Colombia: Demining initiative announced for eight departments Feb. 1

Event

On Thursday, February 1, the Interinstitutional Humanitarian Demining Agency (IIDH) announced that the Humanitarian Demining Brigade would undertake demining operations in 30 municipalities across eight Colombian departments in the coming months. The operations will take place in the departments of Caquetá, Cauca, Huila, Meta, Nariño, Santander, Tolima, and Valle del Cauca.

The announced initiative comes after a soldier was wounded by a landmine explosion in Norte de Santander department on Tuesday, January 31. The Ejército Popular de Liberación (EPL) and Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) are known to lay mines in the area targeting Colombian security forces.

Context

An estimated 52 million square meters (560 million square feet) are mined in Colombia. Government statistics indicate that anti-personnel landmines have killed and injured over 11,000 people since 1990. According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Colombia has the second highest landmine casualty rate, after Afghanistan.

The ELN - the country's last remaining rebel group following the demobilization of the FARC - is believed to have some 2000 fighters spread out over the departments of Nariño, Arauca, Boyacá, Norte de Santander, La Guajira, Cesar, Bolívar, Casanare, Santander, Chocó, Cauca, and Putumayo, particularly in rural zones. Peace talks have been ongoing since February 2017.

Advice

Due to the presence of various armed groups, including narcotraffickers, organized crime, and guerrillas, many Western governments advise against travel to various regions of the country - particularly rural zones - with the notable exceptions of the northern Caribbean regions and central areas (including Bogotá).