The HALO Trust says large areas of Syria are covered with cluster munitions, missiles, landmines, grenades and other deadly explosive ordnance, following 14 years of protracted civil war [GETTY]
As thousands of Syrians are returning home since the fall of the Assad regime, experts are calling for an international effort to remove unexploded weaponry in the region.
Global landmine clearance charity The HALO Trust estimate that large parts of the region, mainly in the northwest and southwest, are riddled with cluster munitions, missiles, landmines, grenades and other deadly explosive ordinance following the 13-year civil war.
The map indicates that the clusters are mainly in Aleppo, Idlib, Daraa, and the capital, Damascus.
HALO Trust Programme Manager Damian O’Brien says he has “never seen anything quite like it,” with thousands of people passing through heavily mined areas daily, causing “unnecessary fatal accidents”.
“For the last four years Syria has had more victims of landmines and explosive debris than any other country and is ranked as one of the most dangerous places in the world,” the HALO Trust said in a statement.
The group says there is an urgent need to protect the lives of the thousands returning and “pave the way to sustainable peace”.
The organisation added that there has been no nationwide survey of the frontlines and the locations of the minefields.
HALO has been active in the northwest and south of the country since 2017, safely disposing of unexploded weaponry in the area, but was unable to reach parts of Syria controlled by the Assad regime.
Syria has the second-highest number of annual deaths from landmines, with Myanmar being first.
While the Assad regime used landmines before the civil war, the use of mines increased after the March 2011 uprising, aimed at preventing the displaced from returning to their homes and farming their land.
Thousands of munitions that failed to detonate remain between homes and on farmlands, with large numbers of UXO and landmines still present in civilian neighbourhoods, agricultural lands and children’s play areas, according to White Helmets.
ReliefWeb says the regime planted landmines along the borders with Lebanon and Turkey without placing proper warnings.
State documents reveal landmine explosions have killed at least 3,471 civilians from March 2011 until 4 April 2024. The toll also includes civil defence and media personnel and media workers.
The country also has the highest number of child victims of mines.
