Syria sees at least 188 children killed or injured by unexploded ordnance in three months

At least 188 children in Syria have been killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war in the past three months — an average of two a day — –as more than a million people return to their homes, Save the Children has reported.

Since 8 December last year, landmines and explosive remnants of war have caused at least 628 casualties, more than two-thirds of the total number of casualties for all of 2023, said the NGO. Children account for nearly one in three of these casualties, with over 60 children killed so far. This number is expected to rise as more children return to their homes, help tend farmland or forage for food, and play outside, especially as weather conditions continue to improve.

In the past three months of transition in Syria, nearly 1.2 million people have returned to their homes in Syria, including more than 885,000 people who were internally displaced, according to the UN.

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“Much of Syria is pockmarked by mines and explosive remnants of war after 13 years of conflict,” explained Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children’s Country Director in Syria. “As more families return to their homes, particularly in areas scarred by the war, children will be increasingly exposed to contaminated land. As they play, walk to school, and help family tend to their land, the risks grow.”

While active conflict may have subsided, added Hoxha, the remnants of war are a harsh reminder of its lasting impact.

“The international community must prioritise the protection of children and ensure that they are no longer exposed to the risks posed by landmines and other explosive devices.”

Explosive remnants of war remain a legacy threat from the fighting, posing a lasting hazard to civilians across the country even after hostilities cease.

“Children, in particular, have a heightened vulnerability to unexploded ordnance and landmines due to low-risk awareness and high inquisitiveness,” said the NGO. “Moreover, the sense of relative safety has resulted in a heightened mobility among civilians, and especially displaced people, who may feel confident to return to areas where hostilities have de-escalated.”

Save the Children is calling on the transitional government to speed up and fully engage in all efforts to clear existing mines and unexploded ordnance and to take immediate, practical measures to reduce the increasing impact of these explosives. The NGO is also calling on international donors to support the scale-up and provision of technical equipment necessary for the marking and clearance of unexploded ordinance and mines so that children and their communities are aware of the risk and better able to mitigate it in safe manners.

Save the Children has been working in Syria since 2012 and is supporting displaced families in Syria, both directly and through local partners, distributing food parcels, water and other critical supplies. The aid organisation is also supporting centres for displaced people and a helpline for families.

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