As of today, 58 States and two territories remain contaminated with anti-personnel mines, and the need for focused and unwavering commitment to get all of them over the finish line by completing clearance is as important as ever.
In 2023, global mine clearance of 237 square kilometres was the highest ever recorded, with 192,563 AP mines destroyed during land release and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) spot tasks. While these are impressive numbers, it is important to note that only a handful of countries account for the majority of the clearance and that in more than a quarter of those with a landmine problem, no clearance is reported to have taken place in 2023.
Read more…
Source: Reliefweb
Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter
Related:
- Australia allocated supplementary funding to enhance Cambodia’s mine clearance initiatives
January 31, 2025
The Government of Australia has allocated an additional AUD 2 million to support the Royal Government of Cambodia’s efforts to achieve a mine-free status by 2030 through the Clearing for Results Project, implemented by the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). A new Contribution Agreement was signed ...
- UK Mine-clearing charity given £7m to continue work in Ukraine and Afghanistan
January 22, 2025
A landmine clearance charity will be given £7 million to continue its “life-saving” work in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The UK Government cash for the Hazardous Area Life-support Organisation (Halo) Trust will enable the charity to make land safe for agriculture in Ukraine, and to restore basic services affected by the threat of explosives in Afghanistan. Development ...
- Cambodia extends mine-free goal to 2030
January 19, 2025
Cambodia has extended its mine-free goal to 2030 from the previous 2025 target, due to geographical difficulties for mine search and clearance along the border, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) said on Sunday. Lang Kosal said minefields along the Cambodia-Thailand border are located in extremely difficult geographical mountainous terrain ...
- Libyan authorities destroy 2 tons of explosive war remnants
January 17, 2025
The Libyan Ministry of Interior on Thursday announced destroying two tons of explosive remnants of war in the city of Misurata, some 200 km east of the capital Tripoli. ” The Security Inspection and Explosives Dismantling Section of the Central Criminal Investigation Department (of the Interior Ministry) destroyed and disposed of two tons of explosive remnants,” ...
- Cambodia: 2 deminers killed as they attempted to render safe anti-tank mine
January 17, 2025
Two Cambodian deminers were killed Thursday as they attempted to remove an anti-tank mine left over from the country’s nearly three decades of war and disorder, authorities said. The Cambodian Mines Action Center, the agency that oversees demining operations, said the two men had been working to clear mines from a farmer’s rice field in northwestern ...
- Iraq: Duhok clears over 540,000 square meters of explosives in 2024
January 16, 2025
On Thursday, the General Directorate for Mine Affairs in Duhok announced its 2024 statistics regarding efforts to remove explosive materials across the governorate. The Head of the Directorate, Shilan Naheli, told Shafaq News that mine clearance teams successfully cleared seven agricultural plots, covering a total area of 540,301 square meters in 2024. She explained that these ...
- Ukraine: 35,000 sq km of land demined in just under three years
January 8, 2025
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mine clearance experts have demined 35,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory, with 17,000 sq km cleared in 2024. Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy said: “As of the end of 2024, 35,000 sq km of Ukrainian land has been checked and cleared ...
- Norwegian People’s Aid Vietnam commences Quality Management Training
January 6, 2025
Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Vietnam has kicked off the new year with a focused Quality Management Refresher Training for its teams in Quang Tri Province. Conducted over two days from January 2-3, 2025, this training marked the formal resumption of work after the holiday break. Led by NPA Vietnam’s Quality Management Coordinator, Le Hoai Niem, the ...
- Cambodia: CMAA eyes demining 200 sq km of land in 2025
January 2, 2025
The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) plans to clear more than 200 square kilometres of land with mines and unexploded ordnance in 2025. This will make land safe for people to live on and cultivate. First Vice-President of the CMAA Ly Thuch said yesterday, “We aim to clear over 200 square kilometres of ...
- Cambodia: CMAC dog handlers complete three-month training in Bosnia
December 30, 2024
The Cambodian Mine Action Centre’s dog trainers arrived back in Cambodia yesterday after completing their three month training and experience exchange in Bosnia through the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) project. Director General of the CMAC Heng Ratana said yesterday that the three month training course in Bosnia, was undertaken by nine people, of which four were ...
