Towards Zero Contamination in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Every year on 4th April, the world celebrates the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UNMAS, in collaboration with the Congolese Mine Action Coordination Center (CCLAM), celebrated the Read More …

Iraq: ‘Gentle steps forward’ in restoring Mosul’s Commonwealth war cemetery

There have been “gentle steps forward” in the effort to repair the war cemetery in Mosul, following years of ISIS occupation. Iraq’s second-largest city spent three years under Islamic State’s brutal rule and many of its buildings were destroyed, including Read More …

Venezuela requests support from UN to deactivate anti-personnel mines

In a letter to the United Nations, Venezuela requested technical and technological assistance to deactivate anti-personnel mines, a diplomatic source noted. Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada met on Tuesday with representatives of the UN Service for Mine-Related Activities, and ratified the Read More …

Armed forces of Ukraine and Sweden to cooperate in establishing mine action center

A delegation of the Swedish Armed Forces visited the 8th Chernihiv Training Center of the State Special Transport Service and discussed bilateral cooperation in mine action. “Within the framework of interstate cooperation, Swedish experts discussed the provision of expert assistance Read More …

Cambodia: NPA grants $1.6 million for cluster munition clearance

Cambodia Mine Action Center (CMAC) and Norwegian People Aid (NPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday, granting $1.6 million for cluster munition clearance and surveys. NPA resident representative to Cambodia Rune Kristian Dale-Andresen and CMAC director-general Heng Ratana Read More …

Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency continues to clear Gubadly, Zangilan, Jabrayil from mines

In order to provide power supply to Azerbaijan’s Gubadly, Zangilan and Jabrayil districts, previously liberated from Armenian occupation, de-mining operations are being carried out on the districts, Idris Ismayilov, Head of the Operational Headquarters of the Mine Action Agency of Read More …

Algeria calls on France to compensate 7,300 victims of colonial-era mines

France must compensate the victims of landmines planted by its forces during the colonial era, head of the Algerian National Human Rights Council (CNHD), Bouzid Lazhari, has said, adding that French authorities laid more than nine million mines along Algeria’s Read More …

Laos govt says unexploded bomb-mine (UXO) clearance authority needs more funding

The government has called for more support for UXO clearance operations, with 132,000 hectares of land having been surveyed and confirmed to be contaminated with unexploded ordnance. Director General of the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action Sector under the Read More …

US Embassy in Kabul reaffirms commitment to mine clearance assistance to Afghanistan

The Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Kabul assures that $ 20 million in annual mine clearance assistance to Afghanistan will continue. Ross Wilson said in a series of tweets yesterday evening (15 April) on the occasion of World Read More …

UN: Landmines Still Pose a Threat to Two Million Ukrainians

Around 2 million people – roughly the population of Slovenia – are exposed to the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in eastern Ukraine on both sides of the “contact line”. Ukraine ranks fifth in the world Read More …

Risks of Explosive devices – On International Mine Awareness Day

According to the latest data from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), an international network in which AAR Japan participates, the number of confirmed deaths and injuries due to landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) in 2019 rose Read More …

Zimbabwe without landmines: a crucial step towards development

Lying dormant until triggered by a victim and intended to incapacitate, landmines maim civilians and render vast tracks of land unusable. Mines and unexploded ordnance leave a terrible legacy of war, long after the guns have fallen silent. Hidden from Read More …

‘Complete the work’, rid the world of deadly landmines, UN chief urges

The United Nations Secretary-General has called on the international community to recommit to the target of a mine-free world, urging efforts to “make this the last decade when we need to devote ourselves to this task”. In a message commemorating Read More …

UNMAS Annual Report 2020 is out

Message From The Secretary-General The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is an efficient and effective undertaking that coordinates the United Nations response to explosive ordnance, and deploys teams to survey, clear and dispose of these deadly devices. In any Read More …