Colombia

Last Updated: 28 November 2013

Mine Action

Contamination and Impact

The precise extent of the Republic of Colombia’s mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) problem, which is the result of decades of conflict with non-state armed groups (NSAGs), remains unclear, though the national database contains information indicating that 31 of the 32 departments may be mine-affected. The most affected departments are believed to be Antioquia, Caquetá, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, and Tolima.[1]

In 2012, the Presidential Programme for Comprehensive Mine Action (Programa Presidencial para la Acción Integral Contra Minas Antipersonal, PAICMA) received reports of 3,328 “events”[2] which include accidents from mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO), mined areas, suspected hazardous areas (SHAs), and military demining operations, in 27 of 32 departments.[3] Meta and Antioquia departments accounted for 25% of all events. Each event is recorded in the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) at PAICMA and is marked for further investigation to confirm the suspicion.[4] At the end of 2012, over 80% of the events recorded from 2007–2012 still needed follow-up to determine what occurred in each location.[5]

Landmines are also used as a means to attack the security forces and control areas including coca plantations.[6]

Mines

Given the irregular nature of mine-laying and the continued use of mines, especially improvised mines, it is impossible to obtain a static picture of contamination. Colombia stated that a lack of reliable information that only can be obtained from a systematic non-technical survey (NTS) prevented it from including a complete operational plan in its Article 5 deadline Extension Request.[7]

In its latest Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report, Colombia describes a complex situation with a substantial humanitarian impact resulting from antipersonnel mines and victim-activated IEDs laid by NSAGs.[8] Grant Salisbury, the Program Manager in Colombia for HALO Trust (the only NGO currently accredited to clear mines in Colombia) has commented that “Colombia is the first country that we’ve worked in, indeed the first country that I know of, where all the mines used are improvised [explosive devices] – every other country where we work, the vast majority of mines come from state factories.”[9]

The Organization of American States (OAS) has reported that no mined areas have been found in Colombia that could be considered as high- or medium-density minefields. Nuisance mines have been found in schools, water sources, pathways, and stream crossings in order to allegedly intimidate or displace the local population.[10]

On 19 April 2013, the Interagency Humanitarian Demining Group (Instancia Interinstitucional de Desminado Humanitario), commonly referred to as the Instancia Interinstitucional, approved interventions by demining organizations in 381 locations in 11 municipalities in the departments of Antioquia, Bolivar, and Santander for clearance that correspond to “events”[11] in the database; these events include accidents from mines, IEDs and UXO, mined areas and SHAs. The Armed Forces Humanitarian Demining Battalion (Fuerzas Armadas del Batallón de Desminado Humanitario, BIDES) is conducting clearance operations in some of these areas.

Minefields approved by the Instancia Interinstitucional for clearance[12]

Department

Municipality

No. of Mine Fields

Antioquia

Sonsón

80

San Luis

71

Nariño

38

Cocorná

31

Carmen de Viboral

28

San Rafael

28

La Unión

5

Bolívar

Córdoba

34

San Juan Nepomuceno

16

Santander

Barrancabermeja

30

Sabana de Torres

20

Total

 

381

In September 2013, HALO became the first NGO to conduct demining in Colombia when it began clearance operations at the El Morro minefield in Antioquia Department.[13]

Other explosive remnants of war

Contamination also arises from abandoned or illegal ammunition storage areas, clashes between NSAGs and the Colombian armed forces, and aerial bombing.[14] Explosive devices and other ERW are found in former battle areas, bombing sites, drug routes, and areas where the government is trying to destroy coca plantations.[15] According to PAICMA, clearance operations in communities where mines have a strategic value can put a community at risk because the NSAGs view demining as a hostile act that gives the Colombian Army a military advantage.

