U.S. Department of State Humanitarian Mine-Action Support in Colombia

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Volume 13 Issue 1 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 10

July 2009

U.S. Department of State Humanitarian Mine-action Support in Colombia

Edmund Trimakas U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Military-Affairs, Office ofeapons W Removal and Abatement (PM/ WRA)

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Recommended Citation Trimakas, Edmund (2009) "U.S. Department of State Humanitarian Mine-action Support in Colombia," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 13 : Iss. 1 , Article 10. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol13/iss1/10

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Trimakas: U.S. Department of State Humanitarian Mine-action Support in Colombia

The questionnaire had four parts: national level, where the demining impact The study also provides important in- 1. Interview data resulted in the improvement of education, formation elements for national authorities 2. Institution/company identification the health system and transportation. to develop projects that would benefit the U.S. Department of State’s 3. Respondent data Affected communities noted a sense of population living near dangerous areas, and 4. Institution perception regarding benefits safety and confidence in their immediate to pursue full socioeconomic rehabilitation of from demining: includes demining as- environment as the most positive aspects of these areas. Humanitarian Mine-action sessment, type of issues related to mined the demining. After demining operations, See Endnotes, Page 112 areas and infrastructure, and benefits af- people living in the affected communities ter completion of demining operations felt themselves safe from the threat of mines Support in Colombia To carry out the survey, three manuals and as a consequence could move about were prepared, one each for interviewers, su- their community with confidence that they pervisors and reviewers. would not step on a mine. Given that the Years of conflict between the Colombian government and the militant group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Field research comprised data collection main goal of humanitarian demining is to from the selected sample. INEC was responsible return cleared areas to productive use, the Colombia have left the country littered with landmines and millions of internally displaced persons. The Colombian for the manual blueprints, sampling design and goal was reached. data collection. In order to obtain reliable infor- There is a need to direct initiatives to- government is trying to address this situation. The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Weapons Removal Carlos José Orozco serves as mation, the survey was performed by direct in- ward land rehabilitation once land has been the Regional Coordinator of the and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State is working with Colombian organizations and nongovernmental terviews of persons 16 years old and older. released. Likewise, it is necessary to de- OAS demining assistance program From 4 October to 17 November 2006, data velop financing and technical cooperation in Central America. He has been processing and analysis took place in INEC, proposals to assist formerly affected com- actively involved in mine action since organizations to clean up contaminated areas and resettle Colombia’s IDPs. which had professional personnel for recording munities improve the use of released land. 1998, when he assumed the post of National Coordinator of the program in and survey processing. Once data were verified, National and local authorities must monitor Nicaragua. He has expanded the mine- by Edmund Trimakas [ PM/WRA ] a supervisor reviewed the divergences and list- cleared land in order to optimize its use. action program to include a holistic ings to correct information if required. The population highly values demin- victim-assistance vision that enables The result of the process was a database ing operations. Community leaders, util- survivors to rejoin their communities he Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Weapons Re- in an economically sustainable way. of dwellings and communities by district ac- ity companies and government entities moval and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State initiated cording to the sampling. The final report was involved in infrastructure development also Carlos J. Orozco T a humanitarian mine-action program in Colombia in Septem- issued in April 2007. share this assessment. The population also Regional Coordintor ber 2005. Since that time, PM/WRA has successfully assisted Colombia’s found the main economic benefit resulting for Central America HMA program by providing the equipment, training and maintenance Conclusions and Findings Summary from demining operations in the agricul- AICMA for two emergency response teams—in partnership with the Organiza- Organization of American States The impact of anti-personnel mines in ture sector. De la Iglesia El Carmen 1 c y Media Abajo tion of American States’ Acción Integral contra las Minas Antipersonal Nicaragua not only affects the security of the Mine-risk education