United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday that Afghanistan ranks as the world’s third-highest country in terms of casualties caused by landmines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war.
In a statement, UNAMA said mines and remnants of conflict remain widespread across the country, continuing to kill and injure civilians years after major fighting subsided.
The United Nations continues to support and advocate for sustained funding for non-governmental organisations involved in mine clearance, UNAMA said, noting that these groups work daily to remove deadly explosives and run risk-awareness programmes to educate communities about the dangers.
Children are the most affected, UNAMA said, accounting for about 80% of all casualties. Many are injured or killed after coming into contact with unexploded munitions while playing.
UNAMA added that greater awareness and collective action could save lives.
The warning echoes earlier findings by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has said Afghanistan is among the countries most heavily contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind by decades of war. The ICRC has said it continues to run programmes aimed at raising awareness of explosive hazards.
Demining group Halo Trust said in a report last year that land contaminated by improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan had expanded to more than 65 square kilometres, up from about 53 square kilometres at the end of 2022. Contamination has been identified in 26 of Afghanistan’s provinces, it said.
Afghanistan remains one of the countries most affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war, posing a persistent threat to civilians and slowing development efforts, according to United Nations data.
An estimated 6.4 million people live at risk from unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, with children accounting for roughly 80% of blast fatalities, UN-linked reports say.
Around 50 people are killed or severely wounded each month in explosive accidents, according to mine-action group figures cited by UN sources.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war over recent decades, UNAMA has warned, underscoring the long-term humanitarian and development challenge posed by these weapons.
