Summary
Over 20 years of internal conflict between north and south Sudan, which ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, have left Sudan with threats from landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Mines were laid on routes, in villages and wells, and across arable land. The general perception that many roads are mined has led to road closures, with many roads not being used for the past 20 years, at a considerable cost to the movement of people in the country. This has also hindered aid delivery and development.
The main areas of contamination are in southern Sudan and the northern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as along parts of the eastern borders with Eritrea and Ethiopia. The ongoing conflict in Darfur is also creating an ERW contamination problem and causing general insecurity.
The UN Mine Action Office (UNMAO) is mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1590 and the CPA to coordinate, facilitate, accredit, and conduct quality assurance of all mine action activities in Sudan. Technical assistance is provided by UN organizations under UNMAO (the UN Mine Action Service or UNMAS, the UN Development Programme or UNDP, the UN Children's Fund or UNICEF, and the UN Office for Project Services or UNOPS).
The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was established on 1 January 2008 to support the effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement. UNMAO has become an integral part of the new peacekeeping mission, known as the UNAMID Mine Action Office.
Although the implementation of the CPA has been progressing positively, security has remained an issue throughout the country. In the south, rebel activity by the Lords’ Resistance Army (LRA) along the Ugandan border delayed clearance operations, as did inter-tribal fighting in the southern states of Upper Nile and Jonglei. In Darfur, all movements had to be accompanied by armed escorts.
Each year, UN entities, nongovernmental organizations, national and local authorities and donors collaborate to assemble a national portfolio of mine action project proposals that together reflect the strategic response developed in the field to all aspects of the problem of landmines and explosive remnants of war. A Country Portfolio Coordinator, usually a representative of a UN agency or a national authority, coordinates meetings where all mine action actors agree on a set of projects and priorities and determine funding needs. The proposals in each country's portfolio are assembled with those of other participating countries and published jointly by the UN Mine Action Service, the UN Development Programme and UNICEF in an annual "Portfolio of Mine Action Projects." This publication serves as a tool for collaborative resource mobilization, coordination and planning of mine action activities. The Sudan Country Portfolio Team's funding appeal for mine action projects in 2007 totals US $85,546,100.
Scope of the Problem
Over the years, mine action in Sudan has focused on opening primary and secondary routes, and on removing landmine and ERW threats. By July 2009, the sector had declared more than 33,000 kilometres of roads opened through assessment and clearance, and 54 million square metres of land released.
The reported number of casualties has been declining over the past few years, with about 40 victims since the beginning of 2009, the majority in Lakes State and Darfur.
In 2010, UNMAO will continue to coordinate the clearance of mines and ERW for the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and provide rapid explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) to cope with the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in southern Sudan. A mix of survey, clearance and mine risk education assets have been deployed to assist peacekeeping operations and enhance the safety of local populations. Demining activities will continue in Jonglei and Upper states, where clearance is expected to be completed around the town of Malakal. The survey and clearance of all routes in northern Sudan will also be completed during the course of 2010. High-priority clearance will continue in the Eastern and Blue Nile states, especially around the heavily mined towns of Ullu, Kurmuk and Kassala. In Darfur, UNMAO will continue to provide EOD support to UNAMID and raise ERW awareness among the local population.
Building the capacity of national mine action structures—the National Mine Action Centre (NMAC), based in Khartoum, and the Southern Sudan Demining Commission (SSDC), based in Juba—will remain a priority ahead of the transition in June 2011. UNMAO will provide on-the-job training and equipment, and work towards the accreditation of the Joint Integrated Demining Units (JIDUs). UNMAO will also maintain its commitment to training by working with Cranfield University to implement courses at the International Mine Action Training Centre in Nairobi, in areas such as project and support management, quality assurance and control, mine risk education, medical coordination, supervision and EOD.
Coordination and Consultation
UNMAO coordinates all mine action activities conducted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), commercial companies and UN military demining troops through its head office in Khartoum, as well as through its 3 regional offices and 10 sub-offices.
In partnership with other UN agencies, national authorities and local and international NGOs, UNMAO has identified strategic priorities and benchmarks for mine action within the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which covers development programming from 2009 to 2012.
In 2009, the Sudan Mine Action Programme developed a multi-year plan to demonstrate the commitments of each partner to implementing mine action activities. It should serve as a common planning and resource mobilization document for all partners. It will help ensure implementation of the goals set out by the Sudan Mine Action Strategic and Policy Framework developed in 2004, as well as Sudan’s commitments to the mine-ban treaty. Annual planning, such as for the Portfolio of Mine Action Projects and the 2009 UN & Partners Work Plan, will reflect the multi-year plan.
The transition to national ownership of mine action will build on the core management responsibilities of a mine action entity. These include the planning and coordination of mine action activities, the establishment of national technical standards, quality and information management, accreditation and fundraising. National authorities will be responsible for ensuring Sudan’s compliance with the international mine-ban and related treaties, as well as for raising awareness of mine threats and assisting victims of landmines.
The transition will be undertaken in three stages: capacity development; joint activities; and full national ownership by 2011, depending on the extension of the UNMIS mandate. UNMAO will implement an exit strategy while placing key national and international staff among national authorities’ technical advisors.
Strategy
A National Mine Action Strategic Framework for Sudan was developed through joint efforts between the UN and national authorities as a guiding document for mine action operations in Sudan. It was passed by the Cabinet of the Government of National Unity in August 2006. The framework contains the following 11 strategic goals:
1. Continue to undertake emergency mine and ERW clearance and survey operations in high-priority areas jointly determined by the national authorities and the UN.
2. Continue to prioritize mine risk education for at-risk communities.
3. Through surveys on the impacts of landmines, identify, register and prepare maps of areas suspected of landmine contamination in order to determine the full effects on communities.
4. Strengthen existing national capacities to ensure the physical, psychosocial, and economic rehabilitation and reintegration of mine and ERW victims and survivors.
5. Strengthen the existing national mine action institutional framework to be able to plan, implement, coordinate and monitor all aspects of mine action.
6. Develop and implement a transitional plan to facilitate the transition of mine action management from the UN to the national mine action authorities.
7. Expand existing national operational capacities in mine action surveys, mine and ERW clearance, mine risk education and victim assistance.
8. Mainstream mine action into national recovery and development plans.
9. Develop and implement short-, medium-, and long-term national mine action plans and budgets.
10. Mobilize the necessary funds from national and international sources to achieve the mine action strategic goals.
11. Ensure that Sudan honours its obligations under the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty and other relevant treaties.
The portfolio projects have been formulated out of the multi-year planning process, which has been oriented around providing solutions to meet the National Mine Action Strategic Framework goals. Links with each project are captured in the project objectives.
Date Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty signed: Dec 04, 1997
Date of Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty ratification or accession: Oct 13, 2003
Consents to be bound by Protocol II of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons: N/A
Consents to be bound by Amended Protocol II of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons: N/A
Date signed Protocol V of Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons: N/A