Commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty

Background

Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 9 January 2005 by the government of Sudan and the southern-based rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), a referendum on self-determination for the South was held in January 2011.[1] The final result of the referendum, announced by the South Sudan Referendum Commission on 7 February 2011, was a near-unanimous vote for the South’s secession from northern Sudan. The Republic of South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011.[2]

Policy

The Republic of the Sudan signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified on 13 October 2003, becoming a State Party on 1 April 2004.

Sudan adopted the Sudan Mine Action Law by Presidential Decree #51 on 31 March 2010.[3] The Act is comprised of 29 articles divided into four chapters. Chapter Four includes Mine Ban Treaty obligations, including the prohibition on antipersonnel mine use and stockpiling, clearance of contaminated areas, risk education, victim assistance, and transparency reporting.  It also includes penalties for violations.[4]

Sudan submitted its eighth Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report in April 2011.[5]

Sudan attended the Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in November–December 2010 and participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2011. At both meetings, Sudan made statements on mine clearance and cooperation and assistance.

Sudan signed the Convention on Conventional Weapons on 10 April 1981, but has not ratified it.

Production, transfer, and use

Sudan has repeatedly stated that it has not produced or exported antipersonnel mines.[6]

In 2011, there were reports of new mine-laying in South Kordofan state near the border with South Sudan as part of clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the northern branch of SPLM/A.[7] According to UN reports on the situation, “Both the SAF and the SPLA are reported to have laid anti-personnel land mines in strategic areas of Kadugli town [capital of South Kordofan state]. In particular, the SAF is reported to have mined the Kalimo neighbourhood and the SPLA is reported to have laid land mines in areas around the deputy governor’s residence. According to an UNDSS [UN Department of Safety and Security] report, a vehicle driving in the Kalimo area within Kadugli hit a land mine instantly killing one of its passengers and destroying the vehicle.”[8] In July 2011, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimated that mines or unexploded ordnance contaminate more than one third of Kadugli, including three schools.[9]

The Monitor has not been able to confirm recent reports of use of antipersonnel mines in Sudan.  There is a lack of clarity about whether antipersonnel mines or antivehicle mines, or both, have been used. The Monitor has not seen definitive evidence about what forces may have used antipersonnel mines. There have been no confirmed instances of government forces using antipersonnel mines since Sudan became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty in 2004.

Stockpiling and destruction

Sudan completed destruction of its stockpile of 10,566 antipersonnel mines on 31 March 2008, just ahead of its 1 April 2008 treaty-mandated deadline. The reported size and composition of Sudan’s stockpile, as well as the number of mines to be retained for training purposes, have varied in accounts by Sudan leading up to and following stockpile destruction events in 2007 and 2008.[10] At the Second Review Conference, Sudan stated that a total of 10,656 stockpiled antipersonnel mines were destroyed (possibly a typographical error from 10,566).[11]

In 2009, Sudan reported on the discovery of arms caches including antipersonnel mines at various locations of southern Sudan that were subsequently destroyed in Blue Nile state in 2008.[12]

Mines retained for training purposes

In its April 2011 Article 7 report, Sudan stated that it is retaining a total of 1,938 mines, the same amount as reported since 2009.[13] In 2009, Sudan reported a reduction in the number of mines retained for training from 4,997 to 1,938 mines.[14] Each year since 2009, Sudan has reported the transfer of 75 “Type 35” plastic mines from the SAF to the UN Mine Action Office “for training purposes,” but the total number of mines retained for training has remained unchanged.[15] Sudan has not disclosed the intended purposes or actual uses of its retained mines, as agreed by States Parties at Mine Ban Treaty Review Conferences held in 2004 and 2009.

 

Background

Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 9 January 2005 by the government of Sudan and the southern-based rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army, a referendum on self-determination for the south was held in January 2011. The final result of the referendum, announced by the South Sudan Referendum Commission on 7 February 2011, was a near-unanimous vote for the South’s secession from northern Sudan. Please see the separate entry for the Republic of South Sudan in Cluster Munition Monitor 2011.

