"Hidden in the ground of former battlefields across the globe are roughly 110 million unexploded landmines enough to encircle the planet twice. Each mine has the potential to explode long after it was placed during a conflict, posing a hidden threat long after the fighting stops. Last year, landmines killed or wounded more than 5,700 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, an annual report published by a consortium of non-profit groups."
"This year, it received the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, one of the most prestigious humanitarian awards with a record $3 million prize. "Through its extraordinary efforts to help communities return to safety and prosperity after conflict, the Mines Advisory Group exemplifies the kind of humanitarian excellence our Prize has sought to celebrate and inspire over the last three decades," said Peter Laugharn, President and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation."
Roughly 110 million unexploded landmines remain buried in former battlefields worldwide, posing long-term danger because mines can detonate years after conflicts end. More than 5,700 people were killed or wounded by landmines last year, most of them civilians. The only reliable way to eliminate the hazard is physical removal, a hazardous process carried out by specialized organizations. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has conducted demining for over 35 years in more than 70 countries and received a $3 million humanitarian prize for its work. MAG conducts critical clearance operations in high-casualty zones such as Syria, where over 1,400 landmine casualties were reported since December 2024. Mofida Majzoub, formerly a freelance wedding photographer, now leads MAG demining teams in the field after responding to recruitment for female de-miners.
Read at www.npr.org
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