The family of Stephen ‘Darby’ Allan, tragically killed in a landmine explosion while working for MAG (Mines Advisory Group) in Kapoeta, southern Sudan on Friday 15 October 2010, have today, Friday 22 October, paid tribute to their “hero”.
Stephen, who was known as Darby to all his family and friends, was from Portsmouth and before starting at MAG in 2006 had served as a Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) expert for more than 30 years.
Today his wife Karen, daughter Sarah and son David have paid special thanks and appreciation to the medical team and, in particular, the doctors who attended to Darby after the explosion and tried to make him as comfortable as possible, despite the critical injuries he had sustained.
They have said how hugely proud they are of everything he achieved in his life, and that they are devastated by his untimely loss.
“Darby has, from the moment I met him, been my hero. To Sarah and David he was not just their father but was an “action hero”, a man that made things happen,” said Karen Allan, Darby’s wife.
“He was a gritty, humorous man who commanded friendship and respect from colleagues and friends, a person who was not just larger than life but was in fact life. We are proud to say we were part of that life and it was a great, great adventure. Thank you for the adventure,” she added.
In a joint statement Sarah Taylor and David Allan, his daughter and son, spoke of how their Father was “the big chief” and paid respect to his amazing achievements.
“Your record speaks for itself. You lived life to the extreme, reaching unthinkable limits, whether it was breaking records to the deepest depths or pulling bodies from sinking planes, or blowing bombs around the world – the stuff that is only in people’s wildest dreams and worst nightmares - was for you just another day at the office,” their statement said.
“You really were the big chief. You made the impossible possible and you did it your way. You will always be the chief and you will always be our Dad. We promise to continue to make you proud, as we are of you,” they added.
Amongst Darby’s lifesaving achievements with MAG was an underwater clearance project which he managed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), removing items of unexploded ordnance and small arms ammunition from Mbandaka Harbour – a busy port on the River Congo which was prevented from being developed by the threat from the unexploded ordnance.
He was very proud to have had the opportunity to work with his son David on this project, who is also a qualified safety diver, and who was recruited by MAG to assist his father during the task.
MAG’s Chief Executive Lou McGrath OBE has also paid tribute to Darby’s lifesaving humanitarian work as one of MAG’s international technical team.
“Darby was motivated by the positive change he and his team made every day to people in the communities where he worked,” said Lou.
“He took pride in reducing the risks communities faced and that his work would allow them to develop their futures in more safety. Darby did not have to be in Sudan, he chose to be. He was a true humanitarian who believed in making a difference, and the world will be a lesser place without him,” Lou added.
After news of his death became known on Friday afternoon MAG received hundreds of tributes from friends and colleagues around the world expressing their shock at his loss and praise for his professionalism, good humour, friendship and courage.
Today, however, some of Darby’s closest colleagues from his Navy years have also expressed their sadness at the loss of a good friend:
“Darby certainly made his name in the branch for various reasons but most importantly for his professionalism. We can all extol his many virtues but to me he was a gentle giant who loved his chosen profession, and was an inspiration to many with his keenness to dive and push the boundaries. RIP Darby,” said Jim Green, Ex WO(D).
“Truly shocking and sad news, the world will be a poorer place without Darby. Many a pint will be drunk to his memory and many a ditty told (although not quite as well or outlandish). I would imagine he would have thought: “Call that a mine? I’ve got a bigger one in the garage at home next to the panther!” Darby: the best black cat the branch had for years. RIP mate,” said Andy Carrs.
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| Darby next to a sea mine during his deployment to Kuwait as an underwater clearance EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) expert during the first Gulf War. |
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| Darby in a MAG vehicle with his son David Allan during the project they worked on together in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008. |
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| Darby at work in Sudan |
The impact of Darby’s work for MAG in Sudan
It is estimated that more than 1.5 million civilians in southern Sudan were killed, and approximately four million more forced to become refugees, by the decades-long civil war between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) of the south, and the Sudanese government.
The war officially ended when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in January 2005, but millions of lethal remnants of the conflict remained throughout southern Sudan, posing a huge risk to thousands flooding home to their villages from refugee camps.
Kapoeta, where Darby was working when he died, is one of the main towns in southern Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State, which borders Uganda and Kenya in the south, and Ethiopia in the east, and was a place of strategic importance during the war.
A survey conducted in 2006 stated that more than 83,000 people living in Eastern Equatoria were impacted by landmines, and hundreds had been killed or injured since returning to their homes at the end of the war.
As both sides fought over the town, and it was won and then lost again, a huge barrier minefield was laid all around Kapoeta, stretching for almost 300,000 square metres.
The minefield hindered development and denied safe access to smaller villages in the surrounding area, creating a constant hazard for vulnerable groups, in particular women and children.
MAG began clearing Kapoeta’s extensive barrier minefield in 2005, dividing it into five sections, which gradually handed back as the work was completed. This land was desperately needed by the community, and MAG has cleared the vast majority of it over recent years. Since being released the land is used to grow crops, build schools and to construct a telephone mast so that communities in Kapoeta can have access to mobile phones. The town’s market, a vital source of trade for the region, has also been built on the land.
Since September 2009 Darby’s work in Kapoeta had been an extension of this project, clearing landmines from the desperately needed land around the town. Since August this year Darby and his teams of trained Sudanese deminers had destroyed more than 1,500 explosive items as part of a project jointly funded by the Dutch, British and Spanish governments.
The land Darby and his teams cleared will benefit at least 7,000 people who have settled there.
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