Overview | Other sites

Overview

The Humanitarian Demining Program is managed by the Commander-in-Chief (CINC) of each regional U.S. military command -- in the case of Latin America, by the U.S. Southern Command -- and by the Defense Department's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). Part of the demining effort is also funded through the State Department's Global Humanitarian Demining program, which covers the cost of some equipment and detector dog teams.

Within Latin America, demining activities are carried out in coordination with the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) of the Organization of American States. The U.S. supports demining efforts in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala through the IADB. 

According to the Defense Department’s report to Congress on demining, the U.S. program focuses on developing local capacity to deal with the problem of landmines. The report states that “The five components of humanitarian demining are mine awareness, infrastructure development (such as building-up a national mine action center), civil-military cooperation, demining training and victims assistance.  U.S. military personnel do not enter active minefields or remove emplaced landmines.”

Hurricane Mitch in late 1998 dealt a huge setback to demining efforts in Central America. Flooding in Nicaragua and Honduras displaced mines left in the ground from the conflicts of the 1980s. Many areas that had already been mapped for demining had to be reinvestigated. One concern was that mines had been swept downriver and lodged at the base of bridges which had previously been mine-free. The 1999 Supplemental Appropriations bill, which contained money for hurricane relief for Central America, included $2 million in funding for demining in Honduras and Nicaragua.

Humanitarian Mine Action Program [14]

Other sites

• Inter-American Defense Board
• Organization of American States
• United States Humanitarian Demining Program
• United Nations Demining Database
• Staff Sgt. Jeff Troth. "Central American flooding from hurricane causes minefields to shift." Armylink News release, Nov. 16, 1998.
• Maj. Tom McCollum. "Special Forces lead U.S. demining efforts in Central America." Armylink News release, December 15, 1997.

Sources:

¹ United States, Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program of the Department of Defense, Fiscal Year 1998, (Washington: Department of Defense, March 1, 1999).