UK firm takes mine clearance initiatives to all corners of Sudan

MineTech International is expanding its influence across Sudan, working to complete four more major United Nations projects to clear the legacy of landmines and other explosive remnants of war from the region.

MineTech, part of Gloucestershire-based Exploration Logistics Group, is mobilising mine detection dog teams, people and machinery to clear a major defensive minefield near Malakal in the South as well as providing an integrated mechanical clearance capacity to work in the Jonglei and Upper Nile States. Further north in Darfur, MineTech has been appointed to provide a rapid response capability conducting manual battle area clearance as well as continuing to manage a Mine Risk Education (MRE) programme which will help minimise injuries amongst local communities and provide vital information to international aid organisations and UN staff.

Explosives clearance remains an imperative for people living and working in Sudan. Explains Development Manager at MineTech, Max Dyck, "Malakal is just one major town surrounded by minefields. They present a real danger as the town grows, forcing the population to encroach on these dangerous areas."

Elsewhere, in Darfur, large land areas are littered with explosive remnants of war, some from bombs dropped as recently as March, following fighting in Chad. These pose a threat to the peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in the region, and to the local population, returning displaced families who are often unaware of the contamination problem. Three MineTech rapid response teams have been recruited to deal with this significant threat in all three states of Darfur.

MineTech's appointment follows the successful completion of earlier UN demining contracts in Sudan along with the award of other humanitarian initiatives for the UN both in Chad and sensitive areas of Afghanistan.

The team's success is supported by its history of working in post-conflict environments. Explains Mr Dyck, "We have long recognised the need to engage sensitively with local communities and the local situation. This is particularly important in Darfur, where some factions do not recognise UNAMID authority. For us to be successful, we need to meet face to face with local people and convince them of our humanitarian motives".

MineTech is a division of Exploration Logistics Group, an organisation now working extensively in Sudan, providing mine clearance but also delivering remote site medical expertise and personnel to support other Western organisations involved in supporting humanitarian initiatives across the country. With its main project HQ in El Fasher in the West, the company now has operational bases in nearby Nyala, in Kasala in the North East, in central Kadugli and in both Malakal and Juba in the South.

Completion of all four clearance projects is expected to take between nine and ten months, with some teams working to clear a minimum of 20,000m² a day.