campaigns have Frente a la Embajada de France program—for operational humanitarian clearance. In January 2009, the population but also extends into areas that limit considerable coverage since the surveyed Managua / Nicaragua government of Colombia launched a third ERT. The United States ex- economic well being. Aspects such as uninhib- population knows about the dangers posed Tel: + 505 2266 1251 pects to provide the maintenance support for this newest team. E-mail: [email protected] PM/WRA has also partnered with Colombian nongovernmental ited movement of the population and security by landmines and ongoing demining oper- Web site: http://www.oas.org are presented as the most serious consequence ations to reduce those dangers. Campaign organizations, including the Centro Integral de la Rehabilación de of AP mines; access to communities, transpor- results were decidedly positive since they Colombia, to target assistance to rural civilian victims through medical tation, health, education, water and electricity reduced dangerous behaviors. brigades and support centers. PM/WRA’s association with CIREC are also affected. However, humanitarian-de- The study results clearly show that through its “Seeds of Hope” rural outreach program has helped hundreds mining efforts have positively affected those landmine-affected communities were seriously of victims receive prostheses, wheelchairs and other assistive devices. aspects that are relevant for the economic de- affected at several levels before being cleared Additionally, PM/WRA recently sponsored a mine-risk education 1 A landmine is marked for clearance. velopment of affected communities. and reclassified as impact free, but it also program in the Antioquia department with the Colombian Campaign ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR There is a direct correlation between so- shows the benefits from the humanitarian- to Ban Landmines. The first phase of the MRE program targeted chil- cial indicators affected by AP mines and the demining efforts perceived by the populations dren. The second phase of the grant funding will be released shortly; benefits of demining operations, reaching the and their leaders. it will target the same communities, but its audience for MRE will be segregated cells without an existing political agenda. FARC survives adults. Antioquia has the highest casualties from landmines among all by using an economic lifeline of drug and hostage enterprises with a Colombian departments. limited life span.7 More must be done, however, by international donors to prevent in- Since President Álvaro Uribe took office, his new government is making juries and help survivors in Colombia. The country stands at a signifi- strong and steady progress in the battle against terrorism. For instance: cant political and social turning point in its history; in recent years has 1. Armed FARC forces have been cut in half. been ranked No. 1 globally for new landmine casualties and No. 2 for 2. Attrition of FARC forces now surpasses losses attributed to mili- Research on Mine-detecting Bees in Croatia internally displaced persons, 2, 3, 4, 5 stemming from the terrorist actions tary action. of Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. Various reports in- 3. International condemnation from former FARC allies is rising. Over the last two years, Zagreb University Agronomy Professor Nikola Kezic and his team have been training bees to detect dicate there are between three and four million displaced individuals 4. The recent removal (voluntary and involuntarily) of key FARC landmines. Under Kezic’s direction, the bees are being trained for landmine detection in Croatia, which is still plagued with within Colombia’s borders. Landmine relief is just one small piece of in- leaders indicates a dissolution of centralized control, evident by landmines from its civil war in the early 1990s. ternational support needed to combat terrorism in Colombia. the successful rescue of American hostages in July 2008. All these factors increasingly point to the conclusion that the policy While mines are costly and time-consuming to find and remove, the bees can provide a quick and inexpensive approach Insurgency Diminishing begun at the turn of the millennium of squeezing the overall base and to landmine removal. Known for their keen sense of smell, the bees are trained to associate the smell of food with explosive Plan Colombia,6 which targets drug trafficking, has left a firm im- stronghold of terrorist operations is paying dividends. chemicals such as Trinitrotoluene, or TNT found in landmines. After training, the bees are sent to areas for quality assurance print on counterinsurgency efforts in Colombia; the militant group Recently, there have been large-scale public demonstrations protest- that have already been demined, where they search for the smell of explosives. If the bees land on an area where FARC is largely considered to be on the run. The remnants of the 40- ing FARC, including rallies and street demonstrations against FARC no mine had previously been found, a demining team will investigate to make sure no mines have been overlooked. year-old insurgent stronghold are currently subsisting through loosely policies. FARC is no longer viewed as a political entity trying to liberate

