Despite international bans, landmines are back in force

Raheela Bibi was outside playing with her siblings when a landmine exploded. It was August 2020 and she was 12, living in Pakistan. Both her hands were amputated after the incident. Her sister suffered a serious leg injury, while her brother's eye was hurt. Bibi told DW in 2023 that though it was extremely difficult for her to do her homework, she was determined to continue with her education. In 2025, more than 5,000 people, mainly civilians, were killed or injured by landmines or unexploded ordnance according to a preliminary analysis by the NGO Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. In South Sudan, 90% of the victims last year were children. Landmines are actually designed to injure adults—not kill them, as injured soldiers are more costly to an enemy than dead ones. However, in peacetime, they remain deadly to civilians, especially children. Decades after conflicts like the Yugoslav Wars (1991–2001), landmines continue to kill and injure people in former Yugoslavia, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ottawa Treaty, signed in 1997 and enforced since 1999, banned anti-personnel landmines, with 166 countries ratifying it except China, India, Russia, and the US. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, five NATO countries and Ukraine itself have withdrawn from the treaty, citing extreme conflict conditions. Ukraine’s withdrawal, though legally delayed until a peace treaty is signed, reportedly led to its own landmine use on a smaller scale. As of mid-2025, about 25% of Ukraine is affected by landmines, with over 1,150 civilians killed or injured since February 2022. Demining costs are estimated at nearly $35 billion over a decade. Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia also withdrew, with Poland planning to produce anti-personnel mines for its borders. Experts warn that modern mines with sensors complicate clearance, increasing civilian harm. Meanwhile, Myanmar and Ukraine continue to lay new mines, undermining humanitarian arms control efforts. The decline in global arms control agreements—such as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and New Start Treaty—has left humanitarian protections like the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention as the only remaining effective measure.