The United Nations has warned that thousands of displaced people in Nigeria face deadly risks as they return to communities contaminated with hidden explosive remnants of war. With displacement camps shutting down and limited relocation options, many families are being forced back into unsafe areas where landmines and unexploded devices remain buried.
The concern was raised on Wednesday in Geneva at an international forum on landmine action, where experts highlighted how dwindling funding in countries like Nigeria and Afghanistan is putting civilians in grave danger.
Mr. Edwin Faigmane, Chief of the Mine Action Programme for UNMAS in Nigeria, said the situation is particularly alarming for returnees. According to him, 80% of all civilian mine-related casualties occur in just 11 of the 15 return locations, showing how severe the contamination is.
To reduce the risk, UNMAS has been training security forces, police officers, and civil defence personnel to deliver mine risk education in unstable and hard-to-reach communities. Faigmane noted that the initiative is already making a difference, with more communities now reporting suspicious items to local authorities and security agencies.
The Geneva meeting also shed light on the situation in Afghanistan, where children remain the most vulnerable to explosive remnants of war. A UN-partnered Landmine Monitor report revealed that 77% of all explosive ordnance casualties in the country in 2024 involved children, many of whom encounter mines while tending livestock or playing outdoors.
Afghanistan records an average of 54 deaths every month from explosive remnants, placing it among the countries with the highest casualty rates globally.
Nick Pond, who leads mine action at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said progress has been severely hindered by funding shortages. The number of deminers in the country has drastically fallen from 15,000 in 2011 to just 1,300 today, despite the growing need.
UNMAS officials further noted that Afghanistan has recorded over 30,000 child casualties since 1999, stressing the importance of sustained mine-clearance efforts.
While mine action programmes in places like Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory have recently gained more support, the UN warns that operations in Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia are at risk of shutting down altogether unless new donors step in.