How Peace Saves Lives? Evidence from Colombia

The victimization of civilians and combatants during internal conflicts causes large and persistent socioeconomic costs. Moreover, it is not clear whether peace negotiations can significantly reduce this burden, as some sources of harm persist well after conflicts end. This is the case of antipersonnel landmines, which are hidden underground and remain active for decades. Looking at the recent experience of Colombia, and using a difference-in-differences empirical strategy, we study the conditions under which peace agreements reduce landmine blasts and victimization. Our findings point to the importance of post-conflict information sharing and comprehensive humanitarian mine clearance campaigns.

Detection of “Legbreaker” Antipersonnel Landmines by Analysis of Aerial Thermographic Images of the Soil

An automatic detection methodology for “legbreaker” Antipersonnel Landmines (APL) was developed based on digital image processing techniques and pattern recognition, applied to thermal images acquired by means of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with a thermal camera. The images were acquired from the inspection of a natural terrain with sparse vegetation and under uncontrolled conditions, in which prototypes of “legbreaker” APL were buried at different depths. Remarkable results were obtained using a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) classifier, reaching a 97.1% success rate in detecting areas with the presence of these artifacts.

Collective violence

War and other forms of armed conflict cause many adverse effects on health and the environment, including morbidity and mortality due to weapons; damage to the health-supporting infrastructure of society; contamination of air, water, and soil; forced displacement; violation of international agreements and human rights; diversion of resources; and promotion of additional violence. While conventional weapons account for the vast majority of fatal and non-fatal injuries during war, weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear and radiological weapons, chemical weapons, and biological agents) as well as antipersonnel landmines and unexploded ordnance pose additional threats. Public health workers and other health professionals can help to minimize the health and environmental consequences of war and other forms of armed conflict and to help end war itself. Categories of preventive measures include documentation; education and awareness-raising; advocacy and support for policies and programmes to minimize the consequences of, and help to reduce the risks of, war and other forms of armed conflict; and provision of preventive services. Public health frameworks of prevention can be useful in identifying opportunities for prevention and designing, implementing, and improving policies and programmes. These frameworks include levels of prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) and the host-agent-environment model.

Detection of antipersonnel landmines containing ANFO-based explosive: A review

After an internal conflict that lasted over half a century, the detection and removal of antipersonnel landmines in Colombia have become cumbersome challenges. Antipersonnel landmines remain scattered in Colombia and with a considerable impact on the central-western region. Most of these devices are handmade (therefore, they can also be classified as improvised explosive devices) and composed of ammonium nitrate and fossil fuel blend, a mixture known as ANFO. Due to several unique factors, including concealment tactics and non-conventional manufacturing techniques employed by guerrilla fighters, the most efficient method for the detection of ANFO-based antipersonnel landmines is the use of trained canines. This review aims at describing the current chemical strategies used in the detection of ANFO-based antipersonnel landmines. First, a detailed description of the different techniques used in the detection of explosives is made. Then, all the strategies reported in the world for antipersonnel landmines detection are described. Finally, the importance of the use of canines for antipersonnel landmines detection is explained.

Antipersonnel landmines in the Colombian internal conflict: implications for technology development

The effort of universities, companies, and the state in Colombia to face home-made AP landmines has generated useful solutions and studies for many projects developed in the last decade, including demining processes in Colombia. Antipersonnel mines have changed in the last 15 years, due to the intermittent nature of our internal conflict. For example, as Descontamina Colombia mentions on its website, non-state armed groups cut the detonator containing the primary explosive to decrease the metal in the mine. This paper shows the aspects of the conflict that have affected humanitarian demining in Colombia, which help in the design and construction of technological devices. This article does not attempt to describe each of the typical technologies in humanitarian demining processes, but rather to show the characteristics considered in the design of two detection devices aimed at detecting home-made AP landmines.

