UN: At least 58 countries and territories are contaminated with landmines

United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has announced that at least 58 countries and territories worldwide are contaminated with anti-personnel landmines. Türk noted that heavy civilian casualties have been recorded in Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

According to information based on data from the UN's Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, at least 945 people lost their lives and 4,325 were injured due to landmines and explosive remnants of war in 2024 alone.

Emphasizing that landmines continue to claim lives even years later, Türk said, "It is deeply concerning that, despite nearly 30 years having passed since the adoption of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, these explosive weapons continue to kill and injure people, often decades after they were laid."

The report stated that among victims whose status as military or civilian was known, civilians accounted for approximately 90 percent of the total casualties recorded in 2024. The UN Human Rights Office also reported that more than 40 percent of civilian casualties linked to landmines recorded since 1999 have been children.

THE GRAVEST SITUATION IS IN MYANMAR, SYRIA, AND AFGHANISTAN

In 2024, the highest number of casualties was recorded in Myanmar with 2,029. This country was followed by Syria with 1,015 casualties and Afghanistan with 624. More than 200 casualties were reported in each of Ukraine, Nigeria, Mali, Yemen, and Burkina Faso.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines also announced in a separate statement that mines, cluster munitions, and explosive remnants of war killed or injured more than 5,000 people in 2025. According to the campaign, the vast majority of these casualties were again civilians.

The UN emphasized that mines do not only cause death and maiming; they also render some regions inaccessible, restrict access to basic rights, prolong displacement, and prevent the use of agricultural land.

Türk called on states to renew their commitments to ending the production, use, and transfer of mines. He stated that international cooperation must be increased to clear mines that have already been laid.

Although 162 states are parties to the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention, according to the UN, some countries with significant mine stockpiles have still not joined the convention. It was noted that Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland recently withdrew from the convention, and Ukraine has suspended its implementation.

Türk stated that states that have not yet ratified the convention should do so without delay, and countries that have withdrawn should rejoin. The UN official also welcomed Lebanon's recent decision to join the Ottawa Convention despite the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The report also noted that contributions to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action have declined from 125 million dollars to 46 million dollars in the seven years leading up to 2025.

News Source: 12punto