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UN: Mine contamination identified across Syria; WFP trucks deliver food via Bab al-Hawa
Summary
The United Nations said mine contamination remains widespread in parts of Syria, with dozens of minefields and other explosive hazards identified; partners reported cross-border deliveries, including WFP convoys from Türkiye into Idlib, and scaled-up mine action work in newly accessible areas.
The United Nations reported that mine contamination and explosive remnants remain widespread in parts of Syria and that partners have moved food and aid into northwest Syria through cross-border routes this month.
This is important because unexploded ordnance and minefields continue to cause civilian casualties and hinder humanitarian access as parts of Syria become more accessible.
Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, will return to Damascus to continue engagements with Syrian caretaker authorities and other interlocutors, the briefing said. On the humanitarian front, UN partners completed a mission to Daria in rural Damascus to visit a farm cleared of explosive ordnance with funding from the Syrian Humanitarian Fund.
The briefing said 38 minefields and other contaminated areas have been identified in Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor and Latakia. Partners reported disposing of more than 1,400 items of explosive ordnance during the same period. Since December, the briefing said, more than 430 deaths and injuries have been recorded, nearly a third of them children; farmers and shepherds accounted for a significant portion of casualties.
On cross-border assistance, the briefing said that over the weekend 40 trucks carrying nearly 11,000 metric tons of World Food Programme (WFP) food aid moved from Türkiye to Idlib via the Bab al-Hawa crossing, a volume the briefing said was enough for over 270,000 people. Partners have also increased imports of food and other assistance from Jordan to Syria since the start of 2025.
UN officials said mine-action work is being scaled up in newly accessible areas, including former front lines where contamination is high, and stressed the continued need for funding and safe access to conduct clearance and deliver aid.
