Swiss NGOs face huge challenge of demining Syria

Several Geneva-based NGOs are working to clear landmines in the new Syria after Bashar al-Assad's regime. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Without adequate funding, it will take decades to demine the area, according to Handicap International (HI). "We anticipate that the extent of mining is massive", Aida Burnett-Cargill, who recently visited Switzerland and is leading the efforts of dozens of entities from the international and national demining community in Syria, told Keystone-ATS. Studies into the extent of the problem will take time. The situation is "urgent" in Deir-Ezzor, Idlib and Aleppo, which have been affected by 13 years of civil war, adds the HI manager, who arrived in Syria in 2023. Underwater demining will be important and in urban areas, she said. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, mines and explosive remnants of war have claimed more than 1,100 victims, including almost 500 killed. These figures are probably much lower than the real ...