Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention to hold its Twenty-Second Meeting of States Parties from 1 to 5 December 2025

The Twenty-Second Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention is being held from 1 to 5 December 2025 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. The Meeting opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, 1 December, under the Presidency Read More …

Switzerland submits objection to Ukraine’s suspension of the Ottawa Convention

Switzerland will object to Ukraine’s decision to suspend the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines. At its meeting on 15 October, the Federal Council considered that such a suspension would be incompatible with Read More …

Europol: 18 arrested in series of strikes against cash machine robbers

Europol together with Dutch and German law enforcement authorities have taken decisive action against a Netherlands-based criminal group believed to be specialised in ATM robberies using explosives. 18 members of the highly specialised criminal group were arrested over a series Read More …

Swiss man arrested over Geneva parcel bomb attacks

A 61-year-old Swiss man was arrested in Geneva on Wednesday morning in connection with the parcel bomb incidents. The arrest was part of a major police operation led by the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and the cantonal police, according Read More …

Switzerland: Parcel bomb explodes in Grange-Canal

A parcel bomb exploded in a letter box in Grange-Canal yesterday afternoon. Geneva police sealed off a large section of the area. A child was injured and taken to hospital. It’s thought there may be a link to the explosion Read More …

Why is Switzerland offering cash prizes to retrieve munitions from lakes?

The Swiss Federal Department of Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) is offering 50,000 Swiss francs ($57,800) for the three best ideas on how to retrieve some 12,000 tonnes of old munitions from the country’s lakes, including Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and Lake Read More …

Switzerland offers cash prize to get munitions out of lakes

Tourists enjoying the picture postcard views of lakes Lucerne, Thun or Neuchatel might be surprised to learn what lies beneath those pristine alpine waters. For years the Swiss military used the lakes as dumping grounds for old munitions, believing it Read More …

Switzerland: Detection of improvised explosive devices – armasuisse takes part in a European Defence Agency project

Bern, 17.07.2024 – Improvised explosive devices are set to be able to be detected quicker and more reliably in the future. The Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse is taking part in a European Defence Agency (EDA) research project on Read More …

Switzerland strengthens humanitarian demining capacities in Ukraine

On 17–18 April, representatives from more than 50 countries and organisations gathered at an international workshop in Kyiv to discuss measures for identifying and clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in Ukraine. Good coordination of national activities and international support is Read More …

Ukraine: International partners have allocated over US$700 million for humanitarian mine action projects

Ukraine’s international partners have allocated more than US$700 million in equivalent funds for humanitarian demining projects between 2022 and 2027. It is noted that the key donors to Ukraine are the USA, Switzerland, Norway, EU countries, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany Read More …

Europe battles gunpowder shortage amid Ukraine war

Hard-to-find gunpowder is hindering Europe’s scramble to provide hundreds of thousands of shells for Ukraine’s defensive effort against Russian invaders, with solutions only starting to emerge. Gunpowder goes into propellant charges that hurl artillery shells — such as the NATO-standard Read More …

Almost €500 million allocated for mine clearance in Ukraine

Ukraine has allocated about €500 million for mine clearance, which will be spent on survey equipment, machinery and equipment for bomb disposal experts. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that taking into account previous support packages, about €500 million have been Read More …

Switzerland allocates CHF 100M for humanitarian demining in Ukraine

The Swiss Federal Council has approved a package of 100 million Swiss francs (almost $110 million) to demine civilian and agricultural areas in Ukraine and help rebuild the country, the Swiss government said this in a press release. “A total Read More …

Ukraine’s allies commit $244 million for humanitarian mine clearance, Kyiv says

Ukraine’s allies have committed to allocating $244 million and providing special equipment for the purpose of humanitarian mine clearance, First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Tuesday. She said the donors included the United States, European Union, Japan, Germany, Read More …

Swiss police arrest man found with explosive traces near country’s parliament

Swiss police arrested a man found with traces of explosives outside the country’s parliament on Tuesday, sparking a security alert that shut down part of Bern for several hours. The man, who has not been named, was stopped by security Read More …

Switzerland: Explosions damaged two ATMs In Aesch

The explosion occurred shortly before 4 a.m., police confirmed. 20 Minuten had reported on the incident first. Two ATMs of Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank are affected. It is unclear how much money the perpetrators looted.No people were injured, police say. However, the Read More …

Europol coordinates action against bomb manuals available online

On 1 February, a large-scale Referral Action Day targeting terrorist content online took place at Europol’s headquarters. The European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) at Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) coordinated the referral activity, which saw the involvement Read More …

Switzerland Avails US$1 Million For Demining In Zimbabwe

Switzerland, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), has provided US$1 million to APOPO Mine Action for clearing a dense minefield in the Sengwe Wildlife Corridor in Southern Zimbabwe for the next two years. The project, meant for Read More …

Switzerland to send demining experts to Sudan

The unarmed experts will support the planning and carrying out of demining operations as part of an international peace mission, according to the defence ministry. Peace and stability in the African country is also in the interest of Switzerland, the Read More …