Policy

The Republic of Sudan has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In November 2010, the General Secretary of Sudan’s Ministry of Defense, Lt. General Abdelrahman Mohamed Zain Awoda, stated that Sudan would like to join the convention, but said it first wanted to “take a collective regional approach” by working with neighbors as “it is important for all countries to accede to the convention.”[1] This is the first time that Sudan has mentioned the positions of other governments as a reason for not joining the convention and it is unclear if this is new policy.[2]

Previously, in August 2010, State Minister to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Mutrif Siddiq, expressed Sudan’s intent to join the convention by its First Meeting of States Parties in November 2010.[3] In April 2010, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Sudan, General Mohamed Abd-al-Qadir, stated that Sudan was ready to join the convention.[4]

Sudan participated in the Oslo Process that produced the convention and joined the consensus adoption of the convention at the conclusion of the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008.[5] At the Convention on Cluster Munitions Signing Conference in Oslo in December 2008, Sudan stated its intent to sign as soon as possible, once logistical and national measures had been completed.[6]

Sudan continued to actively engage in the work of the convention in 2010 and the first half of 2011. It attended the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Lao PDR in November 2010, where it made a statement. Sudan participated in the first intersessional meetings of the convention in Geneva in June 2011.

Sudan is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Sudan signed the Convention on Conventional Weapons on 10 April 1981, but has never ratified the convention or its protocols.

Campaigners have undertaken a number of activities in support of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[7]

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In November 2010, the General Secretary of the Ministry of Defense informed the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane that Sudan does not possess any stockpiles of cluster munitions, does not produce the weapon, and has “never used cluster munitions, not even in the wars that have occurred in the south and east of the country and in Darfur.”[8] Previously, in April 2010, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Sudan stated that Sudan does not possess cluster munitions.[9]

The Monitor has no indications of any past production or export of cluster munitions by Sudan. However, it appears that Sudan imported cluster munitions in the past from a number of countries and there is sufficient evidence to indicate that Sudan used cluster munitions in the past. The current status of Sudan’s stockpile is uncertain.

Numerous independent sources have documented the presence of cluster munitions remnants that indicate Sudanese government forces sporadically used air-dropped cluster munitions in southern Sudan between 1995 and 2000, including Chilean-made PM-1 submunitions.[10] Landmine Action photographed a Rockeye-type cluster bomb with Chinese-language external markings in Yei in October 2006. Additionally, clearance personnel in Sudan have identified a variety of submunitions, including the Spanish-manufactured HESPIN 21, United States-produced M42 and Mk-118 (Rockeye), and Soviet-manufactured PTAB-1.5.[11]

Jane’s Information Group reports that KMG-U dispensers, which deploy submunitions, are in service with the country’s air force.[12] Sudan also possesses Grad, Egyptian-produced Sakr, and Chinese-produced Type-81 122mm surface-to-surface rockets, but it is not known if these include versions with submunition payloads.[13]

Cluster munition remnants

Since 2006, Sudan has identified 530 sites covering 57.3km² in 13 states contaminated by cluster munition remnants. As of June 2011, Sudan had reduced the number of uncleared sites to 43 covering 2.9km² in seven states (Central Equatoria, East Equatoria, Kassala, South Kordofan, West Equatoria, and Warrab), of which 28, almost two-thirds, are in Central and Eastern Equatoria states.[14]Cluster munition remnants have been found in residential areas, farmland, pasture, rivers and streams, on hillsides, in desert areas, in and around former military barracks, on roads, in mined areas, and in ammunition storage areas.[15]

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas in 2010

The UN Mine Action Office (UNMAO) does not distinguish between clearance of different types of explosive remnants of war (ERW) in its reporting so is unable to confirm how much land was cleared of cluster munition remnants in 2010.[16] The vast majority of clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas is believed to be unexploded ordnance spot clearance.[17]

Casualties

No casualties from cluster munition remnants were identified in Sudan in 2010. However, given that devices are not adequately differentiated, it is possible that unexploded submunition casualties were among those recorded as caused by ERW (26) and unknown explosive items (37), which together made up 94% of all casualties in 2010. As of July 2011, six casualties from cluster munitions had been reported for the year.[18]

 

Contamination and Impact

Mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) are primarily the result of more than 20 years of armed struggle between the Government of Sudan and non-state armed groups in the south, mainly the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army. The struggle ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9 January 2005.[1] On 9 January 2011, 99% of those polled in South Sudan voted for independence.[2] As a result of this referendum, South Sudan formally declared its independence on 9 July 2011 and became the world’s 196^th State.[3]

