Buzz
Landmines are controversial weapons because they continue to pose a threat long after the conflict in which they were used has ended. They cause fatalities and injuries to civilians and make land unusable for generations. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines has worked to outlaw their use, leading to the creation of the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines, and mandates their destruction. The UN estimates that, with current technology, it will take nearly 1,100 years to clear all mines worldwide.
10. Somalia
Landmine Count: 1 million
Somalia's landmine crisis stems from decades of internal and regional conflicts, beginning with the first reported use of mines in 1964. The central and southern regions of the country remain heavily contaminated with both landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). The United Nations points out that landmines have had a profound socioeconomic impact on Somali society, affecting everything from livestock and agriculture to transportation, security, and even repatriation efforts. Despite these challenges, the UN believes that the problem could be resolved within seven to ten years with the right resources and sustained attention. However, Somalia's lack of a central government since 1991 prevents it from joining the Mine Ban Treaty.
9. Mozambique
Landmine Count: 3 million
After nearly thirty years of war, Mozambique ranks as one of the poorest nations in Africa. The country must rely on imports for grain, and foreign aid is essential for its economy. Mozambique faces challenges like desertification, water pollution, and extreme weather events, including droughts and floods. A major obstacle is the landmines scattered across its fertile land. Human Rights Watch Africa has documented how mines were randomly planted in fields and pathways to disrupt food production, deepening a famine crisis in the 1980s that forced large numbers of refugees to flee to neighboring countries. Mines from 15 different nations were used during the conflict, leaving an estimated 3 million landmines in the country, according to Mozambique's Defense Minister in 1996. The widespread impact includes mines in farmlands, roads, bridges, schools, and even wildlife areas, with elephants maimed by anti-personnel mines and killed by anti-tank mines. The average life expectancy in Mozambique is about 46 years.
8. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Landmine Count: 3 million
Bosnia-Herzegovina remains heavily contaminated by landmines and remnants of explosives, a consequence of the 1992-1995 conflict following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The landmine contamination is relatively sparse, primarily concentrated along the frequently shifting confrontation lines. The majority of minefields are located in the separation zone between the two factions, spanning 1,100 kilometers and up to four kilometers in width. In southern and central regions, mines were deployed in a haphazard manner with little documentation. While some areas are mountainous or densely forested, the fertile agricultural zones in the Brčko District are among the most contaminated. Every month, landmines kill or injure 30-35 people, with 80% of the victims being civilians. The presence of these dangerous devices has significantly impeded reconstruction efforts, reduced agricultural production, and diverted resources needed for rebuilding the nation. To date, only a small portion of the mine-contaminated land has been cleared to humanitarian standards, leaving most minefields unmarked.
7. Kuwait
Landmine Count: 5 million
Kuwait's history has been fraught with tension due to its vast oil reserves. During the Gulf War, Iraq occupied Kuwait from August 1990 to February 1991, during which Iraqi forces planted millions of anti-personnel (AP) and anti-tank (AT) mines in the 'Kuwait Theater of Military Operations.' As a result, nearly 97.8% of Kuwait’s land was either mined or affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO). The most heavily mined areas included the northern coast of Kuwait Bay and the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia border. Following Kuwait's liberation, the government swiftly implemented a comprehensive mine action plan, set to last 24 months with a budget of $128 million (U.S.). By April 3, 1999, almost 2 million landmines had been removed from Kuwait's coastal and desert regions, according to the Landmine Monitor Report. Additionally, a mine awareness campaign was launched to educate the public about the hazards posed by landmines.
