Landmine Monitor 2024: States Must Reaffirm their Commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty

Published on November 20, the Landmine Monitor 2024 reports at least 5,757 casualties, representing an increase of 22% from 2022 (4,709 casualties). 84% of the victims were civilians.

This high number for the ninth-year running is mainly due to the increase in armed conflicts and the growing use of improvised landmines since 2015.

States parties will gather in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from November 25 to 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, which has proven to save lives. The host country, Cambodia, which had over 800 mine victims in 2000, has now less than 30.

Anne Héry, HI Advocacy Director, states:

“Year after year, the annual number of landmine casualties remains very high: Conflicts are increasing, 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, violence has significantly decreased in Yemen since a truce in October 2021. Still, 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.”

High Number of Casualties for Nine Years Running

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.

Casualties Recorded in 55 States

In 2023, landmine and explosive remnant casualties were recorded in 55 states and other areas. The 10 countries with the most recorded casualties were Myanmar (1,003), Syria (933), Afghanistan (651), Ukraine (580), Yemen (499), Nigeria (343), Burkina Faso (308), Mali (174), Ethiopia (106), and Iraq (102).

New Use of Mines in 2023

Antipersonnel landmines were used by Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, and Russia between mid-2023 and October 2024.

In 2023, Myanmar had the 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 a party to the Ottawa Treaty, used antipersonnel mines in and around Izium in 2022 when the city was under Russian control.

On Nov. 19, the Washington Post reported that the Biden administration intends to transfer antipersonnel landmines to Ukraine.

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 bordering the Sahel region of Africa.

Landmines still contaminate a total of 58 countries and other areas.

Surviving a mine hidden in the forest

Nga Nao, a 33-year-old Cambodian farmer, stepped on an antipersonnel mine while looking for food for his family.

Nga Nao, lives in the village of Tra Paeng Thom in Cambodia's Preah Vihar province. From his wood and stone house nestled behind the rice fields, you can see the peaks of the Dorng Rek mountains on the border between Cambodia and Thailand.

In December 2021, this farmer almost lost his life in these mountains while 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 Nao has returned 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 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 hopes to become a mechanic, as vehicles have always been his passion. “Who knows?” he says, “Maybe one day I'll have my tractor to help me in the fields.”

HI has worked in Cambodia since 1982 and is recognized as a significant 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).

A Region Affected by Decades of Armed Conflict

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.

Siem Reap-Angkor Summit for a Mine-Free World

The Convention's Fifth Review Conference will be held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, November 25-29, 2024. The conference aims to raise awareness of the 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 five 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 first 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 need 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.

“These two survivors will convey their story and emphasize the importance of assisting victims, which is an obligation of States Parties to the Treaty," Héry explains. "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."

Experts are available for interviews upon request.