Syria

In the years since conflict began in Syria in 2011, the country has become the world's forgotten humanitarian crisis. Almost 17 million people are in need of humanitarian aid and a third of the population lives in communities contaminated by unexploded ordnance. Inside the country there are two million displaced people living in refugee camps. Millions more have fled abroad - including half the country's healthcare workers.

The Carter Center estimated in 2024 that more than 324,600 unexploded rockets and bombs litter Syria – leaving civilians vulnerable to death and injury years after the battle has moved on. The World Health Organisation estimates that 15 per cent of the population lives with disabilities caused by the conflict.

Syria is not a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty and is reported to have planted over 700,000 mines near its borders with Türkiye and Lebanon. Most of the other mine laying in Syria is believed to be of improvised devices.

The complex nature of the frozen conflict, with multiple actors, means HALO currently only operates in the northwest of Syria – north of Aleppo city and in Idlib, to the west of the city.

HALO is the only mine clearance operator in northwest Syria, with two teams trained and capable of handling mine clearance operations, utilizing an excavator and a front loader. We also have two explosive ordnance disposal teams trained in conducting non-technical survey. Since 2023 HALO has disposed of more than nearly 600 items, with over 70% of these items located in agricultural land.

Since 2016 we have been teaching families how to stay safe in a landscape hugely contaminated with unexploded debris. So far we have taught over half a million people in face-to-face risk education classes in the heart of communities.  Innovative approaches have been developed and adapted to the Syrian context such as the puppet shows and card games and we have used online risk education campaigns to reach more people.

We have mixed gender teams conducting explosive ordnance disposal. Our female staff are proud to be permanently disposing of explosives, they also challenge gender roles and demonstrate the value of having women in the team.

Our risk education is vital, particularly for children, whose curiosity can easily lead them into danger. They are taught how to recognise dangerous items and what to do if they see something suspicious. Our survey and clearance of explosive items saves lives and limbs in a context where accidents continue to impact the most vulnerable communities, particularly those living in displacement camps or those earning a living from working the land.