Clearing the way ahead – landmines in Sudan

After more than 20 years of civil war and still facing significant internal conflicts, Sudan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). 10 out of the 17 Sudanese states are contaminated, with the regions of Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Eastern Sudan having the highest concentration of explosive remnants of war (ERW).

ERW can refer to landmines, cluster bombs, improvised explosive devices, or other unexploded ordnance.

In Sudan, agriculture is the main source of income, providing employment for up to 80 percent of the population, so landmines scattered across the country are an obstacle to progress.

"The existence of landmines and ERW restricts the movement of people and cattle in rural areas and the use of the land itself. This has affected the economic development of Sudan" said Salah Bashasha, director of the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) in Khartoum, a government body which coordinates all mine clearance initiatives in Sudan.

But he insisted miner clearers were succeeding in their task and cited the Togan area in Eastern Sudan as an example.

"The number of victims is underestimated in Sudan"

"We have recently finished the clearing process and released the land back to the communities. It is a big improvement for the people, not only from the economic side but also from the psychosocial aspect. They return to the rural areas, feel safer, more optimistic and go back to the traditional ways of working mainly in agriculture," he said.

Mine clearance deadline extended

NMAC works in close cooperation with local and international NGOs, as well as with UN agencies. Over the last 12 years, 90 million square meters of land have been cleared of mines and of other ERW with the support of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

With a further 35 million square meter yet to be cleared, Sudan has still a long way to go. The country, which became a state party to the Mine Ban Treaty in 2004, was expected to clear all anti-personnel mines from its territory by April 1, 2014. Because of the ongoing fighting in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudanese army, the government in Khartoum has obtained an extension of the deadline until 2019.

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Clearing the way ahead - landmines in Sudan