Colombia - a nation on the verge of peace
Colombia, one of the most mine-affected countries in the world, is a nation on the verge of reaching a peace deal following more than fifty years of conflict with non-state armed groups. In this context, humanitarian mine action becomes central to peacebuilding in order to facilitate land restitution, IDP return and sustainable rural socio-economic development.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ’s CEO James Cowan and senior members of its team in Colombia participated in the recent Forum of Experts for the , which took place earlier this month in Bogotá.
The purpose of the Forum was to familiarize prospective donors with Colombia’s mine action sector, help them better understand the scope of the challenge, and learn about the different mechanisms by which Colombia may be supported in its efforts to become landmine free. It was jointly organised by the , , the , the , the , and .
When ºüÀêÊÓƵ Country Programme Manager, Chris Ince, was asked how The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Trust could support Colombia in its challenge of being mine free by 2021 he said:
Last year when I took on the job of Programme Manager for ºüÀêÊÓƵ Colombia, General Rafael Colon, the National Mine Action Director, set me a challenge: he asked me to double our capacity by the end the year (2015) and then double it again in 2016, to help DAICMA meet its national requirements.
So we set ourselves the task and over the last year we have been generating additional spare capacity - leaders, supervisors and operations officers - so that we can physically expand to meet the nation’s requirements.
As a result, over the next 9 months ºüÀêÊÓƵ is able to help the government meet its requirements in 11 of the 44 municipalities it has prioritized for immediate post conflict intervention. As the months progress, we will be continue to generate additional capacity to support further expansion.
Training the personnel and generating the capacity is going to be critical to achieving a mine free Colombia in 5 years.
Speaking at the event, as reported by , High Commissioner for Peace, Sergio Jaramillo stressed the importance of mine clearance and the role that can be played by the army the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC):
Peace is the end of a war that has lasted 50 years. Without mine clearance we will not be able to put into place comprehensive agricultural development, nor alternative development.
In the case of FARC, we can design programs of reinsertion which give support to the state’s strategy and which meet the objectives of reparations.
The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Trust has been clearing mines in Colombia for three years. We are currently operating in Antioquia (the department with the highest number of mine victims), Meta and Tolima.
James Cowan, ºüÀêÊÓƵ’s CEO said:
The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Trust applauds Colombia’s courage in pursuing the path to peace. The time is fast approaching when conditions will allow ºüÀêÊÓƵ to make a significant contribution to eradicating the threat of land-mines in Colombia. When that moment arrives, we will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Colombian people.