Five States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention have recently submitted instruments of withdrawal, citing national security and military necessity, while at least one other has taken steps to “suspend” the Convention.
These developments raise important questions about whether anti-personnel mines retain any meaningful military utility in contemporary conflict. In this post, Erik Tollefsen, Head of the ICRC Weapon Contamination Unit and Pete Evans, Head of the ICRC Unit for Arms Carriers and Prevention examine this question from an operational perspective. They argue that advances in technology and the realities of modern warfare have significantly reduced the military relevance of anti-personnel mines, while their humanitarian consequences remain severe.
Read more…
Source: ICRC Blog
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Azerbaijan: Mine explosion in Fuzuli kills ANAMA employee
April 14, 2026
An employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), 31-year-old Mughan Metili, was killed in a mine explosion in the village of Ashagi Abdurrahmanli in the Fizuli district on Tuesday. The pro-government media outlet APA said Metili had stepped on an anti-tank mine during demining operations. Metili’s relative told the pro-government media outlet Qafqazinfo that he ...
- New York: Soldiers test new technology at Fort Drum training exercise
April 14, 2026
The sound of long-range missiles and mortar strikes filled the morning air Tuesday as 10th Mountain Division soldiers trained for battle. The most deployed division of the U.S. Army tested some of the newest technology the Army has. On display, soldiers used one of the Army’s newest pieces of technology, a remotely driven pickup truck, a ...
- Bangladesh: IEDs, anti-personnel mines detected, flammable chemicals seized at Naikhongchhari border
April 10, 2026
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has detected improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and anti-personnel mines along the Naikhongchhari border in Bandarban and seized a significant quantity of flammable chemical substances in separate operations. According to a BGB press release, a patrol team from Naikhongchhari Battalion (11 BGB), under the Ramu Sector, conducted a special operation on April 9 ...
- Danish Refugee Council removes explosive ordnance from key humanitarian infrastructure supporting forced returnees in Afghanistan
April 7, 2026
The Danish Refugee Council has removed ten pieces of explosive ordnance from critical humanitarian infrastructure supporting forced returnees from Pakistan. This explosive ordnance was found following heavy fighting in March at the Torkham border area following the latest round of Pakistan–Afghanistan hostilities. Danish Refugee Council humanitarian mine action teams were called to the area following reports of ...
- Somalia: Army clears IEDs in Middle Shabelle
April 6, 2026
The Somali National Army (SNA) conducted a highly critical mine clearance operation today in the Gololey area, located on the outskirts of Balcad town within the Middle Shabelle region. During the sweep, the specialized Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the Somali National Army successfully located and safely removed an active improvised explosive device (IED). Intelligence ...
- UNSMIL: 63 people killed by landmines in Libya in 2025
April 5, 2026
A total of 63 people, including 21 children, were killed in landmine-related incidents in Libya during 2025, according to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Libyan-led efforts to secure and better manage weapons and ammunition stockpiles and to clear explosive remnants. In a statement issued Saturday marking the ...
- 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 ...
- Iraq reports 30K casualties from unexploded ordnance since 2003
April 4, 2026
Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to kill and maim in Iraq, where thousands of victims over decades underscore one of the country’s most persistent post-war dangers. The threat has lingered for years despite international awareness campaigns and clearance efforts, with the United Nations marking April 4 as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in ...
- Syria: Over 110,000 Mines and war remnants cleared since the start of 2026
April 4, 2026
More than 110,000 mines and explosive remnants of war have been dismantled or destroyed across Syria since the beginning of 2026 by engineering units of the Syrian Arab Army, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Defense on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness. The Ministry’s Media and Communication Department told SANA ...
- Mine action clearing the path to climate resilience and lasting peace
April 2, 2026
In parts of Cambodia, land that once lay unused for years is slowly being reclaimed. For those living decades with the legacy of conflict, fields and forests were not simply unproductive–they were unsafe. Families avoided their own land, knowing that what lay beneath the soil could be deadly. Across many parts of the world this reality ...
- 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 ...
- Invest in Peace; Invest in Mine Action
April 1, 2026
The world marks the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, reaffirming the essential role mine action plays in securing peace, enabling recovery, and driving sustainable development. This year’s global theme, “Invest in Peace, Invest in Mine Action,” highlights a fundamental truth: peace cannot be sustained where landmines, cluster munition ...
- Every Step Could be a Threat: Children and Explosive Remnants of War
April 1, 2026
In conflict and post-conflict settings, children face daily the risk of being killed or maimed from mines and explosive remnants of war. On the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, calls for urgent and renewed attention and resources for ...
- Syria: Two members of engineering teams injured in landmine explosion in northern Al-Raqqah
March 31, 2026
Two members of an engineering unit specialized in mine clearance, affiliated with the Syrian Army’s 72nd Division, were injured due to the explosion of an old landmine while they were attempting to dismantle it in Ain Issa town in northern Al-Raqqah countryside. War remnants are prevalent over large geographical areas in Syria amid a complete absence ...
- Thailand: Mine clearance stepped up on Sa Kaeo border as more than 60,000 sq m remain high-risk
March 28, 2026
Burapha Task Force says it has cleared 39,100 sq m of a nearly 100,000-sq-m suspected hazardous area on the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo, but more than 60% remains dangerous. A POMZ-2 anti-personnel mine was recently found and removed. Burapha Task Force, through Humanitarian Mine Action Unit 1, on Saturday entered the Thai-Cambodian border area to ...