Unexploded Munitions Detonation In South Sudan Kills 11 Children

According to the UNMISS spokesperson, an accident involving explosive munitions in South Sudan resulted in the deaths of eleven children and the injury of one.

According to spokesperson Linda Tom, the incident happened on Thursday in a rural community in Western Bahr el-Ghazal province, northwest of the nation’s capital Juba.

As many as 11 kids passed away, and one is still in the hospital, according to Tom.

The enormity of this event is underscored by our sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased, she said.

A deadly civil conflict broke out in South Sudan in 2013, two years after it gained independence from Sudan.

Until the warring leaders Salva Kiir and Riek Machar decided to lay down their weapons, the battle lasted five years and claimed the lives of approximately 400,000 people.

The world’s youngest nation still has a significant landmine and unexploded bomb problem, adding another more danger to a populace already struggling with famine, natural catastrophes, and armed conflict.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “every year, enormous numbers of people are killed and maimed by ‘explosive remains of war’ – unexploded shells, grenades, bombs, etc. left behind after a fight.

According to the United Nations Office for Refugees, more than one million explosive devices, including “40,121 mines, 76,879 cluster bombs, and 974,968 other unexploded devices,” were detonated in South Sudan by UN Mine Action Service specialists in June 2022.