Mr. Chairman, honorable delegates, brothers and sisters

Salaam Alukum

I want to sincerely express my heart-felt gratitude to the Government and People of Djibouti for their warm welcome and generous hosting of participants of this conferenc and also to the OAU, IGAD, Donor Countries, ICBL for their great support to my Country in the field of landmine activities.

The Sudan, which I and my delegation represent, is considered one of the most mine-affected African Countries that has suffered very much from the devastation of the anti-personnel landnnnes.

In terms of rating, when it comes to the extent of human damages from landmnies, Sudan is third in Africa. The number of planted landmines all over the Sudan range in a lower rate - half a million and at the highest estimate two million landmines.

The Sudan has come to know landmines since the colonial times. The problem was aggravated by the advent of the Second World War. The civil war in south of Sudan, from 1955 till now, has made things worse.

The rebels planted landmines indiscriminately. Towns, villages, farms and hunting areas, were not spared from the Danger of landmines, which were laid at random. Such risky situation hampered the safe deliverance of humanitarian help to the needy. The Aid Agencies were forced to use aircraft for the transportation and distribution of relief items.

The magnitude of this problem could be sensed in the areas of conflicts, mainly in the South Sudan, Nuba Mountain and eastern Sudan, where the rebels have brought about havoc and appalling situation by the use of landmines with devastating consequences on the innocent civilians.

Mr. Chairman,

The devastating effects of the landmines, on the socio- economic set up of the civilian population have terrible impacts on the life-pattern of the victims and people around them.

Moreover transportation systems are brought to a halt. Buses lorries or trucks are denied the use of roads due to the landmnies. Trains were also subjected to the same ordeal.

Many people become deformed with missing limbs due to the landmines. The Humanitarian Aids Commission (HAC) in Sudan estimated people maimed or deformed and disabled to be 700,000 survivors. Those who died are thought to more or equal in number to the 700,000 disabled.

In eastern Sudan, the rebels have laid landmines in many areas. These ladnmines pose a threat to the safety of people in these areas, especially in Kassala State.

Despite all such gloomy prospects, the Government of the Sudan in collaboration with International and local NGOS, started many institutions for expanding peoples awareness about the danger and how to avoid man made disasters including landmines. One of these institutions is the Disaster Management and Refugee Studies Institute (DEMARSI), which is now part of the International African University in Khartoum. There is also a Center for Training Workers for Helping Mine Victims. There are also centers for the manufacture of artificial limbs in Khartoum, Wau and Juba in South Sudan.

The Sudan has signed the Ottawa Treaty banning the manufacture, use and stockpiling of landmines in 1997. The Sudan, since then, has been taking part in all conferences on the ban of landmines and has so far taken up advance steps to reach the stage of the ratification of the treaty.

All conferences and meetings that were held in Vienna, Bonn, Oslo and Brussels, the Sudan, the Sudan was among the active participants in those for a for landmines banning. The Sudan has voted for the banning of landmines in the UN General Assembly in 1996, 97 and 98.

At the regional level, the Sudan was a participant in the fellow up conferences that were convened in Maputo, Mozambique and the Second States Parties Meeting in Geneva in September 2000.

The Sudan pays serious concern to the problem of landmines, which prompted the formation of the National Committee to Ban Landmines in 1996. In collaboration with NGOs, the NCBL, was expanded to become Mines Combat Organization with headquarters in Khartoum. Many NGOs such as Save the Children Fund of Sudan, UNICEF, OXFAM, and the International Committee of the Red Cross joined hands with the new organization in waging a campaign against landmine use and encouraging demining activities many parts of the Sudan.

We call upon the International Community to put pressure on the Rebel Movement to stop the use of antipersonnel landmines and follow the example put by the Sudan Government and NGOs that are campaigning for the ban of landnnnes.

The Sudan has appealed to the UN for funding de- mining programmes in 1997. A UN mission visited the Sudan to assess programmes on deminnig, but nothing has come from the UN so far.

The Sudan Government believes that all the miseries would come to an end only when the war comes to an end. That is why Peace is the First Priority in the Government’s national programme.

The Government has declared cease fire so many times, in order to give peace a chance but the Rebel Movement is not doing the same, that is why the war is going on. The international Community should press the Rebel Movement so that it way heed to the Peace-Call, after which demining process could be carried out successfully all over the Sudan.

God Bless the Peace-Makers and May the Peace of God be upon you all.