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According to Landmine Monitor 2020, more than 80 percent of the world – 164 countries – have adopted the Mine Ban Treaty 23 years after it was drafted and signed, and most of the 33 countries that are not bound by it comply. However.
Despite this achievement, long-standing conflicts continue to cause primarily civilian casualties, while other dangers that require action include the new use of improvised landmines by non-state armed groups and a decline in global assistance for anti-state activities mines.
By 2019, “we recorded about 2,200 people dead of those 5,545 victims overall,” said Loren Persi, leader of The International Campaign to Ban Landmines / Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) Landmine Monitor 2020 Impact research team, in a virtual press conference moderated by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in Geneva.
Mr. Persi added that the proportion of people killed to injuries indicates very clearly “that there were many, many more casualties and that people who were injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war are not being properly recorded in many countries where there are conflicts ”.
Young lives shattered
Most of the victims are civilians, in part because they lack the access to emergency assistance that military targets have at their disposal, and men make up more than eight in 10 victims, journalists heard.
“Seven years ago, we hit a record low of new landmine casualties,” said Persi. “But this achievement has been undone and we are seeing a higher number of civilians killed and injured. Interestingly, almost half of all these victims are children. We need to act now to reverse this trend, save lives, and address trauma and suffering with much-needed help. “
While landmine awareness plans are a proven way to keep communities safe, accidents involving civilians are often related to the need to work or find food, said Ruth Bottomley, Monitor’s research specialist and expert on pollution, cleaning and risk education.
His comments are consistent with the Monitor’s data showing that 2019 also saw a reduction in global funding for mine action, with 45 affected donors and states contributing approximately $ 650 million, a seven percent decrease from. to 2018.
Pay a price for taking risks
“Men have always been one of the hardest groups for us educational operators to reach, in part because they are often away from home and outside the community,” with a focus on earning a living, he said.
“But also because those subsistence activities often lead them to mined areas, for example through agriculture, forestry, hunting; and they are also more likely to take intentional risks. “
Despite some improvements in the provision of services to victims of landmines, improvised or not, or unexploded ordnance by some States Parties, the Monitor noted that “accessibility gaps continue to exist in all countries” .
UNMAS / Gwenn Dubourthoumieu
A demining in training in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Pandemic, conflict: a deadly combination
The COVID-19 pandemic and related movement restrictions have also prevented survivors and other people with disabilities from accessing services in several mine-affected countries, he added, also noting that children account for 43% of victims. civilians.
“The conflict continues in several states parties, so Afghanistan, Yemen, Ukraine, and this also hampers our cleanup efforts,” added Ms. Bottomley. There is new contamination that adds to the problem and also makes it more difficult to estimate that amount of contamination. So in Yemen, they haven’t been able to do that for the last two years and they hope they can do a better study of some of these areas, but there is still a lack of access. “
Myanmar in the spotlight
In the last year, the only confirmed use of antipersonnel landmines by state forces was Myanmar, according to the Monitor. “They have been using it every year in the 22 years the Monitor has been reporting, so it is not surprising that they continue to do so, but now they are alone in their desire to continue to use this weapon on a regular basis,” said Stephen Goose, director. from the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch.
More worrying are the numerous allegations of landmine use by non-state armed groups “in a dozen other countries,” Mr. Goose added.
During the reporting period, the Monitor said that non-state armed groups used antipersonnel mines in at least six countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Libya, Myanmar and Pakistan.
“We have not been able to confirm in any of these countries, but the fact that there are so many accusations remains a disturbing factor,” he added.
On a more positive note, the Monitor noted that the extensive destruction of antipersonnel mine stocks “remains one of the great successes” of the Mine Ban Treaty.
To date, more than 55 million stockpiled antipersonnel mines have been destroyed, including more than 269,000 destroyed in 2019.
