More than 40 years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the ground beneath millions of Cambodians is still deadly. Land mines and unexploded bombs from decades of war haven’t vanished - they’re just waiting. Every year, people step on them while walking to market, farming their fields, or letting their children play outside. The numbers are chilling: over 40,000 amputees in Cambodia, most of them civilians, and nearly half of all victims are children. This isn’t history. It’s happening right now.
The Legacy of War Buried in the Soil
Cambodia’s landmine crisis didn’t start with one war. It built up over 20 years of conflict - the Vietnam War spilled over its borders, then came the Cambodian Civil War, and finally, the Khmer Rouge regime turned the country into a battlefield of its own. Bombs were dropped by the thousands. Mines were planted by the millions. Entire villages were surrounded by hidden death. By the time peace talks began in the early 1990s, Cambodia had become one of the most heavily mined countries on Earth. Today, an estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) still lie buried. Some experts say the number could be as high as 10 million. That’s more than one device for every 70 people in the country. The worst-hit areas are the northern provinces - Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, and Siem Reap - where forests, rice paddies, and roads are laced with explosives. These aren’t just old relics. They’re active threats, shifting with rain, rotting with time, and sometimes even moving when the ground floods.Who Pays the Price?
The human cost is staggering. In 2024 alone, Cambodia recorded 49 casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war - 22 people killed, 27 injured. That’s just the official count. Many more go unreported, especially in remote villages where hospitals are hours away. The International Committee of the Red Cross found that only 25% of mine victims reach medical care within six hours. For 15%, it takes more than three days to get help. Children are the most vulnerable. Boys playing near fields, girls gathering firewood - they don’t know what a mine looks like. In 2013, one-third of all mine casualties were children. Even today, kids make up nearly half of all victims globally, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025. One farmer in Siem Reap lost his 12-year-old son in 2022 while checking his rice field. He didn’t know the land was contaminated. No one had told him. The land had been cleared decades ago, or so he thought.
The Fight to Clear the Land
Humanitarian demining started in Cambodia in 1992, after the Paris Peace Accords. Since then, over 2,000 Cambodian deminers have worked in shifts, day after day, with metal detectors and prodding sticks. They clear about 20 square meters per day - a single parking space - under scorching sun or torrential rain. The work is slow, dangerous, and exhausting. One CMAC technician told reporters, “We clear 100m² per day in ideal conditions. Rain reduces that by 60%.” But the tools are changing. In 2015, a breakthrough arrived: mine-detection rats. Trained by the nonprofit APOPO, these giant African pouched rats - nicknamed HeroRATs - can sniff out explosives faster and cheaper than any machine. Their noses are 100 times more sensitive than a dog’s. Since 2015, APOPO’s rats have cleared over 2,600 anti-personnel mines, 18 anti-tank mines, and nearly 2,500 other explosive items in Cambodia. That’s land returned to farmers, schools, and homes. Now, a new wave of technology is emerging. In October 2025, NEC Corporation and the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) unveiled an AI-powered system that predicts where mines are likely buried. Using satellite images, weather data, and historical conflict maps, the AI scans vast areas and flags high-risk zones with over 90% accuracy. In one test, it correctly identified 90% of actual mine locations across one million square meters - an area that would have taken teams months to survey manually. This isn’t science fiction. It’s happening now.Who’s Helping - and Who’s Stopping?
Cambodia’s clearance efforts rely on international aid. In 2024, donors gave about $35 million - Japan contributed $12 million, Australia $8 million, and the United States $7 million. That’s barely enough. Experts say Cambodia needs $40 million a year just to keep up. The goal? To clear 62 square kilometers of land each year. In 2024, they cleared 273 square kilometers - a record. But that’s only possible because of new tech and better coordination. The main players are local and international NGOs: CMAC (Cambodia’s national agency), APOPO, HALO Trust, and Mines Advisory Group (MAG). They don’t compete. They share data, train each other’s teams, and use the same digital system - IMSMA - to track every cleared field in real time. It’s one of the most organized humanitarian operations in the world. But there’s a dark shadow. In 2025, Thailand presented evidence to the United Nations that Cambodia had laid new landmines along their shared border. Thai soldiers were injured. The Cambodian government denies it. But if true, it’s a direct violation of the Ottawa Treaty - the 1997 global ban on landmines that Cambodia signed in 2000. This isn’t just about money or speed anymore. It’s about trust.
What Happens After the Mine Is Gone?
Clearing the land is only half the battle. The other half is helping the people who survived. Most mine victims live in rural poverty. Many can’t work. Prosthetics are expensive, and the ones available are often poorly fitted. Social stigma is real - children with amputations are sometimes kept home from school. Facebook groups like the Cambodian Landmine Survivors Network have over 12,500 members, sharing stories, asking for help, and pushing for better care. But there are wins. A farmer in Siem Reap, after his two-hectare field was cleared in 2024, saw his rice yield triple. A village school reopened on land once marked with red warning signs. A young woman, who lost her leg at age 10, now trains new deminers. “I know what it feels like to be afraid of your own ground,” she says. “Now I teach others how to make it safe.”The Road Ahead: 2030 or Never?
