Syria

The fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024 effectively ended the 14 years of civil war in Syria. Hundreds of thousands of people are already on the move trying to return to their homes. Millions are likely to follow in the spring. But they are returning to villages and towns that are not only wrecked by conflict, but which continue to harbour dangerous explosives.

Monitoring by HALO estimates that by 2 March 2025, 640 children and adults had been killed and injured by mines and other explosives since the fall of the regime. It is likely this is an underestimation as there is no central record of accidents across the country. As more families try to return the number of accidents will rise.

The HALO Trust has been working in Syria since 2017 in opposition-controlled areas. But limited donor funding and the frozen nature of the conflict kept the Syria programme relatively small, with just 40 women and men clearing minefields, responding to community call-outs to deal with explosive devices and teaching communities to stay safe.

To deal with the humanitarian crisis now unfolding, HALO needs to rapidly train and grow its teams to potentially 400 staff to ensure it can save more lives, stabilise the country and pave a path to peace for the millions of Syrians who want to return and rebuild their country.

The complex nature of the frozen conflict, with multiple actors, meant HALO only operated in the northwest of Syria – north of Aleppo city and in Idlib, to the west of the city. The fall of the Assad regime means HALO teams are now able to operate in what were highly dangerous frontline areas at the end of 2024.

Large earth barriers and trench systems mark the old frontlines – most of which are mined, potentially for hundreds of kilometres. HALO is conducting rapid surveys to identify dangerous areas. We are also receiving ten times the volume of calls from the community to deal with individual explosives, such as shells, cluster bombs and rockets, found in buildings, gardens and fields.

Since 2016 we have been teaching families how to stay safe in a landscape hugely contaminated with unexploded debris. So far we have taught over half a million people in face-to-face risk education classes in the heart of communities. Innovative approaches have been developed and adapted to the Syrian context such as the puppet shows and card games and we have used online risk education campaigns to reach more people.

We have mixed-gender teams conducting explosive ordnance disposal. Our female staff are proud to be permanently disposing of explosives, they also challenge gender roles and demonstrate the value of having women in the team.

Our risk education is vital, particularly for children, whose curiosity can easily lead them into danger. They are taught how to recognise dangerous items and what to do if they see something suspicious. Our survey and clearance of explosive items saves lives and limbs in a context where accidents continue to impact the most vulnerable communities, particularly those living in displacement camps or those earning a living from working the land.

At this time, The HALO Trust is unable to accept online donations designated for Syria through our website. If you wish to make a donation to support our work in Syria, you can mail a cheque to The HALO Trust, Attention: Fundraising, Carronfoot, Thornhill, Dumfries, DG3 5BF. To donate by bank transfer, stock, or for other ways to give, please contact us at globalphilanthropy@halotrust.org 

The HALO Trust conducts operations in Northwest Syria in strict accordance with sanctions policies. HALO’s program, focused on the Mine Risk Education and unexploded ordnance disposal, is covered by the general licenses included in 31 CFR §542.516. Specific authorizations include activities to support humanitarian projects (31 C.F.R. 542.516(a)(1)) and activities to support education in Syria (31 C.F.R. §542.516(a)(3)), and general license at 542.516(b) which allows the processing of remittances and transactions subject to the authorizations under subsection (a).

HALO is committed to maintaining compliance with sanctions policy and all other legal requirements. For any additional information on our compliance processes please contact us at globalphilanthropy@halotrust.org