In a recent tragic
accident, UNMIS Pakistani deminer
Aftab Ahmed was seriously injured
when he stepped on a landmine in Kurmuk,
Blue Nile state.
Mr. Ahmed was doing routine work
on 21 November in a lane already cleared
of mines when he stepped on the explosive.
The blast smashed his left ankle bones
and severely damaged soft tissues
in his heels.
Pakistan Aviation diverted its routine
patrol flight and rushed to Kurmuk
to evacuate the soldier to UNMIS'
clinic in Ed Damazin. Once his condition
stabilized, he was flown to Khartoum
and then Nairobi.
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“For
the last so many years, our people
have suffered due to the hazardous
effects of mines,” said Kurmuk
resident Madani Rajab. “I feel
that we still are not free ... mines
are a constant reminder to us that
the danger is still around and anyone
... can meet with a severe accident.”
To date, the Pakistan Demining Company
has cleared 34,496 square metres of
the Kurmuk mine field, finding 88
anti-personal mines, 22 unexploded
ordinances and scores of metal pieces
or ammunition casings. The company
was formed in Pakistan in 2005 to
carry out humanitarian demining in
Sudan, arriving in May 2006 and deployed
to Kurmuk.
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