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April 4 marks the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. Landmines and other explosive remnants of war remain an everyday threat in South Sudan, with over 700 hazardous areas, including over 300 minefields, remaining to be cleared . Further new hazardous contamination has been created during the current crisis, putting at risk those who live and work in affected areas.

The day is an opportunity for UNMAS and its partners to disseminate Risk Education messages through broadcasting Public Service Announcements on popular South Sudan radios, billboards in Juba and in the UNMISS bases around the country (photo courtesy of Marco Grob, edits done by Justina Pietralik).

On the day itself, the National Mine Action Authority, in collaboration with UNICEF and UNMAS, is organising a Mine Risk Education quiz in schools around Juba to raise awareness amongst children, often those most at risk.

In addition, UNMAS is preparing a social media campaign involving a video collage of photos of just under 170 persons from the UN, NGOs as well as the donors (Japan and ECHO) and the National Mine Action Authority showing their support for a South Sudan free of landmines.

Funded by the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF), the DCA Risk Education Team arrived in Minkamman IDP camp at the beginning of February 2014 to provide Risk Education (RE) messages to the then 84,000 IDPs, who escaped the fighting in Bor in December 2013 - January 2014.

As the fighting in Bor subsided, some of the IDPs were making a desperate trip back across the river to check on their houses and collect belongings needed in the camp. As they travel to Bor, they are at risk of Explosive Remnants of War (ERWs). Through meetings with local authorities and other humanitarian actors, the RE team learnt that a motorboat travels to Bor every morning. The team hence goes to the port every day and provides RE to the passengers before they board the motorboat, all before dawn.

Once the boat has departed, the team moves on to work in the camp, providing RE there. With so many children and no activities to occupy them, the team uses songs and games as part of their Risk Education. The team is also training male and female Community Focal Points who receive a booklet with information about mine and ERW recognition and reporting procedures.

The DCA team also began working with Save the Children and Plan International in their child friendly spaces as well as recording safety messages and songs that will be played on the soon-to-be-set-up IDP camp radio station.

To date, the team has provided tailor-made Risk Education to over 1300 IDPs and trained 110 community focal points.

In response to the recent crisis, UNMAS sent two teams to Bor in early February to sweep through all the UN agency compounds, guest houses, warehouses and administration buildings in order to clear any dangerous unexploded remnants of war which may have remained from the recent fighting.

The priority target for the team on arrival was to facilitate humanitarian access through the clearance and verification of compounds belonging to humanitarian agencies.  The team initially cleared the WFP and UNHCR compounds and two warehouse complexes. These were swiftly cleared with no dangerous devices found. The team continued and cleared in total 22 agency compounds, guest houses and storage facilities (photo courtesy of TDI, UNMAS's implementing partner, showing the team conducting Surface clearance of the WFP Compound). At the compound of the Catholic Church 57mm and 80mm rockets were cleared away and destroyed.

UNMAS has continued with survey and clearance activities in the town, the market and neighbouring villages to enable civilians to return safely to their homes.

For more information on the situation in Bor, please also see the UNMISS story at :

http://unmiss.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3542&ctl=Details&mid=7324&ItemID=3188838&language=en-US

In Malakal, also as a response to the current crisis, UNMAS sent teams to clear the Protection of Civilians (PoC) area following a specific request from UNMISS Malakal.  In order to better acommodate the high number of IDPs, UNMISS developed an area extension. Prior to construction, they required UNMAS survey and clearance of the expansion site. Two areas for UN Humanitarian Agencies were also requested. The areas, comprising a total of 360.562sqm, were succesfuly cleared by the end of February.

An emergency task team remained in Malakal, due to the ongoing security constraints, UNMAS presence was needed. In mid March, they provided assistance both inside the UNMISS camp and outside, following two detonations 150-200 m from the UNMISS base.

Learn about mines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and how to stay safe through this easy-to-use, engaging app.

It can be downloaded free of charge here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/unmas-landmine-erw-safety/id720063438?ls=1&mt=8

Or by searching the app store for UNMAS Landmine ERW Safety.

The app aims to provide general landmine and ERW awarness and safety information to organisations and individuals working in the vicinity of areas affected by these devices in order to minimize the risk of accidents.

The above map, generated from the IMSMA database, shows where mine action teams were at the end of March 2014. 

Please note we can supply other maps upon request, including a map of all hazardous areas in our database, maps of accidents and maps of hazards cleared. You can also see them at the following link: http://unmas.org/southsudan/index.php/maps.

For further information, please contact Iulia Toma at iulia.toma@unmas.org or iuliat@unops.org, or (+211) 959 002 709.

We would also like to hear any suggestions you may have on our reporting and let us know if there are any issues you would be interested in reading about in these updates.