TRIPOLI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Saturday that 63 casualties from explosive remnants of war were recorded in 2025 alone, including 21 children.
Repeated armed conflicts and unsafe ammunition storage have left a widespread legacy of explosive ordnance contamination across Libya, affecting residential areas, roads and agricultural land, UNSMIL said in a statement.
Issued on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the statement stressed the importance of mine action in protecting civilians and supporting peace and stability in Libya.
UNSMIL said large-scale armed clashes in Tripoli in May 2025, along with four accidental explosions at ammunition depots in populated areas over the past two years, have underscored the severity of explosive ordnance contamination in Libya.
Risks remain even in areas where active conflict has subsided, particularly due to unsecured weapons and stockpiles, posing an immediate danger to displaced families returning home, according to the statement.
UNSMIL reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Libyan-led efforts to enhance the security of weapons and ammunition stockpiles and to clear explosive ordnance contamination. The mission called on national authorities, international partners and civil society to strengthen coordinated and sustained support for mine clearance efforts.
Libya remains divided between the UN-recognized Government of National Unity in the west and a rival eastern administration headed by Osama Hammad and backed by Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army. ■