Thanks to the engagement of the National Army, Medina (in Cundinamarca), Acacias and Puerto Gaitán (in Meta), complement the municipalities of Fuentedeoro, Villavicencio, Guamal and Cumaral, to be free of suspicion of antipersonnel mines in the Colombian southeast.
Efforts made by the Battalion of Engineers of Humanitarian Demining No.4 of the National Army after six months of conducting technical demining tasks, have led the troops of this military unit, to liberate about 134 thousand square meters of threats of mines, benefiting more than 83,593 people.
The demining operation in Acacias, began on August 22, 2018 and ended on October 26 of the same year, where thanks to timely information provided by the community it was possible to present 33,750 square meters free of suspicion of mines, improving the quality of life of more than 47 thousand inhabitants of the urban area of this municipality and of the hamlets Portachuelo, Manzanares, Venecia, Vistahermosa, Loma de San Juan, Frescovalle, Las Blancas, San Cayetano, El Resguardo and La Esmeralda.
Meanwhile, in Puerto Gaitán, the villages Carimagua, Cristalina, Santa Helena, Puerto Triunfo, Los Kioscos, Comejenal, Rubiales, the Unuma Indigenous Reservation, Las Villas and Santa Bárbara, began the intervention on July 27, 2018 and ended on 25 October of the same year, presenting 84,467 thousand square meters, benefiting about 18 thousand residents who will use their lands.
In the same way, in Medina, in the department of Cundinamarca, the urban area and the Santa Ana, Choapal, El Vainillo and Humea districts 10,934 square meters were presented free of suspicion of mines, which benefited more than 10 thousand inhabitants of this place.
It should be noted that Colombia had become the second country with the most victims of antipersonnel mines worldwide and thanks to the operation of the National Army with its Humanitarian Demining Battalions, it currently ranks number 10. That is why our Bicentenary Heroes continue to conduct operations in order to meet the goals set by the national government, improving the quality of life of the population to have a mine-free Colombia.
Source: Seventh Brigade - Press
