Abandoned Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Claimed the Lives of three children, whom were Siblings in North Darfur. On September17, 2022 at approximately 12 p.m. in the village of Duram, in the Kutum locality, North Darfur, El Fasher, four siblings were exposed to the explosion of unexploded Ordnance (UXO), 20 km northwest of the capital of North Darfur State, El Fasher.

The accident occurred while these children were tending to their goats, and they found a strange object that they played with, which led to it exploding and killing two children instantly, while the other two were rushed for first aid at El Fasher Hospital, unfortunately the third child died on the way to the hospital to catch up with his two sisters, making the total number of deaths three, while the fourth child is currently receiving medical treatment at the hospital.

The father of the children is Al-Hadi Ahmed Hussein, who is famous for Karkab. The children were: Shukria Al Hadi Ahmed Hussein 14 years old. Shaker Al Hadi Ahmed Hussein 10 years old. Zarwa Al-Hadi Ahmed Hussein, 7 years old. Shaima Al-Hadi Ahmed Hussein, 16 years old, the only surviving child and is currently receiving treatment at El-Fasher Hospital.

Things go back to the fact that in 2003 the area was subjected to an attack with the Dan ordnance and heavy weapons by the Sudanese government forces together with the Janjaweed militias, which led to the displacement of millions of civilians to camps (Zamzam, Abushak, Kassab) in El Fasher, North Darfur. Therefore, the war left traces of explosives in the villages that Its inhabitants were forcibly displaced.

As Armed Conflicts tend to generate unexploded ordnance as remnants of wars.Types of unexploded devices found in Darfur include mortar rounds, tank and artillery projectiles, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, aircraft rockets, ground-launched rockets, and sub-munitions. These unexploded remnants of conflict not only pose a direct risk to civilians, but indirectly pose a threat in obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, hindering the return of refugees and internally displaced people, and preventing farmers from cultivating their land.

The Darfur Monitoring and Documentation Network calls upon the government of North Darfur State to inspect the villages from which its residents were displaced, to thoroughly inspect it for explosions and dangerous weapons of (UXO).

For more information, contact Mohammed Hassan, Executive Director, DNMD at email: [email protected] and on Tel: (+256)752792112 (+249)924638036.