The Republic of Ecuador signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997, ratified on 29 April 1999, and became a State Party on 1 October 1999. Ecuador has not adopted legal measures to implement the treaty nationally, including penal sanctions, as required by Article 9, but the government reports that a new National Commission for International Humanitarian Law will be in charge of incorporating international legal agreements signed by Ecuador domestically.[1]
On 3 May 2006, Ecuador submitted its eighth Article 7 transparency report, covering calendar year 2005.[2] It submitted a report for calendar year 2004, which was due on 30 April 2005, on 24 January 2006.
Ecuador attended the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005. It made a statement during the General Exchange of Views, as well as an intervention on mines retained for training. It participated in the May 2006 intersessional Standing Committee meetings, where it made statements on mine clearance and on victim assistance. Ecuador did not attend the June 2005 Standing Committee meetings.
Ecuador has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties have had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3. Thus, it has not made its views known on the issues of joint military operations with non-States Parties, foreign stockpiling and transit of antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.
Ecuador is a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. It participated in the Seventh Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in Geneva on 23 November 2005, but did not submit an Amended Protocol II Article 13 report for 2005.
Ecuador did not produce or export antipersonnel mines in the past. Landmine Monitor knows of no use of antipersonnel mines in Ecuador since the Cenepa border war with Peru concluded in 1998. Ecuador completed destruction of its stockpile of antipersonnel mines in January 2002, destroying a total of 258,844 mines.[3]
In its May 2006 Article 7 report, Ecuador indicated that it retained 2,001 antipersonnel mines for training. The mines are held by the Engineers Brigade No. 23 (Cenepa).[4] On 11 August 2004, Ecuador destroyed 1,970 of the antipersonnel mines it had previously decided to keep for training.[5] Since August 2000, Ecuador has significantly reduced the number of mines retained for training from 16,000 to 4,000 to 3,971 to 2,001.[6] Ecuador has not yet reported in any detail on the intended purposes and actual uses of its retained mines―a step agreed by States Parties in the Nairobi Action Plan that emerged from the First Review Conference in November-December 2004. Ecuador did not use the new expanded Form D for reporting on retained mines agreed by States Parties at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005.
Ecuador’s mine problem is a result of a long-standing border dispute with Peru. The most significantly mined areas were in the Cordillera del Condor area (in the provinces of Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe), where brief but fierce military conflict took place in 1995 along 78 kilometers of the previously unmarked border area. In addition, a limited number of barrier minefields were placed in the southern provinces of El Oro and Loja, also in 1995. According to the report of a UN interagency mission conducted in 1999, the vast majority of mines laid were antipersonnel, although some antivehicle mines were used.[7]
The report also concluded that explosive remnants of war (ERW), mainly unexploded ordnance (UXO) “of the type produced in jungle warfare (including small arms ammunition, grenades, mortar, artillery rounds and air delivered bombs) were anticipated in the battle and patrol areas in the Cordillera del Condor area.” The report indicated the military was unable to quantify this threat, but regarded it as a lesser problem than the mine contamination.[8] As of December 2005, only five items of UXO had been destroyed by the Ecuadorian Army during clearance operations.[9]
According to Ecuador’s Article 7 report of 3 May 2006, and based on local impact surveys, a total of 6,905 mines were emplaced on Ecuadorian territory, affecting an area of 438,690 square meters.[10] This is significantly lower than the estimate in 1999 by the Ecuadorian Army that there were in excess of 90,000 mines in the Cordillera del Condor border area.[11] All mines reported were laid between 1994 and 1998, showing that mine-laying activities continued despite the February 1995 cease-fire.[12]
