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Humanitarian Mine Action

85 % of landmine victims are civilians

© Mike Kollöffel

More than 110 million mines

It is estimated that there are approximately 110 million mines globally but despite the large number the actual problem is not the number of mines in the ground and potential direct consequences of those as reflected in injured people, but the way mines and the fear of mines severely hampers development in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Landmines - the 'cheap soldier'

Antipersonnel mines are designed to maim or kill and were developed primarily as a defensive military weapon but have in many conflicts been directly targeting civilians. Mines can be also characterised as a ‘cheap soldier’ which does not require rest, food or pay – they production cost is about $ 1 but once they are in the ground the price for finding them and destroying them is about $ 1,000.

In many conflicts the creation of mine maps is not followed strictly which means that civilians, soldiers, peacekeepers or aid workers cannot know if they have entered a minefield. Rain and heavy storms can shift the minefields so without any clear records and with the impact of weather, clearing the mines becomes a daunting task. But the clearance (as daunting as it is) is still a crucial precondition for the return of refugees and people displaced in the conflict as well as for any relief and development activities to take place in a post-conflict country.

From 1999 to September 2004, Landmine Monitor has recorded more than 42,500 new landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) casualties from incidents in at least 75 countries. However, many casualties go unreported and the full number of casualties is certainly much higher, probably in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 new casualties a year.

For an overview on mine affected counties please download file below: