TDI wins UNOPS land mine clearance contract in South Sudan

The U.N. Office for Project Services has awarded a contract for land mine clearance in Juba, South Sudan, to The Development Initiative, a company that conducts demining and unexploded ordnance clearance in remote and extreme environments.

Last November, UNOPS invited qualified firms to submit technical and financial proposals for the deployment of two multitask teams throughout South Sudan in support of the U.N. Mine Action Service’s office in Juba. Technical and financial proposals were given a weight of 70 percent and 30 percent, respectively, in the overall scoring and ranking. The contract, which was awarded to TDI last December, will last 18 months.

Decades of conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army left South Sudan dotted with land mines that continue to be a threat to the civilian populations who live near these areas. A report from the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor noted that, in 2013, there were 46 people either killed or injured by uncleared land mines and explosive remnants of war in South Sudan — more than double the 22 casualties recorded in 2012, but a significant drop from the 206 casualties reported in 2011.