HELP THE NUKAK
The Landmine Situation in Colombia
A CURRENT ISSUE
LANDMINES IN COLOMBIA
The FARC viewed landmines as a cheap, effective way to bog down advancing soldiers on their plantations. The FARC planted so many landmines during their time growing coca that today Colombia ranks second, trailing only Afghanistan, on the 2015 list of countries with the the most landmines. Since the conflict with the FARC in the early 90s, landmines have killed and wounded more than 11,500 people, both civilians and militaries(Gonzales). The Colombian government aims to eliminate landmines as a threat to Colombia by 2021, but experts say that this goal is almost certainly unachievable due to the mountainous and jungle terrains in Colombia(Moloney).
THEÂ EFFECT OF THE LANDMINES ON THE NUKAK
The Nukak used to inhabit this area thus they are much affected. Luiz Ernesto Goméz, the deputy interior minister of Colombia, stated that there must be a demining process before the Nukak return as the mines pose a lethal threat to their population(Melendez). As a result, the Nukak are still in refuge in San Jose del Guaviare and Aguabonita and the true amount of time the demining process will take remains unknown, but whatever the projected timeline, the Nukak have already been living in refuge for over a decade. Within this time, they themselves and officials have often expressed their declining wellness and the threat for their extinction, so every additional year remaining in refuge will affect their deteriorating wellness, so it is important that we as bystanders help speed up the process.
AÂ POSSIBLE BENEFIT
Though the Nukak suffered in refuge for more than a decade, after the peace treaty between the FARC and the government, the government started removing the landmines the FARC left behind (Brodzinsky and Watts). This process has increased the government’s awareness of the Nukak’s problems, and Luis Ernesto Gómez, pictured above, the deputy interior minister of Colombia, acknowledged that the Nukak should receive whatever guarantees they need to return after the clearance of the landmines (Mélendez). Obviously, this is has a very positive outlook for the Nukak, but it is important that before any of this can happen the government and us the bystanders help the Nukak out of their troublesome situation.