Rights organization expresses concerns over civilian landmine injuries in Syria – JURIST

Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern on Tuesday over uncleared landmines and explosive remnants harming civilians returning to Syria. It urged the transitional government to take effective measures to prevent further harm.

According to HRW, large parts of Syria, including agricultural lands, were extensively contaminated with antipersonnel landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive weapons by the Assad government, its allies, and armed opposition groups during Syria’s 2011-24 Civil War.

HRW conducted interviews with victims and their families, with one mother remarking that her son is “scared of everything and now has panic attacks” after being injured while playing with friends at a military base where they found explosive remnants. They had thrown the remnants into a fire, which exploded, and caused severe injuries.

The rights organization urged the transitional Syrian government to take immediate action, including establishing a national, civilian-led mine action authority and working closely with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to support ongoing clearance efforts across the country.

Civilian harm caused by landmines and explosive remnant contamination is not limited to Syria. According to the Landmine Monitor, a total of 833 deaths from antipersonnel mines were recorded worldwide in 2023, marking the highest annual number since 2011. This increase was largely attributed to the high number of casualties reported in Myanmar and Ukraine, which accounted for 553 and 151 deaths, respectively.

There are two types of landmines: anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines. Anti-personnel mines are already banned under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (or “Ottawa Convention”). Anti-personnel mines are defined as “a mine designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person and that will incapacitate, injure or kill one or more persons.” The convention directs all state parties to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under their jurisdiction or control within 10 years. However, Syria is not a party to the Ottawa Convention.

Despite this protection, the recent withdrawal of Poland and other Baltic states from the Ottawa Convention has raised alarms about the renewed threat of landmine use. According to Cordula Droege, a legal officer at the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), and Maya Brehm, a legal adviser to the ICRC, the recent challenges to the prohibition of anti-personnel mines “raise serious concerns for the safety and well-being of mine-affected populations.”