Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Civil War, which lasted for close to three decades, ended in 2009, claiming the lives of around 80,000 people and leaving a legacy of more than a million landmines in the north of the country. 

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were forced to flee their homes, either because of fighting or because landmines made it too dangerous for them to stay. According to Landmine Monitor, over 20,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines and other explosives.

Even 16 years on from the end of the war, many families still cannot return home because their land is not safe. Much progress has been made to clear the landmines but there is still more work to be done if Sri Lanka is to become ‘mine free’ by the Government's target date of 2028.