- UNAMA: Landmines still threaten people in Afghanistan
December 29, 2024
UNAMA has stressed the urgent need for mine clearance measures in Afghanistan, adding that unexploded ground mines in Afghanistan still threaten people, especially children. Earlier, the HaloTrust mine clearance agency said more than 65 square kilometers of Afghanistan’s territory was contaminated with improvised explosive devices, making it among the four most severely mined countries. It is ...
- Vietnam to raise awareness on mine accident prevention and support of victims
December 25, 2024
By the end of last year, about 5.6 million hectares in Việt Nam were still littered with bombs, mines and explosives left from the resistance wars, equivalent to 17.7 per cent of the country’s land area. The information was disclosed on Tuesday at a conference held by the Việt Nam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) in ...
- Iraq: Over 500 mines and explosives removed in Duhok
December 18, 2024
On Wednesday, the General Directorate for Mine Affairs in Duhok province announced the removal and detonation of over 500 landmines. The Directorate’s Media Official, Reger Besfki, told Shafaq News that a mine and ordnance removal team successfully conducted an operation in the Kawashi village of the Simele (Sumail) district, clearing and detonating 530 explosive devices. Besfki further ...
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Council of Ministers of BiH approved Two Million BAM for Demining
December 17, 2024
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopted the Decision on the Approval of a Multi-Year Project for Co-financing Demining Costs for the Period 2025-2027. This is the first time that significant funds have been allocated from the budget of the institutions ...
- Afghanistan: Unexploded Ordnance Claims 137 Lives in 2024
December 15, 2024
The Directorate of Mine Action Coordination says that since the beginning of 2024, 137 people have been killed and 330 others injured as a result of unexploded ordnance detonations. Nooruddin Rustamkhil, the head of this directorate, told TOLOnews that during this period, 150 square kilometers of land across the country have been cleared of unexploded mines. ...
- UNDP Welcomes EUR 1.5 Million Contribution From Italy To Mine Action Programme In Ukraine
December 13, 2024
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine is to receive a substantial contribution of EUR 1.5 million from the Government of Italy to bolster UNDP’s Mine Action Programme in Ukraine. This funding will significantly enhance efforts to expedite land release operations and build national capacities to address the threats posed by landmines and other explosive ...
- Lebanon: Deminers back in action as critical task awaits in southern Lebanon
December 6, 2024
Despite the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, most of the Lebanese people displaced over the past three months have already started returning to their homes. However, for most, it is not a happy homecoming. According to the World Bank, up to 100,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged, a quarter of the country has been ...
- UNIFIL and UNMAS hail partnership in demining in south Lebanon
December 4, 2024
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) today highlighted the achievements realized together in south Lebanon while vowing to continue the dangerous but life-saving undertaking of clearing landmines. UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary hailed mine action activities conducted jointly with UNMAS and ...
- Ukraine has over 4,000 bomb disposal experts and almost 70 mine action operators
December 2, 2024
The Ukrainian government has reported that the number of certified mine action operators in Ukraine has now reached almost 70, while the number of bomb disposal experts has exceeded 4,000. Moreover, more than 150 pieces of specialised mine action vehicles are in operation in Ukraine. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko at the ...
- Cross-Border Humanitarian Demining
November 29, 2024
This guide is intended to advance the clearance of landmines from border areas when there is political will to do so. More specifically, it is meant inform affected states, as well as donor states, of some of the various approaches and frameworks for planning and implementing cross-border or near-border demining activities. It also identifies some of ...
- Cambodia: Summit on Mine-Free World marks historic commitment to eradicating landmine threats
November 29, 2024
Over 600 participants from 105 countries have convened in Siem Reap for a summit focused on the global campaign to clear landmines. With over 5,000 victims annually and 33 nations still facing landmine hazards, the summit calls for increased international cooperation and resources to protect future generations from the explosive remnants of war. On Wednesday, Ly ...
- Japan donates equipment to enhance Somali Police Force’s mine action unit
November 22, 2024
The Japanese government has donated critical equipment to Somalia’s Police Force Mine Action Unit, to strengthen its capacity to detect and neutralize explosive devices in the country. Somali Police Chief Brigadier General Asad Osman Abdullahi received the equipment during a ceremony in Mogadishu on Thursday. He thanked Japan for its support, describing the donation as vital ...