Ecuador’s Article 7 report of May 2006 lists three provinces as being mine-affected: Zamora Chinchipe, Morona Santiago and Loja. A total of four cantons or districts in the three provinces are contaminated. First, the province of Zamora Chinchipe contains 2,519 mines affecting 143,219 square meters of land. Both the Ecuadorian Mine Clearance Center (Centro del Desminado del Ecuador, CENDESMI) and the Organization of American States (OAS) claimed in April 2006 that only one canton, El Pangui, was affected. An impact study was expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2006, which would confirm the number of people affected by landmines in the canton.[13]
Second, the canton of Tiwinza in Morona Santiago province is said to contain 1,582 mines in an area of 55,302 square meters.[14] At least 15 Shuar indigenous communities with more than 2,000 inhabitants are affected.[15]
Third, the canton of San Juan Bosco, also in Morona Santiago, is said to have 2,168 mines in an estimated area of 211,080 square meters.[16] The number of affected people was unknown as of May 2006, but an impact study of the canton was ongoing and expected to be concluded in July 2006.[17]
Finally, 636 mines in an area of 29,089 square meters were reportedly emplaced in the canton of Zapotillo in Loja province. CENDESMI and the OAS specified in May 2006 that 606 of these were antipersonnel mines while 30 were antivehicle mines located in seven different areas within Zapotillo canton; in total 600 people were affected. Two of the seven areas are in the vicinity of the Chira river. Ecuador reported in May 2004 that nine antipersonnel mines in an area of 9,000 square meters were lost on either side of the river (in Loja province in Ecuador, and in Sullana province in Peru). In May 2006, Ecuador reported that only seven mines remained, as two mines were reported by local people to the military for destruction. A joint Peruvian-Ecuadorian team initiated clearance operations in the area in April 2006, which were expected to be completed in July 2006.[18]
In addition, based on military records indicating that mines were laid in the area, the sectors of Ceilán and Tigre in the canton of Pastaza (Pastaza province) and the sector of Cononaco in the canton of Aguarico (Orellana province) were reported as areas suspected of being mine-affected.[19] Impact studies were initiated in these provinces in March 2006 and were expected to be completed by August 2006.[20]
It is believed that two further areas remain affected or suspected of being affected, although they are not included in Ecuador’s 2006 Article 7 report. First, an area called Tiwinza (not to be confused with Tiwinza canton) was also heavily infested with mines during the 1995 conflict.[21] As part of the peace agreement, Peru granted Ecuador free and perpetual right on Tiwinza, an area of one square kilometer in the Peruvian territory, to be used as private property. According to the agreement, Ecuador is responsible for clearing the area itself while Peru is responsible for clearing and building the access road.[22] As of May 2006, information on the number of mines and UXO in Tiwinza was not available but a survey was planned.[23] Some demining operations had taken place in early 2000 to install border markings on the perimeter of this area.[24]
The second mine-suspected area not included in Ecuador’s Article 7 report is the province of El Oro. Although operations in the province were completed in March 2004,[25] a local living in the sector of Chacras in the canton of Arellinas reported discovering new mines in the Zarumillo river in January 2005, following which an army survey team checked the area. It identified a suspected area of 12,000 square meters, but did not identify the number of mines; according to military records, no mines were laid at that location. Therefore, it was concluded that any mines in the river had been displaced from other locations. As of May 2006, clearance operations had been completed on 15 out of 16 sites; the last site was pending the identification of the appropriate demining technique, “given the depth at which mines are buried.”[26]
In its Article 7 report of January 2006, Ecuador provided additional information on the mines its military had laid on what became recognized as Peruvian territory following border demarcation, in a gesture of “transparency and mutual trust.” Based on the results of impact surveys, as of the end of 2004, Ecuador reported that 1,161 landmines were emplaced in 1995 and 1998 in an estimated area of 42,455 square meters.[27] The mines are located in the province of Condorcanqui, in Amazonas department, Peru.[28] No information on mines laid by Ecuador on what is now recognized as Peruvian territory was included in Ecuador’s May 2006 report for calendar year 2005.
