More than 3 million people who have returned to Khartoum face risks from mines, unexploded ordnance and remnants of fighting, amid fears that about 16% of the capital’s area is contaminated with these materials, as Handicap International prepares to begin mine-clearance operations in early November 2026.
Warnings over the risks of returning to Khartoum
Vincent Dallono, the organisation’s director in Sudan, warned that residents returning to affected areas could face threats concealed beneath rubble and in streets and homes. He said the country was facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, and that millions of civilians remained exposed to dangers no less severe than the effects of direct fighting.
Dallono said in a press interview that about 33 million people in Sudan needed humanitarian assistance, including 18 million in urgent need of it. He added that the authorities had been encouraging residents to return to Khartoum since January 2026, after two years of fighting, noting that more than 3 million people had returned to the capital.
According to the official, returnees find a city whose features have changed, with its streets, homes and infrastructure damaged, while many lack the knowledge needed to distinguish explosive objects or identify their forms and level of danger. This increases the likelihood of accidents when entering homes or moving through affected neighbourhoods.
Dallono said children were among those most exposed to danger, as they might pick up explosive objects while playing, mistaking them for ordinary items. The risks are also linked to rubble removal and the city’s reconstruction, with him warning that “anywhere in Khartoum, piles of rubble can turn into real bombs”.
Explosive risks extend to Al Jazira areas
Contamination by explosives is not confined to Khartoum but extends to rural areas, particularly the Al Jazira region south of the capital. The presence of mines and remnants of fighting threatens the safety of farmers and livestock herders, obstructs the safe use of farmland and grazing areas, and hampers the recovery of related economic activities.
Handicap International plans to conduct operations in Khartoum in response to reports received through a hotline, prioritising the securing of schools. The move will accompany efforts to educate residents on how to identify hazardous materials and avoid handling them, in a densely populated urban environment where it is difficult to locate explosives buried beneath piles of rubble.
Dallono explained that preparations for the operation had taken time because of accreditation procedures, the formation of teams and the training of their members, as well as the import of equipment unavailable locally. He added that declining humanitarian funding was another obstacle to expanding mine-clearance operations to cover entire neighbourhoods in the capital and other affected areas.
Mine clearance is essential to restoring life
The organisation’s director believes that mine clearance is not merely a security measure but a prerequisite for restoring social and economic life, ensuring the movement of residents, and reopening land for farming and grazing.
Without mine clearance, a return to normal life is impossible