The precise extent to which Colombia is affected by ERW is not known. In 2012, 6% of all recorded casualties from antipersonnel mines and ERW were from incidents involving ERW, compared to 4% in 2011.[16] For the period 2002–2012, it was estimated that 3% of all explosive ordnance incidents resulting in injury or death were caused by ERW.[17] The ICRC, however, based on its victim surveillance system and its integration into IMSMA, believes the true rate may be closer to 40%.[18]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

Body

Situation on 1 January 2013

National Mine Action Authority

National Interministerial Commission on Antipersonnel Mine Action (Comisión Intersectorial Nacional para la Acción contra Minas Antipersonal, CINAMAP)

Mine Action Steering Committee

Instancia Interinstitucional

Mine action center

PAICMA

International Mine Action organizations

OAS: for quality assurance; UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS): for quality management

National demining operators

Army (Demining Battalion of the Armed Forces)

International demining operators

HALO (accredited)

International risk education operators

ICRC, OAS, UNICEF, Geneva Call, Handicap International

National risk education operators

Colombian Campaign Against Landmines (CCCM), Colombian Red Cross, Seeds of Hope, Restrepo Barco Foundation, Coporación Paz y Democracia, Pastoral Social Nacional, Valle de Puenza

Established on 30 July 2002 under Law No. 759/2002, CINAMAP is responsible for implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, including development of a national plan, policy decisions, and coordination of international assistance.

PAICMA, the technical secretary of CINAMAP, is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the 2009–2019 Integrated Mine Action Plan, with the overall strategy to minimize the socio-economic impact of mines, IEDs, and UXO, and to implement sustainable development programs in affected communities.[19]

The Instancia Interinstitucional is the government’s decision-making body for humanitarian demining comprised of the director of PAICMA, the Minister of Defense, and the Inspector General of the army. It approves accreditations, national standards, tasks, and clearance priorities. The OAS and UNMAS are advisors to the Instancia Interinstitucional on accreditation and national standards.[20]

The BIDES known as Coronel Gabino Gutiérrez from Engineer Battalion No 60 of the National Army has been conducting humanitarian demining since 2005, when it began clearance of 35 military bases since completed in 2010.[21]

The OAS, in an agreement with the government of Colombia, serves as the monitoring body for humanitarian demining in Colombia. The OAS reports to PAICMA and is responsible for the management and implementation of a national monitoring system on behalf of the Instancia Interinstitucional.[22] The OAS also serves as an advisor to the Instancia Interinstitucional in the accreditation of NGOs in Colombia.[23]

Through 2012, the OAS had equipped and certified 27 teams with 360 deminers from the army, and provided administrative and logistical assistance to sustain clearance operations in the municipalities of Granada, San Carlos, and San Francisco in Antioquia department; El Dorado in Meta department; Zambrano in Bolivar department; Carmen and San Vicente del Chucurí in Santander; and Samaná municipality in Caldas.[24]

Since 2010, UNMAS has been advising PAICMA on the legal and technical mine action framework to allow NGOs to conduct mine clearance. UNMAS also assists PAICMA in accreditation and monitoring procedures as well as management processes.[25]

Demining law and standards[26]

Mine action in Colombia operates in a heavily regulated legal framework. For several years, PAICMA, its partners, various parts of the government of Colombia, and stakeholders have been consumed with passing and interpreting laws and decrees. In a landmark vote, Congress passed Law No. 1421 in December 2010 that allows NGOs to carry out humanitarian demining.[27] Almost a year later in October 2011, in support of Law No. 1421, Decree No. 3750 established internal rules and procedures of the Instancia Interinstitucional to ensure that NGO humanitarian demining activities are conducted in accordance with international standards. The Instancia Interinstitucional is also responsible for approving demining tasks for NGOs based on local priorities and humanitarian principles after the NGOs are accredited.[28]

In January 2012, in an unexpected development, the Procuraduría General de la Nación[29] issued a legal opinion claiming that humanitarian demining in Colombia was a violation of international humanitarian law, as it would put deminers in danger.[30] As a consequence of this surprising opinion, HALO discontinued its NTS work, and the Danish Demining Group (DDG) and Mines Advisory Group (MAG) suspended their operations in Colombia due to the uncertainty caused by the opinion.[31]

