Baghdad: A new report released on Monday revealed that the number of deaths and injuries caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance reached its highest level in four years in 2024.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the number exceeded 6,000 last year, with 1,945 deaths and 4,325 injuries, marking the highest annual total since 2020, as detailed in the Landmine Monitor 2025 report. Nearly 90 percent of the victims were civilians, with almost half comprising women and children.

The increase was primarily driven by mine explosions in conflict zones in Syria and Myanmar, both countries not party to the treaty. The report highlighted that Myanmar recorded the highest number, with more than 2,000 incidents.

The treaty, which came into force in 1999, obligates 166 states-85 percent of the world’s nations-to ban the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines. It also requires parties to clear mine-contaminated areas and provide assistance to victims.

Several European countries are seeking to withdraw from the treaty as global funding cuts hamper mine clearance efforts. The report states that Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland are in the process of legally withdrawing from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, a move that threatens a “serious fragmentation” of the treaty.

According to the report, funding cuts from donors, including the United States, have led to reduced support for survivors and the termination of several humanitarian mine action programs compared to previous years. States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty are scheduled to meet in Geneva this week.