Syria Records One Unexploded Ordnance Casualty Every Six Hours in Most Dangerous Countries
Syria is experiencing unexploded ordnance casualties at a rate of one every six hours, contributing to it having the highest number of landmine and explosive remnant victims worldwide amid ongoing global conflicts that also include fighting in Yemen, Haiti gang violence, and tensions in Gaza and Jerusalem, with the country ranking among the most dangerous countries affected by such remnants. Since the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, unexploded ordnance has killed or injured at least 2,375 people in Syria, including more than 850 children, with the real toll believed to be higher. [4] This year has seen almost 700 casualties from explosive accidents in Syria, one-third of them deadly and one-third involving children. [4]
Syria UXO Toll
Malakeh Barbour caresses her son Haidar, his face scarred from a blast that killed his brother in their home in Syria, where a mine-clearance charity says unexploded ordnance claims a casualty every six hours. [4] Last winter, Barbour's children went out to collect plastic and other makeshift material to burn for heating. [4] Without realising, they picked up an object left over from the war, Barbour, 40, told AFP from their home in the Damascus countryside. [4] When they returned, it exploded after they put it into the heater, she told AFP, with the blast killing her son Ahmed, 17, and injuring her other sons, Haidar, 10, and Ghaith, seven. [4] His death crushed us, Barbour said, weeping as she held a picture of Ahmed. [4] Since the December 2024 overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, international organisations and NGOs led by the United Nations Mine Action Service say incidents involving unexploded ordnance have killed or injured at least 2,375 people, including more than 850 children. [4] The real toll is thought to be much higher. [4] During more than 13 years of war, different sides planted mines and explosive devices in various parts of the country, presenting a dangerous challenge as Syria seeks to recover and rebuild. [4] Life has lost its meaning since we lost Ahmed, said Barbour, who works in agriculture alongside her children. [4] Now I'm afraid whenever one of the children leaves the house, it's as if my heart is aching. [4] In a preliminary report released in June, the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor said Syria had the highest number of casualties worldwide last year due to landmines and explosive war remnants, with some 1,600 victims. [4] Simon Jackson, Syria programme manager for mine-clearance charity the HALO Trust, told AFP the average rate of accident is one person becoming a casualty every six hours in Syria. [4] This year has seen almost 700 casualties from explosive accidents in the country, one-third of them deadly, he said, with one-third of all casualties being children. [4] More than 60 percent of incidents have taken place in agricultural land or grazing areas, he said, adding that early 2025 saw a large spike in accidents as people rushed back to their communities after Assad fell. [4] Specialised teams from organisations including the HALO Trust, in coordination with the new authorities, have been working on clearing mines across the country. [4] Unexploded ordnance prevents people from rebuilding their homes, rebuilding their businesses. [4] It prevents farmers from re-sowing crops, Jackson said, calling it an obstacle to the recovery of the communities and the recovery of Syria. [4] He warned that if we doubled the rate at which we are working as a sector, it would still take at least 10 years. [4] We're really looking at sort of 20 to 30 years in total to solve this problem. [4] On the outskirts of Damascus in the Jobar area, which saw fierce battles during the war, HALO Trust teams have been working for months between destroyed buildings and piles of debris. [4] Hussein Kazhali, HALO's head of operations in southern Syria, said that in around eight months of work in the neighbourhood, teams had only managed to clear around 200,000 square metres of roads. [4] He said large quantities of rubble, scrap metal and shrapnel complicated mine detection, along with shortages of resources, trained personnel and advanced equipment. [4] In the town of Qara in the Damascus countryside, a Syrian army minesweeping vehicle cut a path through arid land as exploding ordnance sent dust and smoke rising. [4] Nearby, personnel wearing protective gear inspected mines and munitions ahead of their destruction. [4] A source in the defence ministry's engineering units told AFP the ministry was gradually clearing land under a plan prioritising populated areas, roads and