A Different Kind of Disaster: Demining in Nicaragua

Written by Geno Teofilo, American Red Cross International Delegate

Mosquitia, Nicaragua, May 9, 2001 —  It's a scene right out of a 19th century novel. An isolated village on a river you've never heard of. Old wooden homes built on stilts. Friendly indigenous people traveling down stream in dugout canoes, as their ancestors have done for centuries. Children jumping off the riverbank, swimming and splashing with their friends. The whole scene looks so peaceful, but appearances can be deceptive. The river is full of hundreds of landmines.

This is Mosquitia in northern Nicaragua. The river is the Rio Coco, and the Miskito Indians have lived here for generations, living independently, largely undisturbed by outsiders. The land here is so remote nobody much bothered them over the years.

But the Rio Coco is the natural border between Nicaragua and Honduras. When war broke out between the Contras and the Sandinistas in the 1980s, some of the heaviest fighting of the war happened here. The Miskito Indians were caught in the middle. And they paid a very heavy price.

They are still paying the price to this day, thanks to the landmines and other unexploded ordnance left over from the war. Last year, two local children, playing in the town of Waspam, accidentally detonated an anti-tank mine. Picture what such a large mine can do to an armored tank, then imagine what it can do to the bodies of two small children.

Mines were planted here by both sides of the war, and only some of the fields were mapped. Many were not, and it is in those fields where mines continue to be found, occasionally with tragic results.

Miskito boys dive into the Rio Coco from the Nicaraguan side of the river. To the far side lies Honduras. Miskitos still travel back and forth as if there is no border.

Mines, however, are only part of the problem. Local residents have also found grenades, mortars, even rockets. Add these to the mines, and the Nicaraguan Red Cross estimates that throughout the country at least 50 people are killed or injured every year. Half of those killed are children.

The Miskito Indians also lose livestock to mines. The animals, on which the indians rely for food and trade, step on the explosives while grazing. To keep the animals safe, residents encourage them to stay close to their homes, where the mines have been cleared. But this results in livestock waste surrounding their houses, creating unsanitary conditions where their children play.

After the war, there was a limited demining program carried out in Mosquitia by the Nicaraguan Army. Resources were limited, however, and they were only able to locate and dispose of some of the mines. This means hundreds, perhaps thousands, are still left in the ground. Because the demining program was incomplete, the Miskito Indians have continued to find mines scattered throughout the province. When they found them too close to their homes, they dumped them in the one place they thought no one would step on them — in the river. Recently a local woman was fishing in the river with a large casting net. As she pulled the net in to see what she'd caught, she was surprised to find she had hauled in two hand grenades. Acting on instinct, she immediately threw them back in the river.

More images from Mosquitia

When the two small children were killed by a mine in Waspam, three other anti-tank mines were found nearby. After the war, military units in the area had been demobilized. Mines and other explosives were turned in, but had never been properly disposed of. Located in a small military compound dangerously close to local homes, the cache of mines and unexploded ordnance were not stored safely, but were lying together in an open hole. The amount of explosives was staggering. There were over 2.4 tons of mines, mortars, grenades and other explosives, totaling 564 pieces altogether. If so much as a small rock was tossed into that hole, it could have blown the whole cache sky high, heavily damaging not only the military compound but the nearby homes of local residents. It was decided that this cache, too, had to be disposed of. But before the Nicaraguan Army could safely detonate all of these explosives, the surrounding community had to be evacuated.

Enter the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross has had a presence here in Waspam since 1999, when Health Delegate Melissa Schuette opened a local office in the wake of Hurricane Mitch. Joined by other Red Cross staff, they have provided relief and development programs to the region ever since. Besides programs in health, water and sanitation, they also teach disaster preparedness. To evacuate the community before the detonation of the mines would require the same type of disaster preparedness response that would accompany any other disaster.

A young Miskito girl makes her way down an isolated road. The Miskitos have lived here quietly and independently, except when war has intervened.

For this evacuation, the American Red Cross staff , along with the Nicaraguan Red Cross, led the way by canvassing the affected community and opening a shelter at a local school. The residents who lived in the risky areas closest to the blast zone spent three days in the evacuation shelter, or stayed with other nearby relatives and friends. Food was provided for the evacuees. American Red Cross vehicles evacuated residents, and returned them home after the mines were detonated. They also had medical personnel standing by in case of injuries from the explosions.

American Red Cross Field Delegate Freddy Rosario is also based in Nicaragua, and flew in to help coordinate the evacuation. He was impressed by the performance of the Nicaraguan Red Cross volunteers. "They did very well. They went out, did the census and coordinated well with the Ministry of Health and school officials."

After careful preparation, evacuation, and six different detonations, the operation was finally over. But the people of Mosquitia had been plagued by years of war, and the evacuation and demining operation brought back many unwelcome memories. They were too much for some, and a number of people fainted. Fortunately the Red Cross was prepared with mental health volunteers to provide psycho-social support to those having trouble dealing with the situation.

Learn More About the American Red Cross in Central America

Residents were grateful for the assistance. Local businessman Hipolito Saballos expressed their sentiment, "People have always been afraid of the mines. It was great to have the Red Cross here." But much remains to be done. He continued, "There are still more (mines) out there. More should be done, there should be another program."

Since the Red Cross doesn't physically handle mines, it is hoped that one day the Nicaraguan government or another NGO will fund a future demining program to make this region safer. When, and if, that happens, the Red Cross will be ready to conduct another evacuation if necessary.

Until such funding becomes available, the Nicaraguan Red Cross is continuing work to educate communities about the dangers of mines, with a special emphasis placed on children. After all, it's better to prevent landmine injuries with education first, then to treat them with an ambulance later.

Related articles:

• A three part series from June 1999, about the effects of Hurricane Mitch on the Rio Coco Coast
  
  • Hurricane Relief Comes Slow to Rio Coco Coast (Part 1 of 3)
  • Hurricane Relief Comes Slow to Rio Coco Villages (Part 2 of 3)
  • Hurricane Relief Comes Slow to Rio Coco Villages (Part 3 of 3)