In June 2012, the Procuraduría issued a new directive on NGO demining that urged caution in tasking clearance in dangerous areas, and recommended that the army both increase its humanitarian demining capacity and adopt the same national standards for humanitarian demining as apply to NGOs. The directive also allowed NGO accreditation to proceed.[32] By 22 June 2012, HALO had submitted its paperwork for desk accreditation, the first step in the process.[33] A year later in April 2013, and almost three years after the law allowing NGOs to clear landmines was passed, the Instancia Interinstitucional accredited HALO and tasked them to clear mines in San Rafael Narino and San Rafael in Antioquia Department. However, further delay occurred when the Instancia Interinstitucional determined that the insurance requirements established in Decree No. 3750 of 2011 were inadequate and that a new decree was required.[34] This issue was resolved on 24 July 2013 when the President signed Decree No. 1561 into law.[35]

Also in 2012 and following Decree No. 3750 on Rules and Procedures, PAICMA, the Ministry of Defense, and the General Command (Commando General) approved national standards that regulate demining.[36]

Land Restitution Law

Land reform is arguably the issue at the core of the long Colombian conflict. Landmines have prevented displaced people from returning home and long absences from home have raised questions over ownership when they do return.[37] For example, a common situation is where people were forced to sell their land at low prices to NSAGs and upon return find their land occupied, or when internally displaced persons (IDPs) return home after mine clearance operations were completed to find their land was purchased by someone claiming to be the owner. On 10 June 2011, President Juan Manuel Santos signed into law the Victims and Land Restitution Law (Ley de Víctimas y Restitución de Tierras, Law 1448).[38]

In July 2013, the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the International Organization for Migration visited Colombia to research the relationship between mine clearance, land rights, and ownership as well as the possible impact on implementing the Victims and Land Restitution Law.[39] A report on the mission is due later in 2013.

Land Release

PAICMA has been unable to conduct a nationwide survey to determine the true extent of the mine problem because NSAGs use mines in some areas, making them inaccessible.[40] However, smaller and more localized surveys have been conducted. The army conducts clearance operations in government-controlled areas.

Non-technical survey

Surveys are a priority for Colombia in order to better define the scope of landmine contamination as well as to assist in planning and calculating the needed clearance capacity from both military and civilian sources.[41]

The surveys are providing initial indicators of the quality of the information in the national database that constitute events as well as what comprises an SHA and a confirmed mined area in the Colombian context.

In 2012, BIDES conducted 138 NTSs in eight municipalities in five departments. Of the 138 SHAs surveyed 62 (or 45%) were cancelled. HALO discontinued conducting NTSs in 2011 but will resume them as soon as all legal issues with the government of Colombia are resolved.[42]

Non-Technical Surveys in 2012[43]

Department

Municipality

Surveyed

*CHAs

SHAs canceled

% canceled

Antioquia

Granada

30

14

16

53

San Carlos

5

0

5

100

San Francisco

22

10

12

55

Bolivar

Zambrano

23

3

0

0

Caldas

Samana

42

15

27

64

Meta

El Dorado

2

0

2

100

Santander

Carme de Chucuri

4

4

0

0

San Vicente de Chucuri

10

10

0

0

Total

 

138

56

62

45

CHA = confirmed hazardous area

In order to gain a better understanding of the landmine problem at the vereda (community) level, from September–December 2012 PAICMA conducted a survey based on consolidated data from IMSMA reports, secondary reports within PAICMA, workshops conducted with local authorities, and information from NGOs and other national agencies. As a result of the Local Opinion Survey[44] in nine departments,[45] PAICMA was able to geo-reference 4,279 veredas, information not previously available. Of these 4,279 veredas, 12,745 (64%) were determined to be unaffected by landmines and IEDs. The results are similar to the NTSs conducted by BIDES and HALO, where high percentages of suspected area were also either cancelled or considered not affected.[46]PAICMA planned to conduct the same survey in the departments of Cauca, Norte de Santander, and Meta in 2013.[47]

