CISR News

BiH destroys 1,972 pieces of small arms and light weapons
A total of 1,972 pieces of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) were destroyed by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, 18 September.
Harnessing drones, geophysics and artificial intelligence to root out land mines
Researching drones and AI in the search for mines and other unexploded ordinance are a worldwide menace; about 100 million devices are thought to be currently scattered across dozens of countries.
Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2021
The report launch is in advance of the forthcoming Second Review Conference (Part 2) of States Parties to the 2010 Convention on Cluster Munition Remnants on 20–21 September 2021, during which States and observers will c
China Begins Landmine Removal Operation Along Border With Myanmar
The landmines were reportedly planted to target civilians moving back and forth across the 2,000-kilometer mountainous border informally.
The Times view on the Halo Trust in Afghanistan: Safe Ground
The threat to the lives and liberties of Afghan civilians remains intense, and not only from the actions of the country’s re-ascendant Taliban rulers. Landmines and other unexploded devices pose a constant hazard.
15 injured in landmine explosion in Yemen
The explosion that occurred in Al Khawkhah district resulted in injuring 15 people and partially destroying their vehicle, he said.
Landmine explosion causes serious injuries to eight members of the same family
Bin Niran explained in a press statement that the injuries of the family vary from moderate to serious, with the entire family receiving medical treatment at Al-Khadra Hospital.
Landmines found on Florida beach
the Air Force Bomb Squad removed both land mines without incident. They will be taken to their base to destroy them. Some residents were evacuated and have been given The all clear to return to their homes.
Assistance in mine action - Report of the Secretary-General
United Nations releases report on its mine action activities for 2019-2021, which includes how activities were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The people with the impossible task:
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has been working in this region at the request of the Kurdistan government since 1992, during which time it has removed something like 170,000 landmines, 18,000 improvised explosive devices
The Taliban are asking for help locating explosives they laid
The head of the UN Mine Action Team in Afghanistan says the Taliban are asking for help to locate and remove explosives left from war including ones they laid themselves. CNN’s Max Foster reports.
Lucusse in Angola celebrates landmine free status
Situated in Moxico, Angola's largest province, Lucusse has suffered the terrible legacy of more than 40 years of fighting.
UK to help clear landmines in Nagorno-Karabakh
The UK has donated half a million pounds to the United Nations Development Program for clearance in the region.
Halo Trust resumes Afghanistan explosive clearance work
After a brief pause, HALO resumes demining operations in Afghanistan
MLI Celebrates the Completion of Mine Free Sarajevo!
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina is mine free after 25 years!
Syrian fig harvester returns to work after losing leg to landmine
In pictures: Shaker Ahmed al-Zaytoun, a 22-year-old man from the town of Al-Bara in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of the Idlib countryside, lost his leg last year when a landmine exploded, is back at work
EAC and RECSA to enhance cooperation on cross-border security
RECSA and EAC work together to reduce illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons in east Africa
Cambodia emphasizes commitment to achieve 2025 mine-free vision
Cambodia calls for development partners’ continued commitment to achieve 2025 mine-free vision
Marshall Legacy Institute sends mine detection dogs to Azerbaijan
Marshall Legacy Institute mine detection dogs to assist in mine clearance in Azerbaijan
CMAA continues to clear the Kingdom of Cambodia of landmines and ERW
The Cambodian Mine Action Authority continues to make progress clearing landmines and ERW
Small arms collection program in the Philippines
The program aims to eradicate the use and trade of loose firearms that can cause violence and harm to the community.
Call for Papers: Alternative funding mechanisms
Alternative finance mechanisms for mine action
Demining and EOD Seminar 2021
Our Demining and EOD Seminar will bring together leading officials who are working on mine clearance in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as across the Balkans.
Project RENEW Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
The Project RENEW model developed over the past 20 years has achieved substantial progress in neutralizing the effects of explosive ordnance, reducing poverty, and supporting socioeconomic development.
2021 Future Force Capabilities Conference and Exhibition
Join NDIA at the first-ever Future Force Capabilities Conference and Exhibition.