According to the 1999 UN assessment, given that the mine problem is confined to sparsely populated border areas whose effect on the overall Ecuadorian economy is relatively small, the socioeconomic impact nationally of mine/ERW contamination is limited. However, to the local people living in the area, the problem is significant. Particularly affected are the indigenous Shuar and Achuar tribes, who are prevented from accessing large tracts of their traditional farming and hunting land.[29]
National Mine Action Authority: Mine action is under the responsibility of Ecuadorian Mine Clearance Center (Centro del Desminado del Ecuador, CENDESMI, established by Executive Decree 1297 on 22 September 1999. Its executive board is chaired by the Ministry of Exterior Relations and its members include representatives of the Ministry’s technical cooperation department and the Ministry of Health, and the commander of the Army Engineer Brigade. Its mandate includes coordinating mine action operations, conducting mine risk education and assisting casualties.[30] CENDESMI also operates a national demining school in charge of training deminers.[31]
The Demining General Command (DGC) of the Ecuadorian Army implements mine clearance operations. It has two regional commands, Amazonas, located in Santiago in Morona Santiago province, and Tarqui, located in Loja province.[32] Tarqui was re-activated in April 2006, following completion of surveys in El Oro and Loja provinces at the end of 2004, as the base from which operations in the Chira river will be conducted.[33] The missions assigned to these units include mine clearance, technical survey, minefield marking, victim assistance and limited mine risk education campaigns.[34]
In 2001, the government of Ecuador and the OAS signed a framework agreement to establish the Program of Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines (Acción Integral Contra las Minas Antipersonal, AICMA) in Ecuador. The OAS assists the Ecuador in executing and managing the national demining plan, training personnel, and provides technical support, international monitoring, specialized equipment, logistical support and insurance.[35]
In 2005, nine MARMINAS monitors from Brazil, Chile and Honduras worked in Ecuador; in 2006, plans included at least five monitors.[36] The Assistance Mission for Mine Clearance in South America (Misión de Asistencia a la Remoción de Minas en Suramérica, MARMINAS) was established by the Inter-American Defense Board in May 2003, to support mine clearance in Ecuador and Peru.[37] The team provides technical advisory services to the OAS and monitors the equipment and training of demining units and operations conducted. MARMINAS also verifies and certifies that demining methods comply with International Mine Action Standards.[38]
CENDESMI reports that meetings are held every month or so with the DGC, OAS and MARMINAS in order to assess progress of operations and discuss future plans. CENDESMI is regularly in contact with its counterpart in Peru in order to coordinate joint operations, as are the armies of both countries. The OAS also helps to facilitate coordination between Peru and Ecuador.[39]
The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) was installed at the OAS office in Quito in January 2002.[40] An upgrade from version 3 to version 4 was expected by the end of 2007.[41] Information concerning impact studies, quality control and demining generated in the field are sent monthly to the OAS office which verifies and enters the data into IMSMA. Information concerning victims and mine risk education campaigns are sent to the OAS after completion of fieldwork.[42]
Ecuador’s National Demining Plan was adopted by CENDESMI on 15 January 2000. It included mine risk education, assistance to mine survivors and stockpile destruction, as well as demining and an operational timetable.[43] However, CENDESMI amends demining priorities every year based on results of impact surveys, reports of newly found mines, and the availability of funds and mine action capacity in both Peru and Ecuador.[44] For example, demining of the Tiwinza square kilometer was planned for the early 2000s but postponed to 2010, given that Peru is required to first construct a road for Ecuador to access the land. Joint clearance operations with Peru in the Cordillera del Condor did not start in early 2005 as planned due to delays in European Union (EU) funding and lack of agreement between the two countries regarding fees for the use of a helicopter.[45]
Similarly, joint clearance operations with Peru in the Chira river area were supposed to start in June 2005, but started in April 2006 because of delays in reaching an agreement between the two armies and Peru’s difficulty in mobilizing funds expected from the OAS.[46] Joint clearance operations were previously conducted in 2003 on two sites near the Zarumilla river.[47] Both Peru and Ecuador have emphasized that these joint operations represent mutual trust in the wider context of the Peace Agreement signed in 1998.[48]