Mines

Of Sudan’s 25 states, 19 have previously been suspected to be mine-affected.[4] The combination of the suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) identified by the Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), completed in May 2009, and UN Mine Action Office (UNMAO) records of dangerous areas (DAs)[5] and confirmed mined areas across 18 states in 2002 through April 2011, provide the basis for the extent of the mine/ERW problem in Sudan. As of 1 January 2011, 310 SHAs from the LIS remained to be confirmed or canceled; 158 confirmed mined areas required clearance; and 731 DAs awaited further survey, and, if necessary, clearance. As of 1 January 2011, the total area of the 468 SHAs and confirmed mined areas to be released was 71.29km².[6]

UNMAO does not measure the size of DAs until clearance is completed. Of the remaining 731 DAs, 432 are suspected mined areas while the others are ammunition storage areas (ASAs), unexploded ordnance (UXO) spot clearance tasks (including of cluster munition remnants), or contaminated areas in what the UN has termed “confrontation areas.”[7] Central Equatoria, followed by Eastern Equatoria and Jonglei, are the most contaminated states.[8]

Based on the number of hazardous areas in the national database, approximately one-quarter of the remaining mine problem is located in northern Sudan states, excluding the three Darfur states.[9] While it is acknowledged that mines may have been used in conflicts in Darfur and when security permits the region will be surveyed, it is widely recognized that the bulk of the current problem in Darfur results from the use of heavy weaponry by armed government-supported militias.[10]

Prior to the LIS, the Sudanese government considered the five states of Gezira, Khartoum, Northern, Northern Kordofan, and White Nile as not being affected; they were not surveyed as a result, although the borders with Libya and Egypt in Northern and Nile states may be contaminated with mines laid during World War II.[11]

The Mine Action Sector Multi Year Plan 2010–2014, based on data in 2010, assumes 750 new DAs will be identified over the five-year period and that from these new DAs approximately 106 will be confirmed mined areas requiring full clearance. For example, during the LIS large parts of Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states were inaccessible because of security, marshlands, or inclement weather. As areas open up in these states new DAs will probably be identified, some of which will be confirmed mined areas. Based on these projections, UNMAO has predicted, as did the South Sudan Demining Authority previously, that South Sudan will not be able to clear all mined areas by April 2014, Sudan’s Article 5 deadline.[12]

Since the referendum, armed violence has increased in South Sudan and the new use of mines has been reported, including 16 incidents of explosions of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines from mid-November 2010 to mid-May 2011 in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states. According to Tim Horner, the director of the UNMAO in Southern Sudan, the evidence indicates that rebel militia groups are laying mines.[13] Ashley Williams, from MECHEM, one of the commercial companies clearing mines in Sudan said “No sooner have we cleared an area for the UN than we are re-deployed to another trouble spot. We keep returning to areas we have already released because new mines are being laid daily.”[14]

Contamination in the most affected states in Sudan as of December 2010[15]

Cluster munition remnants

Since 2006, Sudan has identified 530 sites covering 57.3km² in 13 states contaminated by cluster munition remnants. As of June 2011, Sudan had reduced the number of uncleared sites to 43 covering 2.9km² in seven states, of which 28, almost two-thirds, are in Central and Eastern Equatoria states.[16]Cluster munition remnants have been found in residential areas, farmland, pasture, rivers and streams, on hillsides, in desert areas, in and around former military barracks, on roads, in minefields, and in ASAs.[17]

No. of cluster munition contaminated areas in Sudan as of June 2011[18]

Other explosive remnants of war

As of 31 December 2010, UNMAO reported that 808,448 ERW had been found since 2002, compared to 28,317 antipersonnel mines and 5,380 antivehicle mines.[19] Although a considerable amount of ERW have been found in Sudan, only mines have caused road closures.[20] 

According to the UN, Darfur has a significant threat from UXO from the ongoing conflict.[21] In Darfur the threat of UXO impacts access to routes and poses a constant threat to civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.[22] As of January 2011, the UN-African Union Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and its contractor Exploration Logistics had identified 196 DAs across Darfur, of which it had released 158 through clearance or survey. In 2009–2010, UNAMID’s Ordnance Disposal Office assessed approximately 6,145km of routes/roads.[23]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

