{"id":11385,"date":"2026-08-26T13:54:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T11:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/?p=11385"},"modified":"2026-08-26T15:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:16:42","slug":"are-landmines-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fsd.ch\/en\/are-landmines-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Are landmines illegal? The Ottawa Convention explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Landmines: a growing concern in the 1990s <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Landmines<\/mark><\/a> have existed since the mid-1800s, with early precursors first appearing during the American Civil War. But it was the Second World War that saw the modern antipersonnel mine emerge, when countries began producing them by the millions. Their use continued throughout the Cold War and in conflicts across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For decades, landmines were considered an effective military weapon: they could slow advancing forces, protect positions and channel enemy movements. Over time, however, their lasting impact on civilians became impossible to ignore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Left in the ground, they kept killing and injuring people for years, sometimes decades after the fighting had stopped. By the early 1990s, landmines had become one of the most pressing humanitarian problems in countries affected by conflict. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed or injured every year. Farmland became unusable; displaced families could not return home, and entire communities remained trapped in poverty because the ground beneath them was too dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \n \n \n<\/svg>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n \n \n<\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \"\"\n\n <\/picture>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/picture>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/picture>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/picture>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

In 1992, to counter that problem, six humanitarian organisations formed the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL<\/mark><\/a>) to address the crisis. Canada then took the lead in negotiating what would become the Ottawa Convention. At a conference in Ottawa in 1996, Canadian minister Lloyd Axworthy challenged states to return within a year with a completed treaty to ban landmines, bypassing the slower official negotiating process. By December 1997, 122 countries had signed. That same year, ICBL and its coordinator, Jody Williams, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Landmine Ban Treaty was the result of an unprecedented effort by governments, humanitarian organisations, survivors and campaigners, who argued that the humanitarian consequences of antipersonnel mines far outweighed their military value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same year, a group of Swiss humanitarian professionals founded FSD to help put the treaty’s goals into practice, driven by the devastating consequences of landmines they had witnessed (learn more<\/mark><\/a>). Since then, FSD teams have cleared over 214,000 antipersonnel landmines, helping turn international commitments against landmines into results on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n Did you know? <\/span>\n
\n

Nearly one<\/span> in three countries is conta<\/span>min<\/span>ated by land<\/span>min<\/span>e<\/span>s and explosive remnants of war.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n<\/svg>\n \n \n<\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

What does the Ottawa Convention actually ban? <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Landmine Ban Convention prohibits antipersonnel landmines entirely. In practice, countries that join the treaty can no longer use, produce, acquire, stockpile or transfer antipersonnel mines (learn more<\/mark><\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all mines are covered by the Ottawa Convention. The treaty applies specifically to antipersonnel mines, which are designed to detonate from the presence, proximity or contact of a person. Once laid, they cannot distinguish between a soldier and a civilian. This indiscriminate nature is one of the main reasons behind their prohibition and violates a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law. By contrast, anti-vehicle mines, which are designed to target vehicles and typically require greater pressure to detonate, as well as naval mines used at sea, fall outside the treaty\u2019s scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries that join the Ottawa Convention must: <\/p>\n\n\n\n