The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has raised fresh concern over the continuing humanitarian threat posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war, saying 52 countries and territories recorded mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties in 2024.
ICRC made the disclosure in a post on its verified social media handle X @ICRC formerly Twitter.
According to the Landmine Monitor 2025, at least 6,279 people were killed or injured by landmines and ERW during the year, including 1,945 deaths and 4,325 injuries, while the survival status of nine victims was unknown.
The figure represents the highest annual casualty total since 2020.
The ICRC said the crisis remains particularly disturbing because 36 of the 52 affected countries and territories are States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, demonstrating that treaty membership has not eliminated the danger posed by existing contamination.
The humanitarian consequences are especially severe for civilians. The ICRC said 90 per cent of the casualties were civilians, with children accounting for nearly half of those affected.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance can remain dangerous for decades after fighting ends, killing and maiming people returning to their homes, cultivating farms, collecting firewood or travelling through contaminated areas.
They also prevent communities from safely rebuilding infrastructure and restoring livelihoods.
The ICRC has warned that these weapons continue to impose a long-term human cost on communities already devastated by armed conflict.
It has called for stronger compliance with international humanitarian law and renewed efforts to clear contaminated areas and protect civilians.
The Landmine Monitor 2025, which examines developments during 2024, documented mine contamination, casualties, clearance efforts, victim assistance and mine-action funding worldwide.
The latest figures underscore the continuing need for mine clearance, victim assistance, risk education and stronger international commitment to the prohibition of anti-personnel mines.
The ICRC has stressed that weapons that cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians should have no place in contemporary warfare, warning that their consequences can continue long after the conflicts that produced them have ended.