by Marysia Zapasnik

This morning MAG TFM, Edin Muric, travelled to the location of a recently reported minefield. The minefield is in the middle of a teak plantation in Keregulu village, Central Equatoria State. The trees were planted by the local community in the 1960s, before the war began. Now the trees are ready to be chopped down, but the mines laid during the war makes this impossible.

“The timber from these trees will be used by local youth to make furniture and building materials,” explained local village elder, John Chol. “We need this timber for the livelihood of our whole village.”

One hundred metres from the minefield, down the muddy road is a village market, selling mangoes, sorghum, sugar, soap, and peanut paste. 250m in the other direction is the village primary school, with 400 young children dressed in bright lilac and yellow uniforms.

“Wow,” exclaimed Edin. “With a village market and primary school so close, this minefield is definitely a priority for MAG to clear.”.

Edin completed the initial survey with sweat running off his brow. The humidity of the rainy season can be almost intolerable.

On the way back to the base he stopped at another village market and bought a snack to eat – a handful of roasted white ants – full of protein, a little crunchy and a whole lot of living ‘on the wild side’.