Syria remains country hardest hit by landmines due to casualties, says UN official

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - Landmines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices continue to cause death and injury, especially around armed conflicts, with one person on average killed every hour, with Syria hit hardest, a UN official said Friday.

Christelle Loupforest, who heads the UN Mine Action Service in Geneva (UNMAS), said that communities are suffering tremendously from the threats of such weapons and was asked about areas badly affected by the presence of landmines.

"People are not able to move freely, and, and also have to flee from their villages, because it's just too dangerous," she said at a press conference ahead of the April 29-May 1 International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and UN Advisers.

"Syria is a country that I would put on top of the list because if I look at the number of casualties, it still has a huge amount of casualties,” she said.

"If you also look at the casualty level, then you would go for Yemen; we need to do a lot more action in Yemen to reduce the casualties, as there is a massive level of contamination there.

Another area of grave concern is West Africa and the Sahel. Loupforest cited Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Mali, along with Niger, all of which deal with large quantities of improvised explosive devices.

- Gaza debris

UNMAS official Pehr Lodhammar told the same press conference that in the Gaza conflict, there is an estimated 37 million tons of debris and that around 300 kilos (661 pounds) of debris per square meter, or 65% of the buildings destroyed are residential buildings

He said he was unable to say how long it would take to get rid of the unexploded ordinance, but “we're talking about 14 years of work with 100 trucks to remove the rubble, with approximately 750,000 workdays, person workdays to remove the debris.”

Stefano Toscano, director of Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, said: “Today, still, 60 million people are affected in their daily lives by the threat of explosive ordnance, landmines, cluster munition, and improvised explosive devices.”

"So, 60 million people in more than 60 countries and territories are still living with this fear every day. By simply going about their daily tasks, these people can put their lives and livelihoods in danger."

He said this danger stays there during the conflict and after it ends, often for decades.

Toscano said there are around 60 countries and territories globally that are the most contaminated, nations with more than 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles) of contamination.

Afghanistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Türkiye, and Ukraine have the most unexploded ordinances, he said.