Syria launches “Safe Step” drive to tackle landmines
Shafaq News– Damascus
Syria’s National Mine Action Center on Tuesday launched a four-day national workshop aimed at raising awareness of explosive ordnance risks and improving support for victims.
The workshop, titled “Safe Step,” is being held at the Caesar Hotel in Damascus under the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. It brings together relevant ministries, international and local organizations, and technical experts to address explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) and victim assistance.
Muadh Akkad, head of awareness programs at the National Mine Action Center, said mine clearance and the removal of war remnants are a prerequisite for any reconstruction effort in Syria. “Community safety, the return of residents, and the launch of development projects all depend on declaring areas free of mines and unexploded ordnance.”
Contamination, Akkad warned, continues to hinder rebuilding in several regions, including Rif Dimashq (Damascus countryside), Homs, Hama, and Idlib, urging the private sector and business leaders to support clearance and awareness efforts. He cautioned against carrying out construction or industrial activity in areas not officially declared safe.
Health Ministry official Fahd al-Daher told Shafaq News that hospitals stand ready to assist victims but acknowledged gaps in the healthcare response. He said commitments have been secured to work with international and local partners to improve medical, psychological, and social support for survivors.
Several survivors shared personal accounts of their injuries and long-term struggles. One participant, Hanan, an economics student wounded by an explosive device in northern Syria in 2014, said she lost her right limb after a botched amputation and later fell into a coma that lasted nearly two months, leaving her with memory loss. She described years of psychological and financial hardship that disrupted her education and future prospects.
