Latest news with #UXO
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
More than 1.3 million return to homes in Sudan: UN - War in Sudan
More than 1.3 million people who fled the fighting in Sudan have headed home, the United Nations said, pleading for greater international aid to help returnees rebuild shattered lives. Over a million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their homes in recent months, UN agencies said. A further 320,000 refugees have crossed back into Sudan this year, mainly from neighbouring Egypt and South Sudan. While fighting has subsided in the "pockets of relative safety" that people are beginning to return to, the situation remains highly precarious, the UN said. Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The fighting has killed tens of thousands. The RSF lost control of the capital, Khartoum, in March, and the regular army now controls Sudan's centre, north and east. In a joint statement, the UN's IOM migration agency, UNHCR refugee agency and UNDP development agency called for an urgent increase in financial support to pay for the recovery as people begin to return, with humanitarian operations "massively underfunded". Sudan has 10 million IDPs, including 7.7 million forced from their homes by the current conflict, they said. More than four million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. 'Living nightmare' Sudan is "the largest humanitarian catastrophe facing our world and also the least remembered", the IOM's regional director Othman Belbeisi, speaking from Port Sudan, told a media briefing in Geneva. He said 71 per cent of returns had been to Al-Jazira state, with eight per cent to Khartoum. Other returnees were mostly heading for Sennar state. Both Al-Jazira and Sennar are located southeast of the capital. "We expect 2.1 million to return to Khartoum by the end of this year, but this will depend on many factors, especially the security situation and the ability to restore services," Belbeisi said. With the RSF holding nearly all of the western Darfur region, Kordofan in the south has become the war's main battleground in recent weeks. He said the "vicious, horrifying civil war continues to take lives with impunity", imploring the warring factions to put down their guns. "The war has unleashed hell for millions and millions of ordinary people," he said. "Sudan is a living nightmare. The violence needs to stop." 'Massive' UXO contamination After visiting Khartoum and the Egyptian border, Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR's regional refugee coordinator for the Sudan crisis, said people were coming back to destroyed public infrastructure, making rebuilding their lives extremely challenging. Those returning from Egypt were typically coming back "empty-handed", he said, speaking from Nairobi. Luca Renda, UNDP's resident representative in Sudan, warned of further cholera outbreaks in Khartoum if broken services were not restored. "What we need is for the international community to support us," he said. Renda said around 1,700 wells needed rehabilitating, while at least six Khartoum hospitals and at least 35 schools needed urgent repairs. He also sounded the alarm on the "massive" amount of unexploded ordnance littering the city and the need for decontamination. He said anti-personnel mines had also been found in at least five locations in Khartoum. "It will take years to fully decontaminate the city," he said, speaking from Port Sudan. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
CTV News
19-07-2025
- CTV News
Grenades, mortars and rockets: What to do if you find military explosives
Police responded to two separate munitions discoveries in the Maritimes this week, prompting the public to ask: What do you do if you find, dangerous, potentially explosive items? 'There are absolutely things that members of the public should do, and absolutely things that members of the public should not do,' says Nick Monteiro, UXO Legacy Site's program manager for the Department of National Defence. Unexploded Explosive Ordnance, or UXO, is defined by the Department of Defence as 'military explosives that did not explode or function as intended.' Examples include bombs, grenades, mortars and rockets. Experts say if you suspect you find something ammunition-related, don't touch it, record the location and call 911 or local police. old ordinace An old, rusty UXO shell is pictured in muddy water. (Courtesy: Government of Canada) '911 will dispatch whoever they feel is necessary, whether it's police, ambulance, or fire,' explains Monteiro. 'They are the ones that make the determination as to whether they will contact the military. And if they do, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) technicians are sent to the sites. They'll take control of the site, and they'll determine what has to be done.' The Government of Canada says all UXO must be considered dangerous. Disturbing or moving the item could make it explode, causing injury or death. In Kensington, P.E.I., on Monday, the municipal building, which includes the police department and town hall, was closed and evacuated as a precaution after a Second World War-era mortar shell and a canister containing rocket fuel were found inside. The Canadian Armed Forces responded and removed the two items. 'There was an 11-and-a-half-pound practice bomb, and a solid rocket motor,' says Monteiro. He says the practice bomb is the most common UXO found in Canada. On Tuesday, a live grenade was thrown onto a property on Pauline Crescent in Dartmouth, N.S. Halifax Regional Police evacuated nearby homes and closed access to the street, while an explosive disposal unit from Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic removed the grenade and detonated it that afternoon. The case is currently under investigation by HRP. No one was hurt in either case. More than 300 calls a year Monteiro says DND receives more than 300 EOD calls a year across the country and they are more common during spring cleaning and construction season. 'UXO do not necessarily become less dangerous with time,' says Monteiro. 'Sometimes they do. Sometimes they actually become more dangerous, and it takes an expert to make that determination.' If you're in doubt, Monteiro says there's no harm in calling police. 'For instance, people have thought parts of transmission from cars have been mines. We've had bits and pieces from lawnmowers that individuals thought were potentially dangerous. It's better to err on the side of caution.' The risk differs from place to place. DND holds outreach programs at schools in areas where there are UXO 'legacy sites' – primarily in western Canada. These sites were often used for military training. According to the federal government, the Legacy Sites Program 'manages UXO risks on UXO Legacy Sites across the country contributing to the health and safety of Canadians. 'The sole purpose of what we do is to protect Canadians from any kind of explosive risk,' says Monteiro. 'If you find anything, you don't touch it, make note of where it is, and call 911.' Souvenirs and collections Sometimes a UXO is a souvenir brought to Canada by veterans who served overseas. 