As thousands of Syrians seek to return to their homes following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, major obstacles are preventing them from reopening the doors to their houses.

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Millions of cluster munitions, landmines, and other unexploded ordnance threaten countless lives, according to a British organization that on Sunday called for an “international effort” to remove these hazards. The organization warned that thousands of people returning to their homes after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime are “severely at risk.”

More than 13 years after the events of 2011, vast areas of Syria remain littered with landmines, said the British organization Halo Trust. It emphasized that “an urgent international effort is needed to clear millions of cluster munitions, landmines, and other unexploded ordnance to protect the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have returned to their homes and to pave the way for lasting peace.”

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A Significant Danger

Damian O’Brien, head of the Syria file for the demining organization, stated: “These mines are scattered across fields, villages, and cities, and people are highly exposed to the danger.”

He added: “Tens of thousands of people pass through heavily mined areas every day.”

On Tuesday, three members of the same family were killed by a landmine explosion in the city of Palmyra after returning to inspect their abandoned home, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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The following day, the Observatory reported the deaths of five civilians, including a child, under similar circumstances in the provinces of Hama (central) and Deir ez-Zor (eastern).

On Saturday, it further reported that six civilians, including four women, were killed in Hama province when a mine exploded as their vehicle passed by. A seventh person died from shrapnel wounds in Homs province (central). Additionally, two members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were killed while attempting to defuse mines in the town of Tallhiya, east of Idlib.

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That same Saturday, the Syrian Civil Defense organization, known as the White Helmets, stated that it had “neutralized and destroyed 491 unexploded ordnance between November 26 and December 12.”

In 2023, landmines caused 933 fatalities in Syria, placing the country second globally after Myanmar, which recorded 1,003 victims, according to the Landmine Observatory.

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