MAG Teams Excavate Buried Weapons
Sudan still suffering from small arms and light weapons contamination
In the town of Amadi, located in the Sudanese province of Equateur, full recovery from conflict remained elusive. During the two-decade civil war Amadi had been the site of heavy fighting until 1997 when the Sudan People’s Liberation Army successfully occupied the town, overcoming government forces. When a peace agreement was reached in January 2005 the community collected all the abandoned small arms, light weapons, and unexploded ordnance they could find and either crudely stored or buried it. |
MAG teams excavating weapons |
MAG small arms and light weapons teams set up a temporary encampment in the town and began to unearth and catalog the dangerous items. The team spent four days clearing the site including uncovering three trenches containing weapons. After completing a further search of the town it was declared free of explosive remnants of war.
The clearance MAG conducted will now allow several badly-needed infrastructure projects to commence. The building housing the majority of the stockpile has been earmarked by a developmental agency to be rebuilt into a school. The area in which the ordnance was buried will be renovated to provide public facilities.
There are currently 6,000 people living in the town and the local administration expects many more refugees to return over the next 12 months. MAG’s small arms and light weapons teams provide crucial support to ensure successful implementation of the peace agreement and the safe return and resettlement of refugees. Along with the United States government, MAG relies on your support to continue ensuring Sudanese communities have the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety and security.
 | Teams funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal & Abatement |