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Chile

Chile soon free of landmines

Geneva, Switzerland - Chile could be the new success story in humanitarian demining in South America a region where five countries have declared mined areas under their jurisdiction or control.

At a meeting of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, also known as the Ottawa Convention, Col. Andrés Cáceres Cuadra informed that in what remains of 2019, Chile will clear 18 contaminated areas leaving the rest for the 2020 summer period, in time to meet its 1 March 2020 deadline under the Convention.

During the meeting, Ecuador will ask a group of states and organizations to support its demining program in order to complete its mine clearance operations by 2022 as mandated under the Convention. In addition, Ecuador carries out joint clearance operations with Peru - the border pollution is the result of a short conflict between the two countries.

Press note: The anti-personnel mines in Chile were all laid around its borders during the Pinochet regime in the 1970s. Chile is one of the few countries in the world in financing 100% of its own demining operations.

Other countries in Latin America having declared mine contamination include Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. For its part, El Salvador and Nicaragua, which already completed their mine clearance, together with Peru and Colombia, are among the 30 countries that have declared significant numbers of landmine survivors.

The mine ban convention meeting ends on Friday in Geneva.