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Land mine warning sign

As one of the world’s most heavily mined countries ‒ Mozambique ‒ prepares to declare itself formally mine-free, 60 other countries are still far behind. Many are failing to meet their commitment targets, including the UK (in demining the Falklands), Turkey, Croatia and a number of countries in Asia and Africa.

The NPA’s report, Clearing the Mines, found that Turkey had cleared less than 1% of its mines more than 11 years after becoming partner to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which requires signatories to remove or destroy all anti-personnel mines.

The UK pledged to remove 48% of the mines in the Falklands in a 10-year extension to its time frame for removal. Five years in, however, only 9% of mine contamination has been taken out. Thailand has also cleared barely a third of the amount it projected.

NPA’s report said Ethiopia is in a serious violation of international law after missing its clearance deadline of 1 June 2015. Senegal reported no clearances last year whatsoever and is seeking a five-year extension.

Of the ten most contaminated countries signed up to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, not one is set to meet its clearance deadline.

NPA said success on mine clearance needs political backing and continued national and international funding. It called on partners to the convention to do more.

Clearing the Mines estimates that by 2020 a further 20 countries should have completed mine clearance and the urgent humanitarian threat from the other 40 should have been removed.

However, there are new additions to the list. Ukraine saw new mine-laying in 2014 and Oman joined the convention the same year, reporting that mines may remain in the south of the country.