UN News Today 14 January 2025 |

Syria emergency: Four children a day killed or injured by leftover explosives

Syria’s lethal legacy of landmines and other explosives left over from years of conflict has led to the deaths of over 100 children in the last month alone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

In an appeal to the international community, UNICEF called for urgent support for demining projects to begin immediately.

Speaking from Damascus, Ricardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, said that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance were reported in 14 Syrian governorates; half are estimated to have ended in child casualties.

“Girls and boys in the country continue to suffer the brutal impact of unexploded ordnance at an alarming rate,” he said:

“It’s the main cause of child casualties in Syria right now and has been for many years and will continue to be because the ground continues to be infested, infested and contaminated. Over 300,000 mines are still spread across the country…Even if children survive these blasts, the struggle doesn’t end. Life-changing injuries and disabilities often mean they cannot return to school or might find it harder to access proper health care.”

The UNICEF official underscored that in December last year, 116 children were killed or injured by unexploded ordnance at an average of nearly four per day. This number is a likely an underestimate, he said.

You can hear the full interview with Ricardo Pires on the UN News audio hub now.

Haiti: spiralling gang violence has left more than one million displaced

To Haiti, where surging gang violence has pushed the number of people uprooted from their homes to more than one million – a threefold increase in a year – the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Tuesday.

The majority of those forced to flee their homes have come from the capital Port-au-Prince, where heavily armed gang violence is “relentless”, the UN agency said.

Essential services for these most vulnerable people are close to collapse, including in the more than 108 displacement camps in the capital, said IOM spokesperson Kennedy Okoth Omondi:

“Reports indicate that even within these sites we are having, we’re seeing more and more deteriorating conditions with families struggling to survive in makeshift shelters amidst mounting health and protection risks.”

Neighbouring provinces have also been impacted by gang violence and an influx of Haitians fleeing spiralling insecurity. “Many are seeking refuge in Haiti’s provinces, overwhelming host communities and straining limited resources,” IOM’s Mr. Omondi said. He noted that in the Artibonite department, displacement tripled in 2024, reaching over 84,000 people.

IOM noted that the deportation of some 200,000 Haitians – principally from the Dominican Republic – has placed an even greater strain on the country’s overwhelmed social services. “Communities are already struggling to basically survive,” Mr. Omondi said.

The UN’s $674 million humanitarian response plan for Haiti is only 42 per cent funded, leaving a gap of $388 million.

Mozambique: UN human rights office urges calm ahead of disputed president’s inauguration

And finally, deadly post-election violence in Mozambique that has left dozens dead must not be repeated when the country’s President is inaugurated on Wednesday, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has said.

It urged the country’s security forces to “refrain from further unnecessary or disproportionate use of force” against protesters who have contested the outcome of October’s election, in which the ruling party’s candidate, Daniel Chapo, was declared the winner.

Runner-up candidate Venancio Mondlane reportedly fled the country after two aides were shot dead, while protesters have barricaded roads and clashed with police.

In a statement, OHCHR said it was critical “that freedom of peaceful assembly is upheld and facilitated…All stakeholders must take steps to de-escalate tensions and to resolve any election disputes peacefully.”

The rights office also called on the Mozambican authorities to ensure all violations and abuses of human rights are effectively and independently investigated and those responsible brought to justice. Victims must also be provided with effective reparations and remedies, it said.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

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