Funding Shortfall Puts Cambodia's Landmine Clearance at Risk
Cambodian demining groups face a funding crisis as donors shift aid to active conflicts, threatening clearance work.
Nearly two decades after Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD) began clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance, the nonprofit now faces an uncertain future as international funding dries up. The group's demining and risk education teams may run out of money by September.
Te Sreytoch, a deminer with CSHD, said she works to help people avoid the dangers of landmines, noting that people still become casualties every year. Her colleague En Poy, who has survived two landmine explosions, said the work is unfinished, with many landmines still scattered along the border.
International aid, primarily from the U.S. and Europe, has historically funded the removal of war remnants in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. But donors are now shifting resources toward active conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, as well as more recent wars in Syria and Afghanistan. Some governments are also cutting foreign aid budgets.
Bill Morse, president of the Landmine Relief Fund, which supports CSHD, said the organization has simply run out of donors. He warned that if funding is withdrawn, the landmines will remain and people will die.
The situation in Cambodia highlights the lingering dangers of past conflicts. Demining groups say that without sustained international support, communities across Southeast Asia will continue to face risks, and development will be slowed for years to come.