Conflict and funding cuts strain mine clearance in Afghanistan, UN says

The United Nations mine action program has warned that rising conflicts and declining humanitarian funding are severely disrupting demining operations in Afghanistan, Syria, and Gaza Strip.

Officials say the consequences are already visible, particularly in Afghanistan, where explosive remnants of war continue to pose a deadly threat to civilians, especially children.

Kazumi Ogawa said that as funding shifts toward defense spending, life-saving humanitarian programs such as mine clearance and risk education are being neglected.

She noted that in Afghanistan alone, one child is killed every day due to landmines and unexploded ordnance, underscoring the urgent need for sustained international support.

At a UN meeting in Geneva, Ogawa stressed that insufficient funding is limiting both demining operations and public awareness campaigns about explosive hazards.

In Gaza, the UN estimates that around 90 percent of those injured by unexploded ordnance are civilians, many of them children, following the conflict involving Hamas and Israel.

The organization added that between five to ten percent of munitions used in the conflict have failed to detonate, leaving behind a widespread and persistent danger.

Afghanistan remains one of the most heavily mine-affected countries in the world, with millions of people living in areas contaminated by decades of conflict.

Humanitarian agencies warn that reduced international funding is slowing clearance efforts, leaving vulnerable communities exposed to deadly hazards and limiting risk education programs.

According to UN data, Afghanistan ranks among the countries with the highest number of victims from unexploded ordnance, with around 50 casualties reported monthly, most of them children.

Taliban authorities have also said that approximately seven million people across Afghanistan are currently at risk from landmines and unexploded war remnants.

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