Colombia is one of the most contaminated country with antipersonnel mines, resulting in more than 11,000 victims since 1990, according to the Colombian government’s Office of the High Commissioner for Peace.
As of September 30, 2019, 356 Colombian municipalities were declared cleared of antipersonnel mines with the destruction or neutralization of 6,870 explosive devices. However, a lot more work still lies ahead. Multinational teams are conducting ongoing demining activities in another 189 locations in Colombia. Brazil is one of the nations that participate in this humanitarian mission to free Colombian territories.
“The contamination of areas by antipersonnel mines causes various political, environmental, social, and economic impacts to a country,” said Brazilian Marine Corps Colonel Dalton Araújo de Barros, head of the Inter-American Monitors Group of the Organization of American States’ Assistance Mission, headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia. “Brazil is a crucial contributor to reach the goals of Colombia’s Comprehensive Action Plan against Antipersonnel Mines.”
Brazil’s contribution to the process of decontamination in Colombia began in 2006. Currently, there are 20 Brazilian service members in Colombia, eight from the Marine Corps and 12 from the Brazilian Army (EB, in Portuguese).
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Source: DIALOGO