By Hou Akot Hou
A South Sudanese People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) soldier lost his life in a landmine explosion in Warguet Payam, Aweil East County, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State.
The deceased soldier, identified as 40-year-old Mel Tong Lual Lual, was attempting to clear land for farming near a military base when the incident occurred on Tuesday last week.
According to William Kiir, the Warguet Payam administrator, the area where the soldier was working has been a contested region between Sudan and South Sudan for years due to disputes over land ownership.
The fatal explosion has instilled fear among local population, who are now reluctant to cultivate unclaimed land in the Warguet Payam.
“People are not farming uncultivated areas again in the Warguet payam because they fear that the large pieces of land that they have seen productive and they wish to clear first are now being avoided,” Kiir said.
Kiir appealed to international demining organizations to intervene and assist in clearing the area of land mines to alleviate the risk to both human and animal lives.
Many regions in South Sudan that were heavily affected by the country’s civil war have seen little to no demining efforts, leaving citizens vulnerable to the ongoing threat of land mines.
The government is urged to engage demining teams and provide the necessary funding to address this pressing issue and ensure the safety of the local population.