At least 188 children casualties of unexploded ordnances in Syria since January

Mines and unexploded ordnances in Syria have killed or injured at least 188 children over the past three months, a growing threat as families return home, the NGO Save the Children said Thursday.

Of this total, more than 60 children have been killed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, after more than 13 years of civil war, the NGO specified in a statement.

"At least 188 children have been killed or injured in three months, an average of two children per day," said Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children’s director for Syria. "This number is expected to rise as more and more children return home, help cultivate the land, look for food, or play outside."

It reported a total of at least 628 victims of all ages during these three months in the explosion of these ordnances, "more than two-thirds of the total number of victims for the entire year of 2023." The NGO did not specify the proportion of deaths or injuries.

Save the Children called on authorities to accelerate "efforts to eliminate mines and explosive remnants." According to Hoxha, mines and explosive remnants are widespread across a large part of Syrian territory, following the war that resulted in more than half a million deaths and over 10 million refugees and displaced persons.

One million explosive munitions were used during the war, according to international estimates, cited by the NGO Handicap International (HI) last month. According to HI, between 100,000 and 300,000 of these munitions did not explode.

Children are particularly vulnerable to these ordinances, which are accidentally activated by victims. Children often mistake them for toys or objects of curiosity.

"The international community must make child protection a priority and ensure that they are no longer exposed to the dangers posed by mines and other explosive devices," according to Save the Children.