How the Military Coup has Increased Landmine Use in Myanmar
Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan explained on a recent podcast episode that the military coup in Myanmar has significantly worsened the landmine crisis. As armed conflict has intensified across the country since the coup, the use of landmines has escalated, resulting in a dramatic increase in casualties. UNICEF reported three times more landmine casualties in the year following the coup. Yeshua points out that this rise in conflict has spread landmine usage to areas that previously had little to no armed violence, such as the Bamar-dominated regions like Sagaing, Magway, and Bago. This extensive and indiscriminate use of landmines has affected urban areas as well, with civilians often falling victim to these explosive devices. He also expresses concern that, despite the increasing danger, reports on landmine casualties have decreased due to internet shutdowns, lack of electricity, and fewer reporters in the field, meaning the true extent of the crisis may be even worse than currently known.
“We are seeing conflict spread to areas of the country where previously there had been no armed conflicts.”
“We are seeing conflict spread to areas of the country where previously there had been no armed conflicts. They're mostly in an area where the Burman ethnicity is dominant, Sagaing in particular, but also in the other provinces, like Magway and parts of Bago. Those areas never previously had armed conflict and also had no known casualties due to anti-personnel landmines.
What we're seeing in the urban areas are explosive bombs. These are frequently in black plastic bags, and most of the victims are trash collectors or people who are scavenging through the garbage for something that they can sell or eat. Most, I assume, were laid as part of an attack on some type of government building. I don't know whether they were meant to explode when they were moved, or whether they just had fragile components within them that made them explode when they were moved. But these are the types of victim-activated, urban explosive devices that we're seeing. And that fits the definition of an antipersonnel mine under the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.
The other thing we are seeing are Explosive Remnants of War, or ERW. This is a more expansive term than UXO [Unexploded Ordnance], which many people may know. Because mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, rifle grenades, these types of things when they're used, a certain percentage of them never explode. And they remain a potentially lethal explosive hazard in the environment. And that's a new phenomenon, in many areas, that people have never had to deal with before. And so we're seeing an increase in the number of people injured and killed by Explosive Remnants of War. We also track that; we report on it separately. But the types of medical services that a person who encounters ERW or who encounters an anti-personnel landmine while going about their daily business are the same. The impact on them and their livelihood and their family is the same.”