Nearly a decade after the landmark 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and a communist guerilla group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the prevalence of landmines remains a critical issue in the country.
As mine clearance efforts turn toward active conflict zones in Colombia where humanitarian law is disregarded, buried and improvised explosives aren’t the only risks for some Colombian humanitarian workers on the frontlines of neutralizing minefields. Colombia has historically ranked high among the countries most impacted by landmines as a result of decades-long armed conflict involving the government, drug cartels, and a number of paramilitary and guerilla groups. While Colombia now has less than five square kilometers of known contaminated land, it continues to falter in making its territories safe for civilians, as has been the case in similarly affected countries such as Niger, Palestine, Peru, and Somalia.
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Source: The Progressive Magazine
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