Israel Training Colombia to Clear Land Mines Left by Conflict With Rebels
The five decade FARC insurrection has left the South American country as one of the most mine-infested in the world, with some 11,000 people killed by mines in last 25 years.
A delegation from Colombia is currently in Israel for training in the clearance of land mines, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
- Proud to Be 'The Israel of Latin America'
- Colombia, FARC Rebels Agree to Remove Landmines
- Colombia, FARC Announce End to Five Decades of Bloodshed
The government of Colombia signed a peace deal with the country's FARC rebels in late August after a 50-year insurgency. A national referendum on the agreement will be held next month.
Decades of fighting have left the country littered with land mines, which have killed an estimated 11,000 people in the last 25 years.
The eight-member Colombian delegation is receiving training from the Defense Ministry’s National Mine Action Authority.
The report quoted Modi Ephraim, Foreign Ministry deputy director- general for Central and South America, as saying that Israel will assist Colombia in a variety of post-conflict projects, including assisting in the development of agricultural areas once under FARC control, and replacing the coca plant – the basis of cocaine – with other crops.
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