Myanmar tops grim world ranking of landmine victims
With violence surging, Myanmar has more casualties than Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
BANGKOK – Myanmar has for the first time recorded the most casualties in the world from antipersonnel landmines, with 1,003 victims in 2023, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, or ICBL, said in its annual report launched in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Myanmar has been embroiled in conflict since the military ousted an elected government in an early 2021 coup, with pro-democracy activists taking up arms and linking up with ethnic minority insurgents to fight to end army rule.
Both sides are using landmines in their battles, the ICBL said, though the anti-junta forces are more likely to deploy crudely made booby traps, with villagers the most likely victims.
“Myanmar’s armed forces have repeatedly used antipersonnel mines since seizing power in a coup,” said the Geneva-based group, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its campaign to ban the weapons, in its report.
“This use represents a significant increase on use in previous years, including use around infrastructure such as mobile phone towers, extractive enterprises, and energy pipelines,” it said.
Myanmar recorded 545 landmine victims the previous year, it said.
At the global level, at least 5,757 casualties, 1,983 people killed and 3,663 injured, from landmines and unexploded ordnance were recorded for 2023 and the numbers are increasing, the group said. Around the world, 58 countries are plagued with landmine contamination.
The second-highest tally of casualties over the past year was in Syria, with 933, down from 2,729 the previous year when it had the world’s worst tally of landmine casualties.
Afghanistan had the third most this year with 651, but a sharp drop from the 1,824 casualties it reported in 2019 when its toll was the world’s worst. War-torn Ukraine was fourth this year with 580 casualties.
Reflecting the surge in fighting in Myanmar since the military seized power, the ICBL said most of the casualties reported there during 2023 and 2024 appeared to be from mines planted within the past two years.
“The Myanmar armed forces have previously admitted … that they use antipersonnel mines in areas where they are under attack,” the group said.
“Mine casualties are often recorded on the outskirts of Myanmar army camps, which is another indicator of new use.”
‘Extensive contamination’
The group said it had reports of the Myanmar army threatening that farmers must pay for antipersonnel mines detonated by their livestock. It said it had also found evidence of the army “using civilians as ‘guides’ to walk in front of its units in mine-affected areas, effectively to detonate landmines.”
“This is a grave violation of international humanitarian and human rights law,” it said.
The group said it also had numerous reports of villagers falling victim to mines planted by anti-junta forces.
“The extent of landmine contamination is not known, but is likely to be extensive given the ongoing use and production by both Myanmar armed Forces and NSAGs,” it said, referring to non-state armed groups.
As of September 2023, suspected contamination by landmines and unexploded ordnance was reported in 168 of Myanmar’s townships, or 51% of all townships, it said.
The ICBL launched its report days ahead of the Fifth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, as the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty is formally known. Parties meet in Cambodia on Nov. 25.
The group called for an immediate halt to the use of the weapons and for all countries to sign up to the treaty that it championed.
“This flagship report records a shocking number of civilians killed or injured by antipersonnel mines, including children,” said Tamar Gabelnick, director of the ICBL.
“Any use of antipersonnel mines by any actor under any circumstances is unacceptable and must be condemned. All countries that have not yet done so should join the Mine Ban Treaty to turn back this tide and end the suffering caused by these vile weapons.”
Edited by Mike Firn
