Ricardo Pires, UNICEF’s liaison officer for emergencies, told reporters in Geneva from the capital Damascus that more than 422,000 incidents involving unexploded explosives had occurred in Syria’s 14 governorates over the past nine years.
Children are tragically killed in at least half of these accidents. “This country’s boys and girls are suffering the brutal effects of these unexploded ordnance at an alarming rate.”
According to UNICEF officials, 116 children were either killed or injured in these incidents in December alone (2024), an average of about four per day.
However, he believes that the actual death toll could be higher.
Tragedy at every step
Communications Officer Ricardo Pires said the 5 million children living in areas contaminated by deadly explosives are at risk and their every move carries the risk of an unimaginable tragedy.
This risk is exacerbated by new incidents of displacement. Violent clashes have escalated since November 27 as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) advances towards the capital, Damascus, have forced more than 2.5 million children to flee their homes.
Unexploded explosives are a major threat to displaced people and people trying to return to their homes, which cannot be ignored, the UNICEF official said.
The threat has increased since the fall of the Assad government on December 8, as numerous weapons, including explosive weapons, have been scattered in various areas, including Homs and Damascus.
Life changing wounds
Ricardo Pires says curious children must bear the brunt of this fatal legacy. Even for those who survive the blast, the struggle does not end here.
“Life-changing injuries and disabilities often mean they cannot return to school or find it difficult to access appropriate health care.”
UNICEF calls for greater humanitarian efforts to clear landmines and unexploded explosives. At the same time, it is important to make people aware of the dangers of landmines and ensure assistance to victims.
He said investment in making the country’s plains safe and de-explosive is essential in the talks taking place as part of reconstruction efforts in Syria.
UNICEF spokesman James Elder also supported the appeal, stressing that millions of dollars would be needed to remove unexploded ordnance to save lives.
This would also allow Syria to return to middle-income status.