Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), which are munitions that have failed to detonate, continue to cause injuries that permanently alter lives in conflict-affected areas of Myanmar.
“A landmine exploded after I washed my hand near the well. I broke down mentally and physically after the incident,” Nang Htay, a landmine survivor in southern Shan State’s Hsihseng Township, told DVB. Hsihseng is located 31 miles (50 km) north of the Shan State capital Taunggyi.
Landmines and UXO continue to cause casualties in areas of Myanmar affected by conflict. The U.N. Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) states that 357 individuals have been injured in Myanmar in the first half of 2025.
Many survivors are facing a protracted and difficult struggle to restore their mobility and self-reliance, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Nang Htay received a prosthetic leg from the ICRC in eastern Shan State’s Kengtung Township. Kengtung is located 281 miles (452 km) east of Taunggyi.
Roughly two third of these landmine and UXO casualties are children, according to UNICEF. This is due to the indiscriminate placement of these deadly weapons in and around homes, schools, playgrounds, and farming areas, that puts children at constant risk, according to UNICEF.
Kham Jay had to have his leg amputated after a UXO blast while playing with his younger sister in July near his home in Kachin State.
As a result, he received a prosthesis from ICRC and physical rehabilitation from a facility in the state capital Myitkyina
“The physical therapist is patient and has empathy. She treats my son like her own young sibling,” Kham Jay’s father told DVB.
Myint Myint Khaing, a mother of two from Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Region, lost a leg while working at a farm in the village. Kyaukkyi is located 108 miles (173 km) northeast of the region’s capital Bago.
“At first I felt a strong shake, then I saw my leg away from my body. I tried to ask for help but people ran away as I was covered in blood,” Myint Myint Khaing told DVB after receiving her prosthesis from ICRC.
Thet Aung, a member of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Myeik, told DVB that he lost one of his limbs after stepping on a landmine in Tanintharyi Region on May 7, 2024. He warns civilians living in conflict zones to be educated about the risks of landmines and UXO.
“Whether there is unexploded ordnance or artillery shell or landmine left by us or the military, do not touch it under any circumstances. Ensure that the area is properly cordoned off. Make a sign warning of mines and notify the relevant authorities,” Thet Aung told DVB.
Over 19,000 individuals with disabilities have received assistance from ICRC-funded rehabilitation facilities in Myanmar since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
Myanmar has the largest number of landmine and UXO casualties worldwide, with almost 2,200 people reported killed or injured in 2024, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report released on Dec. 1.
