In the months of May and June 2023, the Group of Inter-American Humanitarian Demining Monitors in Colombia (GMI-CO), which represents the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) in supporting the quality management of this activity in this country, has acted in different parts of the country, supporting the Organization of American States (OAS) in the accreditation of newly trained personnel for demining.
From May 15 to 26, Group officers supported the evaluation of 12 canine detection pairs of the Humanitarian Demining Engineer Brigade (BRDEH) of the Colombian Army, in Neiva, Huila. The pairing is made up of the Guide and Canine as a whole. Also in the same fortnight, the GMI-CO supported the evaluation of Supervisors and Deminers of the organization The Halo Trust, in Pradera, Valle del Cauca.
Already in June, GMI-CO personnel were at the facilities of the International Demining Center, in the Tolemaida Military Fort, in support of the evaluation of BRDEH soldiers as supervisors, leaders and operators with mine sweeping machines.
In this same period, Monitors traveled to Puerto Concordia, Meta, to evaluate organization personnel Humanity & Inclusion. In addition, the Group supported the evaluation of soldiers from the Demining Battalion and Amphibious Engineers of the Colombian Navy in Coveñas, Sucre, as Manual Demining Leaders.
These actions allowed 111 Colombian men and women to be accredited for this work. For Mexican Army Colonel Vicente Gerónimo Gamboa Escobar, at the GMI-CO since October 2022, “Every effort allows us to reduce the risk of antipersonnel mines and explosive devices and contributes to the IADB's motto of promoting confidence and security in the hemisphere."
Since 2006, the GMI-CO has supported the efforts of the OAS and the Colombian authorities to reduce the effects of such devices, which have penalized the population of this country for more than five decades. Currently, the Group is made up of officers from the Brazilian Navy, the Brazilian Army and the Mexican Army.
