Deaths and injuries from landmines and unexploded ordnance rose to their highest level since 2020, driven by escalating conflicts and a growing number of countries pulling out of the international ban, a new report warned on Monday (via Reuters).
The Landmine Monitor 2025 recorded more than 6,000 incidents in 2024, including 1,945 deaths and over 4,300 injuries. Nearly 90% of the victims were civilians, and almost half were women and children.
The sharp rise was fueled by expanding conflict zones in Syria and Myanmar, where returning residents face widespread contamination and both state and non-state forces continue to use mines. Myanmar saw over 2,000 casualties, the highest globally, as fighting intensified across the country.
More countries move to abandon global ban
The report also highlights a worrying shift in Europe, where Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland are all moving to exit the Ottawa Convention, the 1999 treaty banning the use and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.
Ukraine withdrew in June, with analysts saying the move is aimed at slowing Russian advances. At the same time, falling donor funding (including cuts from the United States) has forced humanitarian mine-clearance operations to scale back, leaving fewer resources for victim support and cleanup efforts.
The report cites new evidence of Ukrainian mine use, ongoing deployment by Russia and Myanmar, and Thai accusations that Cambodian forces laid mines during a border clash in July, which Cambodia denies. Member states of the Mine Ban Treaty are meeting in Geneva this week as concerns grow over the treaty's future.