The HALO Trust

⚠️ Landmine crisis spirals in Syria. Syrian refugees and displaced people are returning to their homes following the end of the civil war to find the land contaminated with deadly explosives. In the past week alone, 39 adults and eight children have died in accidents involving mines and other explosives. The total number of civilians killed or injured since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 is now well over 400. These figures are likely to be a serious underestimate. “The number of people killed or suffering life-changing injuries is spiralling, yet only a small proportion of the population that fled has so far returned,” said HALO Operations manager Mouiad Alnofaly. “We’re very grateful to our donors for funding the current work but the sheer size of the problem means that we could easily scale up to hundreds of deminers in an operation that would cost $40m a year – saving thousands of lives and providing employment opportunities for returning Syrians,” said Alnofaly. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e5X_cYZm

HALO signs a new collaborative partnership with Harbour Energy. This partnership will allow us to share knowledge and insights on working in hazardous environments, learning from each other to ensure our operations are conducted as safely as possible. ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/4hIPcSj

HALO's Paul McCann writing for The National News from Syria, where "we are dealing with 10 times the number of call-out requests" than before the Assad regime fell, as displaced people return home to find "unprecedented levels of deadly explosives" on their land. Read the article: https://bit.ly/3WFUl5y

HALO welcomed Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West to Sri Lanka, where she joined us for a briefing with MAG (Mines Advisory Group) to learn more about our life-saving work. Since 2004, UK funding has been critical to HALO’s efforts to clear the land of deadly explosives, allowing local communities to begin safely using their land once more. This clearance work has contributed significantly to Sri Lanka’s rebuilding process following the civil war, allowing the resettlement of displaced people and refugees who were forced to flee their homes due to the fighting. As well as the safe return of people to their homes, this work aids the restoration of livelihoods and supports stabilisation and reconciliation efforts after the end of the war. Thank you to the Minister and the British High Commission in Colombo for their ongoing support.

With thanks to UBCO - Electric Utility Vehicles and the European Union for funding our work to clear the land of mines and explosives in Koshare, Kosovo ⬇️

🎥 Deadly rocket removed in Syria. HALO Syria Operations Manager Feras Kleifat explains how the team responded to a callout after a massive 220mm thermobaric rocket was found – a rocket that would would have devasted the village if it exploded. With thanks to Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Irish Aid, Ministère des Affaires étrangères français and United Nations OCHA for generously supporting this work. Watch how the team safely remove this threat to the local community – the first device of this type that HALO has destroyed. ⬇️

HALO was delighted to welcome Dr. Mirdef Ali Al-Qashouti, acting Qatari Charge D'affaires to Afghanistan, and his accompanying delegation, on a recent visit to our HQ in Afghanistan. Dr. Mirdef Ali Al-Qashouti visited our compound, where he discussed our life-saving work and the challenges of removing mines and explosives with senior members of HALO staff. The delegation also tried on our protective body armour and observed many of the processes for using and maintaining various pieces of demining equipment. With thanks to the Qatar Embassy in Kabul.

Rebuilding lives and livelihoods in Sri Lanka 💙 “We never thought we’d get our land back… we are truly thankful. Having our own land allows us to look to the future with hope,” says Kiddan Mangalaeswaran from Muhamalai, formerly on the frontline of the civil war in northern Sri Lanka. For decades, Kiddan's land in Muhamalai was inaccessible, due to landmines - a deadly legacy of the conflict. In 2024 HALO began clearing the land, which was later declared safe and released back to Kiddan’s family so they could finally begin rebuilding their lives. By July, they had moved back to their home, ending of 30 years of uncertainty. As HALO releases land back to the local community, areas once contaminated can be transformed to offer safety, security, and new opportunities for generations to come.

🎥 In Dromjak village, #Kosovo, HALO teams are removing deadly landmines to save lives and enable the local community safe access to the surrounding lands. “In 1999, the Yugoslav army laid mines in this zone… in three months we’ve cleared 9,700m squared,” says Valbona Ceka, a supervisor with HALO Kosovo. Local resident Sejdi Curri said, “Because of the mines, we didn’t dare approach the mill - after your organisation clears the area, we will be able to go and work without problems.” With thanks to the European Union for funding this vital work. ⬇️

🎥 “Every time the team set up to clear a piece of ordnance, people come to tell them about more pieces of ordnance on their land.” HALO’s Paul McCann is in Idlib Province, northern Syria, where our teams are doing all they can to cope with the “huge demand” from people to clear the land of deadly mines and explosives, and protect the lives and livelihoods of the local community.