UNMAO was mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1590 and the CPA to coordinate, facilitate, accredit, and conduct quality assurance (QA) of all mine action activities in Sudan through June 2011.[24] The National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) is the institution responsible for coordination and management of mine action in Sudan. As of early 2011, the NMAA[25] has included a National Mine Action Committee, a General Secretariat, the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) in Khartoum, the Southern Sudan Demining Authority (SSDA) in Juba,[26] and the UNAMID Ordnance Disposal Office in Darfur.[27]

UNMAO operations consist of its headquarters in Khartoum; regional offices in Kadugli in Southern Kordofan state, Juba in Central Equatoria state, and Al Fasher in Northern Darfur state; and seven suboffices.[28] In the south of the country, the Juba-based Southern Regional Mine Action Office coordinates mine action activities. The Juba regional office is supported by suboffices in Malakal, Yei, and Wau.[29]

Under the umbrella of UNAMID, the Ordnance Disposal Office works in direct support of UNAMID priorities in Darfur. There are sub-offices in North, South, and West Darfur states.[30] UNAMID has contracted the commercial company, Exploration Logistics, to deploy three explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams in Darfur, consisting of national and international experts for route and general explosive hazard assessments and surveys, ERW demolitions, battle area clearance (BAC), EOD, and ERW risk education (RE).[31] UNMAO has determined that security conditions in Darfur are so severe that it would be unsafe for international NGOs to work in mine action in Darfur.[32] The extent of activities is dependent on the availability of force protection, permission from the Government of Sudan, and accessibility to contaminated regions.[33]UNMAO planned to open a UNAMID Ordnance Disposal Liaison Office in Khartoum in late 2011.[34]

The Mine Action Sector Multi-Year Plan for 2010–2014 serves as the current planning and resource mobilization document for all partners, identifying strategic priorities and benchmarks for mine action within the National Mine Action Strategic Framework, the Sudan Five Year Strategy 2007–2012, and the strategic objectives of the Interagency Mine Action Strategies and United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2009–2012.[35] Within the structure of UNMAO, UNDP has the key responsibility for national mine action program development and capacity-building, through its “Support to Mine Action and Capacity Building in Sudan” project which began in early 2004.[36]

The mine action structure in Sudan was to undergo major changes on 9 July 2011, especially in the north. On 1 June 2011, the Government of Sudan informed the UN that UNMIS’s mandate should not be continued beyond 9 July 2011. The Government of South Sudan has, however, sent a letter to UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) requesting continued support after independence.[37]

Transition to national ownership

Creating operational and management national capacity has been one of the major priorities of the Sudan mine action program.[38]UNMAO and the NMAA developed a transition plan that began in 2009, focusing on the transfer of 10 core responsibilities of the mine action program to the Government of Sudan by the end of June 2011. It is planned to retain an unspecified number of advisors with UNMAO after the transition.[39] A Transition Team comprised of one technical advisor from UNMAO, one from UNDP, and two from NPA are managing this process in close coordination with the SSDA.[40]

Following a meeting to review the transition plan in June 2010, an updated plan for the North was announced in February 2011 and a plan for South Sudan in March 2011. The revised core management responsibilities, now nine instead of 10, are:

1.      Plan, coordinate, monitor, and oversee all aspects of mine action.

2.      Prioritize, task, and authorize all mine action activities.

3.      Revise the NTSG according to in-country needs and conditions which all are obliged to adhere.

4.      Manage the quality of all mine action activities.

5.      Accredit mine action organizations in accordance with National Technical Standards and Guidelines prior to authorization of mine action activities.

6.      Maintain the integrity of the national mine action database.

7.      Mobilize necessary funds from national and international sources to achieve mine action strategic goals

8.      Ensure that Sudan honors its obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty and other relevant treaties.

9.      Plan, coordinate, and manage all support elements of a mine action program.[41]

In January 2011, UNMAO and the NMAC consolidated offices in Kassala and Khartoum.[42] The role of the UN in the north after 9 July 2011 had not been determined as of 24 June 2011.[43]

As part of the transition plan, UNMAO will also equip the Joint Integrated Demining Units (JIDUs) to deal with the residual threat from mines and ERW after June 2011.[44] In January 2011, 118 members of the JIDU teams, now consisting only of personnel from the engineer corps of the Sudanese army,[45] were implementing operational tasks in coordination with RONCO in Kassala and South Kordofan states as well as independently conducting mine clearance in Kassala.[46] On 9 July 2011, when the CPA expires, the JIDU teams will be renamed the National Demining Units and will report to NMAC.[47]

One of the impacts of the transition from UNMAO to the national authorities in North Sudan will be as UNMAO’s role diminishes so too will the role of commercial contractors. The departure of UNMIS will probably mean less international funding for mine action. As a result, international NGOs and funding from the donor community will take on added significance in South Sudan in its clearance efforts.[48]

According to Sudan’s latest Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report, the transition to government management of the mine action was due to take place as planned in June 2011 with UNMAO taking on an advisory role with a yet-to-be determined number of international personnel.[49]

Land Release

In 2010, Sudan cleared 5.82km² of mined areas and 5.02km² of battle areas,[50] results similar to 2008 and 2009.

