Mines awareness Day

On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

It called for continued efforts by States, with the assistance of the United Nations and relevant organizations, to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels.

For over 20 years, the work of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has been driven by the needs of affected people and tailored to the threat of explosive hazards faced by civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarians.

UNMAS works to save lives, to facilitate deployment of UN missions and the delivery of humanitarian assistance, to protect civilians, to support the voluntary return of the internally displaced and refugees, to enable humanitarian and recovery activities and to advocate for international humanitarian and human rights law.

in South Sudan, De-miners have called on communities with lands under de-mining to cooperate with de-miners in order to clear enough land for cultivation and infrastructure development.

 

Speaking to Radio Miraya, Itta Betty Mogga, Akoi Riak Dau, Bidali Moses Budi, Operations Manager for Save Lives South Sudan Organization, Patrick Drichi Adam, Explosive Ordnance Field Manager for Operations Save Innocent Lives Organization urged communities whose land is under de-mining to stop demanding money from de-miners to reveal landmine contaminated areas.

 

They spoke to Radio Miraya's Sworo Charles.