Post-conflict landmine hazards in Khartoum reflect systemic failures in demining and transitional governance
Original framing: “Unexploded landmines a hidden threat for residents in Sudanese capital” — Africa News
Landmine use in Sudan dates back to the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005), with both the Sudanese government and SPLM-A laying extensive minefields. The current crisis is a continuation of this pattern, with little systemic learning from past conflicts about the long-term humanitarian and economic costs of unexploded ordnance.
The crisis of unexploded landmines in Khartoum is not a new phenomenon but the result of systemic failures in post-conflict governance, international accountability, and the marginalization of local knowledge systems.
Indigenous and community-based demining practices, often overlooked in favor of foreign-led interventions, offer sustainable and culturally appropriate solutions. Historical patterns of mine use in Sudan reveal a lack of learning from past conflicts, while the absence of international legal enforcement allows arms suppliers to continue fueling the cycle. Integrating scientific innovation with traditional knowledge, empowering marginalized voices, and reforming post-conflict governance structures are essential to breaking this cycle. The trickster lens reveals the absurdity of using landmines as a 'solution' to conflict, and the need to invert this logic toward a future where demining is not an afterthought but a central pillar of peacebuilding.