President Biden Delivers Remarks on Afghanistan
President Biden Delivers Remarks on Afghanistan
Migrants warned of dangers of landmines on Balkan route
A migrant died in March and four more were injured, says InfoMigrants
The HALO Trust calls on all states to scale up and invest in cooperation on weapons and ammunition management at all levels
Read its statement to the U.N. last week on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons
60,000 landmines destroyed in Muhamalai minefield, Sri Lanka
In 2012, The HALO Trust began work to clear the landmines so families could return home
Women managing weapons
According to UNIDIR's new report, women make up less than 20 percent of those training for technical roles in weapons and ammunition
Economic crisis impacts Syrian refugees, people with disabilities
A young man and a teenager who receive care, supported by Humanity & Inclusion, share their stories
8th Mine Action Technology Workshop
This year’s workshop will focus on the themes of land release, information management systems and explosive ordnance risk education
A new MAG solution aims to tackle a global priority
Preventing diversion of weapons and ammunition
How drones are impacting land mine reduction globally
A November 2018 issue of the Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction features a case study on the use of drones in mine clearance, says Iris Automation
Kiel Munition Clearance Week, Sept. 6–10, 2021
Registration has opened; secure your spot at this hybrid event
CISR–JMU student Hannah Schilling develops passion for post-conflict recovery
Schilling, a research assistant, recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations
Menu of indicators to measure the reverberating effects on civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
UNIDIR's publication shows how explosive weapons cause untold harm against the civilian population
Canine ‘super-detectors’
The Guardian reports on the dogs working to free Iraq from Isis mines
Report launch: Women Managing Weapons
Join the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research's virtual event, Tuesday, July 27, 8–9:30 a.m. EDT
Teenage boy steps on landmine, loses leg in Ponnagyun, Myanmar
The location where the landmine blast occurred had previously seen fighting between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military, says Myanmar Now
A new home from the ashes of war in Kosovo
The HALO Trust started clearing cluster munitions at Komogllavë in June of 2018 and completed the work in June 2021
Colombian children learn to identify landmines buried during country's civil war
According to The HALO Trust, since 1990 around 12,000 people have been injured or died in Colombia because of undetonated explosives
The United States’ commitment to conventional weapons destruction
To Walk the Earth in Safety details the U.S. Department of State's collaborative approach to conventional weapons destruction
Working for a mine-free Gola Brda in Bosnia and Herzegovina
MAG's work across BiH is supported by the U.S. Government, German Federal Foreign Office and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
Hikers enjoy breathtaking Kurdistan landscapes while avoiding landmines, border attacks
According to Kurdistan24, the former Iraqi regime planted thousands of explosives in the Kurdistan region and disputed territories during the 1980s to hinder the advance of Iranian troops
Advocating for disability rights through international engagement
The Fulbright Program features JMU professor Dr. Ken Rutherford who served for more than a decade as the director of CISR
Global context of landmines and demining efforts in Colombia
Colombia aims to be landmine-free and has implemented plans reaching until 2025 to achieve this, says BORGEN Magazine
Data quality factors for marine UXO surveys
Researchers involve stakeholders to define unexploded ordnance survey requirements, reports Hydro International
The dangers of Browns Island, North Carolina
According to the Defense Visual Information Distrubtion Service, the most recent UXO was a 250 lb., WWII-era, AN-M57 A1 variant found last month
The United States welcomes Azerbaijan’s release of Armenian detainees and Armenia’s actions to facilitate demining
The U.S. Embassy in Armenia continues to call for the return of all detainees and the exchange of all data necessary to conduct effective demining of conflict regions
3 killed in Eastern Samar, Philippines, landmine attack
Local policemen have joined the military in the investigation and pursuit of the rebels, says PhilStar Global
Using drones to spot Angola's landmines
Listen to BBC coverage of how lasers and thermal technology are being used to map out where mines are hidden
Detonating the media: Raising the profile of mine action
