The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Últimas entradas

Ander Arcos

Integral Mine Action en Grupo Método

Últimas entradas de Ander Arcos (ver todo)

• Método contribuye al fomento de la eficiencia energética en Colombia - 11 May, 2015
• Método crea una plataforma para las asociaciones de víctimas de Minas Antipersonales en Colombia - 24 April, 2015
• “Las minas se cobran vidas, pero también mutilan la libertad y el desarrollo económico de los pueblos” - 24 March, 2015

Proyectiles, bombas, minas antipersonal… el suelo colombiano todavía es un campo sembrado de artefactos explosivos. Diversas organizaciones trabajan para limpiarlo, atender a las víctimas y evitar nuevos afectados. Una de ellas es el Grupo Método, working hand your partner the Colombian Campaign Against Mines. As part of this struggle and the occasion of International Day for Mine Awareness Antipersonnel, Ander Alonso Arcos, It is working with Integral Method in Mine Action in this country, invites us in this interview to reflect on the theme.

How affects, in general, the problem of mines in Colombia?

When we speak of Integral Action Against Antipersonnel Mines (AICMA) we are actually talking about three main types of explosive devices: MAP or Anti-Personnel Mines, MUSE or UXO and IEDs or Improvised Explosive Devices with characteristics of Antipersonnel Mine. They talk about all these types of devices because they all have the characteristic of not discriminating, because they do not distinguish who would exploit; cause injury or unnecessary suffering, because they have a high ability to maul people; and cause serious and lasting damage to the environment because they leave contaminated, impassable and unusable large areas of territory.

Given this, Official statistics indicate that Colombia is the second country in the world -for behind Afghanistan- more victims minors and the third country in the world -for behind Afghanistan and Cambodia- with victims by MAP / MUSE / AEI. Much of Colombian municipalities in virtually all departments are affected by the presence of such artifacts, what it makes it a problem really important.

How many municipalities affected? How many could have?, it's known?

The problem of MAP / MUSE / AEI affects hundreds of municipalities in Colombia since they are scattered all over the territory where they have been fighting or presence of armed non-state actors. The Directorate for Integrated Mine Action (DAICMA) -state entity who worked on the project management territorially, has identified 12 departments in which they have prioritized 76 highly contaminated municipalities. In all of them we are working. The Colombian Campaign Against Mines (CCCM), an association of great relevance in this topic, with whom I work on another project and is partner in the project mentioned method, has 57 prioritized locations along 10 departamentos colombianos.

Sin embargo, we must bear in mind that it is prioritized municipalities and departments to have a lot of victims or the presence of artifacts, indicating that they are not only where there. It is estimated that 1200 Colombian municipalities, some 700 They are affected by this type of artifacts.

Is there to be an expert to identify them?

To mark minefields must be expert and may be dangerous both to point out the artifacts and report them to the authorities. Sometimes it is the farmers themselves or people in the community who see the artifacts and warn the authorities. I say sometimes because they call the authorities may end up relating them to the police-army, Air Force, marina or constable, which can put your safety at risk. To avoid risks and accidents that create new victims, It should be a subject matter expert adequately prepared and equipped.

Can anyone help to locate them?

Of course yes, the DAICMA itself has a very robust data based on a system called IMSMA where artifacts are found and reported there demining battalion of the Colombian army dedicated to withdrawing and point. There is also a British organization called Halo Trust is the first civil organization accredited to demine.

There are also civilians who decide to withdraw. Many of them end up being victims of these artifacts; It is not supported by the government or organizations engaged in this practice, because when people unprepared and accreditation to do so at great risk. I heard curious anecdotes, like a farmer who retired tired that no mine and decided to remove his garden; or an indigenous community that was dedicated to removing and storing explosives in bombs cemeteries, because for security reasons they could not ask for help or the guerrillas or the army. Además, I guess hire a group of experts to deal with to find them and eliminate them would have a high cost and that is not done as it should.

Do the FARC could not help locate?

And, probably they know where some of them even remember also Antipersonnel Mines (MAP) and IEDs (AEI) we are talking about duds (MUSE) which may have been scattered from either side. De hecho, in the joint statement of 7 March 2015 between the government and the guerrillas in the framework of the peace process being carried out, already been agreed that members of the FARC support demining locating these artefacts.

Are the areas known mines sure there are marked?

Generally there is no signage; there are only signs where the army or are Halo Trust demining. The most common is that signs that point are placed while waiting to withdrawing. Sometimes ANSAs themselves prevent the population indicating that an area may be mined and not pass through it. Ahora, civilians can see artifacts and do not place the posters for fear, or interested persons can remove the posters. It can happen. Consider that when these devices are placed are made for something and probably puts them who are not interested in them removed. Then, basic advice Risk Education Mine (ERM) It is that "where there is a mine, there are more mines ", so if someone sees a signaling of these artifacts, You can assume that there is a mined area should avoid.

Are they carrying out demining? How I am fighting this?

As I said, if you are doing. But this is more complex because being an internal armed conflict or No International Armed Conflict (NIAC under international humanitarian law), responds to a different dynamics to those normally responds an International Armed Conflict (ARGUE), It characterized by territorial control and defined the war fronts. En este caso, There are several fronts very shifting armed and poorly defined along widely scattered places; making sometimes illegal armed actors merge with the population and artifacts can be anywhere.

The Colombian conflict is characterized as dynamic as the warring groups move much, They are not static. If we consider that others do-the demining humanitarian demining clean or completely free of artifacts zone- It is horrendously expensive; this results only be done in places where there is assurance that they will not happen again illegal armed actors and are not going to replace mine, or not they will again give ammunition they can stop fighting around irrigated. Because, humanitarian demining moment is only carried out in some areas and what is more commonly it is the military demining, which it aims to clean up strategic points or paths through which passes the army.

Is the population is aware of this? Are you adequately informed of the deaths that occur?

I think the people who take them seriously is the population that suffers. I do not think the rest of the country is properly conscious of what this really means. The deaths are more or less accounted, but keep in mind that this type of artifacts rather than what they do is kill maul. Often these devices are designed for that, which makes them particularly cruel weapons and why they are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.

Además, It must take into account that in addition to the victims produced by such devices a phenomenon of contamination of territories is given, which means that you can not grow or move in places where they are, affecting freedom of movement and economic development of the areas affected by APM / MUSE / AEI. Not to mention what are called incidents, that is when no direct casualties occur but there has been a detonation that can affect animals, por ejemplo.