Five-year summary of land release

Mine clearance in 2010

Sudan cleared more than 5.82km² of mined areas in 2010, with the destruction of 6,183 antipersonnel mines and 1,387 antivehicle mines. The Sudan Mine Action Program applies several methodologies when clearing mines and ERW. Mechanical demining is the primary methodology, followed by manual clearance, and mine detection dog (MDD) clearance. RONCO cleared 6,993m² through mechanical raking as part of an ongoing trial of the Indian-designed Arjun raking machine.[51]

Clearance, by method in 2010[52]

In 2010, Sudan had 18 national and international demining operators (the JIDUs, four international NGOs, five UN peacekeeping platoons,[53] one local NGO, NMAC, and six commercial demining companies).[54] UNMAO tasks all demining operators, including the five demining contingents with the UNMIS peacekeeping operation, and conducts QA on all tasks.[55] UNAMID has contracted Exploration Logistics to provide three BAC teams in Darfur.[56]

ArmorGroup, MineTech International, RONCO, TDI, and NPA together cleared 80% of the area cleared in 2010, finding 75% of all antipersonnel mines and 90% of antivehicle mines. The five UN peacekeeping contingents cleared 0.72km² (7% of all clearance) in 2010 compared to 0.41km² (4% of all clearance) in 2009. During clearance in 2010, 6,183 antipersonnel mines and 1,387 antivehicle mines were destroyed. Almost all of the mine clearance in 2010 occurred in just five of the 18 mine impacted states: Central Equatoria, Kassala, Blue Nile, Upper Nile and South Kordofan.[57] Approximately four-fifths of all clearance since 2002 has been conducted in the four most contaminated states: Central Equatoria, Kassala, Southern Kordofan, and Upper Nile.[58]

Mine clearance in 2010[59]

* No distinction is made between abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO) and UXO in reporting on demining by UNMAO.

Road verification and clearance

The verification and clearance of roads has been a major focus of the mine action program in Sudan. In 2010, a linear total of 7,120km of roads were opened: 945km in southern Sudan, 846km in northern Sudan, and 5,329km in Darfur. As of December 2010, UNMAO had assessed (surveyed) a total of 39,747km of roads and verified (confirmed) the presence of contamination along a further 5.29km.[60] According to UNMAO, 95% of the major roads have been opened.[61]

The Government of National Unity in Sudan and the Multi Donor Trust Fund of the World Bank have provided funds for the reconstruction of 446km of railway lines and approximately 200km of main roads that have been cleared and verified to be free of mines and ERW.[62]

Land Rights[63]

A Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)-commissioned study in 2010 described the complexities involved in land rights in Sudan and what role, if any, mine action practitioners can play. Since the CPA in 2005, the value of commercial land has increased in a weak legal environment. Land rights within the traditional society of tribes in South Sudan are complex and became more complicated when the government of South Sudan declared “the land belongs to the people.” According to the study, mine action in South Sudan does not give enough attention to land rights issues because the 2005–2011 national strategic plan puts the priority on capacity development, clearing roads, and annual quantifiable achievements.

Land ownership in Sudan derives from policy established under British colonial rule, which promotes state ownership and customary tribal practice, which promotes community ownership. The key challenge for South Sudan is to create land legislation based on customary law while also how women and certain ethic tribes can own land. It is estimated that as many as one in every two households are headed by women in South Sudan. The lack of legislation and the strong military role in South Sudan affairs has limited efforts at the community level. Although it was clear during negotiations of the CPA that land rights would be an issue, in particular in relation to the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, little has been done to address land issues related to their return. At the time of the study in October 2010, coordination on land issues and legislation among the major donors—the European Commission, the United States, and Japan—was said to be lacking.

