ver 6,000 landmine incidents in 2024, mostly civilians, marking the highest toll since 2020
Old landmines that Thailand says were detonated and recovered near the disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia are displayed during a media visit organized by the Royal Thai Army, following a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, in Surin province, Thailand, August 20, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
Deaths and injuries from landmines and unexploded ordnance hit a four-year high in 2024, driven by conflicts in Syria and Myanmar, a new report showed on Monday. The data comes as several European countries move to withdraw from a treaty banning landmine use, citing the threat of Russian aggression.
More than 6,000 incidents were recorded last year, including 1,945 deaths and 4,325 injuries, the highest annual total since 2020, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report. Nearly 90% of victims were civilians, with almost half women and children.
The surge was concentrated in conflict zones in Syria and Myanmar. In Syria, returning residents face increased risks from unexploded ordnance following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, the report said.
Myanmar recorded more than 2,000 incidents, the highest of any country, due to increased mine use by both the army and non-state armed groups, it added.
European countries seek exit from landmine ban
Several European states are seeking withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines. The treaty, which came into force in 1999, prohibits 166 states from using, stockpiling, producing and transferring anti-personnel mines, and obliges them to clear contaminated areas and assist victims.
Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Convention on June 29, with military analysts saying the move could help slow Russian advances. Russia and Myanmar, neither of which signed the treaty, used landmines extensively last year, the report said.
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are also moving to exit the convention, citing what they say are mounting military threats from Russia.
“A few states have taken actions that concretely threaten the continued health of the convention,” Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, Landmine Monitor 2025 ban policy editor, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Action programs hit by funding cuts
Donor funding cuts, including from the United States, led to reduced survivor support and the termination of several humanitarian mine action programmes compared with previous years, the report said.
Looking ahead to 2026, “it’s likely that all states could see a decline in funding,” said Ruth Bottomley, Landmine Monitor 2025 mine action funding research lead.
Mine action programmes have ended in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Colombia, Tajikistan and Zimbabwe following cuts in U.S. support, which previously made up a third of total international funding, Bottomley added.
States party to the Mine Ban Treaty are meeting in Geneva this week.