Plans for 2006 included completion of demining in Loja province (with Peru) and in Chacras sector in El Oro province. It was expected that impact studies would be concluded in Morona Santiago, Zamora Chinchipe, Orellana and Pastaza provinces.[49] In 2006-2007, Ecuador expects to clear at least 506 mines in 15 dangerous areas in Teniente Ortiz area, Tiwinza canton, Morona Santiago province, with EU funding; operations were expected to start in August 2006.[50]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Ecuador is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 October 2009. In 2005, Ecuador noted that, “demining operations are projected to be completed by 2010.”[51] The OAS stated that, “as a result of the continuation of operations in the Morona Santiago Province, Ecuador will be able to achieve the objective of declaring its national territory free of antipersonnel landmines in 2010.”[52]
In May 2006, Ecuador noted that its National Demining Plan schedules clearance to end in Morona Santiago in 2008, in Zamora Chinchipe, Orellana and Pastaza provinces in 2009 and in the square kilometer of Tiwinza in 2010.[53] However, CENDESMI indicated that Ecuador “would make all the necessary efforts to conclude operations in 2009, and therefore achieve the deadline mandated by the Treaty.”[54] Ecuador claimed that two elements were fundamental to its compliance with the Article 5 deadline: appropriate mechanical equipment and international financial support.[55]
There were 60 deminers with the Engineers Brigade in 2005. A basic course in humanitarian demining, a course for mine clearance leaders, and three refresher courses for deminers were organized by MARMINAS in 2005; according to the OAS and CENDESMI, the entire mine clearance staff was retrained in 2005.[56]
As mentioned above, as of June 2006, impact surveys are ongoing in four provinces: Morona Santiago (San Juan Bosco canton), Zamora Chinchipe, Orellana and Pastaza. Previously, impact surveys were conducted in the provinces of El Oro, Loja, and the canton of Tiwinza in Morona Santiago.[57]
CENDESMI claims that all mined areas have been marked. The center is, however, aware of some markings being taken away by locals or damaged and stated that it was “a concern for CENDESMI to maintain them.”[58]
In January 2006, Ecuador reported on mine clearance results through December 2004, and in May 2006 it reported on clearance for calendar year 2005. Ecuador reported that, during 2004, 12,431 square meters were cleared, resulting in the destruction of 35 antipersonnel mines and two antivehicle mines.[59] In 2005, 7,681 square meters were cleared with 32 antipersonnel mines and three UXO destroyed (4,570 square meters less than in 2004).[60] CENDESMI explained that this decrease was due to the difficulty in accessing the areas where operations took place, late approval of the EU funds, and the need to coordinate with Peru.[61] As of December 2005, a total of 103,902 square meters of land had been cleared in Ecuador; 4,409 antipersonnel mines, 61 antivehicle mines, and five items of UXO had been destroyed.
Joint clearance operations with Peru started at the Chira river in Loja province on 17 April 2006; completion scheduled for 31 May was delayed by a road accident involving Peruvian deminers and difficult topography. Two of the three phases had been completed by mid-June, with no mines found.[63]
All clearance operations in Ecuador are conducted manually. As of May 2006, discussions were being held with the US Southern Command to acquire machines in order to clear areas in the provinces of El Oro and Loja where manual techniques are not applicable.[64] Given the depth at which mines are buried, Ecuador believes that an excavator is required; as of June 2006, Ecuador had not received machines.[65]
Ecuador reported many challenges in clearance operations: in Loja and El Oro provinces, work has to be conducted on sandy terrain. In Morona Santiago, it rains almost constantly, the paths are difficult to access and the ground has a very high metal content; for each mine detected, around 1,000 rocks with metal content are discovered. Ecuador reported that, since August 2005, it has used mine detectors better suited to the Ecuadorian context, improving clearance efficiency.[66]
As of June 2006, there had been no demining accidents which caused casualties since operations started in Ecuador.[67] All deminers have personal insurance when conducting operations.[68]
Mine risk education (MRE) is carried out by the Army, OAS and Ecuadorian Red Cross. In 2005, 2,123 people benefited from MRE campaigns and 600 received warning flyers. In February 2006, 590 people participated in a school-based MRE activity; the same day, up to 5,000 people received safety messages via the radio.
