Colombia is another step closer to peace. The Santos administration and the rebel group FARC reached an agreement to begin removing landmines from two provinces.

The move signals continued progress in the lengthy peace negotiations between the two camps.

The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) agreed to begin the removal of landmines after the end of the 34th cycle of talks, according to EFE.

"This accord is a work in progress and its execution is right around the corner," said the government's chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle. The government and rebels has agreed back in March 7 to remove mines.

The government announced on a statement that the pilot program will begin in the provinces of Antioquia and Meta, according to a press release.

El Colombiano reported Post-Conflict Minister Gen. Oscar Naranjo announced the project would begin in six weeks.

According to Colombia Reports, FARC wanted the landmine-clearing program to begin in areas of closer to cities and away from rural areas, where the rebel group still operates. The city of Medellin is located in Antioquia and, while there are no large cities in Meta, it is near the capital of Bogota.

However, speaking at a press conference before the announcement on Friday, FARC negotiator Ricardo Tellez, a.k.a. "Rodrigo Granda," told reporters that the clearing of mines would take place in the rural and jungle regions last.

"Our people deep in the jungle are not going to stop defending themselves," he said.

The willingness to remove the landmines, which have been used to great effect by FARC to protect their territory, shows the group is willing to make concessions. Similarly, the Colombian government agreed earlier this month to cease aerial attacks on FARC camps.

The landmine-clearing process has already started. NGOs have taken it upon themselves to begin clearing areas around the country, reports the Guardian. Among them is the Halo Trust, with which a former rebel named Diomedes is working.

"In the FARC I saw landmines being prepared and laid and now I have the opportunity destroy those mines that have caused so much damage to the community," he explained.

Álvaro Jiménez, director of the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines, welcomed the news, saying: "For the first time the peace process will have a concrete impact in the country."

FARC has extensively used landmines in the decades-long conflict with the government and they litter almost every province. More than 11,000 people have fallen victims to landmines in the last 25 years, according to the Guardian.

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