RONCO in the News

RONCO Supports Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan

Following the cessation of fighting in the Nuba Mountains in 2002, RONCO deployed to Sudan under contracts with both the United Nations and the U.S. Department of State to conduct emergency mine clearance tasks in support of peacekeeping initiatives undertaken by the Joint Military Commission (JMC). As described in the accounts below, recently published in JMC—Monitoring the Ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains, RONCO’s rapid response greatly aided the JMC’s mission by reopening roads for the delivery of humanitarian aid and permitting the return of internally displaced persons. RONCO staff received formal recognition for these contributions in a presentation of JMC Service Medals in early 2005. Currently, RONCO is working in Sudan under three separate UN contracts to build a local demining capacity in Wau and Malakal, and to conduct emergency demining, battle area clearance, and MRE tasks in Juba, Wau, and Ed Damazin.

Demining for a safe return

	Tempas Moises, Mozambique, RONCO Consulting Corporation

When we started de-mining in Faruk Al Drup in January 2003, there was only one family living there, when we completed the task, the village had grown to 150 families. While working there, we employed 15 village men and women on manual labour work, and we paid them with food. Also JMC employed workers, to build up their Sector IV Headquarters, and Unicef drilled three wells for the village after JMC had delivered water for a while. It was encouraging to see how the lives of the villagers have greatly improved because of those combined efforts.

The next task we worked on was the Dambi to Api road which was suspected to be mined. This clearance enabled JMC monitors to patrol parts of the Nuba Mountains that had previously not been accessed by vehicle. The next road we cleared, from Um Duju to Luba enabled the return of the internally displaced people back to their villages. By clearing an important road link in Al Reika area, we shortened the road from Kadugli to Talodi from 200 to 100 kilometers, as no detours have to be taken. Before that, it took two days; today it takes 4 to 5 hours.

We were able to fulfill many more tasks in the three years of our deployment in the Nuba Mountains, and we experienced much hospitality and friendship from the Sudanese people while living among them. We never had any problems and enjoyed their company very much. We would also like to thank JMC for the support they gave to us. We hope that peace prevails in Sudan in the future and feel privileged to have contributed in some small way to their peace.

Working for a safer environment

When the JMC was deployed the mine situation was unclear. A large amount of unexploded ordnance lay around and many areas and roads were allegedly mined but there were no reliable mine maps. In the three years of the JMC’s presence more than a dozen people were killed by mines and several hundred injured in the Nuba Mountains.

	Sudanese women walk a cleared road on the way from the market in Um Serdiba.

The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), who coordinated de-mining activities, set up an office in the JMC compound from the outset. The UN and the US State Department tasked the commercial de-mining company RONCO to assist the JMC with emergency clearance. With mine detection dogs and manual de-miners they checked the JMC’s compounds and opened access to the areas to be monitored. The clearance of a “humanitarian highway” allowed movement by returnees, traders and humanitarian aid convoys. Before food aid had mainly been delivered by expensive airdrops.

Following the impressive clearance by RONCO humanitarian de-mining organizations soon followed but focused more on capacity building and mine awareness. Several hundred Nuba men are now trained de-miners and mine risk education has been given to thousands of children.

Permission for use of these excerpts, co-authored by Lisa Ibscher and Anders Szili and published in JMC—Monitoring the Ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains (published by the JMC upon its departure from Sudan in June 2005), has been granted by Ms. Ibscher.