In 2023, incidents involving landmines caused 5,757 casualties, 84% of whom were civilians. This data comes from the latest Landmine Monitor, an annual report by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which tracks landmine use. The high numbers are attributed to an increase in armed conflicts and the rise in the use of improvised landmines since 2015.

Compared to 2022, there was a 22% increase in casualties in 2023. Incidents were reported in no fewer than 55 countries. The highest numbers of casualties were recorded in Myanmar (1,003), Syria (933), and Afghanistan (651). Additionally, between 100 and 600 casualties were reported in Ukraine, Yemen, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ethiopia, and Iraq.

“Year after year, the number of landmine victims remains alarmingly high. With more conflicts emerging, contaminated areas continue to claim victims long after the violence has subsided,” says Anne Héry, Policy Director at Handicap International. In Yemen, for example, violence has significantly decreased since the ceasefire in October 2021, yet 499 people still fell victim to landmines left behind in the past year.

Landmines Used Again

Between mid-2023 and October 2024, new landmines were deployed by the countries of Myanmar, Russia, and North Korea. Armed groups also used new landmines in Colombia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine (Gaza), and the Sahel region. Russia’s use of landmines since its invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the most widespread deployment of landmines in decades. It is also highly likely that Ukraine used landmines in and around the city of Izium in 2022, despite being a signatory to the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of landmines.

“It is alarming that countries that have signed the Ottawa Treaty fail to sufficiently condemn the recent use of landmines,” says Anne Héry. “By signing the treaty, states agreed to condemn the use of anti-personnel mines, by any actor and under any circumstances, in the strongest possible terms. States must reaffirm the importance and effectiveness of the landmine ban.”