Sudan’s anti-landmine conference to be held in Kenya next week

NAIROBI, Aug 19, 2004 (Xinhua) — Representatives of the Sudanese government, the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army ( SPLM/A) and aid agencies will converge in Nairobi next week to discuss the threats posed by landmines in Sudan, a UN agency announced here Thursday.

“The conference being facilitated by the United Nations will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute towards a future strategy to fight the threat and impact of landmines in Sudan,” said a statement from United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF) country office for Sudan.

“The anti-landmine conference scheduled for Aug. 26 will help both parties to jointly develop a national mine action strategy that meets the immediate needs of the emergency humanitarian situation and plans ahead to post-conflict Sudan,” said Ben Parker, spokesman for UNICEF country office for Sudan.

Already a joint operation to clear landmines in the south has been started.

The operation is the first joint exercise since the war between the government and the SPLM/A broke out in 1983.

Landmine accidents in southern Sudan were sporadic and most occurred in forests and remote or insecure areas.

The United Nations said landmines had not only killed, maimed and injured thousands of individuals in the region each year, but also affected the social, economic and environmental infrastructure, including rendering fertile agricultural land.