Mine clearance in 2012

In 2012, BIDES cleared 98 “mined areas” with another 31 (covering 261,116m2) still undergoing clearance in four departments and nine municipalities in January 2013, while finding 175 IEDs and 15 items of UXO. BIDES continues to clear a significant number of suspected areas that do not contain any ordnance.[48]

Humanitarian mine clearance in 2012[49]

Status

Department

Mined Areas

Area cleared (m2)

IED found

UXO found

Completed

Antioquia

40

107,574

52

8

Santander

31

31,170

38

3

Caldas

23

33,545

52

3

Bolivar

4

32,828

1

0

Sub-Total

98

205,117

143

14

Ongoing

Antioquia

15

30,950

7

1

Santander

4

6,625

3

0

Caldas

8

5,447

20

0

Bolivar

4

12,977

2

0

Sub-Total

31

55,999

32

1

Total

129

261,116

175

15

Of the 98 areas cleared, 59 (60%), covering 148,946m2 (73%) of the land cleared, did not contain any hazards. From 2010–2012, 39% of the mined areas cleared and 25% of the land contained no hazards.[50]

In 2012, Colombia declared the municipalities of San Carlos in the department of Antioquia and El Dorado in Meta free from suspicion of mines.[51] Of 660 municipalities (out of a total of 1,100) suspected to contain SHAs, San Carlos was the first to be declared free of SHAs.[52]

In an announcement on 13 March 2012, Colombia’s President declared San Carlos “free of the suspicion of landmines,”[53] a term that does not appear in the International Mine Action Standards and is unique to Colombia. Surveys and clearance had begun in San Carlos in February 2009 with OAS assistance. Since then, a total area of 1.3km2 was released; of this amount, 155,425m2 (approximately 10%) was released through clearance while the other 90% was released through NTS. During clearance, 69 IEDs and unexploded munitions were removed.[54]

Colombia declared El Dorado, Meta free of suspicion from mines on 29 November 2012 after more than three and a half years of mine action consisting of NTSs conducted by the army’s humanitarian demining teams. The army cleared two CHAs measuring almost 21,000m2 in the community of Jesus del Rio.[55]

Humanitarian mine clearance in 2010–2012[56]

Year

Mined areas cleared

Area cleared (m2)

IED found

UXO found

2012

129

261,116

175

24

2011

74

329,950

194

9

2010

46

234,433

171

23

Total

249

825,499

540

56

As of May 2013, the BIDES consisted of nine platoons with 41 deminers and three national supervisors each, for a total of 369 deminers and 27 supervisors. The platoons operate independently as teams of 12 to 15 deminers, for a total of 27 teams. In its revised Article 5 deadline Extension Request of August 2010, Colombia reported plans to increase the number of demining platoons from nine to 14 in 2013. PAICMA and the Ministry of Defense continued discussions about increasing the number of teams in 2013, which depends on the Ministry of Defense being allocated additional funding from the national budget.[57] However, the number of platoons will only be increased to 10. It was also planned that all BIDES platoons would need to obtain accreditation against national standards beginning in September 2013.[58] As of August 2013, BIDES had cleared 279,000m2, exceeding the amount cleared in 2012.[59]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the 10-year extension granted in 2010), Colombia is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2021.

On 30 March 2010, Colombia submitted a request for a 10-year extension to its Article 5 deadline of 1 March 2011, and then on 5 August 2010 submitted a revised request. The operational plan plus the assets and funding needed in 2011–2013 remained at the equivalent of 17 NGO teams and US$25 million, both of which have not been met. During this period the government of Colombia also planned to contribute $21 million for 14 demining platoons.[60] As of May 2013, the army had nine demining platoons and planned to add three more in 2013–2014, including one from the navy.[61]

The Extension Request projects that all mined areas will be released by 2020, even though “it is not possible to establish an operational plan which determines the exact number of squads, squadrons and municipalities where the organizations must operate.”[62] Colombia’s 2011–2013 operational plan was to address 6,000 dangerous and mined areas in 14 of 660 mine-suspected municipalities with contamination covering an estimated 15km2 by 2013.[63] So far, Colombia is far below these targets. At the end of 2012, BIDES had cleared 218 areas covering 768,000m2.

