Sudan: Mines a major risk to civilians returning home

Nearly two years after the beginning of the Sudanese civil war, displaced populations returning to urban areas are facing the remnants of heavy fighting: unexploded ordnance.

The UN demining body (UNMAS) is warning of the risks faced by displaced people returning to areas contaminated by mines and other ordnance, which can explode with the lightest touch.

Active in Sudan since 2002, UNMAS has been severely impacted by both the war and a lack of funding.

Sidiq Rashid, Head of UNMAS in Sudan told UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki that the country currently faces the largest displacement crisis in the world, and everyone, from the warring parties to aid workers and the international community, needs to work together to integrate mine action into humanitarian, early recovery, and reconstruction work. 

Abdelmonem started by asking Mr. Rashid to describe the effect that unexploded munitions are having on the civilian population.