The United Kingdom has pledged a contribution of $2.65 million through its flagship Global Mine Action Programme to assist Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in clearing land for resettlement and agriculture in South Sudan.
The persistent threat of mines, bomb remnants, and cluster munitions poses a significant obstacle to South Sudan’s reconstruction efforts, resulting in approximately 1,400 reported fatalities and over 3,800 injuries since 2004.
Currently, an estimated 16.8km² of contaminated land remains in South Sudan, jeopardizing lives, restricting movement, hindering access to arable land, and perpetuating fear and insecurity long after conflict cessation.
With the funding from the United Kingdom, MAG will conduct minefield clearance, battle area clearance, and risk education, focusing on the Juba-Nimule highway to facilitate trade and movement between the two areas.
Moreover, the UK funding will support capacity building initiatives for the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) in South Sudan. This includes secondments of NMAA staff to MAG demining teams and advanced international training on Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).
Since April 2022, MAG’s UK-funded demining team has cleared over 215,000m² of land in Magwi county, Eastern Equatoria State, removing 400 sub-munitions, and completing 24 EOD spot tasks based on community reports.
In 2023, MAG cleared over 2.2m² of contaminated land, destroying 1,200 landmines and unexploded bombs, while also providing 2,495 Explosive Ordnance Risk Education sessions to more than 46,000 beneficiaries.