Colombia; it is instead seen as a criminal out- munity integration and timely deployment device cleanup in Bajo Grande took place fit geared toward drugs, kidnapping and ter- to the many communities requiring assis- in November 2008, and the town is steadily ICRC Weapons-contamination rorism, with no ideological backbone. Political tance. The two U.S.-sponsored projects in Bajo repopulating with former townspeople. Un- consensus among Colombians for a solution Grande, Bolivar and San Francisco, Antioquia, fortunately, a majority of the displaced fam- to the terrorist issue continues to intensify, required more than twice the initially planned ilies were unable to return to their homes Activities in Colombia pointing to a mandate for a final resolution turn-around time of four months to complete because infrastructure repair and services of the insurgency situation and a more lasting community clearance and turnover. were not reinstituted. peace throughout Colombia. Authorities are under strong external The International Committee of the Red Cross has been working alongside the Colombian Red Cross to ease constraints to continue to operate under a Future Colombia’s Future mandate for a completely mine-free10 pattern, James Madison University’s Mine Action Colombia’s weapons-contamination problem, made more difficult by ongoing conflict. By combining preventive The Colombian military and the Pro- largely avoiding the complexities and worries Information Center and PM/WRA presented a grama Presidencial de Acción Integral con- associated with employing international stan- demining planning conference in June 2009 in measures, victim assistance, rehabilitation programs and economic aid, the ICRC has strengthened Colombian tra las Minas Antipersonal, or PPAICMA dards for sampling and area reduction. With Bogotá, Colombia, to address a number of is- (Presidential Program for Mine Action), have a potential budget shortfall for planned ERT sues with the Colombian players, including ci- organizations, while educating the public and assisting those negatively affected by explosive remnants of war. developed a detailed program to move mine projects, it is becoming increasingly clear that vilians, PPAICMA, Ministry of Defense, OAS, assistance into the most highly affected re- something must give, and additional donors the Colombian military and other demining The efforts of the ICRC have significantly helped Colombia where many other international organizations had gions in Colombia. By 2011, Colombia’s HMA are needed or many communities will be left representatives. Participants developed a 13- planners intend to train and equip 12 mobile in the dark. point Plan of Action on how to best integrate found it difficult to assist because of the current political situation. ERTs in fixed locations within the 12 most- In addition to funding shortfalls, incom- key stake holders, components and best prac- affected departments of Colombia; they also plete community infrastructure and econom- tices into Colombian mine action. In the fall, by Andy Wheatley [ International Committee of the Red Cross ] plan to have two teams on standby. Currently, ic turmoil prevent a fully successful turnover the spotlight will again be on Colombia when six humanitarian clearance teams exist—two of these projects to townspeople, who were the Second Review Conference of the Ottawa each are sponsored by Canada, Colombia and forced to seek a semi-nomadic existence sev- Convention takes place in Cartagena. hen describing the problem and its response, the ICRC re- the U.S. The two Canadian teams are relegat- en or eight years ago by FARC forces. In Bajo See Endnotes, Page 112 fers to weapons-contamination activities rather than mine ed to the fixed, static cleanup8 of 34 military Grande, lack of a definable water source, fully W action. Institutionally, it feels this terminology more accu- bases. By the end of 2011, these two fixed-site accessible roads, available health and school rately reflects the true nature of the problem in which explosive rem- teams will have completed military site clean- facilities as well as a redefined economic ag- nants of war are often as problematic and prevalent as landmines. up and will be positioned to team with the ricultural pattern are all obstacles for suc- The raison d’être of ICRC fieldwork is to provide protection and as- other ERTs to focus on the more urgent hu- cessful community reintegration that were sistance to the civilian population affected by the internal armed conflict manitarian need for clearance at remote civil- addressed by PPAICMA and Bajo Grande in Colombia. The ICRC seeks to reduce the impact of weapons contam- ian sites. community leaders. ination where the organization has a comparative advantage in terms In San Francisco, Antioquia, the integra- of access or capability in a given situation. Due to the severe impact of Demining Challenges tion has been smoother, largely because the weapons contamination in Colombia, the ICRC substantially expanded The four U.S.