Finland and Lithuania set to produce anti-personnel mines

Lithuania and Finland look set to start domestic production of anti-personnel landmines next year to supply themselves and Ukraine because of what they see as the military threat from Russia, officials from the two NATO member states told Reuters. The Read More …

Ukraine on track to withdraw from Ottawa anti-personnel mines treaty

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war. Read More …

Finland exits landmine ban treaty amid defence shift

The Finnish Parliament has approved the government’s proposal to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, reversing the country’s long-standing commitment to banning anti-personnel landmines. The decision passed with 157 votes in favour and 18 against, with no abstentions and 24 members Read More …

UN: Guterres to launch life-saving campaign strengthening mine action worldwide

The UN Secretary-General is set to launch a global campaign to boost support for disarmament and mine action. António Guterres announced the move in a statement issued on Monday, in response to plans by several UN Member States to withdraw from Read More …

Landmines imperil the EU’s moral compass

The European Union has long stood at the forefront of the fight against anti-personnel landmines. Its early and active support for the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty reflected a shared European belief: that these weapons are inherently inhumane, fundamentally indiscriminate, and Read More …

Campaigners sound alarm as European nations move to exit landmine ban

Rights groups have expressed alarm and warned of a slippery slope of again embracing one of the world’s most treacherous weapons, after five European countries said they intend to withdraw from the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. In announcing their Read More …

Finland’s planned exit from landmine ban draws sharp criticism from Amnesty

The Finnish government’s decision to prepare for withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines risks weakening international law and damaging Finland’s global reputation, Amnesty Finland said on Monday. The treaty, which prohibits the use, production, storage and transfer of Read More …

Charities call for more global action on International Day for Mine Awareness

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 Read More …

Which countries are quitting a key landmine treaty and why?

NATO members Poland, Finland and all three Baltic states have queued up over the past few weeks to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, in the face of what they say are growing military threats from Russia. The Read More …

Finland: Move to leave convention banning anti-personnel mines could put civilian lives at risk

Reacting to news that the Finnish government has initiated the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa convention, a landmark treaty prohibiting the use of anti-personnel mines, Esther Major, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Research in Europe, said: “The Finnish government’s Read More …

New Frontlines and an Uncertain Future for Mine Clearance in Colombia

Nearly a decade after the landmark 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and a communist guerilla group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the prevalence of landmines remains a critical issue in the country. As mine Read More …

Britain urged to join allies in pulling out of landmine treaty

Britain has been urged to withdraw from the key landmine and cluster bomb treaties to counter the deteriorating global security situation, former defence secretary Ben Wallace has said. With Russia’s military might growing and the US disengaging from Nato, Mr Read More …

Poland and Baltic states want to exit landmine treaty over Russia’s military threat

Poland and the Baltic states said on Tuesday that they want to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel mines, citing Russia’s growing military threat. In a joint statement, the defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said they Read More …

Europe faces return of landmines as defence against Putin

Britain and its European allies must urgently regain the ability to deploy landmines if they are to be able to counter the “terrifying” threat posed by Russia, experts have warned. Finland, a new member of Nato in the wake of Read More …

Anti-Tank Mines Relevant, as Seen in Russia-Ukraine War

The war in Ukraine serves as a stark reminder that the strategic environment can shift rapidly, and policy and military doctrine must adapt accordingly. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine demonstrates how anti-tank mines can be effectively employed to Read More …

Human Rights Watch Q&A: US Antipersonnel Landmine Transfers

On November 20, 2024, the administration of United States President Joe Biden announced the transfer of antipersonnel landmines to Ukraine, reversing a longstanding US prohibition. An additional transfer of antipersonnel mines was announced on December 2. The announcements did not Read More …

Cambodia: Summit on Mine-Free World marks historic commitment to eradicating landmine threats

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 Read More …

Don’t condemn the US decision to give anti-personnel mines to Ukraine

In Ukraine, it’s not just the frontline that’s a minefield. The decision of the United States to offer landmines to Ukraine, a signatory of the landmine ban treaty, creates as much of a diplomatic minefield as a military one. Landmines Read More …

Ukraine to get US land mines for use against Russian forces

US President Joe Biden has approved providing antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine in what has been seen as another policy reversal on weapons provided to Kyiv by the outgoing United States administration, according to reports. The US expects Ukraine to Read More …

Key findings from the Clearing the Mines 2024 report

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, Read More …