farmland. [4] Anti-personnel mines and anti-vehicle mines are the most common ordnance encountered, they said. [4] Key challenges include the lack of maps of some minefields, and vast expanse of contaminated areas, with operations heavily dependent on available maps, reports from residents and field surveys, they added. [4] Since the new authorities took power, 47 soldiers have been killed and more than 90 others injured by mines and other unexploded ordnance, the source said on condition of anonymity. [4] The ministry lacks an accurate estimate of Syria's overall contaminated area, with new sites discovered daily. [4] We can't specify a precise timeframe for fully clearing mines and other ordnance, the source added. [4]
Haiti Gang Suppression Delay
A United Nations-backed armed force tasked with helping local police in Haiti to combat gangs will not be fully staffed by October as planned, its spokesperson said Tuesday. [3] Announced by the UN Security Council last year, the Gang Suppression Force was expected to ramp up between April and October to a planned capacity of 5,500 uniformed personnel and 50 civilian staff. [3] We continue to receive new troops who will bolster the ranks, GSF spokesperson Igor Rugwiza told Radio Magik 9 in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, Tuesday. [3] But he said the goal of 5,500 members could not be achieved in such a short time due to logistical constraints. [3] He also declined to specify for operational reasons the number of troops already deployed to help neutralize the gangs that control a large part of the Haitian capital and several of the country's major roads. [3] Rugwiza said the delay in staffing the force would not prevent troops already deployed from doing their job. [3] Force members were in Tabarre, where Haiti's international airport is located; the Cite Soleil shantytown; downtown Port-au-Prince; and the Artibonite department north of the capital, he said. [3] With the personnel already on the ground, we continue to expand our deployment zone and occupy a little more territory, he said. [3] Prominent Haitian human rights advocate Pierre Esperance gave a different assessment. [3] We don't feel the presence of the GSF in Haiti. [3] It is not yet operational. [3] Criminals continue to operate and bring grief to the people, he said. [3] He criticized the slow pace of the deployment, saying it could impact the electoral process underway in Haiti. [3] The country is preparing to hold its first presidential and legislative election since 2016, as well as a referendum on the constitution, on Dec. 13. [3] But it will be impossible to organize elections if roads are still blocked by gangs, Esperance said. [3] The GSF replaced the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, seen as under-equipped and under-funded. [3] It was intended to be more robust, but as of July comprised fewer than 1,000 personnel, from Chad, Mongolia, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Sri Lanka. [3]
Yemen Houthi Clashes
Four Yemeni government troops were killed in fighting with Houthis, according to National Resistance Forces. [1] National Resistance Forces say 4 naval personnel killed confronting Houthi activity without specifying where, when fighting took place. [1]
Gaza and Jerusalem Developments
Hamas has urged mediators to pressure Israel to halt Gaza violations that threaten the ceasefire, while 5,209 Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in August, resulting in 2 Palestinians killed, 83 injured, and 114 detained. [2] [5] Hamas says it urges mediators to pressure Israel to halt Gaza violations. [2] Group says Israeli operation in Gaza threatens ceasefire, can derail efforts to implement agreement. [2] Governorate says 83 Palestinians injured, 44 settler attacks recorded, 40 demolition, land-clearing operations carried out in occupied Jerusalem. [5]
Broader Global Conflict Context
These incidents illustrate ongoing dangers in the most dangerous countries and regions affected by conflict and its aftermath. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Syria faces long-term clearance challenges from unexploded ordnance that prevent rebuilding and farming. [4] Haiti sees delays in its UN-backed force that leave gangs in control of roads ahead of elections. [3] Yemen reports troop deaths from Houthi clashes. [1] Gaza and Jerusalem see continued incursions and casualties that threaten ceasefires. [2] [5] The patterns show how remnants of war and active fighting sustain high risks across multiple zones.
What to watch next: Further deployment of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti, additional mine-clearance progress in Syria, and any mediator responses to Hamas calls on Gaza violations.
