The HALO Trust today appealed to the international community to provide urgent support for conventional weapons clearance in Syria to enable safe access to sites potentially harbouring chemical weapons.
Briefing the UN Security Council in New York, Andrew Moore, HALO's Regional Director MENA, outlined how contamination from conventional weapons – including landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXOs), improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and damage caused by aerial bombardment – severely blocks access for UN and Syrian government inspectors to verify and dismantle banned stockpiles of chemical weapons.
"Clearance of landmines and UXO is an essential first step to enable safe and secure inspections by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)", says Moore.
"Many suspected chemical weapons sites heavily damaged by aerial bombardment may contain perimeter or internal minefields, unexploded air-dropped or guided munitions, booby traps, or improvised explosive devices, many requiring armoured mechanical assets to remove them. The good news is that it is a practical problem that can be solved quickly and safely with the right expertise and funding."
During the 13-year civil war in Syria from March 2011 to December 2024, Assad's regime was accused of the majority of chemical weapons attacks, prompting international condemnation and military responses from the US, UK and France.
The Ghouta attack in August 2013 was the deadliest use of chemical weapons in the conflict and the worst since the Iran–Iraq War. It prompted an international agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons and dismantle its arsenal. Although most declared stockpiles were destroyed, lethal chemical attacks continued in Khan Shaykhun in 2017 and Douma the following year.
Since January 2025, global landmine clearance charity HALO has expanded its operations in Syria from 40 to 250 staff, 96% of whom are Syrian nationals. However, HALO needs around $9.5M (£7M) to sustain its current work in Syria this year alone, and Moore stressed that immediate donor funding is needed.
"As well as reducing fatalities and injuries, international investment in explosives clearance supports desperately needed building and infrastructure reconstruction and contributes to Syria’s long-term recovery and stability.
"With enough funding this vital work can be delivered safely, effectively and to the highest international standards", Moore concludes.
Notes to editors
- HALO has operations across seven governorates in Syria including Idlib, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Daara, Damascus and Homs, clearing rural areas of landmines and surveying explosive hazards in urban areas and providing risk education classes to families and children.
- An estimated 1.25 million refugees and two million internally displaced people have already made the journey to their former homes across Syria.
- Syria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for UXO accidents, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025.
- HALO Syria is supported by Irish Aid, UNOCHA – Syria Cross Border Humanitarian Fund, The German Federal Foreign Office, The Government of Norway, The Government of Canada, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Mine Action Service.
- The HALO Trust is the world's largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation.
- HALO works in 30+ countries including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Colombia, Angola and Sri Lanka.
- We deploy groundbreaking technology in conflict and post-conflict settings to help people rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods and keep their children safe.
- HALO also runs programmes in weapons and ammunition management and safety training. During emergencies, we also provide humanitarian aid and logistical support.
- HALO was founded in 1988 in Afghanistan.
- We employ 9,000 staff worldwide and recruit 95% of them locally.
