Central America is the first geographical zone to become “mine-impact” free, according to the Tenth Edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, a report released Dec. 19 by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
Mine-Impact free means all explosives have been removed from areas where people go about their daily business, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said as the report was released.
“Over the last decade, we have helped decrease the worldwide number of landmine casualties from about 15,000 to 20,000 annually to approximately 4,000 in each of the last two years,” Clinton said. “That is still an unacceptably high figure. But the progress we made is due in no small part to the commitment of the United States government and partner organizations to clear hundreds of thousands of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines.”
The report summarizes the actions and accomplishments of the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Program, including the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, the world’s largest such operation helping countries safely dispose of landmines and excess arms and munitions.
The report said Central America was declared mine safe at the end of 2010, and it is the first worldwide geographical zone to reach this distinction. Peru has pledged to be mine-free by 2017. Colombia, is expected to need more than 10 years to become mine-impact free, the report said.
The 59-page illustrated report also highlights continued progress in Afghanistan, where U.S.-pioneered community-based demining initiatives have helped to clear over 80,000 square meters of land in Helmand Province and to destroy over 700 metric tons of explosive material often used to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This is a trend the United States hopes will continue and be adopted by other countries.
U.S. government assistance to Iraq from fiscal year 2003-2010 totaled more than $175 million, setting up a mine-action program, helping to restore land and develop host nation ability as well as providing humanitarian mine action, unexploded mine (UXO) clean up and small arms and light weapons and man man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) destruction. The Directorate for Mine Action said UXO contaminated land spans 851 kilometers, and landmines cover some 727 square kilometers, and it is suspected hidden and abandoned ordnance sites are pervasive throughout the country.
Working closely with the Defense Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State Department has helped destroy over 1.4 million small arms and light weapons and 80,000 tons of munitions around the world since 2001.
In addition, this interagency partnership has collaborated with several governments and international organizations since 2003 to destroy more than 32,000 excess or poorly secured man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles that pose a serious potential threat to global aviation in the hands of terrorists or insurgents.
The United States is the world’s single largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction. Since 1993, the United States has promoted peace and security through the commitment of nearly $1.9 billion for the safe disposal of small arms, light weapons, and munitions, as well as for removal of landmines and other explosive remnants of war in 81 countries. For more information: www.state.gov/t/pm/wra.