Why Landmine Bans Must Apply in War and Peace Alike?
One of the most sophisticated and nefarious weapons that affect the safety of civilians is landmines in the post-war world when the guns are done shooting. Beyond conflict regions such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, Syria, Gaza, and other similar regions, over 100 million civilians in 2025 face the threat of land mines, EROWs and IEDs on a daily basis. Such weapons no longer differentiate between soldier and non soldier, adult, and child. They deny the delivery of humanitarian aid, they hinder development, and keep communities living in fear across generations.
The response the international community had concerning this crisis was in the Ottawa treaty of 1997 which is also referred to as the convention on prohibition of the use of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction. As at July 2025, 166 states had ratified or acceded to the treaty which is an inclusive prohibition of anti-personnel mines and requires states to destroy their existing mines and stockpiles and clear their land of mines and assist the survivors.
The Ottawa Treaty: A Milestone for Humanity
Treaty Terms And Achievements
The Ottawa Treaty is used to prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines. It obligates states who ratify it to clean up the mine fields within a decade of signing it and eliminate their stockpiles within a four-year window, but certain exemptions may be granted on request. It is already seen to be effective as signatory countries have destroyed more than 48 million stockpiled mines since its entry into force in 1999.
The treaty is inflexible: it places no room for reservations and gives delivery of withdrawing in effective sequence, never in times of armed conflict, only after 6 months of notification. This structure echoes one of the main principles of the ban: it should be honored all the time and most of all in war where one gets tempted to employ those weapons.
Gaps And Challenges
In spite of these successes, the treaty has very tough challenges. The key military players (including the United States, Russia, China, India and Pakistan) are not members of the treaty. In recent years, there has been rampant use of landmines in conflict where such states have acted. Since 2022, Russia has widely deployed anti-personnel mines in Ukraine, enhancing agricultural lands contamination and resulting in civilian deaths. Not only has Ukraine, as a treaty member, used mines since 2022 in violation of its commitments, but also accepted them in 2024 against its commitments brought by the United States.
Five European states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland) declared their defection of the treaty in June 2025, as a result of the insecurity because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Such withdrawal, impossible to take effect when the country is involved in an armed conflict, becomes a very dangerous precedent and can destroy decades of improvement.
The Humanitarian Imperative
Indiscriminate Harm
Antipersonnel mines are inherently indiscriminate. Designed to detonate in response to a person’s presence, proximity, or contact, they are placed by hand, scattered by aircraft, rockets, or drones, or dispersed from specialized vehicles. Once deployed, they remain a threat long after hostilities cease. As Human Rights Watch’s Mary Wareham stated,
“Antipersonnel mines are designed to explode in response to a person’s presence, proximity, or contact… They are inherently indiscriminate weapons that cannot distinguish between soldiers and civilians. Uncleared landmines pose a long-term danger, until they are cleared and destroyed.”
The humanitarian consequences are staggering. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has killed more than 13,300 civilians and injured over 32,700, with civilian casualties in early 2025 rising 47% compared to the previous year. Landmines have played a significant role in these figures, contaminating fields, roads, and even homes.
A Lasting Legacy
Even when the guns fall silent, landmines continue to kill and maim. They block access to farmland, schools, and health centers, undermining recovery and development. UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted,
“Even when the guns fall silent, these remnants of war remain, lurking in fields and on pathways and roadways, threatening the lives of innocent civilians and the livelihoods of communities.”
To reduce these deadly remains, tirelessly Mine action teams—endangering their lives most of the time– endeavor to clear these mines and communities, as well as, assist the wounded. Their contributions are vital towards reconstruction of torn communities and nurturing peace.
The Legal And Moral Case For Universality
International Humanitarian Law
The Ottawa Treaty is rooted in international humanitarian law, which exists to protect people in the darkest times. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and military experts have repeatedly affirmed that anti-personnel mines have only “limited military utility,” vastly outweighed by their “appalling humanitarian consequences.” History shows that even when mines are placed on frontlines, they inevitably kill and maim civilians and friendly forces alike, often failing to achieve their intended military objectives.
The ICRC warns,
“To adopt these rules in times of peace and to abandon them in times of war or increased tensions is to misunderstand their meaning entirely. To abandon them because the adversary does not respect them leads to a dangerous downward spiral, of which civilians will pay the price.”
Treaty Withdrawals And The Risk Of Regression
The recent withdrawals by five European states are a setback for global efforts to eradicate these weapons. Human Rights Watch criticized the move: “The five European countries leaving the Mine Ban Treaty put their own civilians at risk and walk back years of progress to eradicate these indiscriminate weapons… Expanding the use of antipersonnel mines risks causing further civilian casualties and suffering over both the short and long terms.”
African countries, led by South Africa, have urged the withdrawing states to reconsider, emphasizing that “the challenges we face today require more cooperation, not less. We must collectively preserve [the Mine Ban Treaty’s] integrity and universality.”
The Ongoing Human Cost
Civilian Suffering
Landmines affect the lives of the civilians most especially children. Resolution on Human Rights in April 2025 by the UN Human Rights Council noted the effect of landmines on the full realization of all human rights and pressed on the need to quicken demining and the comprehensive support of individuals who have been affected by the landmines. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated,
“Adhering to bans on mines only in peace time will not work. These weapons risk causing persistent and long-term, serious harm to civilians, including children. Like other international humanitarian law obligations, the ban must be respected at all times, including during armed conflict.”
Human Rights Watch echoed this, warning that weakening the ban puts civilians at risk of death, injury, and long-term harm. The European Leadership Network added,
“Re-embracing antipersonnel landmines after rejecting them on humanitarian grounds is a catastrophic step backwards for the protection of civilians.”
The Cost Of Clearance And Recovery
Clearing landmines is a slow, dangerous, and expensive process. More than 80 years after World War II, local authorities in Finland and Poland still receive requests to clear residual contamination from landmines and unexploded ordnance. The United States, historically the world’s largest contributor to demining and survivor assistance, has recently cut aid, resulting in thousands of deminers being laid off or put on leave, further delaying recovery efforts.
Upholding The Vision Of A Mine-Free World
The Role Of Mine Action
Mine action plays a vital role in the reconstruction of devastated societies, helps the survivors and creates peace. The United Nations mine action community along with states and civil society is involved in the detection and destruction of mines, education as well as enabling people to live, work and travel freely. UN Secretary-General Antoni Guterres pleaded,
“I urge States to uphold the global commitments in the recently adopted Pact for the Future to restrict or refrain from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and to support all efforts to end the threat of explosive ordinances. Mine action works. Together, let’s commit to build safe futures—starting here and now.”
Voices From The Field
In a recent interview, humanitarian analyst Caleb McMurtrey commented,
“The resurgence of landmine use in Europe and elsewhere is a grim reminder that the fight for a mine-free world is far from over. The only way forward is to uphold the ban in both war and peace, no matter the pressures of the moment.”
The statement made by McMurtrey underlines the necessity of equivocate adherence to the principles of the treaty.
Adhering to bans on mines only in peace time will not work: UN rights chief https://t.co/SVhSoZvKba
— Caleb McMurtrey (@CalebBMcMurtrey) July 2, 2025
The Strategic Imperative
Upholding the landmine ban is not only a legal and moral obligation—it is a strategic imperative for all who seek to limit suffering in war. As Nobel laureates and global leaders have urged,
“Upholding [the Mine Ban Treaty] is not only a legal and moral obligation—it is a strategic imperative for all who seek to limit suffering in war.”
The universality and integrity of the treaty must be preserved, especially in times of conflict, to protect civilians and ensure that the horrors of landmines become a relic of the past.
