The National Army's humanitarian demining team completed the intervention in the municipality of Barranco de Loba, south of the department of Bolívar.
The Non-Technical Study tasks carried out by personnel of the Humanitarian Demining Engineer Battalion No.1, led to investigate the villages Los Cerritos, Río Nuevo, San Antonio, Pueblito Mejía, Santa Cruz Mine, Las Delicias, the Antonio Sajón community council and the municipal seat.
In the humanitarian demining work, 9,186 square meters were declared free of suspected contamination of explosive devices.
It is worth mentioning that the intervention carried out in these eight sectors favors more than 15,000 people who will be able to make use of their lands, Colonel Carlos Rafael Tarazona Ocasión said, “as demining soldiers we are very proud to contribute to the well-being and progress of the inhabitants of southern Bolivar, especially those who inhabit the municipality of Barranco de Loba, which thanks to the work carried out by our Humanitarian Demining Engineer Battalion No.1 today we declare it free of suspicion of anti-personnel mines. This work was carried out in eight sectors; the events we had known regarding accidents with anti-personnel mines or unexploded ordnance were investigated.”
Regarding the declaration, Manuel Esteban Ramos Bayter, municipal mayor, said: “With the certification of the municipality free of antipersonnel mines, a new era opens for our peasants because they can go to the countryside without any risk to their lives.”
In addition to the liberation of these lands, Anti-Personnel Mine Risk Education instructors provided instructions to the inhabitants on the behaviors they should have in the face of the existence of explosive devices, thus strengthening a culture of safe behaviors and self-care.
Source: Press - Humanitarian Demining Brigade
