Goto main content

Mine clearance to assist development

Explosive weapons
Laos

Humanity and Inclusion’s teams are clearing land in north-eastern Laos contaminated mainly by cluster munitions. 

HI mine clearance operation in Laos

HI mine clearance operation in Laos | © HI

HI implements mine clearance operations in the Houamouang district of Houaphan province in north-eastern Laos. Submunitions - small bombs carried in a hollow shell that breaks open in mid-air, saturating the area below - pose the greatest threat to local lives. Thousands of these bombs were dropped over Houamouang. Thirty percent did not explode on impact and remain dangerous to this day.  

Ground survey 

Before they launch a mine clearance operation, HI’s team surveys the potentially hazardous area. To assess the level of danger and type of explosive devices, they look for signs of contamination such as craters, topographical abnormalities or unusual vegetation, and identify other evidence of bombing, including accidents. 

Memories: a valuable local resource

Local people can be a valuable source of information. They may recall army movements or past accidents. They also know the land - often agricultural - no one dares farm. 

By clearing mines, HI helps restore economic and social activity, and prioritises land for farming or infrastructure projects to assist village development. 

"In many cases, contamination by explosive remnants - submunitions in Laos - is a brake on regional development. Contamination isolates whole areas. Farmland lies fallow and schools go unbuilt.

Mine clearance assists development.”

Julien Kempeneers, HI Mine Action Coordinator in Laos. 

Challenging working conditions 

Remote and isolated, contaminated land is difficult for HI’s 32 mine clearance experts to reach. They often need to drive or hike through vegetation for hours. In Houaphan, the weather is cold and landslides common. As well as snakes and insects, some regions are affected by epidemics of malaria or dengue fever. 

Since the start of operations, HI has cleared 110,000 square metres of land, the equivalent of 17 football fields, and destroyed 815 devices, including 327 bombs. 

Where your
support
helps

PRESS CONTACT

CANADA

Jahanzeb Hussain

 

Help them
concretely

To go further

Statement: Ukraine announces withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty
© O.Marikutsa / HI
Explosive weapons Rights

Statement: Ukraine announces withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty

On June 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree announcing Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines. Ukraine, which ratified the Convention in 2005, becomes the sixth state to withdraw or declare its intention to withdraw, following Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

No to the return of antipersonnel landmines
© V. Vanniasingam / HI
Explosive weapons

No to the return of antipersonnel landmines

States parties to the Ottawa Treaty meeting ended in Geneva. It was the 1st time they were gathering since 5 members of the treaty announced their withdrawal. States failed to defend the Treaty.

"We are moving forward together": how Mariia and Serhii support each other in the war
© H.Kostenko / HI 2025
Explosive weapons Health

"We are moving forward together": how Mariia and Serhii support each other in the war

Thanks to HI's support, a courageous couple who live in Kharkiv region, try to rebuild themselves facing the trauma of the war.