MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuadorian military finds more than 750 antipersonnel mines in border with Colombia

Last May, two Ecuadorian soldiers were wounded during an armed attack on a military installation located near the border area.

More than 750 handmade antipersonnel mines were found in the Amazonian province of Sucumbios, bordering Colombia. The finding in charge of the Ecuadorian military was reported Thursday by the Joint Command of the Armed Forces.

”This is a hard blow to the irregular armed groups of Colombia (GIAC) and organizations that act outside the law,“ said the military institution in a statement.

The discovery took place in the town of Lago Agrio, in the province of Sucumbios, located in the northeast and bordering Colombia.

During surveillance operations in the area, the soldiers discovered ”six plastic packages hidden in the undergrowth“ containing ”750 handmade anti-personnel mines“ and ”06 anti-personnel mines armed with pressurized ignition systems”.

In images disseminated on Twitter by the Armed Forces, on the one hand, large packages in the middle of the jungle and cylindrical devices wrapped in adhesive tape can be seen.

Last May, two Ecuadorian soldiers were wounded during an armed attack on a military installation located near the border area.

The Ecuador-Colombia border is home to illegal armed groups, including dissidents of Colombia's disbanded FARC guerrillas.

In 2018, attacks attributed to those rebels left at least seven dead among military personnel and journalists, dozens wounded and two civilians kidnapped.

Ecuador, located between Colombia and Peru - the world's two largest cocaine producers - is experiencing an increase in crime associated with drug trafficking.

So far this year, Ecuadorian authorities have seized 152 tons of drugs. The homicide rate between January and October per 100,000 inhabitants is 18.29.

Last year, the once peaceful nation seized a record 210 tons of drugs.

 

AFP