The operation carried out by about 4,500 mine clearance specialists of the only Humanitarian Demining Brigade in the world, which has served Colombians for four years, doesn’t stop.
In the first six months of 2020, the National Army's mine clearance specialists cleared more than 1,100,000 square meters with the manual demining technique, which helps more Colombian families to make use of their lands.
In turn, in the mission carried out by soldiers in the departments the most hit by these elements of war, such as Caquetá, Caldas, Antioquia, Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Putumayo, Huila, Santander, and Tolima, it was possible to destroy 94 explosive devices; the largest number was 28, in the Caquetá region.
Meanwhile, in the territory where it was possible to advance the most with the manual demining technique is Valle Cauca, there 167,000 square meters were cleared in the municipalities of Palmira, Tulua and Pradera.
It should be noted that the average daily clearance of a mine clearance specialist soldier is about 10 meters, a performance that depends on adverse conditions such as climate, territory and the movement itself.
Regarding the four years of work, from August 6, 2016 to date, the military of the brigade of Engineers of Humanitarian Demining No.1 have present over 200 municipalities free of suspicion of anti-personnel mines, and 1,069 explosive devices have been destroyed, benefiting nearly 3,000,000 inhabitants who are already cultivating on decontaminated lands or are simply traveling without fear through their fields.
The mine clearance specialists reaffirm that their mission will not cease until they cover the threatened territories and free Colombia of the legacy of the war that has been silent in the ground for decades, waiting for its victims.
Source: press-Humanitarian Demining Brigade
