As the world marks International Day of Mine Awareness, charities have issued a renewed call for more global action as demining efforts backslide.
With many Baltic nations stating preparations to withdraw from the international convention against anti-personnel landmines, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines warns that demining efforts are regressing. In March, the defence ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland declared their intention to leave the 1997 anti-personnel mine treaty in the face of the “Russian threat”, a setback to the EU’s 2025 goal of a mine-free world. Mines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices continue to cause death and injury, especially in situations of armed conflict.
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Source: Euronews
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