The United Nations has raised alarm over the dangers faced by displaced Nigerians returning to their communities, warning that closed camps and limited alternatives have exposed returnees to hidden explosive remnants.
UN experts highlighted the urgent threat during a high-level international meeting on landmine action held in Geneva on Wednesday.
UN officials explained that shrinking resources in Nigeria and Afghanistan have left civilians at heightened risk of unexploded ordnance.
Mine action programmes, they emphasised, are not merely long-term recovery efforts but critical emergency humanitarian interventions that save lives in the short term.
Edwin Faigmane, Chief of the Mine Action Programme representing UNMAS in Nigeria, stated that 80 per cent of civilian casualties occurred in 11 of the 15 areas where displaced persons are returning.
In response, Nigerian security forces, police, and civil defence officers have been trained on risk education, particularly in unstable or “hard-to-reach” regions.
The UN reported that local communities have begun notifying authorities when hazardous items are discovered, helping prevent further injuries.
Similarly, officials warned that children in Afghanistan remain highly vulnerable, with 77 per cent of explosive ordnance casualties in 2024 affecting minors.
Some 54 people, mostly boys, are killed each month in Afghanistan by leftover explosives.
Christelle Loupforest, UNMAS Representative in Geneva, noted that mine-clearance operations in Afghanistan and Nigeria face severe funding shortages, with some programmes at risk of suspension without new donor commitments.
She stressed that sustained support is essential to reduce global civilian casualties and protect vulnerable populations returning to post-conflict areas.
