To mark Poland’s official withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention or the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, Julia Głębocka, Human rights researcher for Amnesty International Poland, reflects on what the return of these indiscriminate weapons means for human rights in Europe.
Not so long ago, in 2020, the European Union was funding mine relief efforts in Lebanon and hoping to see an anti-personnel mine-free world within five years. HALO Ukraine, an EU-supported organization, had already been making tangible change, removing explosives from Ukrainian soil since 2016. In Chad, the EU-funded project PRODECO, was reintegrating anti-personnel mine victims into society through long-term medical care and rehabilitation, as well as supporting demining efforts.
Read more…
Source: Reliefweb News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Serbia: Explosives found near gas pipeline to Hungary
April 5, 2026
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said army and police found two backpacks containing explosives on Sunday near a gas pipeline to Hungary, prompting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to convene an emergency defence council meeting. The backpacks, containing “two large packages of explosives with detonators”, were found in Kanjiza in northern Serbia, “a few hundred metres from ...
- Ukraine: Over 100,000 sq km of land still potentially dangerous due to mines
April 5, 2026
More than 100,000 square kilometers of Ukraine’s territory remain potentially hazardous. The Office of the President of Ukraine reported this on Facebook on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. “More than 100,000 square kilometers of our country still remain potentially dangerous. But Ukraine is doing everything to increase ...
- Northern Ireland: Security alert in north Belfast ends after hoax device found
April 3, 2026
Police confirmed that the suspicious object discovered at the Workman Avenue peace gate was an elaborate hoax. The alert began around 11:45am, leading to the evacuation of residents and closure of nearby roads. Ammunition Technical Officers carried out a controlled explosion before reopening the area and allowing residents to return home. The object was found at ...
- UK: AI-powered drones to detect explosive threats and protect military personnel
April 2, 2026
UK military personnel are set to be better protected on the battlefield as a result of trials which demonstrate cutting-edge AI in drones can rapidly recognise new threats, such as landmines and other explosive ordnance. The major trial by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) on behalf of the British Army allowed bomb-disposal experts to ...
- Northern Ireland: Hijacked car driven to police station in Lurgan contained improvised bomb
March 31, 2026
Irish nationalist militants were likely behind the hijacking and placing of an improvised explosive device in a food delivery vehicle that was ordered to drive to a Northern Irish police station before the device was made safe, police said on Tuesday. The fast food delivery driver was forced to stop by two masked men at around ...
- Finland: Expert suggests stray drone exploded on impact
March 30, 2026
One of the two drones that strayed into eastern Finland on Sunday morning likely exploded on impact, according to former Finnish Defence Forces research chief Jyri Kosola. Finnish authorities have not confirmed this theory. Kosola, who is also a retired military officer and non-fiction author, said he based his hypothesis on his own personal knowledge and ...
- UK: Unexploded WW2 mortar shell safely removed from Epsom council offices
March 30, 2026
An unexploded World War II mortar shell has been safely removed from the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council offices, allowing the town centre to fully reopen to the public. Earlier today, a member of the public brought the mortar shell to the council’s front counter, prompting the evacuation of staff from the building. Homes within a ...
- Malta: Armed Forces detonate World War II bombs found in Rabat and Birżebbuġa
March 29, 2026
Over the weekend, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team from the Armed Forces of Malta were called out to two reports of unexploded World War II ammunition. Yesterday evening, the EOD Team responded to a call in a residence in Rabat following a report of a suspected item of wartime origin. The item was identified as a ...
- France: Authorities detained two more suspects over foiled Paris Bank of America attack
March 29, 2026
French authorities have arrested two more suspects over a foiled attack on Bank of America’s Paris offices, the country’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said on Sunday. “Two further individuals were taken into police custody last night as part of the investigation launched on March 28, 2026 into the offences committed against Bank of America,” the prosecutor’s office ...
- Czech Republic: A newly formed militant group ‘Earthquake Faction’ claimed responsibility for arson attack on defense site
March 29, 2026
A new militant group named The Earthquake Faction has claimed responsibility for the arson attack on a defense facility in the Czech Republic linked to Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. On March 20, a fire broke out in the complex of Czech defense firm LPP Holding. Czech investigators confirmed the fire was deliberately set. Shortly after ...
- France: Police thwart ‘terror attack’ at Bank of America building in Paris
March 28, 2026
Authorities in France are investigating an attempted terror attack in which a man allegedly tried to detonate an explosive device in Paris, according to officials. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez congratulated French police for thwarting the “violent” attack in Paris overnight Saturday. Police had noticed two men with a shopping bag outside the building, RTL France, ...
- Czech Republic: Molotov cocktails thrown at Russian House in Prague
March 27, 2026
“Since yesterday evening, we have been investigating an attack in which someone threw several Molotov cocktails at the Russian House on Na Zátorce street, Prague 6,” Czech police announced earlier this morning on X. Authorities were still searching for the unknown perpetrator, who quickly fled the scene, on Friday morning. No one has been reported hurt ...
- Greece: WWII shell found in Pefki safely removed
March 26, 2026
Italian World War II shell discovered by children at a construction site was successfully defused and removed in a controlled military operation. A World War II-era Italian shell discovered yesterday in Pefki has been safely removed following a carefully coordinated military operation early Thursday morning, March 26, 2026. According to reports, the 11- and 12-year-old children ...
- Turkey: Turkish-operated oil tanker targeted in attack near Istanbul
March 26, 2026
A foreign-flagged, Turkish-operated crude oil tanker was targeted on Thursday in an attack in the Black Sea near Istanbul, Türkiye’s transport minister said, adding that no casualties were reported among the crew. The vessel, named Altura, carrying around 140,000 tonnes of crude oil, was struck, with the engine room as the apparent target, Transport and Infrastructure ...
- Cyprus: Bomb destroys florists’ storefront in Limassol
March 26, 2026
A bomb exploded at a florists in Limassol in the early hours of Thursday, causing extensive damage to the shopfront. The police said an improvised explosive device was detonated at around 1.30am on Thursday outside the flower shop belonging to a 49-year-old woman. The blast caused extensive damage to the shop’s display window and two vehicles ...