Over the past week, the Defence Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have jointly recommended that their governments withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) due to perceived security threats.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), a member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, strongly condemns this development.
The DRC urges these countries to uphold their commitment to the APBMC and show leadership in upholding the ban on these horrific weapons
Entered into force on 1 March 1999, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention counts 164 States Parties and ‘is the cornerstone of the international effort to end the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines’.
Landmines are indiscriminate weapons that harm civilians and combatants, with no distinction. They are hidden killers that continue to claim lives and limbs for generations.
According to the Landmine Monitor, 85% of victims in mine-contaminated areas are civilians, with 40% being children.
Because they are untargeted, indiscriminate and disproportionate in the suffering they cause, they violate IHL - the legal framework and norms of war that exist to protect civilians.
They have rightly been banned by nations around the world. They should never be used by anyone, under any circumstances.
For the protection of civilian life and livelihoods now and in future, the APMBC and with it, the ban on landmines, must be upheld.
85% of victims in mine-contaminated areas are civilians, with 40% being children.
/ The Landmine Monitor
DRC understands security threats confront countries with difficult choices and important dilemmas.
But resorting to weapons that have been proven to cause disproportionate and unacceptable harm to civilians is never, under any circumstances, the right choice.
"DRC operates in conflict-affected regions such as Afghanistan, Gaza, Libya, Ukraine, and Yemen. From our work, we know that civilians are the primary victims of landmines," says DRC Secretary General Charlotte Slente.
"We know that landmines and unexploded remnants of war kill for generations. Survivors face long and difficult paths to recovery and inclusion back into society. The impact of landmines is universal, their elimination must be too", says Charlotte Slente.
The impact of landmines is universal, their elimination must be too.
/ Charlotte Slente, DRC Secretary General