The United Nations secretary-general denounced the “renewed threat” of anti-personnel mines on Monday, days after the United States said it would provide the weapons to Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion.
The remarks came during a conference in Cambodia to assess progress on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has praised the work of mine clearance and destruction around the world.
“But the threat persists” he clarified in a press release, “This concerns in particular the resumption of the use of antipersonnel mines by certain parties to the Convention, as well as the delay taken by certain parties in their commitments to destroy these weapons.
Mr. Guterres called on the 164 signatories – which include Ukraine but not Russia and the United States – to “fulfill their obligations and guarantee respect for the Convention”.
Mr. Guterres’ remarks were delivered by UN Under-Secretary-General Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.
AFP contacted his office and a spokesperson for Mr. Guterres to ask whether the remarks were aimed at Ukraine in particular.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian delegation present at the conference did not respond to AFP’s questions regarding mine supplies from the United States.
Last week, Washington announced that the United States would send mines to kyiv, which was immediately criticized by human rights organizations.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mines were “very important” in stopping Russia’s attacks.
The conference is being held in Cambodia, one of the most mined countries in the world, the victim of a civil war that lasted more than thirty years starting in the 1960s.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told the conference that his country still needs to clear 1,600 km² of land, affecting the way of life of more than a million people.
Since 1979, around 20,000 people have been killed in Cambodia by mines and other unexploded ordnance, while twice as many have been injured.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) said on Wednesday that at least 5,757 people were victims of mines and explosive remnants of war around the world last year. And 1,983 of them were killed.
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