Srey Neang, 13-year-old mine/ERW survivor who was injured when she was 4 years old, plays football with her siblings in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia. Landmines were widely used in this province of Cambodia. | © S. Rae / HI
Download the Landmine Monitor 2024 report on its official website
States parties are gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from November 25-29 for the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of Antipersonnel Mines, also known as the Ottawa Convention or Mine Ban Treaty. We urge them to reaffirm their commitment to the treaty that has proved to save lives. Hosting country Cambodia which had over 800 mine victims in 2000 has now less than 30.
“Year after year, the annual number of landmines casualties remains very high: Conflicts are proliferating, and some armies, such as Russia in Ukraine, or Myanmar are using landmines on an extensive scale. Moreover, areas remain contaminated for extended periods, causing casualties long after the violence has ceased. For instance, in Yemen, violence has significantly decreased since a truce in October 2021, but people continue to be victims of the legacy of past battles: In 2023, 499 people were killed or injured by mines in the country. Alarmingly, State parties are being insufficiently vocal in their condemnation of recent uses. In endorsing the Mine Ban Treaty, they agreed to condemn in the strongest possible terms any use of antipersonnel mines by any actor under any circumstances. State parties must reaffirm the importance and effectiveness of the Mine Ban Treaty.”
Anne Héry, HI Advocacy Director
In 2023, some 5,757 people were either killed or injured by landmines or explosive remnants of war. This represents an increase of more than a thousand (16%) in 2022, which saw 4,709 casualties. Civilians represented 84% of recorded casualties in 2023.
Children (1,498 casualties) accounted for 37% of all civilian casualties in 2023.
Landmine and explosive remnants casualties were recorded in a total of 55 states and other areas in 2023. The ten countries with the most recorded casualties in 2023 were Myanmar (1,003) Syria (933) Afghanistan (651) Ukraine (580), Yemen (499), Nigeria (343), Burkina Faso (308), Mali (174), Ethiopia (106) and Iraq (102).
Antipersonnel landmines were used by Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Russia between mid-2023 and October 2024.
In 2023, Myanmar was the country with highest annual number of casualties. Russia has used antipersonnel mines extensively in Ukraine since invading the country in February 2022. It represents the most widespread use of landmines in decades. There is credible information that Ukraine, which is party to the Ottawa Treaty, used antipersonnel mines in and around Izium in 2022, when the city was under Russian control.
Non-state armed groups in at least five states – Colombia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Palestine (Gaza) – also used antipersonnel landmines. Additionally, new use of landmines has been attributed to non-state armed groups in countries in or bordering the Sahel region of Africa.
A total of 58 countries and other areas are still contaminated by landmines.
Nga Nao, 33, lives in the village of Tra Paeng Thom, in Cambodia's Preah Vihar province. From his house of wood and stone nestled behind the rice fields you can see the peaks of the Dorng Rek mountains on the border between Cambodia and Thailand.
It was in these mountains in December 2021 that this farmer almost lost his life while out searching for bees with friends. Nga Nao remembers that he was setting insect traps and, as he went deeper into the forest, he got lost and stepped on an explosive device. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors eventually amputated his left leg below the knee. Nga Nao remained in hospital for three months before beginning his rehabilitation.
HI’s teams provided him with a prosthesis and crutches. Thanks to his prosthesis, Nga Mao has been able to return to work in the rice fields, even if he is “not at his best”, as he says. But he can now again provide for his family, feeding them and giving them access to education and leisure activities. The prosthesis has therefore had a beneficial impact not only on his own condition, but also on the lives of his loved ones. He is focused on just one thing: earning enough money to support his wife and three children.
He still has hopes of becoming a mechanic, as vehicles have always been his passion. “Who knows, he says, maybe one day I'll have my own tractor to help me in the fields.”
HI has been working in Cambodia since 1982, and is recognized in the country as a major disability actor. Although there have been many achievements, we can highlight the following: HI established 7 Physical Rehabilitation Centers, the Spinal Cord Injury center in Battambang, Physiotherapy Technical School for Medical Care (TSMC) in Phnom Penh, the Cambodia Mine/ERW Victim Information System (CMVIS) and Cambodia Road Traffic Accident and Victim Information System (RTAVIS).
After intensive US bombing during the Vietnam War and the three decades of armed conflict that followed, northeast Cambodia is still heavily contaminated by explosive devices, including anti-tank mines, anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance such as mortars, according to the Landmine Monitor.
In addition to the contamination left over from the Vietnam War, the Khmer Rouge made extensive use of landmines to trap men, women and children trying to escape the dictatorial regime between 1975 and 1979.
These explosive remnants of war continue to threaten the safety of civilians and hinder socio-economic development.
The Convention's Fifth Review Conference will be held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from 25 to 29 November 2024. The purpose of the conference is to raise awareness for achievements and challenges of the Mine Ban Treaty, to review the effective implementation of this convention – especially progress on the clearance and destruction of landmines - and to adopt an Action Plan for the next 5 years. HI has invited two landmine survivors to the conference:
Emilie Vath was just 6 years old when she lost her foot in a landmine explosion in Cambodia. She was one of the very first people to be fitted with a prosthesis by HI in its early days. She now lives in France. She will take the floor during the conference to talk about her experience as a survivor and the needs for victim assistance
Srey Neang, 13, had her leg amputated after being injured in an IED explosion when she was 4 years old. She lives in Tha Teav village in Cambodia's Kampong Thom province and has four brothers and sisters. Srey Neang has received five prostheses and follow-up care from HI.
“We will invite two survivors of antipersonnel landmines to the conference. Both women were amputated and now live with prostheses. They will convey their story and emphasize the importance of assisting victims, which is an obligation of States Parties to the Treaty. Victim Assistance is primordial, especially since most landmine accidents happen in low-income countries where health and rehabilitation services are scarce, making it difficult for survivors to rebuild their lives. Survivors need sustainable help. They and their families must be supported.”
Anne Héry, HI Advocacy Director
