Syria: Legacy of war still causing mass death and injury, says landmine clearance charity

At least 80 civilians, including 12 children, have been killed by landmines and other explosive debris of war in the month since the Syrian strongman Bashar Al-Assad was toppled on December 8 last year. According to Mouiad Alnofaly, HALO’s Operations Read More …

Cambodia sees spike in landmine, ERW casualties in 2024

Cambodia recorded 49 landmines and explosive remnant of war (ERW) casualties in 2024, up 53 percent from 32 in the year before, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Twelve people were killed, 29 injured, and eight amputated due to landmine and Read More …

Ukraine: Military sappers clear almost 253K ha of lands of mines, UXOs in 2024

Over the year, the demining units of the Defense Ministry cleared almost 253,000 hectares of territories from mines and unexploded munitions and neutralized 137,821 explosive objects. This was reported by the MoD press service, Ukrinform saw. “In 2024, the demining Read More …

Cambodia: CMAA eyes demining 200 sq km of land in 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 Read More …

UNAMA: Landmines still threaten people in Afghanistan

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 Read More …

Vietnam to raise awareness on mine accident prevention and support of victims

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 Read More …

Azerbaijani serviceman receives injury due to mine explosion

“On December 20, at around 12:00, Azerbaijan Army serviceman, Salmanov Ziyad Ilgar was injured stepping on an anti-personnel mine while performing service and combat tasks in the direction of the Sadarak district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on the Azerbaijani-Armenian Read More …

Mexico: 2 more soldiers killed by an improvised landmine, after 2 died earlier this week

Two more members of Mexico’s armed forces have been killed by an improvised landmine, just days after two soldiers died in a similar blast, officials confirmed Thursday. The blasts, both in the western state of Michoacan, mark an unprecedented one-week Read More …

Iraq: Over 500 mines and explosives removed in Duhok

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 Read More …

Mexico: Explosion kills 2 soldiers in suspected booby trap by drug cartel after dismembered bodies found

An improvised land mine apparently planted by a drug cartel killed two Mexican soldiers and wounded five others, Mexico’s defense secretary said Tuesday. Before the blast, the soldiers had discovered the dismembered bodies of three people, officials said. Gen. Ricardo Read More …

Somalia concludes explosive management training with Chinese support

The Somali Explosives Management Authority (SEMA) on Monday concluded a training program aimed at tackling the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war. Funded by the Chinese Embassy in Somalia, the initiative trained 81 participants from federal member states, Read More …

Somalia: Explosions target homes with CCTV, injure five In Mogadishu

At least five people, including children, were injured in a series of landmine explosions in Galmudug village, Garasbaley district, over the past two nights as the number of the people killed in such attacks are increasing. Witnesses said six explosives Read More …

Afghanistan: Unexploded Ordnance Claims 137 Lives in 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 Read More …

Syria: Expert warns of ‘massive’ risk from unexploded ordnance

The extent of unexploded ordnance littering Syria will be “massive” and poses a particular threat to children returning to the country, a landmine-clearing leader has warned. Since the fall of the Assad regime last weekend, the Halo Trust has seen Read More …

Sudan: 42 killed in landmine explosion, paramilitary attacks in Sinnar and Gezira States

In central Sudan, at least 42 civilians were killed in a landmine explosion in Sinnar State on Friday and two attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Gezira State over the past two days, local volunteer groups reported Read More …

UNDP Welcomes EUR 1.5 Million Contribution From Italy To Mine Action Programme In Ukraine

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 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 …

Leveraging new technology for a mine-free future

The devastating legacy of armed conflict – often marked by the indiscriminate use of landmines, improvised explosive devices and other explosive ordnance – poses a significant humanitarian challenge. Innovation in mine action With over 25 years of experience, UNOPS has Read More …

Lebanon: Deminers back in action as critical task awaits in southern Lebanon

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, Read More …

Children at Risk: The Dangerous Impacts of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas

Conflicts across the globe illustrate the devastating humanitarian consequences when urban areas become theatres of war. The use of explosive weapons in these environments carries numerous implications for civilians, including children. What is being done at the international level, and Read More …