How many countries use mines or cluster munitions?

Landmines

In the latest Landmine Monitor reporting period—October 2017 through October 2018—Landmine Monitor has confirmed new use of antipersonnel mines by the government forces of one country, Myanmar. Myanmar is not a party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Within this reporting period, there have been no additional allegations of the use of antipersonnel mines by State Parties to the treaty. 

In the reporting period, there were also reports of Non-state armed groups (NSAGs) use of antipersonnel mines in at least eight countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, and Yemen. The Landmine Monitor was unable to confirm in this reporting period allegations of new antipersonnel mine use by NSAGs in Cameroon, Iraq, Mali, Libya, Philippines, Tunisia, and Ukraine. 

Cluster Munitions

Cluster munitions continued to be used in Syria during the most recent period covered by a Cluster Munition Monitor report (July 2018–July 2019), and there were allegations of new use in Libya. Neither is a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Since the end of World War II, at least 21 governments have used cluster munitions in 40 countries and four other areas. Almost every region of the world has experienced cluster munition use at some point over the past 70 years, including Southeast Asia, Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

States that have used cluster munitions and locations of use

User state

Locations used

Colombia

Colombia

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Eritrea

France

Chad, Iraq, Kuwait

Georgia

Georgia, possibly Abkhazia

Iraq

Iran, Iraq

Israel

Egypt, Syria, Lebanon

Libya

Chad, Libya

Morocco

Western Sahara, Mauritania

Netherlands

Former Yugoslavia (Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia)

Nigeria

Sierra Leone

Russia

Chechnya, Afghanistan (as USSR), Georgia, Syria

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, Yemen

South Africa

Admitted past use, but did not specify where

Sudan

Sudan

Syria

Syria

Thailand

Cambodia

Ukraine

Ukraine

United Kingdom (UK)

Falklands/Malvinas, Iraq, Kuwait, former Yugoslavia (Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia)

US

Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Cambodia, Grenada, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Vietnam, former Yugoslavia (Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia), Yemen

Yugoslavia (former Socialist Republic of)

Albania, BiH, Croatia, Kosovo

Note: Other areas are indicated in italics.

There have been no reports or allegations of new use of cluster munitions by any State Party since the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in May 2008.

(Last updated based on Landmine Monitor 2018 and Cluster Munition Monitor 2019)