JUBA - In the quiet farming community of Bilnyang, a loud explosion sends shockwaves through the air and a deep rumbling under the earth.
Instead of causing fear, this incident was cause for celebration, as the United Nations Mine Action Service conducted a controlled detonation of a deadly unexploded ordnance that threatened the lives of these villagers, living on the outskirts of South Sudan’s capital, Juba.
The clearance of these deadly devices is a deeply emotional experience for these communities after a terrible accident a few years ago when a child was killed after stumbling across an explosive item buried in the soil.
“It’s a reminder of the war legacy that still poses a threat after the conflict is over,” explains Zehrudin Sukanovic, Chief of the Mine Action Programme in South Sudan.
“It’s also a reminder of our joint commitment to addressing explosive ordnance threats to restore the safety of the land, including agricultural areas, and enabling humanitarian and development projects to be implemented for the good of the communities.”
The tragic loss of this child is just one of 5000 such incidents that have plagued South Sudan following decades of war.
To combat the threat, UNMAS is working in partnership with the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) and South Sudan’s National Mine Action Authority, to methodically identify and destroy these hazards across the country.
Over more than 20 years, they have reduced the contaminated land area from 412 square kilometers to 20.9 square kilometers.
“This work has a very tangible impact,” says the Officer in Charge of UNMISS, Graham Maitland, who witnessed the destruction of the ordnance first-hand. “It saves lives, restores dignity, and enables communities to move forward in safety and create the space for longer-term sustainable development.”
“South Sudan today is very polarized. People are fleeing their homes because of violence. This work enables people to come back and creates the space for dialogue, which is critical at this difficult time.”
Displacement is very much a reality in Bilnyang, with many leaving the area during the war that raged in the 1980s. Some have chosen not to return because of persistent insecurity and concerns about the threats to life that still linger in the soil.
But, with support from UNMAS, there is a glimmer of hope of a return to normality.
“After this mine clearance, and with the rainy season due to start in April or May, we will start cultivating crops before people settle here. This is also important because cattle-keepers need to be free to move around the area,” explains Raymond Ladu, Bilnyang Village Chief. “We will be happy if the area is completely cleared, so that people can move freely and live safely.”
This kind of impactful support is at risk due to a UN-wide financial crisis, including cuts in international donor funding, which has forced UNMAS to significantly downsize its capacity. It’s demining teams have been severely reduced from 19 to eight, detection dogs and three large, automated mine clearing machines have also been demobilized.
“As an example, if we had the machines deployed on this site, the task would be completed in a week,” says Zehrudin Sukanovic. “Instead, our manual mine clearance team has been working laboriously for almost three months and yet it is not finished.”
“If we had the dogs, our progress on clearing the roads would be much faster than just deploying deminers with detectors to do the sweeping.”
Another challenge is that the demining teams must be on constant standby to abandon their preventative work and respond rapidly to emergency situations, due to the lack of resources.
Despite the challenges, UNMAS and partners continue doing their utmost to create an environment that is ripe for recovery and development.
“These hazards not only threaten lives, they restrict movement, delay returns, and limit opportunities for farming,” says Jurkuch Barach, the Chairperson of the National Mine Action Service.
“For communities, mine action is not an abstract concept, it is about safety, access and dignity.”
Removing these threats also helps communities connect to de-escalate tensions and prevent conflict.
This is more important than ever as South Sudan continues to slide deeper into crisis and sustainable peace becomes a more distant dream.
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By Francesca Mold
