Stay in the Tracks
Story by Annelise Dennis, community liaison advisor
On the side of a dirt road, lies an abandoned truck tilting to one side, half its carriage a wreck of twisted metal. This is not an unfamiliar sight for people living and working in Sudan, where vehicle carcasses can be found along most major routes.
Faced with the prospect of crossing a large and flooded pothole, the driver took his vehicle off-road to find an easier route. This decision almost lost him his life and resulted in the detonation of an anti-tank landmine, one of many found on the side of the road. Miraculously the driver escaped with injuries but other drivers are not always so lucky. The signing of the peace accords in January 2005 means that safety when travelling by road has become an increasingly important issue as trade and population movement are set to increase significantly.
MAG's community liaison staff highlight the dangers of straying from the road to a group of truck drivers in southern Sudan
In response to this, MAG and our local Sudanese partner OSIL (Operation Save Innocent Lives) is implementing an innovative mine risk education (MRE) campaign called Stay in the Tracks. The aim is to ensure that drivers have the knowledge to keep themselves and their passengers safe while travelling through the country. MAG community liaison (CL) teams are delivering targeted MRE to drivers crossing the border into southern Sudan, training key staff within transport companies and non-government organisations (NGOs) and distributing a Stay in the Tracks management pack to support them in this task. The CL teams are also designing and producing posters and signs for display in customs offices, police stations, on and in vehicles, by the roadside and at common stopping points. Although still in the early stages, there have already been signs of success. Requests are coming in from local authorities, NGOs and commercial transport companies to extend activities to include other road users, such as cyclists. MAG’s innovative approach to MRE has had real impact as other agencies have expressed an interest in adopting the Stay in the Tracks campaign in their areas of operation.
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