Iraq: Demining agency clears a minefield in Soran independent administration

The General Directorate of the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (MAA) in Erbil on Wednesday announced in a statement that they had defused a number of mines in the Sidekan district of the Soran independent administration. The statement added that Read More …

Lebanon: Chinese peacekeeping engineering contingent to clears eight minefields

BEIJING, June 12 — The handover ceremony for a new batch of minefields cleared by the Chinese peacekeepers was held near the “Blue Line” on the Lebanon-Israel border. The staff of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Command, Read More …

Cambodia: RCAF detachment bound for Chinese mine clearance training

Eight Cambodian soldiers are bound for China, where they will attend a three-month mine clearance training course. The trainees were due to leave for China on June 9, where they will remain until August, said a June 8 social media Read More …

Cambodia: 200 landmines and UXO remnants destroyed in Mondulkiri province

Cambodia took a significant step towards ensuring safety and peace within its borders as competent authorities destroyed remnants of over 200 landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXO) on June 4. The destruction of landmines and UXO took place in the Royor Read More …

The International Mine Action Standards: revamped website now available

The International Mine Action Standards have ensured confidence in mine action efforts around the world for over 20 years, since their initial endorsement by the UN inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action in 2001. In setting the standard for field operations Read More …

South Sudan struggles to clear mines after decades of war as people start returning home

For the first time since fleeing South Sudan’s civil war eight years ago, Jacob Wani returned home excited to rebuild his life. But when the 45-year-old farmer tried to access his land in Eastern Equatoria state’s Magwi County, he was Read More …

UK aid budget cuts have halted vital programmes in Afghanistan

The UK’s aid watchdog has raised concerns over cuts to the humanitarian assistance budget that have led to vital projects in Afghanistan being halted or delayed. In its report, published on Thursday, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact highlighted that Read More …

Over 27,000 explosives removed from Libyan cities in 2022

According to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), 27,400 explosive war remnants were removed from the Libyan cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi and Sirte in 2022. More than 1 million war remnants, which include 82 percent of projectiles Read More …

Cambodia: Lao delegation on Kingdom visit to discuss mine action

A delegation from Laos visited Cambodia and exchanged experiences on mine action and relevant work experiences on management, information gathering, planning and prioritising mine action in the Kingdom. The Lao delegation visited Cambodia in coordination with the Norwegian People’s Aid Read More …

Two percent of BiH territory is mined: “After suffering from landmines, you don’t live, you survive”

The hostilities were over, but there were so many mines that it was impossible to pass. I am not the only one, more of us were injured. Walking through a forest, we came across minefields and that is where got Read More …

Lithuania to assist Azerbaijan in addressing Mine Action

Lithuania will be assisting Azerbaijan in the area of mine action through the EU Team Europe Initiative in 2023, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend. “Azerbaijan is one of Lithuania’s strongest partners in terms of the number of Read More …

Sri Lanka: Army de-miners in full swing to complete de-mining process in North

During the last phase of the Humanitarian Operation, mines remained scattered haphazardly all over the North posing serious threat to human habitation. In 2002, the Sri Lankan Government initiated the National Mine Action Programme aiming to create a mine and Read More …

Cambodia: Kratie on track for ‘mine free’ status in June

Kratie is expected to be declared the next mine-free province in June, becoming the 13th provincial-level region to receive the status, according to Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA). “Thanks to the Read More …

Laos: Over 1.8 mln unexploded bombs cleared since 1996

Over 1.8 million unexploded ordnance (UXO) devices have been cleared from 79,599 hectares of land from 1996 to February 2023, making agricultural land safe for farmers and freeing up other areas for development. The figures were released by Lao Deputy Read More …

Ukraine needs $37 billion for humanitarian demining

Ukraine needs $37.4 billion to carry out humanitarian demining of its lands, the country’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 4, citing an assessment by the World Bank. This sum includes more than $397 million needed just for the Read More …

On international day for mine awareness, UN reaffirms commitment to a mine-free Somalia

Mogadishu – Marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the United Nations today reaffirmed its commitment to supporting efforts to rid Somalia of the threat from explosive ordnance. “Whether measured in the number of casualties Read More …

Angola landmines: The women hunting for explosives left from civil war

An increasing number of women in Angola are working to get rid of the scourge of landmines left from the 27-year civil war, which are still claiming victims long after the fighting finished. “I don’t want my daughter, or any Read More …

UN report reveals 47 mine-contaminated areas in Cyprus

According to data from UNFICYP, 47 suspected hazardous areas in Cyprus could be contaminated with mines and/or explosive remnants of war (ERW), covering roughly 1.7 million square meters of land. A factsheet from UNFICYP, updated in October 2018, shows that Read More …

The deadly legacy of landmines

More than two decades since the adoption of the landmark Mine Ban Treaty and the creation of the UN Mine Action Service, millions of landmines have been destroyed, but land in nearly 70 countries globally is still contaminated and innocent Read More …