Based on the decision of States Parties in approving Colombia’s Extension Request, Colombia will submit an operational plan for 2014–2020 at the Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties in December 2013.[64]

Quality management

OAS is the body with responsibility for the management and implementation of a national monitoring system for accredited demining organizations in Colombia. The OAS also investigates demining accidents, verifies community liaison activities, and does quality assurance on NTSs.[65] UNMAS supported both PAICMA and the members of the Instancia Interinstitucional to put in place the required national standards in line with international standards and to ensure that the entire quality management system reflects international norms. UNMAS is also assisting PAICMA and the OAS in the accreditation and monitoring procedures and processes and also provides field technical assistance as required for operations.[66]

 



[1] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form C, 30 April 2013.

[2]An event may be initially reported as a suspect area, the location of a mine accident, or a single landmine encountered and destroyed by the army, it is essentially a suspected hazardous area (SHA) that requires non-technical survey (NTS) to determine if they can be canceled or require technical survey and/or clearance.

[3] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form C, 30 April 2013.

[4] Ibid., Form A, 30 April 2013.

[6] Ibid., Form I, 30 April 2013.

[7] PAICMA, “Colombia Facing the Challenge of Anti-Personnel Mines,” Bogota, 2009, p. 6, www.accioncontraminas.gov.co; and revised Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 13 August 2010, pp. 2, 32.

[8] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2013.

[9] Benjy Hansen-Bundy, “Landmines major obstacle for land restitution: NGO,” Colombia Reports, 12 March 2013.

[10] Email from Carl Case, OAS, 29 June 2012.

[11] An event may be initially reported as a suspect area, the location of a mine accident, or a single landmine encountered and destroyed by the army, is essentially a SHA that requires NTS to determine if they can be canceled or require technical survey and/or clearance.

[12] PAICMA, “Municipios o zonas del país susceptibles de ser intervenidos con tareas de Desminado Humanitario, identificadas por la instancia interinstitucional de Desminado Humanitario” (“Municipalities and tasks identified by the Instancia Interinstitucional for humanitarian demining tasks”), 19 April 2013.

[15] Ibid.

[16] In 2011, PAICMA reported ERW were the cause of incidents involving 20 of 549 victims and in 2012 it was 31 of 494. PAICMA, “Victims from AntiPersonnel Mines and Unexploded Ordnance.”

[17] From 2002–2012, PAICMA reported ERW was the cause of incidents involving 269 of 8,925 victims. PAICMA, “Victims from AntiPersonnel Mines and Unexploded Ordnance.”

[18] Email from Matthieu Laruelle, Regional Coordinator for Latin America, ICRC, 23 July 2012.

[19] PAICMA, “Program: Who We Are,” accessed 20 June 2013.

[20] Email from Carl Case, OAS, 29 June 2012; and email from Marc Bonnet, Program Manager/Senior Technical Advisor, UNMAS, 23 September 2013.

[21] PAICMA, “Humanitarian Demining,” accessed 20 June 2013.

[23] OAS Annual Report, “Mine Action Colombia 2012,” provided to the Monitor by OAS.

[24] Ibid.

[25] UN, “UNMAS Annual Report 2012,” New York, August 2013, p. 7.

[26] This section is based on Law No. 1421, Decree 3750, the opinion issued by the Attorney-General’s office, a Technical Note from UNMAS on humanitarian demining in Colombia, 13 February 2012, all available at www.accioncontraminas.gov.co/Accion/Paginas/Desminado.aspx; Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, 30 April 2012; and email from Helen Gray, Program Director, HALO, 31 May 2012.

[27] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form F, 30 April 2012; and email from Pablo Parra, PAICMA, 25 July 2012.