- and Canadian-supported surrounding area was not abandoned as it was its focus on weapons-contamination issues in 2007. It seeks to provide ERTs have encountered significant difficul- in Bajo Grande. Until recently, security issues Edmund Trimakas has worked for a multidisciplinary response to the needs of affected communities and ties in achieving their desired goal of rapidly have deterred the townspeople from returning the last 10 years as Latin American victims in terms of data gathering, victim assistance, and preventive ac- Humanitarian Mine-action Program reintegrating former IDPs. ERT deployment to San Francisco. This issue was resolved re- tivities. The focus of the ICRC’s work is a mixture of direct-action inter- Manager in the Bureau of Political- prioritization has been difficult due to con- cently, allowing full economic and social inte- Military Affairs’ Office of Weapons vention, support to the Colombian Red Cross weapons-contamination flicting pressure points, including highly visi- gration to occur. Removal and Abatement in the U.S. activities, and support and lobbying of government institutions. This ble and volatile media events, a strong military Additionally, economic conditions and ex- Department of State. Before this article will summarize key aspects of the weapons-contamination situa- proclivity to develop sites close to secure bas- pectations have changed over the last eight position, he was a Case Officer in tion in Colombia, and outline the ICRC and CRC movement response. foreign military sales and a Program es with limited humanitarian appeal, a lack years since the internally displaced people Analyst at Armstrong Laboratories of strong community support, changing eco- have returned. One example is the expectation at Wright Patterson Air Force Base The Weapons-contamination Context nomic and IDP patterns, and a lack of full and of returning IDPs to continue to farm tobacco, for 13 years. Trimakas has an MBA in Colombia is substantially affected by the ongoing use of improvised open commitment to developing accountable which was previously a successful cash crop. finance and health administration and explosive devices, primarily victim-activated, by parties to the conflict. currently resides in northern Virginia schedules for ERT deployment. Upon returning, they found that the market In such a context, effective and widespread humanitarian mine clear- with his wife and two children. There are several factors that need to be has largely disappeared. Thus, it is paramount ance is difficult, if not impossible. While the problem is widespread, overcome to make operational clearance in that there be a renewed focus on community Edmund Trimakas analysis of the official casualty figures shows that in 2006 and 2007 more Colombia successful. These include: planning for future development and success- Program Manager than 60 percent (340) of known civilian mine casualties and 50 per- • Lack of technological readiness ful integration of IDPs. Office of Weapons cent (813) of military casualties took place in just 40 of the 1,106 mu- Removal and Abatement 1 • Lack of coordinated integration with- Bureau of Political-Military Affairs nicipal areas in Colombia, usually rural and remote areas. However, in the affected community’s five-year Progress U.S. Department of State the problem of weapons contamination is extremely dynamic, and the planning process There have been some positive develop- SA-3, Suite 6100 focus of the problem has changed and continues to change substantially • Labeling of IDPs as agents of the govern- ments, however. One look at the former site 2121 Virginia Avenue, NW in recent years. Areas highly affected three to four years ago may no lon- A participant practices first aid skills in a course taught by Colombian Red Cross volunteers. Washington, D.C. 20522 ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ICRC Colombia ment when they choose to cooperate and of Bajo Grande, along the Sucre and Boli- ger be similarly affected today. Tel: +1 202 663 0014 9 associate with Colombian authorities var borders, clearly indicates the extent of Fax: +1 202 663 0090 There are relatively few international and national organizations un- The fact that the country remains in conflict has a number of implica- • Conflict among Colombian and in- successful ERT operations. When site op- E-mail: [email protected] dertaking weapons-contamination activities in Colombia, and no in- tions. Access by government services, nongovernmental and internation- ternational authorities about the ex- erations began in November 2007, approx- Web site: http://www.state.gov/ ternational humanitarian mine-clearance agencies. Although donor al organization is often extremely limited in the most conflict-affected tent of required clearance imately 30 former homes existed as mere interest has grown in recent years, implementation capacity remains rel- parts of the country. This means that events often go unreported; civilian At present, Colombian planners have shells, a result of abandonment and exposure atively limited. Additionally, while the capacity of the Colombian gov- access to medical and other services is restricted; and the government, not determined a satisfactory intermediary to jungle overgrowth for seven years. Com- ernment to manage the subject has improved substantially, capacity to international community and civil-society organizations have limited course between full-scale cleanup and completion of mine and improvised explosive coordinate activities continues to be limited. capacity to respond. The result is often a mismatch between resources, https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol13/iss1/1028 | focus | the journal of ERW and mine action | summer 2009 | 13.1 2 13.1 | summer 2009 | the journal of ERW and mine action | focus | 29