April 4 marked the International Day for Mine Action Awareness and Assistance, established in 2005 by the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly. The Brazilian Army is a benchmark in demining and deactivating explosive devices. In this article, Captain Davyson Anderson Cavalcanti Sobral, of the Brazilian Army’s Engineering Wing, discusses Brazil’s role in international mine action.
There is no doubt that armed conflicts, whether regular or irregular, directly affect the local population. Anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war remain after these conflicts, leaving their mark on the affected communities, causing not only physical and psychological damage, but also economic, social, political and environmental harm.
In the 1980s, anti-personnel mines – those designed to explode in the presence, contact or proximity of people – began to be widely used in internal conflicts, by irregular forces and even military forces in developing countries, due to their low cost and effectiveness. Civilians have become victims, as the indiscriminate use of these mines has forced them to abandon their homes, as well as blocking access to important infrastructure, such as water and electricity supplies.
International cooperation in mine action
The humanitarian impacts caused by these explosive threats sensitized the international community, resulting in the creation of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in 1992. The ICBL has evolved into a partnership of more than 1400 Non-Governmental Organizations, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and Governments around the world, united under the purpose of eradicating landmines.
In 1997, the then ICBL coordinator, Jody Williams, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, drawing the world’s attention to the problem of landmines. The following year, the Ottawa Treaty came into force, a legal milestone in the fight against landmines. The aim of the Treaty is to ban the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
Brazil’s role
Although Brazilian territory is not affected by these threats, Brazil has not been left out of the global effort to eliminate mines and explosive threats and has become a signatory to the Ottawa Treaty. In compliance with Article 6 of the Ottawa Treaty, Brazil has participated in international cooperation and assistance in Mine Action since the 1990s, providing assistance in demining and related activities.
Together with the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), Brazil organized the Assistance Mission for Mine Clearance in Central America (MARMINCA), to which military personnel were sent from 1993 to 2010, supervising mine clearance in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. During this mission, the Brazilians also created the Manual of Operational Procedures for Humanitarian Demining, approved by the IADB.
The Brazilian Armed Forces also took part in the United Nations Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM III), from 1995 to 1997; as well as the Demining Assistance Mission in South America (MARMINAS), supervising demining in the border region between Peru and Ecuador.
Brazil-Colombia cooperation
Since 2005, Brazilian military personnel have been taking part in Mine Action Missions in Colombia. There are currently three different missions underway in Colombia: the Group of Inter-American Monitors (GMI), which focuses on training, certification, operational assessment and monitoring of Humanitarian Demining Organizations operating in the country; the Group of Inter-American Technical Advisors (GATI), which works with the General Command of the Colombian Military Forces to provide technical advice and teaching, teaching the National Humanitarian Demining Monitor course; and the Mission of Instructors and Advisors in Humanitarian Demining (MIADH), regulated by a bilateral agreement between Colombia and Brazil, which supports the training and quality management of Colombian military demining organizations, in particular the Humanitarian Demining Engineers Brigade of the Colombian Army.
Hundreds of Brazilian military personnel have already acted as technical advisors, supervisors and monitors in Mine Action Missions, either through international or regional organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS), or through bilateral agreements, as is the case with MIADH. In these missions, the Brazilian Armed Forces have played an important role in supervision, quality control, capacity building, certification and training.
The expertise and international recognition gained from experiences in missions of this nature have earned Brazil a leading regional role in Mine Action. In my experience as a humanitarian demining advisor in MIADH, I was able to witness the respect and admiration of the Colombian military and internal and external monitoring bodies for the work carried out by the Brazilian military. The participants in this Mission are involved in training and capacity building in the Colombian National Army, giving instructions and advising on the development and updating of Operational Procedures in the Brigade of Humanitarian Demining Engineers. They also monitor the development of operations in the field and review the documentation produced by the Humanitarian Demining Units, collaborating with the internal quality control process in these operations.
Mine Action Training in Brazil
As a result of the knowledge acquired, the Brazilian Army now has a robust and consolidated Mine Action training capacity. The Brazilian Joint Peace Operations Center (CCOPAB), located in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), and the Engineering Instruction Center (CI Eng), located in Araguari (MG), stand out in this regard. These teaching establishments of the Brazilian Army, among other missions, are responsible for conducting courses and internships focused on Mine Action for members of the Brazilian Armed Forces, State Police and foreign military personnel from friendly nations. The instruction given at these centers of excellence ranges from planning to the execution of activities, through theoretical approaches, simulations and practical exercises in the field.
Every year, CCOPAB conducts the Mine Action Internship, the main objective of which is to prepare future instructors, supervisors, monitors and international advisors for Mine Action missions under the auspices of International Organizations. The internship lasts five weeks, two of which are distance learning and three face-to-face, and is guided by the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). Military personnel assigned to ongoing missions in Colombia are trained through this course.
CI Eng conducts the Level 2 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Neutralization (EOD) Course, which lasts eleven weeks, three of which are distance learning and eight of which are face-to-face. Although the focus of the course is on EOD tasks and combat demining, it is conducted in accordance with IMAS standards and has a Mine Action module, in which students learn the essential techniques and concepts related to this topic, as well as practicing manual demining. CI Eng also participates in the training of Mine Action trainees, since one of the classroom weeks of this training takes place at the Center’s facilities.
Current scenario and future prospects
Despite the global effort to eradicate mines, several countries around the world still have high rates of contamination by mines and other explosive devices. According to the Landmine Monitor website, which specializes in monitoring compliance with the Ottawa Treaty, in 2022 there was a further increase in the number of civilian victims of these devices, given their widespread use in countries such as Ukraine, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen.
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, added Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria to the list of mine-affected countries in a speech at the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in 2017. Peter also said that the various ongoing conflicts involving the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas “have disastrous consequences for civilians”, not limited to deaths and physical injuries, but including the “destruction of vital infrastructure such as water stations, power stations, hospitals and health services”.
According to BBC News Brasil, in an article from May 2023, it is estimated that in Ukrainian territory alone there are around 174,000 square kilometers contaminated by landmines, an area four times the size of the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The recent global escalation in the use of mines and other explosive devices will continue to demand a coordinated effort to eliminate or mitigate these threats, requiring a comprehensive response from the international community.
Given this scenario and Brazil’s capabilities in Mine Action, it is imperative that the country continues to play its role as a pioneer and regional protagonist in international cooperation against mines.
References:
https://www.icrc.org/pt/document/declaracao-20-anos-depois-de-historico-tratado-sobre-minas- terrestres-nao-podemos-perder-o
https://dialogo-americas.com/pt-br/articles/junta-interamericana-de-defesa-30-anos-de- desminagem-humanitaria-na-america-latina/
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/landmine-monitor-2023-enar#:~:text=According%20to%20the
%20Monitor%20report,of%20them%20children%20(1%2C171)
https://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/home.aspx
https://www.defesaaereanaval.com.br/ajuda-humanitaria/30-anos-de-apoio-interamericano-a- desminagem-humanitaria
https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/c29renpxgjzo
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. government, Diálogo magazine, or its members. This article was machine translated.