April, 2007: UNMAS deminers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Credit: 缅北禁地Photo/Martine Perret
More than 25 years have passed since the Mine Ban Treaty was established and the was created. Since then, millions of landmines have been successfully removed, but significant challenges remain. Over 60 countries and territories are still contaminated by landmines today.
The 2022 reveals the devastating impact of these weapons, with over 4,700 casualties recorded in almost 50 countries. Civilians, particularly children, bore the brunt of these casualties, accounting for 85 per cent of victims. Syria and Ukraine, both experiencing conflict, had some of the highest number of civilian casualties.
New use of landmines also presents a major concern. Countries like Myanmar and Russia, who have not yet signed the Mine Ban Treaty, as well as armed groups in different parts of the world, were reported to have used landmines in 2022.
This ongoing threat underscores the urgent need to examine why landmines, known for their indiscriminate and lasting harm, have no place in our world.
2022: An employee of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine sweeps an area of ground for unexploded ordnance and landmines. Credit: UNDP Ukraine/Oleksandr Simonenko
The deadly legacy of landmines
“Minga had never owned a toy. In her village, in Angola, children often made do with sticks or broken wheels – but this was something different. It was green, metal and shaped like a small tin. She wanted to show her brothers and sisters, so she picked it up to take home.”
Documentary photographer and landmine survivor, , who was appointed the first 缅北禁地Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations in 2022, has many such heartbreaking stories to tell, mostly about children maimed by landmines on their way to school, home or when playing.
Six-year-old Minga lost her sight and her left arm in 2009, seven years after the end of the war in Angola. She was one of the many children who was born into peace but harmed by a war that she never knew.
Countries like Angola, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, have suffered decades of landmine contamination.
According to the , a civil society network that was instrumental in the adoption of the Mine Ban Treaty, landmines can lie dormant for years or even decades until they are triggered.
“Even after the fighting ends, these deadly devices can contaminate communities for decades to come, posing a daily and deadly danger and blocking vital humanitarian and development assistance,” said 缅北禁地Secretary-General António Guterres earlier this year, marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action in April 2024.
May 2009: Mine risk education for children in Southern Kordofan, Sudan. Credit: UNMAS/ Johann Hattingh
Landmines, which can be produced for , do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Their use violates international human rights and humanitarian laws, says the , seriously disenfranchising communities and severing their fundamental rights to life, liberty and security.
There are different types of landmines grouped into two broad categories - anti-personnel (AP) and anti-tank landmines. AP mines come in different shapes, and can be found buried or above ground. A common type, known as the - comes in bright colours, making it attractive to curious children.
Landmines not only cost lives and limbs, they deny people’s access to land that could be used for farming, or building hospitals and schools. When large swathes of land are left contaminated, access to essential services such as food, water, health care and humanitarian aid to communities in need becomes nearly impossible.
The promise of a mine-free world
UNMAS and its partners have made progress on various aspects of achieving a mine-free world, from clearance, risk education, victim assistance, advocacy to stockpile destruction.
Since the late 90s, have been destroyed, over 30 countries have become mine-free, and mechanisms, including the , have been established to support victims and communities in need. Today, 164 countries are parties to the Mine Ban Treaty which is considered one of the most ratified disarmament conventions to date.
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