UN chief condemns renewed use of land mines following global progress on ban
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has voiced strong concern over the resurgence of anti-personnel land mine usage, days after the U.S. announced plans to supply these weapons to Ukraine in its defense against Russia.
Speaking at a Cambodia-hosted conference on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, Guterres praised global efforts to clear and destroy land mines but highlighted the persistent threat.
“The threat remains. This includes the renewed use of anti-personnel mines by some of the Parties to the Convention, as well as some Parties falling behind in their commitments to destroy these weapons,” he said in the statement.
His remarks, delivered by UN Under-Secretary-General Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, did not explicitly name Ukraine or the U.S., but Washington’s decision to provide land mines to Kyiv has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has defended the move, calling the mines “very important” in countering Russian advances.
The conference venue, Cambodia, stands as a grim reminder of land mines’ devastating legacy, with over 1,600 square kilometers still contaminated. Prime Minister Hun Manet revealed that land mines have claimed 20,000 lives in Cambodia since 1979, leaving twice as many injured.
Globally, land mines and unexploded remnants of war caused 5,757 casualties in 2022, 84% of whom were civilians, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).
Despite progress, the renewed use of these weapons threatens to undermine decades of work toward their eradication.
