According to the Return, Reintegration and Recovery Office of the United Nation Mission in Sudan, the UNHCR has assisted the return of over 20,000 refugees to the southern states and Blue Nile in the first half of 2009 alone. But their return is important not only from a political point of view; it is the base of peace and stability building in the area. Apart from concerns for issues such as unemployment, livelihood and educational opportunities the returnees have to worry about the existence of minefields and unexploded ordnance as well. UNMAO exists to alleviate this concern to the best of its abilities and to the limit of its donor funding. A recent visit in the area of Kurmuk illustrates the basics of humanitarian demining. After a drought, land is scarce and resources are highly disputed. A green field lays barren and causes a strange unsettling feeling. In a state with over 96,000 IDPs areas like this one are much sought-over. The only explanation for its lack of use is the fact that the local community knows the terrain is dangerous and there are mines scattered on it. The United Nation Mine Action Office (UNMAO) has the area marked as hazardous in its Information Management System for Mine Action.
The United Nations Mine Action Office in Sudan
The circle of demining
Blue Nile State is widely seen as an important transitional state and one of the states most affected by the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
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According to the Return, Reintegration and Recovery Office of the United Nation Mission in Sudan, the UNHCR has assisted the return of over 20,000 refugees to the southern states and Blue Nile in the first half of 2009 alone. But their return is important not only from a political point of view; it is the base of peace and stability building in the area. Apart from concerns for issues such as unemployment, livelihood and educational opportunities the returnees have to worry about the existence of minefields and unexploded ordnance as well. UNMAO exists to alleviate this concern to the best of its abilities and to the limit of its donor funding. A recent visit in the area of Kurmuk illustrates the basics of humanitarian demining. After a drought, land is scarce and resources are highly disputed. A green field lays barren and causes a strange unsettling feeling. In a state with over 96,000 IDPs areas like this one are much sought-over. The only explanation for its lack of use is the fact that the local community knows the terrain is dangerous and there are mines scattered on it. The United Nation Mine Action Office (UNMAO) has the area marked as hazardous in its Information Management System for Mine Action. |
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Khalid was getting by as a cultivator until 1991, when he drove to visit his family in Kuhliat and his car hit an anti-tank mine. “I wasn’t aware of the risk of mines in the region and there was certainly no mine risk education (MRE) being done at the time”, says Khalid. “I have to care for 9 people, including my wife, our children and our relatives, but after the accident I was suddenly unable to continue to support them the way I used to.”
helped the town’s poorly developed infrastructure, trade and industry. Most read articles
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