Afghanistan Peace CampaignThe United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said the majority of the victims of unexploded ordnance and mines in Afghanistan are children.
UNICEF reported that Afghanistan was among countries most contaminated with mines, saying that the primary victims of mines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan are children.
“Afghanistan is one of the most weapon-contaminated nations, children bear the brunt of the consequences,” UNICEF said.
On the eve of the International Day for Mine Awareness, the office of the United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) also stated that over 3,000 square kilometers of land have been cleared by mine-clearing organizations in Afghanistan.
UNAMA said that every year, tens of thousands of people, including women and children, lose their lives due to mines and unexploded ordnance.
“Thousands of landmines and explosive remnants of war remain a threat to hundreds of communities in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of civilians in Afghanistan, including women & children, have been killed or injured by landmines & explosive remnants of war,” UNAMA said.
This comes as on Sunday, due to the detonation of unexploded ordnance in the provinces of Ghazni and Herat, ten boys and girls lost their lives, and five other children were injured.
“The other day, when an unexploded mine detonated in the Giro district, it inflicted harm on many children, including both boys and girls,” said Saifullah, a resident of Ghazni.
“We hope that the government will make an effort to clean these areas and improve the lives of the nation,” said Gul Rahman, a resident of Ghazni.
Similarly, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate has also expressed concern about the presence of mines in the country and said they are striving to address this challenge in cooperation with demining agencies.
“We are concerned about mines because Afghanistan has gone through forty years of war, and there exist mines or unexploded ordnance which unfortunately harm people. The Islamic Emirate cooperates with institutions working in this direction, provides their security, and facilitates the environment for them,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate.
Previously, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stated that since 1989, nearly 57,000 civilians have been killed or injured as a result of the explosion of mines and unexploded ordnance.