On Princess Diana's birthday, we highlight The HALO Trust's article on how “the most famous woman in the world donned a protective apron and visor, and walked into a Huambo minefield”
Defining the pillar of victim assistance
Looking back over The Journal of CWD’s 25-year history, we reminisce about how victim assistance was not originally on the political agenda in 1995 but had begun to gain momentum by 1999 when Sue Eitel wrote her article
An anatomy of a Grad attack
Action on Armed Violence's new report has recorded at least 44 distinct incidents involving Grad systems between 2011 and 2020, resulting in 1,223 casualties—64 percent of which were civilians
Landmines in ex-FATA
Landmines laid in areas near the Pak-Afghan border since the Soviet-Afghan war still continue to cause horrific injuries and take lives, says Dawn
Innovative finance for mine action
A new report by The HALO Trust and Social Finance shares findings of a six-month scoping study into how innovative development finance could bolster support for mine action
Chin teenager killed by Myanmar junta landmine
The Irrawaddy reports that three other young people were killed by junta landmines near Bukun village in late May after firefights with Mindat’s civilian resistance
Project RENEW: Local residents help reduce the danger of explosive ordnance in Quang Tri province
Supported by Project RENEW, the people of Quang Tri Province are keeping themselves, their families and their neighbors safe, while assisting those who have already been injured by bombs and mines
5 people dead, 4 wounded in roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Ahmad Abad
All the victims were members of the same family, reports Business Standard
Glowing bacteria may one day protect people from landmines
Researchers in Israel have recently detailed progress in developing sensors that light up in the presence of a chemical linked to landmines and other deadly explosives, says The Pink Report News
CISR returns to Croatia for the 17th International Mine Action Symposium
Special thanks to the Croatian Mine Action Centre and OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine for organizing
500 UXO units found in Battambang riverbank
The UXO consisted of thirty-six 72A landmines, three B40 bullets and five hundred K57 bullets, says the Phnom Penh Post
Sri Lanka Army to declare country free from mines and explosives by 2022
According to The Island, only 13.34 sq km need to be cleared before Sri Lanka can declare itself a mine-free country
Yazidi Women: Clearing Sinjar's Mines
BBC documentary turns camera on MAG's work in Iraq
AOAV report: A Decade of Explosive Violence Harm, 2011–2020
In total, 238,892 civilians were killed and injured in populated areas over a decade
Casualties from landmines and ERWs in Arakan State on the rise
The Myanmar military and the Arakan Army have observed an unofficial ceasefire, but casualties from landmines and ERWs have continued, says Burma News International
USA Today: 10 HALO Trust staff killed in attack on camp in northern Afghanistan
CISR sends our deepest condolences to The HALO Trust, and to the families and friends of the victims
At least 11 people killed by a landmine in northern Afghanistan
No militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, says Reuters
Blockage of North-South rail line through Quang Binh lifted after military sappers removed 750-pound bomb
According to Project RENEW, the M117 bomb found near the Vietnamese rail line was removed around 2 a.m. Saturday
Demonstrating the value of humanitarian demining in Colombia
Clearing explosive hazards from access routes enabled local residents to save time and travel without fear of injury, says the U.S. Department of State
Performer combines clowns with landmine safety to educate children
Clowns Without Borders is working with the Mines Advisory Group to create online content to reach audiences after in-person events were halted due to the pandemic, says the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Recovery assistance for landmine survivors becomes a reality at last
According to the Women's Refugee Commission, recent research highlights promising practices from early adopters of cash and voucher assistance in humanitarian mine action
Norwegian People’s Aid Vietnam conducts International Mine Action Standards Explosive Ordnance Disposal Level III training for national staff
The eight trainees who were selected to take part in the course have held different positions in NPA Vietnam for many years, including team leaders, supervisors and operations managers
Expression of Interest
Consider participating in GICHD's 2021 Mine Action Technology Workshop
Hồ Văn Lai: From bomb survivor to powerful storyteller
Losing three limbs in a cluster munitions explosion created life-changing challenges and opportunities for a Vietnamese boy, says Project RENEW
