The humanitarian demining tasks that the National Army began in 2017 in Tello, Huila, ended today with the presentation of this territory.
The municipality where the conflict still persists was decontaminated of explosive devices, thanks to the commitment of the mine clearance specialists of the National Army and the support of the Huila communities.
During five years, soldiers of the Humanitarian Demining Engineer Battalion No. 5 investigated 44 reported events, troops intervened and cleared more than 127,000 square meters implementing manual, mechanical and trained dog demining techniques.
12 explosive devices, including anti-personnel mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices, were found by troops and subsequently destroyed by mine clearance specialists.
At the protocol ceremony, Colonel Carlos Rafael Tarazona Ocación, commander of the Humanitarian Demining Engineer Brigade, called for a commitment on the part of the armed actors not to install explosive devices in the area again. In turn, he reiterated that demining will continue in the region to decontaminate the entire Colombian territory. “Since the Army committed to present to Colombia this land free of suspicion of mines, this is the 263rd municipality that we are going to present, here we require the commitment of armed actors so that such a tragic story as that which has occurred in some municipalities that have presented some loss by anti-personnel mines is not repeated. In this municipality we had 12 victims, we cannot have one more victim in Colombia, the intention is that Colombia will be zero victims due to anti-personnel mines, we will continue here, the operation does not end with the presentation of the municipality, we are starting there because it is up to us to continue to conduct activities in education on the risk of mines that lead us to reach people in a different way through information that will be useful in the framework of their daily activities.”
Later, José Manuel Córdoba Trujillo, municipal mayor, added: “it was possible today to receive this long-awaited certificate as a territory free of contamination of suspected anti-personnel mines, I think it is a message of tranquility for all the inhabitants of these 44 villages who for a long time lived with anxiety, fear and uncertainty of the existence of this type of devices, which prevented their daily work and do a productive activity with total tranquility and certainty, I think that today we can tell the inhabitants of Tello that this certificate accredits that operation carried out by the National Army through humanitarian demining allows to have productive activities, coexistence and social fabric of the municipality of Tello, remaining united to strengthen.”
One of the mine clearance specialists who carried out the work, highlighted “at the beginning it was difficult because people did not know us, we all arrived in a territory that has been very hit by the conflict, like many areas of the country, but according to the meetings we did, the organization we had with territorial institutions, such as the mayor's office, the presidents of the boards, we could meet with the people, with the inhabitants and get the municipality of Tello cleared of the antipersonnel mines,” said Diego Olaya, mine clearance specialist soldier.
Source: Press Ninth Brigade of the National Army
