UN sounds alarm on landmine deaths amid funding cuts for demining
UN Reports Increase in Landmine Casualties Amid Funding Challenges
UN Reports Increase in Landmine Casualties Amid Funding Challenges
The United Nations has reported a rise in landmine-related casualties due to decreased funding for demining programs. International experts convening in Geneva highlighted the ongoing dangers posed by remnants of past and current conflicts, which continue to affect civilians frequently.
The UN Mine Action Programme (UNMAS) noted that while mine clearance efforts in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Sudan are adequately funded, critical shortages exist in Afghanistan and Nigeria. According to Christelle Loupforest, UNMAS's representative in Geneva, demining initiatives in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are at risk of shutting down by March without additional donor contributions.
Particularly in Sudan, landmine clearance teams face significant challenges as 1.5 million civilians have returned to the conflict-affected capital, Khartoum. The city was the initial focal point of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
UN Reports Increase in Landmine Casualties Amid Funding Challenges The United Nations has reported a rise in landmine-related casualties due to decreased funding for demining programs.
Currently, only five UNMAS clearance teams are operational in Sudan, all of which are stationed in Khartoum due to the substantial need, as stated by Sediq Rashid, the UNMAS chief in Sudan. Concerns also extend to the city of al-Fasher, which experienced a prolonged siege, and where the presence of landmines complicates humanitarian access.
In Nigeria, demining teams express concern over the closure of camps for displaced communities, which may lead individuals to unknowingly return to areas with hidden unexploded ordinances. Edwin Faigmane, Chief of the Mine Action Programme in Nigeria, reported that 80% of civilian casualties occur in 11 of the 15 designated return areas.
In response, UNMAS has provided training to Nigerian security forces, police, and civil defense personnel on risk education in regions characterized as challenging to access.
Experts emphasize that mine action initiatives, often seen as recovery programs, serve as critical emergency humanitarian interventions that are essential for saving lives.
Based on reporting by Africanews.
