Military Group in Colombia is headed by the Brazilian Navy
A series of events marked the celebration of 30 years of support from the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) for Humanitarian Demining in Latin America. In conjunction with the Organization of American States, this support began in Nicaragua in 1993, and has since occurred in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and Suriname. Since 2006, with the creation of the Group of Inter-American Monitors for Humanitarian Demining in Colombia, the IADB has been active in the South American country, currently under the leadership of the Brazilian Navy.
In addition to ceremonies, an International Seminar was also held, with the support of the IADB, to discuss humanitarian demining issues at the political and strategic levels, in a face-to-face and virtual format, which was attended by representatives from 18 countries. There was also a workshop, held at the Colombian Army’s facilities, aimed at improving techniques, tactics and procedures of the activity.
More than 17 million square meters, which were suspected of having antipersonnel mines, in Colombia, have already been cleared by the operations, which count on the support of the IADB staff. Currently the Board has three officers from the Brazilian Navy, three from the Brazilian Army and one from the Mexican Army.
The Head of the Inter-American Monitors Group, Sea and War Captain (Marine) Leonel Mariano da Silva Junior, highlights that there is still much to do. “We have a goal by 2025 to leave Colombia free of mines, but the conflicts continue to threaten the population and make the work very difficult, because there must be safety for the operators. We hope to continue to fight this threat so that people can plant on the land and build their homes in mine-free areas, where children and the people in general are not threatened.”
Source: Marine News Agency