The GICHD concluded that mine action NGOs and UNMAO were not engaged in the issue and the lack of pre- and post-clearance survey data greatly limited the quality of analysis that could be conducted on how mine action impacts land rights. However, according to UNMAO, it does not respond to instances of “grabbing” of cleared land as it does not fall within its authority to resolve such issues.[64]^. NGO mine action practitioners told the GICHD they are reluctant to engage in land issues because of the highly political nature of the issue and their involvement could compromise their perceived neutrality in mine action.

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

In accordance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Sudan is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 April 2014.

With the declaration of independence of South Sudan in July 2011, it is believed that Sudan will be able to meet its Article 5 deadline given that the proportion of contaminated land is significantly less in the north than in the south.

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas in 2010

UNMAO does not distinguish between clearance of different types of ERW in its reporting so is unable to confirm how much land was cleared of cluster munition remnants in 2010.[65]

In August 2009, Sudan reported it had identified 324 sites affected by cluster munition remnants in 13 states, including two sites in Darfur, of which all but 34 had been cleared.[66]By June 2011, the number of sites affected by cluster munition remnants had increased to 530 with 43 remaining. The vast majority of clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas is UXO spot clearance.[67]

Battle area clearance in 2010

For 2010, 15 operators conducted BAC over 5.02km² of land. Commercial companies, international NGOs, battalions with UNMIS, and SIMAS all conduct BAC. Commercial companies accounted for 71% of BAC, NGOs 18%, UN peacekeepers 10%, and SIMAS less than 1%.[68]

Battle area clearance in 2010[69]

* This includes clearing ASAs containing mines.

** No distinction is made between AXO and UXO in reporting on demining by UNMAO.

BAC, by type of operator[70]

As noted above, UNAMID has contracted an international commercial company to conduct survey, clearance, and RE in Darfur.[71] Since 2009, UNAMID and Exploration Logistics have identified 196 DAs and cleared or canceled 158 of them covering 1.5km² of land, destroying 3,020 items of ERW in the process. During this period, the UNAMID Ordnance Disposal Office and Exploration Logistics also assessed approximately 6,145km in length of route/roads.[72]

Quality management

The NMAC is responsible for prioritizing, tasking, and post-clearance QA. Each regional office has a QA team of six persons. In 2010, 757 QA tasks were conducted, of which 727 passed inspection, 21 were below average, and nine failed. All but one of the failed tasks involved a commercial company or SIMAS.[73]

Safety of demining personnel

The safety of personnel is an ongoing concern in Sudan. In 2010, there were five casualties from demining and UXO accidents. Three personnel from MAG were injured and one was killed in 2010; one deminer from RONCO was injured in Kassala and one from SIMAS in Central Equatoria.[74]In October 2010, Stephen Allan, a technical field manager for MAG, was killed in a mine accident in Kopoeta, East Equatoria.[75] Allan died despite wearing a helmet with a full-face visor and Kevlar protective armor as he tried to place a charge by an antipersonnel mine.[76]The mine was believed to be an Iranian copy of the Israeli No. 4 antipersonnel blast mine.[77]

In 2010, Darfur was in a Phase IV security alert, which greatly limited access and mobility for the EOD teams and UNAMID. Under the UNAMID security guidelines all EOD teams must be accompanied by an armed security detail. No incidents were reported in 2010 during EOD operations.[78] In May 2011, two days after Sudanese armed forces launched air strikes against the South Darfur town of Labado and the village of Esheraya, the Sudan Government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission prohibited all movement beyond a 15km-radius of the South Darfur capital, Nyala.[79]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

Sudan has an extensive RE program throughout the country. In 2010, RE was provided in 22 states, to more than 3 million people. The Government of Sudan, UNMAO, UNICEF, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNIMIS, and national and international NGOs, totaling 31 institutions and organizations, collaborated on RE, a significant increase from 19 in 2009. Based on the number of recipients, international and national NGOs accounted for four-fifths of RE.[80]

Several means and methodologies were used to provide RE. In 2010, the Government of Sudan took increased responsibility in planning, monitoring, coordinating, and assuring the quality of RE. The Governments of North and South Sudan had a major role in coordinating an emergency RE campaign to support the January 2011 referendum. Although there were large-scale population movements for the referendum, no mine incidents were reported. Community radio was used to communicate RE messages in local tribal languages that do not normally communicate in Arabic or English.[81]

