Ethiopia Requests UN to Extend Landmine Clearance Deadline for Third Time

Ethiopia has requested the UN to again extend a deadline to clear landmines left strewn by wars old and new, placing people at risk on more than 125 million hectares of land. Ethiopia acceded to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention Read More …

UN Syria Commission finds March coastal violence was widespread and systematic

GENEVA – The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry today published a report on the wave of violence that engulfed coastal and western central Syria from January, finding that acts that may amount to war crimes were committed. The violence – Read More …

Burkina Faso: WFP suspends flights to Solle after explosion

The U.N. World Food Programme said on Wednesday it had suspended flights to the northwestern Burkina Faso town of Solle after an explosion near a helicopter it chartered injured a crew member and a government official. The WFP is trying Read More …

Japan’s aid agency, U.N. sign deal to expand mine action cooperation

The government-backed Japan International Cooperation Agency and a U.N. unit in charge of landmine countermeasures have concluded an agreement to expand their cooperation in disposing of the munitions in Africa and other areas. JICA said the deal with the United Read More …

UN peacekeeping EOD international training program kicks off in China

The UN peacekeeping explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) international training program, jointly organized by the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of China’s Ministry of National Defense and the Chinese PLA Army Engineering University, officially began on Monday in Xuzhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Read More …

Syria: Emergency Minister, International Organizations discuss structure of National Mine Action Center

Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh discussed with representatives of international organizations and UN agencies the draft work plan for the National Mine Action Center in Syria and its structure, in line with humanitarian priorities and international practices. Read More …

UN: Guterres to launch life-saving campaign strengthening mine action worldwide

The UN Secretary-General is set to launch a global campaign to boost support for disarmament and mine action. António Guterres announced the move in a statement issued on Monday, in response to plans by several UN Member States to withdraw from Read More …

UNDP: 16 high-tech underwater drones to boost humanitarian demining in Ukraine

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine has handed over 16 hi-tech uncrewed underwater systems (UUS) to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) and conducted an 8-day training course for SESU specialists on their use. This support was Read More …

UNMAS South Sudan welcomes support from the Government of Japan

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) recently welcomed a contribution from the Government of Japan to support the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) of South Sudan in strengthening its capacity to coordinate and oversee the mine action sector. South Read More …

Chinese peacekeepers start demining in second UNIFIL base

UNIFIL deminers from China started work in a second UNIFIL position this week to clear the base and its perimeter of unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and other explosives from the recent hostilities. The operation is taking place at UN Position 6-50, Read More …

West Africa Capacity-Building Working Group and UNODC Hold Regional Meeting

In 2024, Nigeria experienced 197 attacks from improved explosive devices (IEDs) – an average of nearly one IED attack every two days. Troublingly, the use of IEDs in West Africa is on the rise, with terrorist groups increasingly relying on Read More …

Bosnian centre trains dogs for Ukrainian demining efforts

Mey, a Belgian shepherd, and her trainer Kenan Muftic learned how to effectively detect mines and unexploded ordnance last week, negotiating various obstacles and scenarios in a grass field in Sarajevo’s suburb of Butmir. Since its establishment in 2004, the Read More …

‘Safe futures start here’: UN calls for global action to eliminate mine threat

More than 100 million people worldwide are at risk from landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday, in his message for the International Day for Mine Awareness. “Even when the guns Read More …

UN reaffirms support for Somalia in tackling explosive threats

The United Nations (UN) on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Somalia in the fight against explosive hazards, aiming for a safe and secure future for all citizens. James Swan, UN secretary-general’s special representative for Somalia, said improvised explosive devices 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 …

New understanding cements continued UNIFIL support in demining in south Lebanon

UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday, renewing the UN peacekeeping mission’s support for humanitarian and operational demining in the UNIFIL area of operations in south Lebanon. UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Read More …

British bomb disposal expert injured in Gaza

A British bomb disposal expert has been injured in an attack on a UN facility in the Gaza Strip, the charity he works for has said. The 51-year-old, who was not named, was one of five people injured in an Read More …

Syria: Entire families killed in sectarian violence, UN says

Armed groups killed entire families, including women and children, during an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria last week, the United Nations’ human rights office said on Tuesday. The bloodshed in the coastal heartland of former ruler Bashar al-Assad saw Read More …

UN crew member killed in attack on helicopter in South Sudan

A United Nations helicopter attempting to evacuate South Sudanese soldiers has come under fire near the town of Nasir, the UN mission (UNMISS) there said, resulting in the death of one crew member and several troops. The attack came on Read More …

Somalia: UNMAS handover life-saving equipment to counter the persistent threat of improvised explosive devices

Somalia’s path to self-reliance in national security received a major boost today with the handover of assorted, life-saving equipment to counter the persistent threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). “Given the nature of the IED threat here in Somalia, it’s Read More …