“Today is one of the biggest days in the history of Kapoeta.” Mr Hillary Lokudo Executive Director of Kapoeta South County, Sudan was speaking on 13th July 2007 at a ceremony held to celebrate the handing over of land declared impact-free of mines and UXO.
This was the result of MAG completing the first stage of manual clearance and removal of mines from the ‘Kapoeta Barrier Minefield’. Mr Lokudo went on to say: “On the land we can earn our living. Cattle can now be herded without fear. A woman can now fetch firewood without danger. A small garden can be harvested. This is all thanks to the effort of MAG.”
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| Country Programme Manager Abigail Hartley with Mr Hillary Lokudo, Executive Director of Kapoeta South County | The choir celebrating during the ceremony |
The Barrier Minefield completely rings the town of Kapoeta. The Sudanese Army used this defensive mechanism to protect the town from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) when Kapoeta was held by the Government of Sudan in 2002. The minefield is approximately 6km long and it is estimated that there are a further 200 more mines to be removed.
During 2006 MAG trained and deployed three Mine Action Teams. These teams, funded by the European Union and ECHO, have cleared a section of land 86,888 m/sq in size. MAG removed a total of 56 anti-vehicle mines and 197 items of UXO, which were subsequently destroyed in a controlled demolition, permanently removing the threat they pose to the surrounding population.
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| Mr Ciriako, Secretary of the SSRC | Abraham Jokmoch with MAG Technical Field Manager Tony Fernandes |
MAG will continue to clear other sections of the Barrier Minefield preventing access to grazing land and land for resettlement.
The ECHO-funded Bozena MiniFlail was also used on the land as a quality assurance tool. This remote controlled, armoured vehicle was used to plough the land checking for unidentified mines. The UN Regional Mine Action Office assessed the area in line with operational procedures to confirm that the land is free from the impact of mines and UXO. Abraham Jokmoch a MAG deminer spoke of the team’s achievements: “We de-miners are very happy and proud of the work we have done with MAG. This is the first time in the history of Kapoeta that cleared and safe land has been handed back to the community.”
The ceremony was also attended by Mr Ciriako Secretary of the SSRC, Kapoeta South. Addressing the audience he said: “We are here to celebrate that an area has been cleared from mines. We greatly appreciate the work MAG has done for the community of Kapoeta.”
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