HIGHLIGHTS
• 52 aid workers killed since December 2013.
• Humanitarians reached Mboro after numerous attempts and delivered nutrition and medical supplies.
• Humanitarian organizations suffered about $1 million in losses due to looting and destruction of compounds and assets during fighting in Pibor.
• Humanitarians are working to rebuild Malakal PoC following February fighting and fires.
Two demining staff killed in Yei
Two national Danish Demining Group (DDG) staff members were killed on 12 April 2016 in South Sudan. The staff members were part of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team that was travelling in the early morning from their base in Yei to their work location when they were ambushed.
“Our thoughts are with the family members and colleagues in South Sudan. On behalf of the Danish Refugee Council and the Danish Demining Group, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of our fallen colleagues, and to the entire South Sudan team,” said DDG Head Tammy Hall.
This tragic incident brings the number of humanitarian workers killed in South Sudan since the conflict began to at least 52.
Mine Action as Humanitarian Action
On 4 April, South Sudan joined the rest of the world in marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action under the theme: “Mine Action is Humanitarian Action.”
South Sudan is one of the countries in the world most heavily affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Nearly eight million people in South Sudan live in counties where the presence of ERW threatens their safety. Each year, dozens of people are maimed and killed in accidents, communities are prevented from receiving humanitarian aid, and development is stalled because of the threat of mines and ERW. The socio-economic cost of interrupted agricultural production, food insecurity, halted commerce and lack of freedom of movement is incalculable.
Mine Action is a critical component of humanitarian response and enables the delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection in South Sudan. In the last twelve months, more than half a million people have received risk education; 14 million square meters of contaminated land have been cleared; 3,000 km of road have been made safe; and nearly 30,000 mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have been destroyed.