Smoke rises after a landmine exploded as fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces are clearing roads after liberation of Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Deaths and injuries from landmines and unexploded ordnance hit a four-year high in 2024, driven by conflicts in Syria and Myanmar as well as European countries moving to withdraw from the treaty banning their use, a new report showed on Monday.

Over 6,000 incidents were recorded last year, including 1,945 deaths and 4,325 injuries - the highest annual total since 2020, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report. Nearly 90% were civilians, with almost half women and children.

The surge was driven mainly by mines exploding in conflict zones in Syria and Myanmar - both countries which are outside the treaty. In Syria, returning residents face growing risks from unexploded ordnance following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, the report said.

Myanmar recorded the highest number with over 2,000 incidents due to increased use by both the army and non-state armed groups, the report said.

The treaty, which came into effect in 1999, binds 166 states, 85% of the world, prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. It also requires parties to clear contaminated areas and assist victims.

Several European nations are seeking withdrawal at a time when global funding cuts are hampering clearance efforts.

Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are in the process of legally exiting the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines in the face of what they say are growing military threats from Russia - risking the treaty's "dangerous erosion", the report stated.

Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Convention on June 29. Military analysts said that doing so could help slow the Russian advances Kyiv is struggling to contain over three years after Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Activists say there should be a global ban on a weapon that blights huge swathes of territory and maims and kills civilians long after conflicts have abated.

The report also documented signs of new Ukrainian mine use, plus Thailand's accusations that Cambodian forces deployed anti-personnel mines in a July disputed border clash, which Cambodia denies. Russia and Myanmar, non-signatories, used landmines extensively, the report said.

Donor funding cuts, including from the U.S., resulted in reduced survivor support and termination of several humanitarian mine action programs compared with prior years, according to the report.

States party to the Mine Ban Treaty meet in Geneva this week.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Additional reporting Emma Farge, editing by Deepa Babington)