Tunisia's forgotten victims of jihadist landmines
FRANCE 24's correspondents went to speak to some of these forgotten survivors
Statement of Virginia Gov. Northam on the death of former U.S. Sen. John Warner
Warner’s passion for public service will carry on in CISR’s mission to help improve communities impacted by conflict
Explosive weapons and human health: How to better protect civilians
Last chance to register for INEW's webinar, Thursday, May 27
The 24th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers
May 24, 11:30 a.m., to May 27, 12:30 p.m. EDT
AOAV webinar: A Decade of Explosive Violence Harm
7:30–8:30 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 25
Israel and the occupied territory
The ICRC says hostilities between Gaza and Israel must stop and much-needed humanitarian activities must start now
The use of heavy explosive weapons in Myanmar is having horrific humanitarian consequences for civilians and must cease
INEW calls on all parties to conflict to stop using explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas due to the impact on civilians
11 civilians killed in roadside bomb blast in S. Afghanistan
XINHUANET: Some 43 people were aboard the bus when the explosion occurred
CALL FOR PAPERS
Research and development
CALL FOR PAPERS
Physical security and stockpile management of munitions
CALL FOR PAPERS
Working near conflict zones: Humanitarian access, clearance and stability
CALL FOR PAPERS
Middle East: Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen
CALL FOR PAPERS
Falkland Islands
CALL FOR PAPERS
Mental health and humanitarian mine action: Personnel
Clearing mines and rebuilding lives after conflict
ShareAmerica: “People with disabilities can live full and meaningful lives, and be valued, if only given the opportunity”
CALL FOR PAPERS
Opportunities for synergy in humanitarian mine action: Conflict pollution
High-tech tools join the hunt for forgotten mines
Bloomberg News: In Afghanistan, Angola and Libya, digging out the deadly remnants of war takes nerves of steel and increasingly sophisticated mapping technology
Explosive violence trends and patterns in Afghanistan (2011–2020)
AOAV recorded 49,039 deaths and injuries from explosive violence in Afghanistan—of these, 28,356 (58%) were civilians
CALL FOR PAPERS
Twenty-five years of mine action: Mine action in motion
Please join us in celebrating 25 years of The Journal with a special double issue publishing this July
"The Journal, it’s a valuable resource that should be a starting point for any literature review."
The impact of explosive violence on childcare
AOAV examines the reverberating impact of explosive weapons on childcare in armed conflict
A message from The Journal team
Subscribing to The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
A message of support and solidarity
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
Future Force Capabilities Conference and Exhibition
October 18–21, 2021, in Columbus, GA
Nearly 500 explosives detected from a cache on an NPA/Project RENEW clearance site in Quang Tri, Vietnam
The EOD team places mortar rounds on the demolition pit for disposal
Armed forces of Ukraine and Sweden to cooperate in establishing mine action center
297 minefields have been identified in eastern Ukraine with a total area of more than 26 million square meters
Can achieving a Landmine Free 2025 help the world to re-build after COVID-19?
Join Wednesday, April 21, 10–11:30 BST to hear from people across the world working in mine action
CISR talks with leading women in humanitarian mine action
"It's difficult being put into different cultural contexts, where gender is really an issue"
Donors of mine action visit NPA/RENEW all-woman, battle area clearance team
The female team was established and put into operation in Oct. 2018
Working with our allies and partners to keep shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles out of the wrong hands
MANPADS proliferation respects no borders or walls, and must be met with collective action from the international community
Returning cultivated lands on Tajik-Afghan border to local communities
Newly constructed border roads have improved security and facilitated humanitarian access to high-altitude minefields
Small steps have a big impact for Yemeni civilians
Explosive hazards and clearance operations
The UXO/Demining Caucus presents A Celebration of Mine Awareness Day
Register for the webinar
Afghanistan’s dangerous legacy unearthed
The HALO Trust and DMAC collaborate closely in the planning and delivery of all humanitarian mine action activities
To Walk the Earth in Safety report showcases U.S. global leadership in landmine clearance and conventional weapons destruction
The 20th edition of TWEIS rolls out this afternoon!
