In 2018, the troops of the Ninth Brigade, through the Humanitarian Demining Battalion No. 5 and other tactical units, have managed to eradicate from the Huilense lands, 15 antipersonnel mines.
Huila. Although the downward trend, thanks to the permanent work of the Multi Mission Heroes in the areas formerly occupied by illegal structures that violated the protocols of International Humanitarian Law, this is an issue that can not be a forgotten.
The challenge for the soldiers, today in the frame of the International Day for Awareness-raising against Antipersonnel Mines, is to continue with the cleaning of every inch of the department of Huila to prevent this threat especially for the rural population.
These lethal weapons for years have been used to attack on the physical and psychological conditions of the opponent but today the use of these threat persists on the part of the Organized Residual Armed Groups. It is an illegal practice of war that, due to the armed conflict, has not only harmed soldiers and police members but also the rural population which has been seriously hit by this illegal practice.
According to the figures of Descontamina Colombia, in the department of Huila, in the last 27 years, 35 fatal victims have been reported (16 civilians - 19 Public Force units) and 213 people have been wounded (179 Public Force members - 34 civilians) for a total of 248 victims.
Little by little, statistics have been decreasing, from two victims in 2016 to 0 victims in 2017 and the same figure as of 2018, a dynamic that is expected to continue thanks to demining work and support, through information from the community.
The high cost
The use of these illegal methods of war has been aimed at counteracting military operations and preventing the actions of the Army into the areas of interference of illegal armed structures, the most common is the anti-personnel mine; a lethal weapon whose non-industrialized manufacturing status leads to have a production costs ranging from 20,000 and 30,000 pesos and a duration of up to 20 years.
Removing one of these deadly traps requires time, the use of equipment and the risk of human resources, soldiers who, when working in the neutralization of a mine, face the threat posed by the manipulation of these non-industrialized weapons.
The recovery of a victim of an antipersonnel mine, if injured, could cost around 750 million pesos, which includes hospitalization, prosthetics, therapy and psychological support for the victim and his family. However, beyond the monetary value, there is the pain that represents for families and the country to see mutilated dreams and damages and traumas such as loss of vision, disfigurement of the face, multiple amputation, among others.
This is complemented by the costs of clearing and / or sweeping the terrains that involve intervening an area to confirm or neutralize the presence of antipersonnel mines in areas that were contaminated by out Law groups to hit troops.
The clearing of each square meter could range from one million to two million pesos, which includes adjustments to administrative areas, maintenance of operations, sustaining the intervention and the destruction of the mine.
Progress of Demining in the department of Huila
The Army does not stop its demining work, it is a fight that in the department of Huila has led to the Multi mission Heroes of the Ninth Brigade, through the Humanitarian Demining Battalion No. 5, to intervene 12 municipalities (Colombia, Baraya, Neiva, Tello, Santa Maria, La Plata, Argentina, Isnos, San Agust铆n, Gigante, Garz贸n and Suaza).
This is an intervention that in 2017 has led to present 10,250 hectares free of suspicion of mines in the municipality of Baraya, while for 2018 in the first quarter troops have achieved the clearing of 43,817 hectares in the municipalities of Colombia, Baraya and Neiva.
Today the call is to awareness. The Ninth Brigade calls the community to provide timely information that leads the Humanitarian Demining Battalion to continue with the work to declare the territory free from suspicions of mines.
Source: Ninth Brigade - National Army.
