RASC News Agency: UN OCHA, the United Nations’ coordinating body for humanitarian aid, announces that over the past two years in Afghanistan, 1,401 individuals have been killed or wounded in mine explosions, coinciding with the International Day for Mine Awareness. On Thursday, April 4th, OCHA reported the fatalities of 1,401 individuals in Afghanistan due to mine explosions and explosive remnants of war between January 2022 and February 2024.
The organization, in a report released on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness, has revealed that 86% of the victims are children. The report highlights that Afghanistan remains one of the most heavily contaminated countries with unexploded ordnance and leftover mines from previous conflicts.
OCHA, in its annual report, notes that nearly four million Afghanistanis are continually exposed to the persistent threat of mines and explosive remnants, with 1.2 million cubic meters of contaminated land. Despite reports of a need for mine action services by 4.4 million people in 2023, only 14% had access to these services, raising concerns due to significant casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war and the organization’s budget shortfall.
Meanwhile, UNAMA has expressed concern about the threats posed by mines and explosive remnants in Afghanistan and has called for attention to this issue. Previously, reports of children’s deaths due to mine explosions and explosive remnants of war have been disseminated to the media from provinces such as Nangarhar, Ghazni, Herat, and Faryab.