OAS AICMA provides a toll-free telephone number for the public to report mines and UXO and listen to prevention messages.[69]
According to the OAS, priorities for awareness and education campaigns are determined by the degree to which the local population is affected by mines, the behavior of the local population, whether there have been mine incidents in the area, and any clearance operations carried out in the area.[70]
In 2005, the Demining General Command and the Ecuadorian Red Cross, in coordination with OAS AICMA, conducted awareness campaigns in the provinces of El Oro, Morona Santiago and Loja. In March 2005, MRE started in the canton of Tiwinza (Morona Santiago), aimed at educating 15 Shuar communities living in risk areas. By the end of 2005, three of four phases of the campaign had been completed in 12 of the 15 communities. Phase 1 involves training of local leaders and teachers; phase 2 involves the trainees implementing MRE; phase 3 involves the use of audiovisual and printed materials in Spanish and Shuar; and in phase 4 a repetition is planned including refresher training. The campaign was expected to be finished in the second half of 2006. The total number of beneficiaries of this campaign was estimated as 2,000, including children, farmers and the community in general.[71]
In Zapotillo canton, Loja province, from 11 to 13 April 2005, flyers were distributed as a reminder of the August 2004 MRE campaign to the households of approximately 600 people living close to seven marked areas. This was repeated on 8-9 November 2005.[72]
In El Oro province, on 9-10 August 2005, an awareness campaign was conducted in the parish of Chacras, Arenillas canton. The campaign started with a meeting with the authorities of Arellinas, followed by door-to-door visits of seven families living near marked areas during which MRE materials were handed over; finally a meeting was held in the parish’s community center with the community and its local leaders, teachers and primary and secondary school students, reaching 123 people. On 7 November 2005, the campaign was reinforced with the handing over of flyers to 35 people living close to marked areas.[73]
Up to March 2006, no MRE had been carried out in the canton of San Juan Bosco, Morona Santiago province, or in the province of Zamora Chinchipe.[74]
The United States reported mine action donations of US$770,985 to Ecuador in 2005. This consisted of $263,985 from the Department of State through OAS AICMA for the joint border clearance project, and $507,000 provided by the Department of Defense.[75] In August 2005, the Department of State indicated that US mine action funding for Ecuador would be discontinued in 2006 due to termination of the cross-border project.[76]
The bulk of mine action funding for Ecuador in 2006 will be provided by the European Commission (EC) following an agreement made with the EU on 30 December 2005 for funding of €1 million ($1,244,900) to mine action in Peru and Ecuador. [77] The funding period is for one year from March 2006. The total cost of the project is €1,405,038 ($1,749,132) including the EC funding. The project description includes joint mine clearance and MRE.[78] Ecuador is to contribute to the project with deminers and logistic support.[79]
Italy designated €9,000 ($11,204) to mine action in Ecuador in 2006 from a larger funding commitment of €100,000 to the OAS.[80]
No new landmine/UXO casualties were reported in 2005 and in 2006 as of April.[81] For comparison, seven casualties were reported in 2004.[82]
The total number of mine/UXO casualties in Ecuador is not known as there was no systematic data collection mechanism for landmine incidents prior to the establishment of the national mine action program. The OAS AICMA office receives information on new casualties in reports made after every field or research visit.[83] As of June 2006, OAS AICMA registered 19 civilian landmine casualties (four people killed and 15 injured) from nine incidents dating from January 1981 to May 2004; eight casualties were in Loja province, eight in Morona Santiago province and three in Zamora Chinchipe province.[84] The register also includes three military survivors, including a veteran of the Cenepa conflict, but the dates of the incidents were not recorded.[85]
