On 25 March 2014, a UNAMID peacekeeper marks with branches the location of a projectile abandoned in Mellit, North Darfur. Photo by Albert González Farran.

By Sharon Lukunka [4 April 2014]

While walking home on 5 July 2013, 14-year-old Kharsha from Zalingei, Central Darfur, picked up an object resembling a small pineapple. Arriving home, she handed it to her four-year-old brother Zakaria. Their mother, Hawaya, was preparing breakfast outside their home when she realized that her son was playing with a dangerous object. Despite her warning, he continued to fiddle with the device, which started emitting a sound. Hawaya quickly alerted other children in the area to move away, but the object exploded, injuring the entire family and leading to the death of her son two days later.

Hawaya was among several residents in Zalingei who had received risk-education training from UNAMID’s Ordnance Disposal Office (ODO). Unfortunately, while she recognized the object in young Zakaria’s hands as a threat, she was not able to intervene quickly enough to save his life.

Later, Kharsha said she thought the object she had picked up—which turned out to be a hand grenade—was harmless. “I had no idea how dangerous it was,” she said. “I never want this to happen to anyone else; everyone in the community should be aware of the dangers and not pick up strange objects.”

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to pose a threat to the safety and security of Darfur’s communities. From 2013 to the present, according to UNAMID’s records, 19 people have been injured and seven others killed as a result of UXO accidents. Types of unexploded devices found in Darfur include mortar rounds, tank and artillery projectiles, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, aircraft rockets, ground-launched rockets, and sub-munitions. These unexploded remnants of conflict not only pose a direct risk to civilians, but indirectly pose a threat in obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, hindering the return of refugees and internally displaced people, and preventing farmers from cultivating their land.

UNAMID’s ODO personnel have been taking steps to clear large tracts of land in Darfur. From July 2013 to the present, ODO officers assessed more than 800 square kilometres of land and more than 3,000 kilometres of roadways, declaring them ordnance-free. In the process, they destroyed 865 UXOs and trained more than 16,000 people in how to recognize and mark them. UNAMID’s ODO personnel continue to work closely with other UNAMID components, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), international and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and Government institutions to help raise awareness about the issue and reduce the risk of injury from unexploded ordnance.

“Through the efforts of ODO and our partners, we have managed to reach some 800,000 people directly with important messages about explosive remnants of war, with an estimated 2.25 million others receiving indirect messaging,” said Max Dyck, Programme Manager of UNAMID’s ODO.

One example of the kind of risk-awareness education programmes undertaken in Darfur is the one conducted by Friends of Peace and Development (FPD), a Sudanese NGO. Mr. Yahya Ahmed, Director of FDP, explains that many UXO incidents occur in rural areas or on the outskirts of towns where children play or graze their family’s animals. “Because some parents in rural areas have withdrawn their children from school, they lack basic knowledge about UXOs that they come across in the field,” he says, explaining that FDP specifically targets rural areas—and the schools and camps for displaced people—with puppetry shows and workshops designed to build an understanding of the dangers of UXOs.

On 25 March 2014, children stare at a remnant of a projectile abandoned in the Alabassi IDP camp, North Darfur. Photo by Albert González Farran

In addition to focusing on raising awareness about UXOs directly and through the assistance of its partners, UNAMID supports victims through an assistance programme designed to fund the rehabilitation of those injured in UXO incidents. This programme is designed to ensure that the families affected by these incidents get the economic and social assistance they need.

The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is commemorated annually on 4 April. In his message marking the occasion this year [2014], UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlights the role women play in protecting their communities from the effects of UXOs, and notes that women are disproportionately affected by the violence. “They have different needs when it comes to education about risks, and they may face greater challenges when a family member is killed or injured,” says Mr. Ban. “That is why the United Nations endeavours to listen to the views of women in our mine action work, incorporate their ideas and empower them to contribute even more to our global campaign.“