UNICEF provided support to planning, implementation, and the management of RE at the state and national level. More than 400,000 persons, primarily refugees, IDPs, and communities impacted by mines and ERW, received RE through UNICEF-supported programs in 2010. This included 147,000 through community based presentations, over 150,000 children through school based RE and 103,000 through public campaigns.[82] Also with UNICEF support the NMAA and the Ministry of Education began integrating RE into the school curriculum in the Nuba Mountains, Western and Southern Darfur, and southern Sudan. UNICEF and the Association for Aid and Relief produced and distributed more than 1.4 million posters, leaflets, and factsheets on RE.[83]

 

Casualties Overview

In 2010, the Monitor identified 67 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties in Sudan.[1] Overall, 88% of casualties were male (59). Half of all casualties for which the age was known were children (31 of 61) and most of these (26) were boys. There were eight female casualties: five of these were girls. One casualty occurred during demining operations in the eastern state of Kassala: a Sudanese deminer was injured by an antipersonnel mine.[2] All other casualties were civilians.

The 67 casualties reported in 2010 is an increase from the 40 casualties in 2009.[3] Improvements in Sudan’s data collection system and more available data, with a new national casualty database launched in September 2010, may have contributed to the increase in reported casualties.[4] In 2009, casualty data only included information on casualties that occurred in the Darfur region; in 2010, casualties were recorded in six States, three of which are in the Darfur region. Over half of all casualties recorded in 2010 (33) were in the state of Kassala.

No casualties from cluster munition remnants were identified in Sudan in 2010. However, given that devices are not adequately differentiated, it is possible that unexploded submunition casualties were among those recorded as caused by ERW (26) and unknown explosive items (37), which together made up 94% of all casualties in 2010. As of July 2011, six casualties from cluster munitions had been reported for 2011.[5]

UN Mine Action Office (UNMAO) recorded 1,651 mine/ERW casualties (493 killed; 1,158 injured) for the period from 1964 to the end of 2010. Of all casualties, 1,477 or 89% were male.[6] UNMAO reported 29 casualties from cluster munitions in South Sudan through July 2011, 23 of which occurred in 2009 or before.[7] No further details were available.

Victim Assistance

There were at least 1,158 mine/ERW survivors in Sudan at the end of 2010.[8]

Assessing victim assistance needs

No national survivor needs assessment was carried out in 2010. However in 2009, casualty data collection had been carried out in the states of Kassala and Khartoum.[9] A national casualty database to record existing casualty data was designed in consultation with members of the Victim Assistance Working Group and adopted in September 2010. Thirty representatives from the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) and NGO members of the Working Group were trained in data collection and needs assessment to enable them to participate in survivor needs assessments planned for the Eastern States, Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and Khartoum in 2011.[10] Data collected was to be shared with all relevant stakeholders, including government ministries and NGOs.[11]

The Organization for Care of War Disabled and Protection from Landmines (ABRAR) developed a comprehensive database of survivors in the state of Khartoum.[12] NGOs working with survivors updated data on the services received and the needs of their beneficiaries regularly in 2010.[13] 

Victim assistance coordination[14]

 

In 2010, the Victim Assistance Working Group met 11 times to share updates on progress in implementing ongoing projects and to discuss issues such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), data collection, physical rehabilitation, and best practices in socioeconomic reintegration.[15] The Working Group also served as a forum for consultation during the development of the national casualty database and to revise the National Victim Assistance Strategic Framework 2007–2011 to align it with the Cartagena Action Plan. Working group members participated in three training sessions on victim assistance and needs assessments.[16] NGO members of the Victim Assistance Working Group found the meetings to be effective as a venue for sharing information and for coordinating advocacy efforts on disability issues.[17]

The National Disability Council was established on 7 October 2010 to monitor the implementation of all national policies and plans related to disability and victim assistance. It serves as the national focal point for the implementation of the CRPD.[18] By decree, 50% of the Council’s members are persons with disabilities; members are representatives from government ministries and NGOs, including disabled persons organizations and survivors associations. The NMAC and JASMAR Human Security Organization (JASMAR), a member of the Victim Assistance Working Group, are members.[19] The Disability Department of the Ministry of Social Welfare was strengthened in 2010 through the employment of additional staff members.[20]

