The United Nations has warned that reduced funding for mine-action programs in Afghanistan has led to a rising number of civilian casualties.
In a new report released on Wednesday evening, December 3, the UN said that approximately 54 people are killed each month in Afghanistan due to explosions from leftover landmines, placing the country among those with the highest mine-related casualty rates in the world.
Nick Pond, head of mine-action programs at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), stated that most of the victims are children, particularly boys in mountainous regions, who lose their lives while herding livestock or playing with unexploded remnants of war.
He added that the number of demining personnel has dropped sharply from about 15,000 in 2011 to only 1,300 today, and that this severe shortage of financial resources has put vital mine-action operations at risk of shutting down.
Christelle Loupforest, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) representative in Geneva, noted that more than 30,000 children in Afghanistan have fallen victim to landmines since 1999. She stressed that continued mine-clearance work in the country is essential for reducing global casualty figures.
