Sri Lanka to be declared as a mine-free country by 2020

Sri Lanka acceded to the Mine Ban Convention, very well known as the Ottawa Convention, in 2017 which came into force from 1 June. The objective of the Mine Ban Convention is to end the suffering and casualties caused by Read More …

Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan, the UN DSRSG/RC/HC, representatives of the National Mine Action Authority, and UNMAS Programme Manager visit Kasire Village in Rajaf

A high-level delegation of the Embassy of Japan in South Sudan, the UN, and the representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) visited Kasire Village in Rajaf, on the outskirts of Juba Read More …

CMAC cleared over 30,000 land mines in first 10 months

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) cleared more than 30,000 land mines from 75sq km in the first 10 months of this year, the organisation’s director-general said on Monday. Heng Ratana, speaking at a CMAC meeting, said the organisation aims Read More …

Domestic and international efforts boost landmine cleanup

As many as 2,000 people were killed by post-war landmines between 2010 and 2014, while an estimated 6.1 million hectares accounting for more than 21 per cent of Việt Nam’s land remains contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO). This information was Read More …

200 years to go before Laos is cleared of unexploded US bombs from Vietnam war era

Thanksgiving is an American tradition that is unknown in most of the world. Fifty years ago, however, it landed in Laos, the small, impoverished Southeast Asian nation that was to become perhaps the longest-suffering casualty of the United States’ war Read More …

British bomb disposal expert has emotional reunion with puppy he plucked from rubble of bombed-out school in Syria

A former soldier and the adorable puppy he saved from rubble in war-torn Syria have finally met again after seven months apart in an emotional reunion. Bomb disposal expert Sean Laidlaw, 30, credits tiny dog ‘Barrie’ with saving his life after he Read More …

Myanmar: Civilians bear brunt of landmine explosions in Shan State

Civilians in northern Shan State are bearing the brunt of clashes that have been going on since 2011 between the military and armed ethnic groups, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Landmines and other explosives have killed or injured civilians. During Read More …

U.S. Department of State Provides 600 Million Rupees for Mine Clearance

A delegation from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement visited Sri Lanka from October 8 to 12, 2018 to observe U.S.-funded demining activities and meet with some of the beneficiaries of these projects. The projects Read More …

UNMAS supports UK DFID delegation visit to Mosul

The presence of explosive hazards, including improvised explosive devices in areas liberated from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), will continue to impede security and stability efforts as well as development initiatives until these are cleared and Read More …

Demining squad of the International Mine Action Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation leaves for Laos to assist in mine clearance

In order to fulfil the decision of the President of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the 36-strong demining team of the International Mine Action Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is about Read More …

ISIS booby-trapped hospitals, schools and kids’ playgrounds with explosives as they fled Iraq

Terror state killers have wired multiple graves of up to 4,000 dead men, women and children with devices in a bid to kill heart-broken relatives desperate to retrieve remains for proper burial. The gruesome tactic – now being uncovered across Read More …

EU contributes additional 1.1 mln euros to de-mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The European Union (EU) will contribute an additional 1.1 million euros (1.29 million U.S. dollars) to the de-mining projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), an agreement signed here on Monday shows. The money will be divided in two projects that Read More …

The Government of New Zealand donates USD 160,000 and deploys in-kind specialized personnel to support UNMAS explosive hazard management activities in Iraq

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) welcomes a contribution of NZD 250,000 (USD 160,000) from the Government of New Zealand and is grateful for the deployment of an in-kind Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Threat Mitigation Advisor to support explosive Read More …

Demining Laos: ‘what my team do can save many people’s lives’

For almost four years, Phouviengsavanh “Toui” Keosouphan, 39, has worked to clear Laos’ plague of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Laos has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed nation on the planet per capita, with 29,000 people killed and 21,000 Read More …