'Things that grandpa brought home as souvenirs, put them in the basement or attic, that you might find,' says Gary Melville, a veteran and the executive director of the Army Museum Halifax Citadel. GAry Melville Veteran Gary Melville, the executive director of the Army Museum Halifax Citadel, is pictured at the museum holding an inert grenade. The Army Museum is home to more than 70,000 military artifacts. 'I've had people call and say, 'we have something to donate to the museum', and I always ask, 'what it is?'' says Melville. 'As soon as they say, 'I have a grenade', I go 'Stop. Okay. Don't touch it. Please call the police.'' Melville says those calls often come after a family member has passed, leaving behind souvenirs found in basements, attics and trunks. 'We don't know if it's live, or inert,' says Melville. 'I did not deactivate it, and it's not worth me losing my fingers just to make sure that I can get another grenade for display.' Museum entrance The entrance and sign for the Army Museum Halifax Citadel are pictured. (Amanda Debison, CTV Atlantic) Monteiro says some of those lost items would be demilitarized and rendered safe but the chain of custody can lead to misinformation. 'The problem is many of these items are very old and the understanding as to what was done with them has disappeared over time,' adds Monteiro. Both Melville and Monteiro say if someone comes into possession of a private UXO collection, it should be disposed of by trained professionals. 'If you don't know where it came from or who made it inert, it should not be in your home, in my opinion,' said Melville. 'You don't know what it's going to do, and it's your life or the life of your children, your grandchildren that stumble upon it twenty years from now. If you don't know that it's inert, don't keep it around.' The Government Canada has more details on its website how to identify UXO and what to do if you find one. A third explosive device was brought to Sussex RCMP on July 4, said Sgt. Kevin Gloade in an email to CTV. He said the Explosive Disposal Unit safely disposed of the object and evacuated the area as a safety measure. He said no charges were laid.
Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Straits Times
WWII-era bomb weighing over 200kg found in Melaka
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The bomb will be detonated in a controlled explosion. JASIN, Melaka - A World War II-era bomb weighing over 200kg has been discovered in Malaysia's Melaka state at the Felda Senggeh settlement. Jasin OCPD Superintendent Mohamad Rusli Mat said the unexploded ordnance (UXO) was found by a settler at 1.47pm on July 14 while he was clearing the land. He said the bomb disposal unit from district police headquarters was immediately deployed to the scene. 'Upon inspection, the device was confirmed to be an old UXO, probably from the World War II period, weighing close to 500 pounds (226kg),' he said on July 14. Mr Mohamad Rusli added that the bomb will be detonated in a controlled explosion on July 15 in accordance with standard operating procedures. Unexploded bombs can remain volatile even decades after they were deployed. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
The Star
14-07-2025
- The Star
WWII-era ordnance weighing over 200kg found near Jasin
JASIN: A suspected World War II-era unexploded ordnance (UXO) weighing approximately 226kg has been discovered at Felda Senggeh in Nyalas here. Jasin OCPD Supt Mohamad Rusli Mat said the bomb was found by a settler at around 1.47pm on Monday (July 14) while he was clearing his plot of land. He said the police weaponry and bomb disposal unit from the district police headquarters was immediately deployed to the scene to inspect the object. "Upon inspection, the device was confirmed to be an old UXO, probably from the World War II period, weighing close to 500 pounds (226kg),' he said on Monday (July 14). Supt Mohamad Rusli added that the bomb will be detonated in a controlled explosion on Tuesday (July 15) in accordance with standard operating procedures. UXOs were remnants of past conflicts and can remain volatile even decades after they were deployed.
The Star
11-07-2025
- The Star
Laos cleared 35,000 unexploded ordinance this year, four killed in accidents
VIENTIANE: Clearance teams removed 35,446 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the first six months of this year, including more than 16,000 cluster munitions, across 14 provinces. Despite these efforts, seven UXO-related accidents occurred during this period, resulting in 12 casualties—four of them fatal—highlighting the continuing danger that UXO poses to communities, particularly children, who made up the majority of victims. The figures were reported at the first UXO/Mine Action Sector Working Group meeting held in Vientiane on Tuesday (July 8), which brought together high-level government representatives, development partners and UXO operators to reflect on progress and set a strategic direction for the remainder of the year. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anouparb Vongnorkeo; Ambassador of the United States to Laos, Heather Variava; and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Laos, Martine Thérer. Director of the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action Sector in Laos (NRA), Bounpheng Sisawath, presented a comprehensive update on the progress made this year. From January to June, UXO teams surveyed 9,413 hectares of land, confirmed 6,984 hectares as hazardous, and cleared 2,717 hectares across 14 provinces, providing safe access to land and unlocking opportunities for farming, infrastructure development, and livelihoods. Risk education reached 181,531 people in 11 provinces, strengthening their ability to recognise threats, adopt safer behaviours and prevent accidents. Assistance was also provided to 172,109 UXO accident survivors, enabling them to regain mobility, rebuild their confidence and resume independent lives. While celebrating this progress, the meeting acknowledged that annual targets will be difficult to achieve due to funding reductions and temporary budget cuts in the first half of the year. From January to June, seven UXO accidents occurred in four provinces, resulting in 12 casualties, including four fatalities. The fact that 67 per cent of the victims were children underscores the critical importance of enhancing targeted risk education—prioritising at-risk populations such as children and adult men—alongside expediting clearance efforts in high-priority areas. UXO-related accidents are a stark reminder that these remnants of war continue to endanger lives and disrupt development, especially for the most vulnerable. Last year, UXO-related accidents injured 36 people and killed seven others in the first six months, with most accidents occurring while children were playing with cluster bombs, not knowing what they were, or people were digging their fields and struck an unexploded device. - Vientiane Times/ANN
