Nicaragua declares itself to be land mine free

MANAGUA - Nicaragua has defused over two million land mines in the past 21 years under the “National Mine Clean Up Programme” and has now declared its territory free of mines.

Over 179,970 land mines have been defused in at least 1,029 sites, including 70 bridges, 378 electricity towers, two airfields and seven hydroelectric plants, General Julio Cesar Aviles, was quoted as saying by Prensa Latina.

Authorities also cleaned up 313 km along the border with Honduras and 96 km of the border line with Costa Rica, he said.

President Daniel Ortega declared the country free of the scourge the US allegedly sponsored in the 1980s during the anti-Sandinista Revolution war, which left thousands of people dead and disabled.