Landmine incident threatens farming in Aweil East
Farmers work on a farm in Aweil East County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. | Credit | Courtesy
Farmers in Aweil East County are unable to work on their farms due to landmine fears, an official said.

This comes after a landmine killed a soldier-turned-farmer at Warguet Payam last weekend.

Mel Tong Lual, 40, was readying his farm for the planting season when he stepped on the landmine, blowing him up.

As a result, the payam administrator says most farmers have stopped cultivation after the incident.

“I am calling on the government to send down landmine experts to clear the area so that farmers can work freely on their farms without fear,” William Kiir told Akol Yam FM on Wednesday.

In response, Aweil East County Commissioner Ding Aher Ngong said a team is expected to visit the area next week.

Aher, however, cautioned the residents to avoid moving around the area where the incident happened until the assessment is completed.

As South Sudan struggles for peace, thousands of land mines from the 21-year civil war still pose threats.

The landmines and unexploded ordinance have claimed and injured more than 5,000 South Sudanese since 2004, according to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

In June 2022, the UN Office for Refugees said experts from UNMAS had destroyed more than one million explosive devices in South Sudan, including 40,121 mines, 76,879 cluster bombs, and 974,968 other unexploded devices.

The total contamination area is now estimated to be around 16.1 km2 (approximately 2,285 football pitches), with 345 remaining tasks comprising 112 AP minefields, 74 AT minefields and roads, 125 cluster munition strikes, and 34 confrontation areas.