According to the US Department of State, there were about 120 landmine casualties in Ecuador between 1995 and 1999.[86] Impact studies conducted in 2005-2006 were designed to identify mine and UXO casualties in specific areas, as well as mine-contaminated areas.[87]
The Ecuadorian military has a healthcare system that provides integrated care to military casualties through the Armed Forces Social Security Institute. Civilians injured by landmines do not receive the same level of attention; existing services remain inadequate.[88]
Ecuador included details of victim assistance activities with its Article 7 reports for 2004 and 2005.[89]
Since 2002, the OAS AICMA Ecuador program has provided medical care and rehabilitation to mine survivors.[90] The program also refers survivors to the National Council of Disabilities (Consejo Nacional de Discapacidades, CONADIS) to obtain their disability documents.[91] In 2005, seven mine survivors received medical assistance in Loja province, including post-surgery check-ups, psychotherapy sessions and provision of prosthetic services.[92]
A landmine survivor and former Ecuadorian soldier concluded a three-year prosthetic and orthotic training at Don Bosco University in El Salvador in 2005, and received his qualification in early 2006.[93] The training was partly sponsored under the OAS AICMA program.[94]
On 26 June 2005, five mine survivors, members of the Héroes del Cenepa sports club, participated in the Hope and Possibility Five Mile Run/Walk with support from the Achilles Track Club of New York, Ecuadorian Army, OAS and Marathon Sport.[95] On 6 November 2005, five military mine survivors also participated in the New York City Marathon, with the support of the OAS-Achilles Track Club.[96]
Ecuador has legislation to support survivors of the Cenepa conflict.[97] It also has legislation to protect the rights of people with disabilities to access healthcare and state services, education and employment, which is generally implemented. The interagency National Council on Disabilities monitors government disability policies.[98] In January 2006, the Labor Code was reformed to guarantee four percent access of people with disabilities to public and private employment.[99]
[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 3 May 2006; Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2005.
[2] While 3 May 2006 is the UN submission date, the report itself is dated 30 April 2005 (apparently a typographical error for 30 April 2006). Previously, Ecuador submitted Article 7 reports on 24 January 2006 (for calendar year 2004), 23 June 2004, 31 May 2002, 5 March 2001, 23 August 2000 and 29 March 2000. A report dated 30 April 2003 has not been posted on the UN website.
[3] Article 7 Report, Form G, 30 April 2003.
[4] Article 7 Report, Forms B and D, 3 May 2006. This includes 1,400 T-AB-1 (Brazil), 459 VS/50 (Singapore), 100 PRB M-409 (Belgium), 25 P-4-B (Spain), 11 PRB M-35 (Belgium) and six PMD-6M (ex-USSR) mines.
[5] Statement by Ecuador, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 1 December 2005. The mines destroyed were: 1,000 VS/50; 700 T-AB-1; 200 PRB M-409; and 70 PRB M-35. The statement notes that the total before destruction was 3,971, one more than previously reported, because an additional PRB-M 35 was identified. See Article 7 Reports, Form D, 24 January 2006 and 23 June 2004.
[6] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 402-403.
[7] UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), “Inter-Agency Assessment Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p. 9.
[8] Ibid, p. 10.
[9] Article 7 Report, Form G, Table 1, 3 May 2006.
[10] Article 7 Report, Form C, Table 1, 3 May 2006.
[11] UNMAS, “Inter-Agency Assessment Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, p. 9.
[12] Ecuador notes that all the mines were laid before the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty (26 October 1998). See Article 7 Report, Form C, Table 1, 3 May 2006.
