War remnants hinder refugees' return to Syria: White Helmets on the frontline

Shafaq News/ As Syria is still suffering from the aftermath of a decade-long war and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the remnants of conflict continue to haunt the country’s land—posing a deadly threat to the displaced and the hopeful who seek to return home. The Syrian Civil Defence Organization, also known as the White Helmets, is working intensively to reduce these risks.

Founded in 2013, the White Helmets is a civil defense group composed of about 3,000 civilian volunteers from Syria, dedicated to assisting those affected by the war without allegiance to any direct political entity.

Hope for Return

Over the past 14 years, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented the widespread use of anti-personnel landmines (APLs), including remnants of cluster munitions, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

“Because of the ease of manufacturing them and their low costs, landmines have been used extensively by various parties to the conflict without regard for marking their locations or removing them afterward,” SNHR said.

The Network revealed that from late 2011 onwards, the Al-Assad regime began planting landmines along the borders with Lebanon and Tukriye without issuing sufficient warnings. “Monitoring indicates that other parties to the conflict and controlling forces have also commonly used landmines, although all documented use of cluster munitions in Syria has been exclusively by the Al-Assad regime and Russian forces.”

The regime fell on December 8, 2024, at the hands of opposition factions during the Deterrence of Aggression battle, which began on November 27, 2024. Following the withdrawal of Al-Assad's forces from previously controlled areas, remnants of war—landmines, unexploded ordnance, and hazardous munitions—were left behind, posing a constant threat to displaced persons and refugees who have regained hope of returning to their homes.

Landmine Casualties in Syria

Syria recorded the highest global number of landmine casualties for three consecutive years—2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2023, the country ranked second, with 933 deaths caused by landmines, trailing Myanmar, which recorded 1,003 casualties, according to the Landmine Monitor.

SNHR documented 3,521 civilian deaths caused by landmine explosions between March 2011 and the end of 2024. These included 931 children, 362 women, 7 Civil Defense personnel, 8 medical staff, and 9 media workers. Among the victims, 45 civilians—6 children and 4 women—were killed between November 27 and December 31, 2024.

The network further estimated that over 10,400 individuals sustained injuries of varying severity.

Sami Mohammad, director of the War Remnants and Ammunition Clearance Program revealed that, from the fall of the regime until December 31, 2024, incidents involving war remnants claimed the lives of 55 people, a third of whom were women and children. All of them were reportedly killed due to landmines and unexploded ordnance in Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor, and Aleppo.

Full Mobilization

For the past four weeks, the Syrian Civil Defense has been in "full mobilization" to mitigate the dangers posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance. According to Mohammad, "Most Syrians wish to return to their homes and engage in agricultural activities on their lands," he said, warning that "haphazard returns lead to many accidents."

The return of displaced individuals, Mohammad stressed, must be "organized, coordinated with the community, authorities, and local councils in these areas before returning and conducting any agricultural operations."

“War remnants are still widespread in many regions.”

Hama, Aleppo, Idlib, and a large part of Deir ez-Zor are the provinces most contaminated by explosive remnants, Mohammad said. While other provinces also face contamination, it is not to the same extent as these four areas. "A large portion of the munitions has been cleared," he confirmed, "but the Civil Defense teams are not specialized in dealing with mines… So, efforts are currently focused solely on identifying areas contaminated."

He also highlighted the dangers posed by anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs, describing them as the most widespread and hazardous. "Cluster bombs, in particular, are almost present in all Syrian areas without exception," he added.

Ongoing Efforts Since 2016

Mohammad noted that "the former regime had no interest in removing landmines and unexploded ordnance, and there was no center for mine clearance." He pointed out that the current government "has not implemented concrete plans to address the contamination caused by ordnance and landmines, with some operations carried out randomly and limited in scope."

Since 2016, the Civil Defence has been actively working to remove war remnants, he confirmed. “It is not affiliated with any government but is an independent organization."

While the organization is involved in various public service tasks, such as search and rescue and road opening, which are currently underway in Deir ez-Zor, the team responsible for removing war remnants has not yet entered the area. "The situation is currently being assessed to enter it in the coming days.”

Need for International Intervention; Unstable Government Situation

On December 14, 2024, the British organization HALO Trust called for an "international effort" to eliminate landmines and unexploded ordnance in Syria, warning that thousands of people returning to their homes after the fall of al-Assad's regime "are at great risk."

The current Civil Defense staff, Mohammad clarified, is only sufficient for specific areas in Syria. "There is a need for more staff, as the contamination problem cannot be solved by one or even several organizations, whether international or local." He highlighted that "a strong international intervention" is needed to address the issue more rapidly, warning that "if the current mechanism remains in place, solving it will take years."

Although the White Helmets have met with various international organizations, “most of them have taken a monitoring role for the time being." The program director attributed this pause in activity to “the sudden political change” in Syria, which caused international organizations to halt their activities to some extent. “They are currently studying the situation and developing plans."

Regarding the removal of military munitions and landmines, he noted that it cannot begin immediately, as "it requires setting plans, including national strategies with the help of the government."

With the government situation currently unstable and a caretaker government in place, "elections will be held, and a transitional government will be appointed after some time." Mohammad stressed that "this government must have clear plans for removing landmines and unexploded ordnance."

While "most organizations are currently waiting for this matter," he noted, "some others are waiting for sanctions to be suspended or completely lifted from Syria."

Cooperation with Iraq

When asked about the possibility of collaborating with the Iraqi Civil Defense, the expert affirmed that the Syrian organization is "currently open to everyone without any exceptions.”

He highlighted that the White Helmets could benefit from the "nearly 20 years" of mine clearance experience in Iraq, as well as from the expertise of Lebanon and Yemen.