💣 Cambodia cleared mines from an area 13 times the size of Manhattan in six months

• The Cambodian Mine Action Centre cleared 75,132 hectares of land contaminated by landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded ordnance in the first half of the year, reaching 82 percent of its annual target.
• Mine clearance has enabled 5,911 households, 87 schools and 20 health centers to safely use their land again.
• The number of people killed or injured by mines in Cambodia has fallen from more than 4,000 a year in the 1990s to fewer than 100 a year over the past decade.

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) cleared 75,132 hectares of land between January and June. That is roughly 750 square kilometers, an area about the size of Singapore, or almost 13 times the size of Manhattan. The land was contaminated by landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded ordnance. Halfway through the year, CMAC has reached 82 percent of its annual target.

During the six months, deminers located and destroyed 20,861 explosive remnants of war. They also responded to 4,023 emergency requests from the public.

More than 1.3 million received mine risk education

CMAC held 14,477 mine risk education sessions. The sessions reached 1,374,887 people. That is 59.17 percent of the annual target.

Focus on six border provinces

CMAC has stepped up survey and clearance operations in six provinces along the border with Thailand. The provinces were affected by the fighting at the border in 2025.

During the operations, CMAC destroyed more than 8,400 items of unexploded ordnance. Of these, 4,436 were cluster munitions.

Families and schools can use the land again

Mine clearance has enabled 5,911 households to return to and use 1,455 hectares of land. The same applies to 87 schools covering a total of 154 hectares. Twenty health centers, six pagodas and 114 infrastructure projects have also regained safe land.

Investing in AI and new technology

CMAC Director-General Heng Ratana says the organization will continue to modernize its work. This will be done through investment in research, innovation, artificial intelligence and new technology. CMAC is also strengthening its own organization and expanding international cooperation.

According to Heng Ratana, skilled staff and strong partnerships are essential to carrying out the government's mine action strategy. They also allow Cambodia to take greater ownership of the work.

$1 billion since 1992

Ly Thuch is a Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the CMAA, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority. He says the country's mine action program has mobilized about $1 billion since 1992.

About 30 percent of the funding has come from the government. The rest has come from international partners, the private sector and philanthropists.

According to Ly Thuch, the partnership has made Cambodia one of the world's leading examples of successful mine clearance. Over the past three decades, the country has cleared more than 3,500 square kilometers of contaminated land. More than 1.2 million landmines have been destroyed and over 3 million items of unexploded ordnance have been removed.

From 4,000 casualties to fewer than 100 a year

In the 1990s, more than 4,000 people were killed or injured by mines in Cambodia every year. Over the past decade, the figure has been below 100 a year.

The capital Phnom Penh and 14 provinces have been declared mine-free.

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