Cambodia was supposed to be mine-free by 2010. Then 2019. Then 2025. Now, the government says 2030. Is that realistic? The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining says yes - if current clearance rates hold and AI tools are fully rolled out. The probability of success? 75%. But the risks are real. Donor fatigue is growing. With wars in Ukraine and Gaza draining global aid budgets, Cambodia could lose 20-30% of its funding in the next few years. Without it, progress stalls. Without it, more children die. The world moved on from Cambodia’s war long ago. But the land hasn’t. The mines haven’t. And the people still live with them every day.How many land mines are still in Cambodia?
Experts estimate between 4 and 6 million landmines and unexploded ordnance remain buried in Cambodia, though some sources suggest the number could be as high as 10 million. These devices are spread across roughly 1,900 square kilometers of land, primarily in northern provinces like Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey.
Are land mines still killing people in Cambodia today?
Yes. In 2024, Cambodia recorded 49 casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war, including 22 deaths. Children make up nearly half of all victims globally, and in Cambodia, many are injured while farming, collecting firewood, or playing near contaminated areas. Even with progress, the threat remains active.
What is being done to clear land mines in Cambodia?
Demining is led by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and international NGOs like APOPO, HALO Trust, and MAG. Teams use metal detectors, trained mine-detection rats (HeroRATs), and now AI-powered prediction systems developed with NEC Corporation. In 2024, they cleared 273 square kilometers of land - the highest amount in recent history.
How do the mine-detection rats work?
APOPO trains giant African pouched rats to sniff out TNT in landmines. Their sense of smell is far more sensitive than dogs’, and they’re lightweight enough to walk over minefields without triggering explosives. Each rat can scan an area the size of a tennis court in 20 minutes - a task that takes a human team a full day. Since 2015, these rats have helped clear over 2,600 anti-personnel mines in Cambodia.
Is Cambodia still laying land mines?
Cambodia officially banned landmines in 2000 under the Ottawa Treaty and claims it no longer uses them. However, in 2025, Thailand presented evidence to the UN that new mines had been laid along the Cambodian border, injuring Thai soldiers. Cambodia denies the allegations, but if true, it would be a serious violation of international law.
Why is mine clearance taking so long?
Clearing mines is slow, expensive, and dangerous. Terrain is often forested or mountainous, and monsoon rains flood fields and move mines unpredictably. Funding is limited - Cambodia needs $40 million a year but receives about $35 million. Without more money and better tech, progress will stall. Even with AI tools, full clearance could take until 2030.
Scott Sơn
December 5, 2025 AT 04:53Let me tell you something that keeps me up at night - we’re talking about CHILDREN losing limbs just to walk to a field that was supposed to be safe. I mean, imagine your kid running through grass, laughing, and then - BOOM. No warning. No second chance. And the worst part? We’ve got AI and rats with super noses doing the heavy lifting while some countries still think this is someone else’s problem. HeroRATs. Like, come on. That’s the future. And it’s already here. We need to fund this like it’s NASA going to Mars, not a charity bake sale.
Stanley Wong
December 6, 2025 AT 14:04It’s wild how the land remembers the war even when people forget. I grew up in a town that had old military training grounds and we’d find rusted shells in the woods but nobody ever thought much of it. Cambodia’s story is like that but multiplied by a thousand and with no end in sight. The fact that mines shift with rain and floodwaters makes it feel like the earth itself is haunted. And yet these deminers - they walk into that every day with a metal detector and a prayer. I don’t know how they do it. I’d be paralyzed. But they don’t stop. They clear 20 square meters a day. That’s not a job. That’s a vow.
miriam gionfriddo
December 7, 2025 AT 01:10Okay so I just read this and I’m literally shaking. 10 MILLION mines?? Like… that’s more than the population of some COUNTRIES. And the AI thing? Cool. But the rats?? APOPO?? I just looked them up and they’re like 3 feet long and sniff out death like it’s a snack?? I’m not even mad. I’m inspired. But also furious. Why isn’t this on the nightly news? Why isn’t there a Netflix docu-series with Hans Zimmer music? This is the most cinematic tragedy nobody’s talking about. And the border thing?? Cambodia lying? I don’t know. But if they are? That’s not just betrayal. That’s soul-crushing.
Kenneth Ljungström
December 8, 2025 AT 11:58Just wanted to say thank you to everyone clearing these mines. I’ve got a friend who volunteers with MAG and she told me about this one girl who lost her leg at 9 and now trains new deminers. Said she looks at the ground now and sees hope instead of fear. That’s the kind of thing that changes the world. Also - if you’re reading this and you’ve got even $5 to spare, look up APOPO or CMAC. They’re not flashy. But they’re saving lives. One sniff, one sweep, one field at a time. 🙏