Attachments
As the end of the school year and summer break are approaching, thousands of Syrians are expected to visit their homeland or permanently move back. Yet threat from explosive ordnance (unexploded ordnance (UXOs), explosive remnants of war (ERW) and mines) remains one of the main safety risks for Syrian civilians as they are moving about the country. Between December 8, 2024 and April 30, 2025, the number of casualties rose to 913 (311 children), with 372 killed (89 children) and 543 (222 children) injured, with more than a half of accidents taking place as people are trying to provide for their families. EO contamination remains particularly severe in Deir ez-Zor, Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Raqqa governorates, with Deir ez-Zor alone accounting for ¼ of all EO accidents.
Mine Action is a prerequisite to any and all humanitarian, early recovery, reconstruction or development interventions, yet MA remains the most underfunded sector in the entire humanitarian response in Syria. Evidence to this is that of the 51 million USD ask submitted in the 2024 HRP, only 13% were covered. For partners to expand operations and to be able address the needs for survey, clearance, explosive ordnance risk education and victim assistance, additional, flexible funding will be needed in short, medium and long term.
UNMAS and HI coordinate the mine action response through the Mine Action Area of Responsibility and are working with partners to scale up the response.
*This Situation Update has been produced in cooperation with the International NGO Safety Organisation – INSO.