The civil wars that plagued South Sudan for decades have left a deadly legacy of millions of explosive remnants that have killed or injured more than 5000 people in the last 20 years.
The town of Bilinyang, 25 kilometers east of the capital Juba, is among the many areas that were left littered with landmines, unexploded ordnances, and abandoned ammunition.
“This village, like many others, has lived for years with the presence of explosive remnants of war. These hazards, not only, threaten lives, they restrict movement, delay returns, and limit opportunities for farming, trade and daily life,” explains Jurkuch Barak Jurkuch, Chairperson of the South Sudan National Mine Action Authority. “ For communities, mine action is not an abstract concept it is about safety, access and dignity.”
In coordination with national authorities, the United Nations Mine Action Service has destroyed more than 7.3 million items of small arms ammunition and 1.2 million explosive devices, including in Bilinyang where they conducted an extensive operation to clear the land so that communities can live without fear.
These efforts are a deeply emotional experience for the community after a terrible accident a few years ago when a child was killed after stumbling across an explosive item buried in the soil.
This impactful support is at risk due to a UN-wide financial crisis, which has forced UNMAS to significantly downsize its capacity. Its demining teams have been cut from 19 to eight. Detection dogs and three large, automated mine clearing machines have also been demobilized.
“Mine Action, the work that we are doing, is not just about removing explosive hazards. It’s not just about clearing the land,” says Zehrudin Sukanovic, Chief of the United Nations Mine Action Service in South Sudan. “It’s about creating the conditions for communities, people, for the nation to recover and rebuild, for the communities to establish a new living area, to maintain their lives, but, also, for the humanitarians to deliver their projects and, for the country, the Government to implement their development projects.”
With more than 20 million square kilometers of land still to be cleared, international support is critical to the continuation of these operations.
As a core donor to mine action and stabilization efforts in South Sudan, the Netherlands is channeling flexible multi-year funding through United Nations agencies to clear these deadly devices from the landscape. A visiting high-level delegation was able to see first-hand the impact of that support as she witnessed the destruction of an unexploded ordinance at a demonstration in Bilinyang.
“Being here on the ground is such a different experience, seeing really the tough and dangerous work that is so important for the safety of communities, the renovation of schools and roads and everything needed for the reconstruction of the country,” says Faye Price, Policy Officer for Humanitarian Mine Action at the Kingdom of the Netherland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It is also really impactful to see the people behind the mine action activities, who are working long days in the heat trying to build their communities and create a safer environment.”
The tangible impact of UNMAS’ activities is clear in Bilinyang but also across the broader Gondokoro area, where the destruction of 70 anti-tank mines has resulted in people returning from across the country to build a new village in what was once a large minefield.
This community now feels settled, stable, and enabled to rebuild their homes and secure the better future they deserve.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
