Today, April 4th 2025, marks the 20th International Day for Mine Awareness, highlighting the ongoing global landmine crisis. For over 26 years, the Landmine Monitor has tracked the ongoing use of antipersonnel mines by the Burma Army and other armed actors, with new deployments recorded every year. This continuous contamination poses a severe and lasting threat to the lives, livelihoods, and futures of countless civilians. In 2023 alone, Burma recorded the highest number of global landmine casualties, with 1,003 victims.[1] KHRG calls on all actors—national, regional, and international—to take immediate action to end the use of landmines and explosive ordnances in Burma, preventing further loss of life and long-term harm.

Since the 2021 coup, the use of landmines, employed for both defensive and offensive purposes, by both the State Administration Council (SAC) and armed resistance forces in Southeast Burma has surged. Landmines have been a persistent threat in locally defined Karen State, with both old and newly deployed mines continuing to endanger lives.[2] From February 2021 to March 2025, KHRG documented at least 29 deaths and 75 injuries, including children, in Southeast Burma, most of which occurred while victims were engaging in vital livelihood activities. The combination of SAC soldiers laying mines around villages and critical infrastructure with deliberate air strikes and shelling on villages has caused widespread contamination of unexploded ordnances (UXOs), which can remain active for years and shift due to environmental factors. This creates an unrelenting threat of severe injury or death in areas villagers must access to survive.[3] In July 2024, a tragic incident occurred in Mu Traw District when two boys, aged 16 and 17, discovered an unexploded mortar shell while on their way to fish—a crucial activity for their families' survival. After striking the shell, it exploded, killing the 16-year-old and severely injuring the 17-year-old, who lost both hands. This devastating event caused severe physical and emotional trauma and had a profound economic impact, as the boys were the primary breadwinners for their families. Individuals affected by such incidents face significant physical, psychological, and financial challenges, including high medical costs, lost livelihoods, and the risk of displacement due to the ongoing threat of landmine contamination.[4]

The use of anti-personnel landmines by the SAC or ethnic armed groups against civilians is prohibited under customary International Humanitarian Law (IHL), as it violates the principle of distinction, an erga omnes obligation binding on all States. This principle mandates that combatants must be distinguished from non-combatants, with only combatants being targeted. However, anti-personnel landmines, by design, are indiscriminate weapons, making it impossible to maintain this distinction. Their use thus violates Rules 1 and 7 of customary IHL.[5] Intentionally directing attacks against civilians and laying mines around civilian infrastructure also amounts to a war crime under Article 8(2)(e)(i), (iv) of the Rome Statute. KHRG documentation shows that SAC forces deliberately place landmines in villages, medical clinics, and near civilian areas such as farms and roads, often without informing the public of their locations, clearly demonstrating an intent to target civilians.[6] The resulting landmine contamination also affects civilians' fundamental rights, including the right to life, livelihood, security, and safety[7] and the right to freedom of movement[8]. While Burma is not a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and certain provisions of the ICCPR are binding under customary international law.

As of September 2023, landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination affected 168 out of Burma's 330 townships (51%).[9] This widespread contamination poses a long-term threat, trapping communities in fear and displacement. Future generations face constant danger, unable to safely engage in livelihood activities or access education. While local civil societies and NGOs have made important contributions, urgent action is needed to end the use of landmines and explosive ordnances in civilian areas.

Thus, KHRG calls for the following actions:

• All armed actors in Burma must stop planting landmines in civilian areas, mark minefields clearly, and provide accurate location information to local communities.
• Local actors must intensify efforts to safely clear landmines and explosive remnants of war, in full compliance with international standards.
• Humanitarian actors must work with local organisations to provide long-term support to landmine victims and their families.
• The international community must strengthen support for Mine Risk Education (MRE) programs in Southeast Burma, prioritizing child safety.
• Regional and international actors must take immediate action to hold Burma’s military leaders accountable for targeting civilians, ensuring justice through universal jurisdiction or a UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Media contacts:

Naw Pah Lah, KHRG Advocacy Officer: nawpawlah@khrg.org
Saw Albert, KHRG Field Director: albert@khrg.org