Security officers exhibit landmines during the celebrations in Juba.[© Gurtong]
By Juma John Stephen
JUBA, 01 April 2010 (Gurtong) –The Chairman of Southern Sudan Demining Commission Jurkuch Barach told the media on Tuesday during the commemoration of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action at Buluk Square in Juba that the most affected were villages that have not been demined.
He said the only areas that have been cleared of landmines in South Sudan are the main roads, but the explosive ordinances are still found in the remote villages which hosted wars.
“Landmines are still harvesting limbs of dear ones in South Sudan and they don’t differentiate the people. The mine action team is working to give education to all the people about landmines every day”, Barach told a handful who had gathered to join the world in the celebrations.
The government representative Dr John Chol called upon the international community to help in demining South Sudan for total eradication of the explosive remnants of war.
During the commemoration, the groups including, Assistance in Mine Action in Sudan, the National Mine Action Centre and the South Sudan Demining Authority together with the United Nations and partners from the Mine Action sector renewed their commitment to carrying out the life-saving work of mine action and working together towards a Sudan free of landmines and explosive ordinances.
Many Sudanese have suffered greatly from the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war for many years and although the number of casualties has significantly decreased since 2002, mines continue to kill many civilians daily.
As a result, agricultural activity has been slowed down, hence depriving many households of livelihoods.
Since 2002, the United Nations Mine Action Office has been working to reduce the dangers caused my landmines and explosive remnants of war, together with partnership of the National Mine Action authorities and NGOs from the Mine Action Sector in Sudan.
They have opened more than 39,914 kilometres of roads and cleared 57,886,940 square meters of land.
Additionally, more than 3.18 million people have received education against the threat of mines as well as victim assistance programs that allow survivors to start new businesses and support themselves and their families.
Meanwhile, authorities from Yei and Lainya counties in Central Equatoria State have jointly appealed to the international community to increase financial and technical support to mine clearing groups.
The respective commissioners of the two counties also appealed to citizens to collectively ensure security of the demining organisations.
According to a report by Spirit FM radio, the initiative aims at boosting the morale of the international community, including local staffs to ensure the flow of information from the communities on the existence of explosive ordinances left during the 2-decade civil war in Sudan.
“ I urge the international community to add support to national staffs in areas of capacity building, especially in mine risk awareness, to help communities have knowledge about it”, said
River Yei County Commissioner David Lokonga Moses.
He urged the national technical staff to step up efforts to identify affected areas to be cleared to make them safe so as to facilitate the return of refugees and internally displaced persons.
His Lainya counterpart Samuel Suba Manasse noted that despite the 2005 peace deal that led to a diminishing of weapons, mines remain active in fields, roads and schools in most parts of Greater Equatoria.
He called upon the police and the army to volunteer and educate the population on the dangers of explosive ordinances while on the other hand collaborating with the mining groups.
(Additional reporting by Peter Lokale Nakimangole)