[13] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, National Coordinator, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, Director-General of National Sovereignty and President of CENDESMI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Quito, 17 May 2006.
[14] Article 7 Report, Form C, Table 1, 30 April 2006. OAS and CENDESMI reported the area affected as 46,032 square meters. Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[15] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[16] Article 7 Report, Form C, Table 1, 30 April 2006.
[17] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006, and telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[18] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006, and telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, Quito, 14 June 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 328.
[19] Article 7 Report, Form C, Table 2, 3 May 2006; telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 006. Ecuador previously stated in its Article 7 report of June 2004 that the provinces of Pastaza and Orellana, which had previously been mine-affected, were no longer considered to be affected. See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 403.
[20] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[21] Ecuador’s Article 7 reports submitted on 3 May 2006, 26 January 2006 and 23 June 2004 do not list Tiwinza as mine-affected. Earlier reports do list Tiwinza as mine-affected. Article 7 Reports, Form C, 31 May 2002, 5 March 2001 and 29 March 2000.
[22] UNMAS, “Inter-Agency Assessment Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, pp. 6, 9
[23] Email from Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 9 May 2006.
[24] OAS Ecuador website, accessed at www.aicma-ec.org on 9 June 2006.
[25] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 406.
[26] Email from Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 9 May 2006; telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[27] Article 7 Report, Form C, 24 January 2006.
[28] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[29] UNMAS, “Inter-Agency Assessment Report: Ecuador,” 15 November 1999, pp. 11-12.
[30] Executive Decree 1297, 22 September 1999.
[31] Ministry of Exterior Relations, “El Centro de Desminado del Ecuador” (“Ecuador’s Demining Center”), www.mmrree.gov.ec, accessed 15 June 2006.
[32] Email from Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 9 May 2006.
[33] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006; OAS AICMA, www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 9 June 2006.
[34] OAS, “Mine Action in the Condor Mountain Range of Peru/Ecuador,” Grant Application Form to the EC, May 2003, p. 6.
[35] Ibid, p. 5; OAS Ecuador, www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 9 June 2006.
[36] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[37] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 327.
[38] OAS, “Mine Action in the Condor Mountain Range of Peru/Ecuador,” Grant Application Form to the EC, May 2003, p. 9; responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[39] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[40] OAS AICMA, www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 9 June 2006.
[41] Telephone interview with Simon Berger, Regional IMSMA Coordinator for Latin America, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), 31 May 2006.
[42] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006; email from Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[43] CENDESMI response to questionnaire on the status of implementation of Article 5, Implementation Support Unit (ISU), GICHD, provided at Standing Committee meetings, May 2006.
[44] The director of CENDESMI reported that areas requiring clearance operations are more accessible on the Ecuadorian side of the border. Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[45] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006; telephone interview with Wilyam Lúcar Aliaga, Coordinator, Contraminas, Lima, 16 June 2006.
[46] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[47] OAS AICMA, www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 9 June 2006.
[48] “Reunión en la frontera de centros de desminado y ejércitos del Ecuador y del Perú (Demining centers and armies of Ecuador and Peru meet on border),” Press Release, Ministry of Exterior Relations, 11 April 2005; statement by Peru, Standing Committee of Mine Action, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, 13 June 2005.
[49] Statement by Ecuador, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[50] OAS, “Mine Action in the Condor Mountain Range of Peru/Ecuador,” Grant Application Form to the EC, May 2003, p. 8; telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[51] UN, “Final Report, First Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,” Nairobi, 29 November-3 December 2004, APLC/CONF/2004/5, 9 February 2005, p. 57.
[52] OAS, “Mine Action in the Condor Mountain Range of Peru/Ecuador,” Grant Application Form to the EC, May 2003, p. 13.
[53] CENDESMI’s response to questionnaire on the status of implementation of Article 5, ISU, GICHD, May 2006.