Sudan provided comprehensive updates on progress and challenges for victim assistance at the Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in December 2010 and at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in Geneva in June 2011. Statements noted progress made in the inclusion of survivors and their representative organizations in victim assistance.[21] Sudan also completed Form J of Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for calendar year 2010 to share information about victim assistance implementation.[22]

Survivor Inclusion

Towards the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan, in 2010, the Ministry of Social Welfare issued a decree recommending the involvement of all mine/ERW survivors associations in all decisions and activities related to victim assistance policies and plans. Survivors and their representative organizations were included as members of the Victim Assistance Working Group. [23] Through NGOs, survivors were involved in the design and implementation of victim assistance projects, especially social and economic reintegration projects, and in advocacy for disability rights.[24]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities in 2010[25]

In 2010 in Sudan, several projects targeting mine/ERW survivors continued to generate opportunities for survivors to participate in income-generating projects and receive psychological support services. However, most projects targeting survivors were dependent on international funding, due to end in March 2011.[26] Long distances, the lack of a transportation system and constraints caused by the security situation hampered access to services of all kinds.[27] The government pointed to the lack of funding as the greatest challenge for the victim assistance program.[28]

In 2010, the government sought to improve survivors’ access to medical assistance by registering beneficiaries of socio-economic inclusion projects for medical insurance. UNMAO also saw a need to initiate a community-based rehabilitation program.[29]

For the third year in a row, NAPO received reduced budget allocations from the Ministry of Finance. Lacking sufficient funding to coordinate physical rehabilitation activities in the country and maintain services at the level needed in its seven rehabilitation centers, it was forced to suspend services for three months during the year and one center, in Kadugli, remained closed for a second year for lack of technical staff.[30] Insufficient raw materials also hampered the provision of physical rehabilitation services.[31]

There was a significant gap in available psychological support services as compared with need.[32] However, there were some improvements in access to psychological support in Khartoum with the launch of a new project by Rufaida Health Foundation.[33] In 2010, Rufaida trained psychologists and social workers in addressing the needs of survivors and other persons with disabilities and formed a network of psychologists specializing in this area. Nearly 50 survivors also received direct psychological assistance.[34]

In 2010, there was an increase in availability of economic inclusion programs.[35] During the year, six projects were ongoing to support income-generating activities and economic empowerment for survivors with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency.[36] Increased funding for the reintegration of disabled former combatants also generated additional opportunities for the economic inclusion of mine/ERW survivors.[37]

In Sudan, the rights of persons with disabilities were guaranteed by law.[38]  Some improvements in the implementation of the legislation through the newly formed National Disability Council were reported.[39] There were no laws or policies that ensured access by persons with disabilities to buildings and public spaces.[40]

Sudan ratified the CRPD on 24 April 2009.

 

National and international contributions to mine action in Sudan in 2010 totaled US$82,942,518, making Sudan the second largest mine action program in the world (after Afghanistan).  Since 2007 the Sudan mine action program has received on average $87.25 million per year.

In 2010 the governments of north and south Sudan contributed a combined $1.2 million to mine action,[1] far less than the $5 million in 2009 and its lowest contribution since it began reporting.

In 2010, 13 donors contributed $27,021,318 for survey, clearance, risk education, and victim assistance, an increase of approximately $1.8 million from 2009.[2] Contributions from Italy, Australia, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK), and the European Commission (EC) totaling approximately $7.9 million were made through the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action administered by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS). While Japan was the only donor who reported funding for victim assistance to the Monitor (¥9,497,000/$108,197),[3] UNMAS reported expenditures of $371,703 for victim assistance in Sudan in 2010.[4]

The UN General Assembly appropriates annual mine action budgets for the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) operating in Southern Sudan and the African Union/UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID). UNAMID was the sole source of funding for mine action in Darfur. In 2010 UNAMID received $9,855,600. The assessed budget for UNMIS in Southern Sudan of $44,865,600 supported rapid response emergency surveys, explosive ordnance disposal and battle area clearance, landmine and explosive remnants of war clearance, risk education, and transport route verification and clearance.[5] The assessed budgets for the two peacekeeping operations comprised approximately 65% of the Sudan Mine Action Program in 2010, the same as in 2009.

International contributions: 2010[6]

Summary of UN General Assembly Assessed Mine Action Budget for
Peacekeeping Operations in Sudan: 2007–2010[7]

Summary of contributions: 2006–2010[8]

N/R = Not reported