Landmines contaminate at least 72 states and seven disputed areas around world, says report
BANGKOK (AlertNet) – The global use of landmines has struck a seven-year high, even though record funding from national and international governments in 2010 helped clear the largest area of contaminated land than ever before, a global report found.
Here are some facts and figures from the Landmine Monitor 2011 report.
* Three governments – Israel, Libya and Myanmar – laid antipersonnel mines in 2011. This is an increase from the 2010 report which only identified Myanmar as laying new mines.
* The report also identified 12 producers of landmines. They are China, Cuba, India, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States and Vietnam. However, only India, Pakistan and Myanmar are known to be actively producing landmines.
* At least 72 states and seven disputed areas around the world are contaminated with landmines.
* At least 4,191 people were killed or injured by landmines in 2010, up slightly from more than 4,010 casualties in 2009. Two-thirds of the casualties were civilians. The complete figure is expected to be higher as casualty data remain poor in some countries.
* Afghanistan accounts for more than a quarter (1,211 people) of casualties, followed by Colombia (512 people). Asia Pacific has the highest number of casualties, more than half of the recorded numbers.
* At least 200 square kilometres of mined areas were cleared in 2010, the largest area ever recorded, and more than 400,000 mines were destroyed. An additional 460 square kilometres of former battle areas was also cleared, destroying more than 1.2 million items of unexploded ordnance.
* Afghanistan, Cambodia, Croatia, Iraq, and Sri Lanka accounted for more than 80 percent of all mine clearance in 2010.
* Donors and affected states contributed around $637 million to mine clearance. The United States was the top contributor, giving more than twice as much as Norway, the second largest contributor ($129.6 million versus 50.3 million). The European Commission, with 49.8 million, was the third largest donor.
* Afghanistan, Angola and Iraq were the top three fund recipients.
* 158 countries or 80 percent of the world’s nations have joined the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty which seeks to eradicate the use of landmines. The world’s newest state, South Sudan, and the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu are the most recent countries to join.
* 39 countries have not ratified or acceded to the Treaty including China, India, South Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States. These six states are believed to hold tens of millions of stockpiled anti-personnel mines.
(Editing by Rebekah Curtis)
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