MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: Argentina and UK agree to extend Humanitarian Plan to identify remains in multiple grave

The Argentine military cemetery close Darwin holds 230 graves

The outgoing government of Argentine president Mauricio Macri and the United Kingdom are in talks for an extension of the humanitarian plan which, with Falkland Islands consent and under the guidance of the International Committee of the Red Cross had enabled the identification of 115 remains buried in the Islands with the sole reference, “Argentine soldier, only known to God”, the tragic legacy of the 1982 conflict.

In effect this Wednesday Argentine Human Rights Secretary Claudio Avruj met in Geneva with Dominic Stillhard, head of ICRC operations and who was responsible for the very successful humanitarian plan at the Argentine military cemetery in Darwin.

”They pointed out that they are willing to continue with the Humanitarian Plan, with an addendum for one of the graves, once both sides, countries, send a formal request. Both governments (Argentina and UK) are advancing on the issue“, Avruj in Geneva told Telam, the Argentine official news agency.

It's an addendum which will allow the forensic anthropologists to check grave C.1.10 which holds the remains of Gendarmerie Second Lieutenant Julio Ricardo Sanchez and another three combatants who died during the South Atlantic conflict, 37 years ago.

The existence of multiple graves at the Argentine military cemetery in Darwin has been a recurrent issue among relatives of the fallen combatants and Malvinas veterans, who on several occasions visited the Falklands to pray and mourn their loved ones.

Sanchez in effect figured with his full name in a tomb next to other unknown soldiers, but during the restructuring of the cemetery back in 2014, in his plaque three more names appeared, Hector Walter Aguirre, Mario Ramon Luna and Luis Guillermo Sevilla.

But Aguirre, Luna and Sevilla remains were identified, at different times, in other graves, so it is believed that the remains at the Sanchez grave belong to three other combatants, to be identified.

Avruj said that during the meeting in Geneva with Red Cross officials, described as ”warm and emotive“, it was agreed that the humanitarian plan had been a great success, and ”an example to show the world“.

”Thanks to dialogue and the joint effort, we built a milestone in human rights and Humanitarian Law. We are grateful and proud for the opportunity to take advanced this mission, and knowing that conditions and commitment to continue are standing“

Besides, ICRC officials confessed that it had been ”a unique experience, a lifetime experience“ and it is being used as a model in the rest of the world with similar situations. ”They asked us to congratulate the team and the whole of the Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism Secretariat“ indicated Avruj.

The Humanitarian Project Plan was signed in 2017 between the governments of Argentina and UK, and the ICRC with the purpose of identifying the remains in 122 of the 230 graves at the Argentine military cemetery in Darwin and which remained as unknown since 1982.

With the identification, just a few days ago of combatant 115, only seven remains still have a gravestone reading, ”Argentine soldier, only known to God”, plus the three which allegedly are buried at Sanchez tomb.