[54] Email from Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[55] Statement by Ecuador, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[56] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[57] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 404 for further information on previous impact surveys.
[58] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[59] Article 7 Report, Form G, 24 January 2006.
[60] Article 7 Report, Form G, 3 May 2006.
[61] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[62] The start date for clearance figures is unclear since the Article 7 report gives an annual result for each year starting with “until 2000.” Article 7 Report, Form G, 30 April 2006.
[63] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[64] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[65] Telephone interview with Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, Quito, 14 June 2006.
[66] Statement by Ecuador, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, Croatia, 30 November 2005.
[67] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[68] Email from Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA Ecuador, 9 May 2006.
[69] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006; Article 7 Report, Form I, 24 January 2006; Article 7 Report, Form I, 3 May 2006.
[70] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006.
[71] Article 7 Report, Form I, 3 May 2006; response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Jamie Barberis Martínez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[72] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006; Article 7 Report, Form I, 3 May 2006.
[73] Article 7 Report, Form I, 3 May 2006.
[74] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006.
[75] USG Historical Chart containing data for FY2005, by email from Angela L. Jeffries, Financial Management Specialist, US Department of State, 8 June 2006; emails from Richard G. Kidd, US Department of State, 24 August and 19 September 2005; email from H. Murphey McCloy Jr., Senior Demining Advisor, US Department of State, 30 September 2005.
[76] See Landmine Monitor 2005, p. 328-329.
[77] Email from Laura Liguori, Security Policy Unit, Conventional Disarmament, EC, 20 June 2006. Average exchange rate for 2005: €1 = $1.2449. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[78] Europe Aid, Antipersonnel Landmines Programmes and Projects, Direct Grants 2005, “Mine Action in the Condor Mountain Range Peru/Ecuador.”
[79] OAS, “Mine Action in the Condor Mountain Range of Peru/Ecuador,” Grant Application Form to the EC, May 2003, p. 10.
[80] Intervention by Italy, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 11 May 2006.
[81] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006; OAS AICMA, “Cuadro de Registro de Víctimas de Minas Antipersonal en el Ecuador (Picture of Antipersonal Mine Victim Record in Ecuador),” (updated 11 January 2006),” www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 8 June 2006.
[82] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 329.
[83] Response to Landmine Monitor to Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OAS AICMA, 18 April 2006.
[84] OAS AICMA, “Asistencia a Víctimas (Victim Assistance),” updated 11 January 2006, www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 8 June 2006.
[85] OAS AICMA, “Cuadro de Registro de Víctimas de Minas Antipersonal en el Ecuador (Picture of Antipersonal Mine Victim Record in Ecuador),” www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 8 June 2006.
[86] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” Fifth Edition, Washington, August 2004, p. 50.
[87] Responses to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Guillermo Leal, OASCMA, 18 April 2006, and by Jaime Barberis Martinez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[88] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 408-409.
[89] Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 January 2006; Article 7 Report, Form E, 3 May 2006.
[90] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Jaime Barberis Martinez, CENDESMI, Quito, 17 May 2006; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 329.
[91] Response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire by Jaime Barberis Martinez, CENDESMI, 17 May 2006.
[92] Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 January 2006; Article 7 Report, Form E, 3 May 2006.
[93] Article 7 Report, Form E, 3 May 2006.
[94] Email from Bill McDonough, Coordinator, Mine Action Program, OAS, 31 May 2006.
[95] Article 7 Report, Form E, 3 May 2006; OAS AICMA, “Asistencia a Víctimas (Victim Assiastence),” www.aicma-ec.org, accessed 8 June 2006.
[96] Article 7 Report, Form E, 3 May 2006; email fom Bill McDonough, OAS, 31 May 2006.
[97] See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 240.
[98] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Ecuador,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.
[99] CONADIS, “Vigente Reforma al Código Laboral” (“Reform to Labor Code in Effect),” www.conadis.gov.ec, accessed 3 June 2006.