Falkland Islands Cleared of Landmines

[ORAC]

Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor

Production, Transfer and Use

Argentina is a former producer and exporter of antipersonnel mines.

Production took place at the General Directorate of Military Industries (Dirección General de Fabricaciones Militares) of the Ministry of Defense. Argentina has stated it produced only one type of antipersonnel mine, the FMK-1 plastic blast mine, at the “Fray Luis Beltrán” factory between 1976 and 1990, manufacturing 18,970 FMK-1 mines during this period.[8] Equipment formerly used for production is now being used to make reinforced fuzes, detonators for grenades, estopines (initiators), and other items.[9] According to the US Department of Defense,

Argentina had manufactured two other types of antipersonnel mines: the MAPG pressure or tripwire-initiated mine and the MAPPG bounding mine.[10] The government never officially declared production of these mines which date from the 1940s/1950s, but an official said the mines could have been imported and re-catalogued to make their identification easier.[11]

Based on Article 7 reports and mines found in the Malvinas/Falklands, Argentina imported antipersonnel mines from Libya (MAP and TRA), Israel (Number 4), Italy (SB-33), and Spain (P4B). Argentina exported nearly 3,000 FMK-1 antipersonnel mines to Honduras. An export moratorium was instituted in March 1995, which has since been superceded by the Mine Ban Treaty.

There is little information available on Argentine exports of antipersonnel mines prior to the 1995 moratorium. Argentina sold weapons to Croatia, including 5,750 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines several months before the moratorium was instituted.[12] This sale caused a scandal, because the transfer was made during a UN arms embargo against Croatia.

Argentina last used landmines during the Malvinas/Falklands war in 1982, and it has stated that the islands are the only mine-affected part of Argentina. (See also United Kingdom entry in this Landmine Monitor Report.)

According to Argentina’s May 2001 Article 7 report, 20,000 EXPAL P-4-B, and FMK-1 antipersonnel mines were laid during the 1982 conflict.[13] In July 2002, it added SB-33 antipersonnel mines to the list of mines it used in the islands.[14]