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 …

Undersecretary Silli reaffirms Italy’s international commitment to humanitarian action against anti-personnel mines

Italian Undersecretary Silli today chaired the 27th Meeting of the National Committee for Humanitarian Action against Anti-Personnel Mines (CNAUMA) held in Rome. The meeting represents a key opportunity to exchange views with administrations and associations working in the sector. “Humanitarian Read More …

GICHD Insights: Towards The Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

The Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) will open in Siem Reap-Angkor, Cambodia, on 25 November 2024. To contribute to preparations for this event, the GICHD is launching a series of issue briefs on selected thematic Read More …

Cambodia highlights challenges for mine-free efforts

While praising the international community’ successes towards achieving the objectives of the Oslo Action Plan, Cambodia has pointed out that several significant challenges remain. In his opening remarks at the “Preparing for Success at the Fifth Review Conference of the Read More …

Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention – Intersessional meeting – EU Statement on Victim Assistance

The European Union has been resolutely engaged in favour of mine victims and persons with disabilities through its policies and assistance, in particular in the implementation of the Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/257 which provides for national stakeholder dialogues to encourage Read More …

Yemen: Houthi Landmines Claim Lives, Livelihoods

Landmines laid by Houthi forces and others in Yemen continue to kill and cause serious injuries to civilians in areas where active hostilities have ceased and are preventing farmers from accessing their land, Human Rights Watch said today. Yemeni law Read More …

Cambodia: Thuch backs Ukraine’s participation in Summit to address HRW allegations

The 2024 Ottawa Convention Conference chair Ly Thuch has endorsed Ukraine’s participation in the Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World in November, amid allegations of the Ukrainian military’s use of banned antipersonnel mines. This support is in response to Read More …

Ghana: Let’s unite to fight dangers caused by anti-personnel mines

Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, has urged the Economic Community of West African States and nations within the Sahel to unite and mitigate humanitarian crises caused by improvised anti-personnel mines. He also asked them to engage in constructive Read More …