300 to 400 people attended.[19] A seventh event is planned for 2021.[20]

The COVID-19 pandemic increased mine risk for some communities. In May 2020, the mayor of the commune of Arica in Chile, Gerardo Espíndola Rojas, reported that 600 Peruvian citizens were stranded on the Chilean side of the border following the border closure by the Peruvian government to prevent the spread of the pandemic. It was reported that some of the citizens attempted to cross the border illegally through an area where landmines had been identified.[21]

Victim Assistance

Victim assistance providers and activities

Victim assistance providers[22]

Major Developments in 2019

Medical care and rehabilitation

Peru reported that 348 victims are registered in the CONTRAMINAS database, of which 150 are civilians, 120 from the armed forces, and 78 from the national police.[23] There are no specific mechanisms for victim assistance.

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

In 2019, Peru included in its victim assistance reporting the implementation of the pension program for severe disabilities, which aims at improving the quality of life of people with severe disabilities living in poverty in the regions of Amazonas, Apurimac, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Huancavelica, Loreto, Pasco, and Tumbes.[24] AVISCAM reported that on occasions, civilian survivors could not access pension funds or a minimum wage, and often only have access to initial medical care and rehabilitation.[25] The main challenge identified was to improve socio-economic inclusion.[26]

Cross-cutting

AVISCAM reported that CONTRAMINAS has a strong demining focus, and that more mechanisms and activities should be developed to reinforce victim assistance.[27]