There are 13 villages intervened by means of non-technical studies and manual demining, to be declared free of suspicion of explosive devices territories.
Approximately 3,000 people live in the northeast of the department of Caldas, it is the municipality of Marulanda, cataloged by FONTUR as the charming municipality. This territory of sheep tradition stands out for the elaboration of ruanas (ponchos), blankets and pillows produced by peasants who use 100 percent natural wool. Agriculture, livestock and fishing are in the same way highlighted in this area.
One of the challenges to decontaminate the municipality of explosive devices was to use the technique of manual demining in an area where the mountainous terrains predominate. However, the professionalism, discipline and perseverance of the soldiers of the Humanitarian Demining Engineer Battalion No. 5 of Colombian National Army led them to assume the intervention of the villages Mojellones, Las Peñas, Santa Clara, La Alejandría, Rincón Santo, Santa Rita, El Zancudo, La Laguna, Montebonito, San Isidro, El Páramo, Naranjal and La Suecia.
Leonardo Giraldo Botero, mayor of Marulanda, expressed the gratitude of the humanitarian demining of the Army and added: "We are very happy to receive this certification of being a municipality free of suspicion of anti-personnel mines, something that pleases us and gives us peace of mind, knowing that tourists can visit us, that peasants can till their lands without having the fear of violence; it is something that satisfies us. We want to tell the whole world that Marulanda is a land of peace."
There were five years of demining work in which it was possible to clear about 50,000 square meters and declare the suspicion of anti-personnel mines in that region of Caldas. It should be noted that, through meetings with the presidents of the communal action board of the different villages, the inhabitants provided information to rule out the presence of explosive devices.
"Unfortunately, in previous years we lived in a very difficult situation in which we could not move freely. We were very restricted by the armed groups, at this moment we can move freely, we feel very calm, the situation has improved a lot," said Darío Alonso Zapata, ringleader of victims of Marulanda.
Safe behaviors were disseminated and emphasized by the promoters of mine risk education, so that children and adults would not tamper the marking system or, in the worst case, invade a work area with suspected contamination.
"This characterization by the humanitarian demining, of being free of suspicion of contamination of explosive devices, makes tourists come and enjoy the nature that the beautiful municipality provides. Marulanda generates sheep that are marketed in Nariño, and later pass to Ecuador. We basically supply that regional and national market. So Marulanda, in addition to providing that tourist destination for people and all visitors, generates an agricultural and livestock pantry for the country," said Marco Tulio Trujillo, manager of the Marulanda Sheep cooperative.
So far, 13 municipalities in Caldas have been presented by the humanitarian demining of Colombian National Army, that is, only two municipalities, Samana and Pensilvania, would remain pending to declare the department as a territory free of suspicion of anti-personnel mines.
The security of the mine clearance specialists was in charge of the soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Battalion Battle of Ayacucho, attached to the Eighth Brigade of Colombian National Army.
Source: Eighth Brigade of Colombian National Army
