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Overview
Currently, Colombia is experiencing a deterioration in security in several departments of the country due to actions carried out by various armed groups. In particular, the indiscriminate use of Explosive Ordnance (EO) exacerbates the vulnerability and risk faced by rural populations, ethnic communities, children, and adolescents who are dealing with the presence of Anti-Personnel Mines (APM), Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in their territories.
Despite the benefits of the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 with the now-defunct FARC-EP guerrilla, from 2017 until August 31, 2023, 902 new victims of APM, IED, and UXO have been recorded, of which 60.8% were civilians, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace (OACP, in Spanish). According to the national database, the annual figures are: 59 victims in 2017, 179 in 2018, 117 in 2019, 176 in 2020, 157 in 2021, 139 in 2022, and 75 between January and August 2023.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has identified seven ongoing armed conflicts in Colombia, significantly affecting the civilian population, especially unprotected and vulnerable communities in departments historically affected by the conflict.
Based on historical records, the Mine Action Area of Responsibility (MA AoR) estimated that in 2023, 520,041 people residing in 122 municipalities would be at risk of experiencing an accident from Explosive Ordnance (EO) or being confined or displaced due to the presence of these devices. The departments where the presence of EO is estimated to have an impact and pose protection risks to the communities are: Antioquia, Arauca, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caquetá, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Guainía, Guaviare, La Guajira, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés y Vichada. In 9 (39.1%) of these departments, victims have been reported in 2023, and in 17 (74%) of them, events related to the use of Anti-Personnel Mines have occurred.
In the same vein, it is estimated that out of the total mentioned above, approximately 253,000 people will be in imminent danger of death or harm, or their livelihoods will be disrupted due to the presence of EO, significantly increasing their protection needs, especially in the following 35 municipalities: Briceño, Nechí, Valdivia, Vigía del Fuerte (Antioquia), Puerto Rondón (Arauca), Arenal, Cantagallo, Morales, Santa Rosa del Sur (Bolívar), Florencia, San Vicente del Caguán (Caquetá), Argelia, Caldono, Corinto, El Tambo, Jambaló (Cauca), Alto Baudó, El Litoral del San Juan, Istmina, Lloró, Medio San Juan, Riosucio, San José del Palmar (Chocó), Barrancominas (Guainía), Miraflores (Guaviare), Mesetas, La Macarena, Vistahermosa (Meta), Barbacoas, El Charco, Magüí, Roberto Payán, Tumaco (Nariño), Mistrató (Risaralda), and Cúcuta (Santander). In 2023, there were anti-personnel mine accidents in six of these municipalities, resulting in 44 victims.
This document has been prepared by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) as the leader of the MA AoR in Colombia. The document provides a comparative analysis of the impacts of EO in the first eight months of 2023 compared to the figures for the same period in 2022 recorded by the OACP.