6. Cambodia
Estimated Landmine Count: 8-10 million
The scars of three decades of conflict in Cambodia are evident in various forms across the nation. One of the most enduring consequences of these wars continues to take innocent lives every day—landmines. These mines, planted by various military factions including the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin and Hun Sen regimes, the Vietnamese forces, the KPNLF, and the Sihanoukists, still pose a significant threat. In many cases, even the soldiers responsible for planting the mines failed to document their locations. Today, Cambodia suffers from one of the highest rates of physical disabilities in the world. Though census data remains incomplete, it is widely acknowledged that over 40,000 Cambodians have lost limbs due to mine injuries since 1979, averaging nearly forty new victims every week for twenty years. Though no active military groups are thought to be laying new mines, they continue to be used for other tragic purposes: civilians have employed mines to protect property and resolve conflicts; poachers have reportedly used them to hunt tigers, which are sought after for medicinal purposes in neighboring Vietnam; and in a tragic incident in 1998, police surrounded a forest with mines to apprehend a murder suspect. The suspect stepped on a mine upon emerging and was then shot by the police. At the current pace of mine clearance, it is estimated that it could take up to 100 years to rid Cambodia of all its landmines.
5. Iraq
Estimated Landmine Count: 10 million
Iraq has been heavily impacted by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as a result of the 1991 Gulf War, the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran War, two decades of internal strife, and even World War II. These dangerous remnants are a significant problem in northern Iraq, particularly along the Iran-Iraq border, and across the central and southern parts of the country. Although the exact number of mines planted is unknown, the United Nations estimates at least 10 million landmines to be present in Iraq. A recent Landmine Impact Survey confirmed that all twenty-five districts in the three northern provinces are affected by mines. Additionally, 3,444 areas contaminated by mines and/or UXO impact over 148,000 families, which is more than one in five families, in 1,096 mine-affected communities.
4. Afghanistan
Landmine Count: 10 million
Afghanistan has endured immense suffering due to conflict since 1978, with all parties involved in the various wars using antipersonnel mines. The Soviet forces and the Afghan government, in particular, deployed these mines extensively between 1979 and 1992. Mines were scattered indiscriminately across most of the country, contaminating agricultural land, grazing fields, irrigation channels, residential areas, roads, and footpaths in both urban and rural regions. The presence of landmines severely hinders repatriation, relief, rehabilitation, and development efforts. Each day, an estimated 10 to 12 people in Afghanistan are killed or injured by landmines. Tragically, nearly 50 percent of landmine victims die due to the lack of medical facilities.
3. Egypt
Estimated Landmine Count: 23 million
The landmines scattered across Egypt are a grim legacy of World War II and the Egypt-Israel wars of 1956, 1967, and 1973. Egypt often claims that around 23 million landmines remain buried in the country. The problem is compounded by the fact that many of these mines are old, difficult to detect, and were originally designed to target tanks, not people—leading to a divergence from international concerns focused on anti-personnel mines. According to the Ministry of Defense, these mines have significantly impeded human and economic development, causing thousands of civilian casualties. Over the last 15 years, seven million mines have been cleared from Egypt's western desert, and three million have been removed from the Sinai Desert. The nomadic people refer to areas littered with these mines as 'The Devil’s Garden.'
Contributor: rushfan
2. Iran
Landmine Count: 16 million
The contamination of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in western and southwestern Iran, especially in the provinces of Kurdistan, Western Azerbaijan, Khuzestan, and Kermanshah, is a lasting consequence of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. According to government reports, Iraq is responsible for planting approximately 16 million landmines in Iran during the 1980s, affecting an area of over 42,000 square kilometers. The presence of landmines and UXO has had a devastating impact on agricultural production in the five border provinces with Iraq, and has also impeded the development of oil fields. Furthermore, these remnants of war have damaged historical sites and disrupted archaeological research in southwestern Iran.
1. Angola
Landmine Count: 10 to 20 million
The number of landmines in Angola is estimated to be between 10 and 20 million, which means there are at least 1 to 2 landmines for every person in the country. According to U.N. estimates, the silent killers have caused around 70,000 amputations in Angola. For three decades, landmines were indiscriminately scattered across fields, villages, roads, and other unexpected locations, intended to intimidate, maim, and kill innocent people. The presence of these mines has had a devastating impact on the environment, limiting the movement of people, hindering farming, damaging economies, and causing widespread casualties among men, women, and children. In 1993, a U.N. General Assembly resolution placed a moratorium on the sale and export of antipersonnel landmines, but international consensus on the issue has not been fully achieved, leaving Angola’s landmine problem unresolved.