Afghanistan’s first female deminers
An analysis of perception changes among deminers, families and communities
24th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers
Participants are invited to register online
Numerous wartime munitions removed from the foundation of a house under construction in Dong Ha, Vietnam
The EOD team found 22 different explosive ordnance and more than 350 small arms ammunitions
New U.S.-funded project will clear mines from contaminated Cambodian land
The project is funded by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
New Technologies and Methodologies for Explosive Ordnance Risk Education
A view from other sectors
A premier professional development opportunity
CISR and State Department continue successful fellowship
Pentagon funds killer robots but ethics are under debate
Can we teach machines to fight ethically?
17th International Symposium – Mine Action 2021
Register for June 16–18, 2021
Reminder: Tuesday, March 23, is JMU Giving Day!
Support the CISR Student Opportunity Fund
The 4th Advanced Explosives and Ordnance Training Seminar
Fly to and from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, February 14–18, 2022
A unique opportunity
CISR and State Department continue successful career development fellowship.
Conversations With Leading Women: Beyond 2021 in Post-Conflict Development
Participate in this April 6 Global Humanitarian Week event by registering online
The Sustainable Development Outcomes of Mine Action in Jordan
You're invited to the April 1 webinar
Humanitarianism in Action: Security and Peace in Central Africa
Register for the virtual book talk as part of CISR's Global Humanitarian Week 2021
The victims of Agent Orange the U.S. has never acknowledged
Generations of ethnic minorities have endured the consequences
Beyond the square metres cleared: Mine action and development
Join Development Dialogues this Thursday 10–11:30 a.m. EDT
Empowering women in peace and security: Growing U.S. partnerships through Political-Military Affairs
Conventional weapons destruction
Giving Day returns March 23!
Support the CISR Student Opportunity Fund
Clearing the Path
A discussion on landmines and mine action
International Women's Day
Choose to challenge
Explosions in Equatorial Guinea kill at least 20, injure hundreds
The explosions took place at a military camp
Bomb squad called after landmine found by metal detectorist, 17, close to IWM Duxford
The EOD team determined that it was a dummy version of a Tellermine 35
Using social media to protect civilians from landmines and other explosive hazards
The U.S. State Department teamed up with MAG and Facebook on a pilot project that delivered risk education to Iraqis via Facebook ads
Lebanese association launches initiative to provide free prosthetic limbs for cluster bombs' victims
Providing people with limbs has become an urgent matter given the psychological and social implications for the lifestyle of this group of people
Landmine blast kills 2 children in NW Pakistan: police
Militants had planted a large number of landmines during their control in parts of tribal areas
Landmine clearance said to make way for IDP returns in some Arakan townships
Landmine clearance will be carried out in phases in some townships where IDPs are returning home
Seven Maoists caught laying land mines in Mulugu
The explosives were seized from Maoists in the Pamunuru forest area on Tuesday
Cambodia commits to removing UXO by 2025
To achieve the target of 2025, extra resources will need to be deployed and the rate of landmine clearance will need to speed up
Childhood under attack
A timeline of harm following an explosive blast
Snipers, landmines, death
Life on Yemen's frontline
Meet the women clearing Angola's landmines
"I think it’s important that women do this work, not just men"
‘A ghost that haunts’
Living with landmines in Kashmir
The history of land mines
A weapon that won't go away
Legacies of war, ironically, have brought Vietnam and the U.S. closer together
There emerged a consensus that America should take some responsibility for the consequences of the massive bombing that had occurred during the Vietnam war
Proof: How small drones can find buried landmines in the desert using airborne IR thermography
The Journal of CWD
Legacies of conflict
Despite huge progress, the landmine crisis continues
A lethal harvest in Cambodia
“After my children were born, I had to use the land that had mines on it to farm”
Explosive ordnance victims and risk education: Lessons learned from Colombia 2012–2019
The Journal of CWD
‘Making our home safe again’: Meet the women who clear land mines
After decades of war, more and more women are working to remove lethal mines and IEDs from the fields and cities of their homelands
Assessing Ukraine's victim assistance capacities
The Journal of CWD
Black History Month: Black firsts at James Madison University
A timeline dedicated to the firsts who paved the way to have courses, jobs, and a voice for many Black and minority students at JMU
Strengthening a sustainable national capacity for gender and diversity mainstreaming in mine action
The Journal of CWD
CALL FOR PAPERS: Research and Development
R&D articles are submitted to three experts for anonymous peer review
Landmines in America's backyard
The Journal of CWD
CALL FOR PAPERS
Commercial off-the-shelf tools for mine action
A cache of explosive ordnance located near the former demilitarized zone
After five days working in Ha Loi Trung village, four technical survey teams found and safely destroyed 80 items of explosive ordnance
Improving security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through weapons and ammunition management
The Journal of CWD
CALL FOR PAPERS: Environmental and weather challenges of humanitarian mine action/conventional weapons destruction
How are organizations specializing their operations to adapt to nuanced environmental factors while working in areas confirmed or suspected of being contaminated?
