UN Raises Alarm Over Rising Landmine Risks for Returning Displaced Nigerians

As displacement camps across Nigeria continue to shut down, the United Nations has issued a stark warning that families returning home may unknowingly be walking back into areas contaminated with deadly explosive remnants of war. This concern was raised in Geneva on Wednesday at a major international meeting on global landmine action, where experts highlighted how reduced funding in Nigeria and Afghanistan has increased civilian exposure to unexploded ordnance.

Speaking at the sidelines of the event, UN mine-action specialists stressed that demining programmes are not just long-term recovery projects but immediate humanitarian responses that prevent avoidable deaths. They warned that without urgent support, the progress made in protecting vulnerable communities could quickly unravel.

Edwin Faigmane, Chief of the Mine Action Programme representing UNMAS Nigeria, revealed that returning populations face severe danger. According to him, 80 per cent of all civilian casualties in Nigeria have occurred in 11 out of 15 major return areas. He explained that with people moving back into unstable or previously inaccessible regions, the likelihood of encountering hidden explosives has surged dramatically.

To reduce risks, UNMAS has continued to train Nigerian security forces, police, and civil defence personnel on risk education in these high-threat zones. Faigmane noted that the effort has already yielded positive results as community members are now reporting suspicious items to local authorities who then escalate it to security agencies. He described this early detection and reporting system as lifesaving.

At the Geneva meeting, attention also turned to Afghanistan where explosive remnants pose an even greater threat to children. According to the UN-partnered Landmine Monitor report, 77 per cent of all landmine-related casualties recorded in Afghanistan in 2024 were children. On average, 54 people die every month due to unexploded ordnance, placing Afghanistan among the top three countries with the highest casualty rates.

Nick Pond, head of mine-action work at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, explained that many of the victims are boys tending animals in hilly areas who unknowingly pick up or play with dangerous objects. He warned that decades of conflict have turned the landscape into a deadly trap and that the number of trained deminers has collapsed from 15,000 in 2011 to only about 1,300 today due to funding shortages.

Christelle Loupforest, UNMAS Representative in Geneva, added that mine-action programmes in Nigeria and Afghanistan are now at risk of suspension unless new donors step in. She acknowledged improved support for operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Sudan but stressed that the situation in several countries, including Ethiopia, remains deeply troubling.

With 30,154 recorded child casualties in Afghanistan since 1999, experts say that maintaining demining operations is essential to reducing global casualty figures. For Nigeria, the warning is clear: without sustained support, thousands of returning families may be exposed to hidden dangers that could claim more innocent lives.