ICRC launches awareness campaign on the dangers of explosive ordnance contamination in Syria

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, will launch today an awareness campaign on the dangers of explosive ordnance contamination in Syria. The campaign will continue until the 12th of April.

Suhair Zaqout, the spokeswoman for the ICRC for the Middle East in Syria, explained in a statement to SANA today that the campaign aims to highlight the grave risks posed by landmines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices to returnees, displaced persons and humanitarian workers, while highlighting the efforts made to reduce these risks.

According to Zaqout, the campaign includes content on social media, radio messages, podcasts, and a statement by the head of the ICRC delegation in Syria, while ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent teams on the ground will organize awareness sessions for the groups most vulnerable to these risks, including returnees and displaced persons.

According to Zaqout, more than a decade of conflict and crises has left Syria dangerously contaminated with explosive remnants of war, posing a serious threat to millions of people, with children among the most vulnerable.

Zaqout explained that between 2019 and 2024, more than 5,600 civilian casualties were reported due to explosive ordnance incidents. In 2024 alone, the International Committee of the Red Cross recorded 388 incidents, resulting in more than 900 casualties, a third of whom were children.

Aourwa Deep

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