Weapons marking and registration in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A model for a regional approach to small arms/light weapons life-cycle management in the Western Balkans
The Journal of CWD
CALL FOR PAPERS: Ukraine
Tell us about your work conducting clearance, risk education, victim assistance and more in the upcoming Journal of CWD
Internally displaced persons educated about landmine risks
Many Myanmar IDPs have called on the government to clear unexploded explosives before their return
The Mine Free Sarajevo project
The Journal of CWD
CALL FOR PAPERS: Mobile and/or efficient data-collection methods
Collecting data via handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablets has become the industry standard
International Mine Action Standard 10.60 Safety & Occupational Health - Investigation and Reporting of Accidents and Incidents: Notes on the revised second edition
The Journal of CWD
Looking ahead at the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
Successes with weapons removal and abatement
CALL FOR PAPERS: Prostheses
Those working with prostheses in humanitarian mine action are encouraged to submit articles on the use of prostheses for landmine and UXO survivors
On-the-ground, information management tools in northeast Syria
The Journal of CWD
CALL FOR PAPERS: COVID-19 and Humanitarian Mine Action
How have humanitarian mine action organizations responded to the pandemic?
CALL FOR PAPERS: Battle Area Clearance/Urban Clearance
How are organizations mitigating the challenges of battle area and urban environments to remove explosive remnants of war?
Operationalized Management Information Systems in Iraq's Directorate of Mine Action
The Journal of CWD
Mine action in the time of COVID-19: A donor's perspective
The Journal of CWD
In 2021, we have much to celebrate!
CISR is excited to announce our newest project in collaboration with the American University of Kurdistan and funding from the U.S. Department of State
Myanmar woman severely injured in landmine explosion in Myanmar’s Rakhine state
‘Local civilians lack awareness’
Time to stem lightweight approaches and focus on real minefield data?
The Journal of CWD
Landmine casualty rates in Nigeria now fifth highest in the world
Mines laid by Boko Haram and other groups leave millions at risk, particularly in Borno state where insurgency most acute
Firing range clearance in Bamyan, Afghanistan, well under way
By the end of October, the Organisation for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation had found and destroyed 684 items of unexploded ordnance/explosive remnants of war
We are eager to announce the launch of the Fall/Winter 2020 edition of The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
As ever, we hope you enjoy reading this issue and stay safe this holiday season
Conventional weapons destruction assistance helps Angola protect the Okavango watershed and bolster regional stability
The U.S. supports demining of land in Angola's watershed to protect local communities, and promote conservation and ecotourism
Local villagers feel assured as contaminated land identified for full clearance
Quang Tri province aims to be safe from the impact of explosive ordnance by 2025
The importance of sharing information in achieving cross-sectorial objectives
Lessons learned among communities with shared goals have cross-sectoral value that benefits everyone