Investigation of Health-Related Consequences of Landmine Explosions During the Past 4 Decades (1979-2016): A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study, Kurdistan, Iran

ABSTRACTObjectives:Landmines remain a potential public health concern in the western and southern border regions of Iran. The aim of this study was to assess the health-related consequences of landmine explosions in Kurdistan Province during the past 4 decades.Methods:This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Kurdistan Province of Iran in 2016-2017. The data gathering process was questionnaire based. Survivors, or a member of the deceased’s family, were interviewed, and 410 questionnaires were completed. Data analysis was performed by using descriptive or analytical tests in SPSS software V.22.Results:Antipersonnel landmines caused death immediately after the explosion 32.1% of the time, and 67.9% survived with various disabilities, such as blindness, deafness, and limb amputation. Sixty-three percent of the injuries were related to limb amputation, which was the most prevalent injury among survivors. The adjusted regression test revealed a significant relationship between severity of injury and variables such as living in the villages, education, and occupation (P-value < 0.05).Conclusions:Recognizing the mined areas and intensifying clearance measures are crucial for Kurdistan Province. Providing landmine awareness programs is likely to yield useful results in reducing casualties. Also, landmine survivors should have access to physical and social rehabilitation programs.

DISEÑO E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UNA PLATAFORMA ROBÓTICA MÓVIL PARA IDENTIFICACIÓN DE MINAS TERRESTRES ANTIPERSONA EN DIFERENTES TERRENOS DEL TERRITORIO COLOMBIANO

Actualmente la labor de desminado realizada por la fuerza pública es considerada un trabajo con un alto índice de mortalidad. El propósito del artículo fue desarrollar e implementar una plataforma robótica teledirigida para la identificación de minas terrestres antipersona en diferentes terrenos; partiendo de un sistema de evasión de obstáculos, mediante el algoritmo de VFH (Vector Field Histogram), mediante el software LabView Robotics. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que el sistema de tracción tipo oruga permite un mejor desplazamiento, más agarre en los diferentes terrenos en comparación con el sistema de tracción tipo rueda, además se obtuvo un 87,5% de exactitud en la identificación de minas, a partir de un conjunto de 8 materiales diferentes, en comparación con el sistema MICRONTA 4003 utilizado actualmente. El sistema implementado contribuye a la detección de objetos peligrosos sobre diferentes terrenos, convirtiéndose en una alternativa para disminuir los índices de mortalidad en las tareas de desminado. Palabras clave.- Maniobrabilidad, MICRONTA, Plataforma teledirigida, Sistema de tracción. ABSTRACTIn the present time the mine clearance by the security forces is considered a job with a high mortality rate. The purpose of this article was to develop and implement a robotic platform remote control for identification of antipersonnel landmines in various fields; starting from an obstacle avoidance system, for this propose we using the algorithm VFH (Vector Field Histogram) through the LabVIEW Robotics software. The results have showed that the caterpillar type traction system allows better movement, more grip in all fields compared to the type wheel drive system, plus 87.5% accuracy in identifying mines was obtained from a set of 8 different materials, compared with the currently used system MICRONTA 4003. The implemented system contributes to the detection of dangerous objects on different grounds, becoming an alternative to reduce mortality rates in demining. Keywords.- Maneuverability, MICRONTA, Remote control platform, Drive system.

15. Canada and antipersonnel landmines

This chapter examines the impact of the Ottawa Process on the use of antipersonnel landmines as well as its significance to foreign policy analysis. The Ottawa Process led to the signing of an international treaty to ban the use and trading of landmines in 1997. It also contributed to the concept of human security and the emerging global principle of responsibility to protect. The chapter first considers the dynamic between governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) leading up to the launch of the Ottawa Process before discussing how middle power countries worked with NGOs and used soft power diplomacy to achieve a ban on landmines. It also explores the utility of the Ottawa Process as a model for recent international efforts, including the Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and the treaties on cluster munitions and the trade in small arms.