International Mine Awareness Day: Addressing the threat of explosive ordnance in Syria

Since December 8, 2024, Syria has witnessed a tragic rise in casualties from explosive ordnance. Between then and March 25 this year, 748 casualties have been reported— 500 of them since January 1 alone. This, compared to 912 casualties reported for all of 2024. Landmines and explosive ordnance have claimed the lives of children while playing in Dara’a and Hama, women have been injured while collecting firewood or scrap metal in Deir ez Zor and Idleb, farmers have been maimed while working their fields in Douma.

The recent surge in casualties is linked to the developments of the past few months in Syria. Abandoned military vehicles, potentially loaded with ammunition or explosives, and neglected weapons stockpiles have increased civilian exposure. Meanwhile, military strikes across the country on weapon and ammunition storage sites have further scattered deadly explosive ordnance, putting more communities at risk. With a growing number of displaced people returning to their locations of origin since December last year, many civilians are unknowingly venturing into hazardous areas after years away from home. The economic crisis has also driven more people to collect scrap metal, including remnants of weapons and explosives from abandoned sites to sell for survival. Finally, in the absence of a comprehensive Mine Action programme in Syria, civilians have increasingly taken it upon themselves to clear or dismantle explosives in the absence of qualified experts —often at great personal risk.

Overall, it is more than half of Syria’s population who faces daily lethal risks, and children are particularly vulnerable, with one in three casualties from explosive ordnance being a child. But the impact of the issue extends far beyond the immediate physical threat of being killed or losing a limb. Because of widespread weapon contamination, communities in many areas across the country face challenges in accessing healthcare, education, and basic necessities as they dread navigating affected areas. Farmers also fear cultivating their land or breed livestock, worsening food insecurity.

On this International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, we must highlight the gravity and urgency of the situation. The ICRC calls for expanded risk education, safer livelihoods, and increased demining efforts to prevent further tragedies. More financial resources and equipment are needed to remove unexploded ordnance and to educate communities on how to protect themselves.    

For years now, we at the ICRC have been working with our partners of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to mitigate the dangers of explosive remnants of war. In 2024 alone, with the support of our organization, 379,300 people participated in SARC-led risk education sessions, and 130,000 received awareness materials. More than 4.5 million SMS messages have warned at-risk communities about explosive ordnance. SARC non-technical survey teams completed 186 reports, mapping the risks in 67 villages and cities, while ICRC clearance teams surveyed 1,815,000 square meters in Aleppo and Rural Damascus, clearing 737,746 square meters and safely destroying 559 explosive devices. These efforts helped 93,500 people – including returnees – regain access to their homes and livelihoods.  

Amra and her family are one amongst the many people who returned home after a year of displacement, to Barlahin in Aleppo, to find their land littered with explosive remnants of war. When her son was injured by one, fear kept her from the soil that once sustained them. Thanks to the ICRC clearance efforts, Amra’s land is now safe. Today Amra can feel the soil of her land with her hands and take care of her olive trees free from fear. 

Additionally, 138 people affected by explosive ordnance have received physical rehabilitation and psycho-social support, free of charge, in SARC or Ministry of Health’s centres supported by the ICRC. Eighteen have been referred for further medical care and 381 have received humanitarian assistance, to resume as much as possible a dignified and self-sufficient life. A landmine survivor Mohammad received a prosthetic leg at the SARC-ICRC Hospital, in Al-Hol. Today he is taking slow, but steady steps in his journey towards the future he dreams of fulfilling. 

Weapon contamination expertise is also integrated into the planning and design of our response programs with assessments conducted to identify hazards and ensure a safe working environment for the teams on the ground. 

The ICRC and SARC remain committed to alleviating the suffering caused by explosive ordnance in Syria. But this work cannot be done alone. Governments, humanitarian donors, and international partners must increase their support for mine action to ensure that civilians can rebuild their lives in safety. All mine action actors including authorities in Syria should embrace mine action organizations and work collectively towards the development of a National Mine Action Authority and in the formation of a National Mine Action Centre. By working together, we can restore hope, rebuild communities, and help families move toward a future free from the hidden and durable dangers of war.

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