[28] Decreto 3750 del 2011 (Decree 3750 from 2011). Colombia has passed five laws and three decrees from 2000-2011 on regulating mine action.

[29] The Procuraduría General de la Nación is an independent Ombudsman and distinct from the Attorney-General of the country. According to its website, the primary responsibility of the Procuraduría is to monitor how public servants carry out their jobs and advise when they may be in violation of existing law and standards.

[30] Procuraduría, El Desminado Humanitario en Colombia” (“Humanitarian Demining in Colombia”), Bogota, December 2011.

[31] Interview with Helen Gray, HALO, in Washington, DC, 24 February 2012; and email from Marc Bonnet, UNMAS, 23 July 2012.

[32] Procuraduría, “El Desminado Humanitario en Colombia: Segundo Informe de Seguimiento” (“Humanitarian Demining in Colombia: Second Monitoring Report”), Bogota, June 2012.

[33] Email from Helen Gray, HALO Trust, 22 June 2012.

[34]Sesion extraordinairia de la Instancia Interinstitucional de Desminado Humanitario, Acta No. 011” (“Special session of the Interagency Humanitarian Demining Group, Act No. 011”), Office of the Vice President, Bogota, 29 May 2013.

[36] Email from Pablo Parra, PAICMA, 25 July 2012. Colombia National Standards as of 26 July 2012.

[37] Alejandro Gonzalez, “Displaced Colombians seek to reclaim land,” Al Jazeera, 11 July 2013.

[38] Amnesty International, “Colombia: The Victims and Land Restitution Law,” April 2012, p. 5.

[39] PAICMA, “Misión internacional visita Colombia para realizar estudios relacionados al Desminado Humanitario y propiedad de la tierra” (“International Mission to Colombia to study the relationship between Humanitarian Demining and land ownership”), 8 July 2013.

[40] Email from Pablo Parra, PAICMA, 25 July 2012. Colombia National Standards as of 26 July 2012.

[41] UNMAS, “About UNMAS in Colombia,” October 2012.

[42] Email from Pablo Parra, PAICMA, 25 July 2012.

[43] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form C, 30 April 2013.

[44] The Landmine Impact Survey methodology includes a first step in identifying possible SHAs. Local leaders were interviewed as part of the process. PAICMA adopted a similar methodology for its survey.

[45] They are: Antioquia, Nariño, Bolívar, Tolima, Arauca, Putumayo, Caquetá, Santander, and Córdoba.

[46] HALO, “The HALO Trust Minefield Survey Report SE Antioquia, Colombia,” March 2012.

[47] Email from Helen Gray, HALO, Colombia, 31 May 2012; and HALO, “The HALO Trust Minefield Survey Report SE Antioquia, Colombia,” March 2012.

[48] PAICMA, “Desminado Humanitarian, abril 2013 (Humanitarian Demining, April 2013); and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form F, 30 April 2013.

[49] Ibid.

[50] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Annex No. 2a, 30 April 2011; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Annex 1, 25 April 2012, pp. 42–44.

[51] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form C, 30 April 2013.

[52] Statement of Colombia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Geneva, 21 May 2012.

[53] Ibid.

[54] OAS Annual Report, “Mine Action Colombia 2012,” provided to the Monitor by OAS.

[55] Ibid.

[56] See ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Colombia: Mine Action,” 17 December 2012.

[57] Email from Pablo Parra, PAICMA, 10 July 2012.

[58] Email from Marc Bonnet, UNMAS, 23 September 2013.

[59] PAICMA, Estadísticas Completas (Complete Statistics), accessed 1 October 2013.

[60] Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request (Revision), 5 August 2010, pp. 57–58.

[62] Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request (Revision), 5 August 2010, p. 65.

[63] Ibid., p. 68.

[64] Decision by States Parties on Colombia’s Article 5 Extension Request, December 2010; and email from Pablo Parra, PAICMA, 26 July 2012.

[66] Email from Marc Bonnet, UNMAS, 23 September 2013.