IMPACT

Destroyed more than 7.2 million items of small arms ammunition and 1.3 million items of explosive devices, including 40,842 mines, 84,445 cluster munitions, and 1.14 million other items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), to make safe: 1,920 water points, 3,330 schools, and 393 health clinics.

Cleared 4,839 km of road, enabling UN and humanitarian partners to deliver life-saving aid, as well as supporting functioning markets and sustainable development.

Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) ensured that 6.8 million people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host communities, can recognize and report explosive hazards.

ABOUT

“Mine action cannot wait. . . children are getting killed. Children explore, and they touch what they see. We must remove these items and do continuous education. If we pause, children fall into danger.”

Erasmus Ndemole, UNMISS Child Protection Officer.

Since its inception in 2004, UNMAS has cleared 48.5 km² of minefields and 96.5 km² of cluster strikes and battlefields as well as surveying and confirming more than 1,174.4 km² of suspected areas.

The total contamination area is now estimated to be around 16.9 km² (approximately 2,239 football pitches) with 364 remaining tasks comprising 115 AP minefields, 55 AT minefields and 26 roads, 138 cluster munition strikes, and 30 confrontation areas. The majority of the remaining contamination is centred in the southern part of the Greater Equatoria region, which is currently the area of greatest insecurity. Much of the contamination straddles the primary routes of refugee and returnees. Safe land is needed for resettlement and agriculture and is a prerequisite for safe return. As of 15 January 2024, UNMAS/UNMISS coordinates 21 mine action teams. Each year the teams clear approximately 2.7 km² of mine fields and 4.1 km² of cluster strikes and battlefields and deliver safety messaging to more than 355,000 people. UNMAS/UNMISS also supports the capacity of the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) in coordinating the Mine Action sector, managing the database as well as collaborating on strategic planning for the sector.

UNMAS is a component of UNMISS, mandated under Security Council Resolution 2677 (2023), and supports the four objectives: Protection of civilians, creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, supporting the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and the peace process, and monitoring, investigating, and reporting on violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights.

ACTIVITIES

Protection of civilians

UNMAS/UNMISS protects civilians by removing explosive hazards in communities and providing Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), including in areas of high IDP or refugee movement and return. Clearance efforts enable safe access to farmlands, homes, health centres and schools and encourage socio-economic development, whilst EORE supports safe behaviours to reduce the potential for accidents. Recently, UNMAS/UNMISS cleared over 100,000sqm of land earmarked for the Jonglei Health Sciences Institute in Bor and also documented the story of an incredible female deminer and section leader with SafeLane Global committed to keeping her community safe by removing hazards. Read more: Agnes Chandia, section leader shares her story.

Creating conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance

UNMAS/UNMISS ensures UN and NGO humanitarian partners have the confidence to deliver humanitarian support to those in need, free from the threat of explosive hazards. This includes clearing areas and routes to enable the safe movement of humanitarians to deliver lifesaving aid and providing humanitarian actors with EORE so they can recognise potential threats and avoid unsafe behaviour. The 2023 crisis in Sudan resulted in the displacement of over 1 million people, some of whom fled to South Sudan. Displaced persons are at higher risk of being impacted by explosive hazards as they move into unfamiliar territory and do not know the localised threats. To address this issue, UNMAS delivered emergency EORE and clearance of campsites for refugees in Wedweil, where refugees and returnees intersect in their quest for safety.

Supporting the peace process

UNMAS/UNMISS enables broader peacebuilding activities that would otherwise not be possible given the presence of explosive hazards. This includes joining mission road patrols, verifying the safety of helicopter landing sites and providing UNMISS personnel with EORE, thus ensuring uniformed and civilian peacekeepers are able to safely access even the most remote areas to deliver peacebuilding services. UNMAS/UNMISS survey and clearance efforts also directly enable mission peacebuilding initiatives such as large-scale road rehabilitation and Quick Impact Projects. Read more: UNMISS contributes to the peace process in South Sudan.

Mine Action activities also focus on building resilient communities by supporting sustainable livelihoods through the clearance of agricultural areas and providing local farmers with safe areas to grow crops to sustain their families and enhance local agricultural commerce. Recently, in Tindilo, Central Equatoria, UNMAS teams worked in contaminated areas, where over 400 cluster munitions and over 80 other mines and unexploded ordnance were found and destroyed. The local community now uses this cleared land to grow crops safely and without fear.

Finally, UNMAS UNMISS provides technical advice and assistance to the NMAA as part of the mission's engagement with the Government of South Sudan and other political stakeholders in the areas of Weapons and Ammunition Management. Recently, South Sudan joined the other 111 member states in becoming a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a strategic achievement demonstrating the country’s commitment to protecting civilians.

Provision of advocacy and support to the government

UNMAS/UNMISS oversees the Information Management database for Mine Action on behalf of the NMAA, and this enables the NMAA to meet its reporting obligations under relevant international treaties. UNMAS/UNMISS also provides technical advice to the legal frameworks that are relevant to mine action.