Scaling Up Explosive Ordnance Disposal Capacity in Sudan: Training EOD Operators

As the first international NGO to conduct clearance operations in Sudan since the conflict began, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is committed to supporting capacity development of the mine action sector in order to ensure mine action is an essential, integrated part of all recovery efforts in Sudan. 

In May 2026, with support from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, DRC delivered the first Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Level 2 training conducted in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict.  

The intensive 25-day course, led by DRC Sudan’s Technical Adviser and supervised by the National Mine Action Centre, successfully brought together 15 personnel from Sudanese national mine action organisations and the National Mine Action Centre to upgrade their skills from EOD Level 1 to EOD level 2. 

By graduating 15 new EOD Level 2 operators, the course increased the number of qualified personnel able to respond to growing needs in Sudan by as much as 30%, helping expand the country’s ability to respond to explosive hazards and support safe humanitarian access and recovery efforts. 

The trainings, which combine classroom teaching with intense practical exercises and technical assessments, are particularly designed to support participants with these changes to the nature of explosive threats, from largely on rural minefields to dense urban areas used as battlefields. 

Training these fifteen mine action professionals from level 1 to level 2 is both an opportunity for professional development, allowing these operators to take up higher positions within their organizations, but also critical for the expansion of the sector.  

The course included advanced techniques, such as building search and urban clearance operations. Operators trained to EOD Level 2 are qualified to move, transport, and destroy multiple types of unexploded ordnance found in urban environments, where explosive items often cannot be safely destroyed where they are found.  

Graduates are equipped to take on positions as team leaders within their organisations, roles that have been particularly affected by shortages of trained personnel. By growing the number of qualified supervisors available, national mine action organisations will be able to deploy additional clearance teams and scale up operations in response to growing contamination risks across Sudan.

For participants like Mohammed, the training also represented a personal milestone. 

Mohammed began working in mine action 17 years ago as an assistant cook with a demining team. Over time, he has worked his way up to become a deminer and later an EOD Level 1 operator.  

Reflecting on the course, he explained how the conflict has transformed the nature of explosive threats in Sudan: 

“There have been many recent changes in the field of mine action in Sudan due to the current conflict. New types of explosive ordnance which were previously unfamiliar to us have appeared.  

Through this course, we became familiar with many of these new threats and gained the knowledge to deal with them safely if encountered in the field.”

By strengthening national expertise and leadership, we ensure Sudanese organisations are equipped to address the country’s rapidly evolving contamination crisis, and that mine action is recognised as a critical foundation for humanitarian access, safe returns and long-term recovery. 

DRC plans to conduct additional certification courses for Sudanese national NGOs at the Omdurman Regional Training Centre in the coming months.