The HALO Trust

“The problem is monumental. There are so many affected regions. Every day we get calls from people begging us to clear their land."

HALO’s Zakaria el-Othman spoke to @csmonitor.bsky.social as 'tens of thousands of displaced families' return home to land littered with explosives in #Syria.

To address this, HALO, with partners PENHA Network, launched a land rehabilitation project.

Over 600 soil ponds were built across 60 hectares to capture rainwater and support the return of vegetation on 3 demined sites.

Thank you to 🇩🇪 @germany.diplo.de for funding this vital work.

Changing weather has led to land degradation, reduced water and biodiversity loss in Somaliland.

Landmines further impact agriculture and clearance is often a first step in restoring land & livelihoods, though clearance can also impact the environment as vegetation is removed.

For decades, #Jaffna was littered with landmines and cut off.

We’ve been in #SriLanka since 2002 and have now cleared 300,000 mines, allowing the north of the island to open to tourists.

As we celebrate our local deminers' incredible progress, join us on a tour of Jaffna, Sri Lanka's hidden gem:

Germany is actively helping to increase security in Syria through our humanitarian demining partnerships with @thehalotrust.bsky.social and @hi-deutschland.bsky.social. Mines and unexploded ordnance pose a deadly threat to millions in Syria – both those still there and those hoping to return home.

We're there, responding to a high volume of callouts from local people, safely destroying explosives and offering advice on how to stay safe.

Given the scale of contamination and volume of casualties, we urgently need to scale our team up to 400 deminers to clear all of Syria.

#Syria: Since the Assad regime fell last year, mine accidents have killed or injured over 1,000 people. Tragically, the true count may be much higher.

Almost two million people who fled conflict in Syria have returned home to find their towns, villages and fields contaminated with deadly ordnance.

James Cowan on clearing landmines and the legacy of war Landmine-clearing NGO chief explains how explosives still kill in peacetime, why world is failing to clean up its wars.

🎥 "Landmines kill and maim long after wars end. The victims are often children."

In this 'Talk to Al Jazeera' interview, our CEO James Cowan discusses all aspects of our life-saving work - from Ukraine to Afghanistan, Syria and beyond.

Watch now on @al-jazeera-english.bsky.social

bit.ly/4j9vZJS

Clearing unexploded ordnance is key to saving lives, allowing refugees to return home safely, protecting livelihoods and aiding economic recovery.

As we pay tribute to the #WWII dead, we also acknowledge the work of HALO staff, who are clearing the deadly remnants of war every day across the world.

Today is #VEDay80, marking 80 years since the end of #WWII in Europe.

While VE Day saw a huge outpouring of joy, we know from our experience of clearing conflict zones all over the world that the threat of unexploded bombs, mines and munitions lives on long after the fighting stops.

⭐Can you push the boundaries of innovation in risk management mine action? Have groundbreaking ideas with real-world impact? There is still time to submit your ideas for our GICHD Innovation Award 2025! Apply by 20 May 2025 (extended deadline) 👇
link.gichd.org/InnovationAw...

Sarah Boyack MSP with guest speakers and participants at the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on International Development on 29th April 2025

Powerful & moving testimony at @parliament.scot CPG on #InternationalDevelopment, hearing updates from @decscotland.bsky.social on #Myanmar, @islamicreliefuk.bsky.social on #Sudan, @actionforhumanity.bsky.social on #Gaza & @thehalotrust.bsky.social on #Ukraine - intdevalliance.scot/news-view/cr...

In 2020, HALO cleared mines from Christ's Baptism Site on the banks of the River Jordan, allowing worshippers to safely return to a site that had been abandoned for 50 years.

We were honoured that Pope Francis acknowledged our work, as we mourn his passing and thank him for his commitment to peace.

Closing ceremony of Demining Project in Bajgorë/Bajgora

Closing ceremony of Demining Project in Bajgorë/Bajgora

Closing ceremony of Demining Project in Bajgorë/Bajgora

Closing ceremony of Demining Project in Bajgorë/Bajgora

In Bajgorë/a, land once filled with landmines is now home to cottages, hikers, and wind turbines.

Thanks to @npaid.bsky.social, @thehalotrust.bsky.social, Kosovo Mine Action Centre, with EU support, land is safely returned to communities, creating new opportunities for tourism, green energy &jobs.

YouTube video by DW News Syria faces painstaking task of clearing wartime landmines | DW News

Thank you to @news.dw.com, who observed our expert deminers' work in #Syria, where "nearly a third of the population are affected by explosive contamination."

Families are returning home after the fall of Assad to find their land littered with deadly hazards: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NE1...

🎥 “#Syria is at a crossroads."

"There’s a huge opportunity for HALO and everyone in the sector to make a massive difference in the lives of Syrians and really address the problem of mine contamination at scale.”

HALO’s Nick Torbet, speaking from the 🇨🇭 #NDMUN28 Mine Action Conference:

This week, we’re in 🇨🇭 Geneva for the #NDMUN28 Mine Action Conference.

Today, we’re hosting a side event with
@undp.org, @unep.org and @germany.diplo.de, discussing how demining operators can best support reconstruction in urban environments devastated by conflict.

➡️ bit.ly/3G0Af0i

Nour Mari, die bei HALO in Syrien arbeitet, markiert die Stelle von nicht-explodierter Munition. Copyright: HALO Trust

Jeder Schritt abseits gesicherter Wege kann tödlich sein: In über 60 Ländern bedrohen #Minen und Kampfmittelrückstände Menschenleben. Mit unserer Unterstützung für Minenräumung, Aufklärung und Opferfürsorge schaffen wir sichere Räume für Millionen Menschen. #MineAction

🧵(2/2): Over the following decades, HALO cleared thousands of landmines. The minefield where Diana walked is now home to a school named in her honour.

​HALO has worked in Angola since 1994, clearing entire cities, provinces, railways and airports, bringing prosperity to millions.

🧵(1/2): Today, a delegation of ambassadors will trace Princess Diana's footsteps in Huambo, 🇦🇴 Angola, where HALO’s demining has transformed the area beyond recognition.
​
In 1997, Diana walked through what was a minefield. It was a walk that forced the world to sit up and take notice.

As well as all aspects of EOD training, team members also train as paramedics.

We thank our donors for our current funding, but urgently need to grow our team from 40 to 400-500 deminers to clear the country and save more lives. We estimate that will cost around $40m a year.

HALO Syria’s Programme Manager, Damian O’Brien said: “This intensive three-week course has prepared Syrian staff to join our expanded EOD operations."

"It's a great achievement and shows HALO’s commitment to building local capacity that can help people safely return home.”

12 HALO staff have successfully completed Explosive Ordnance (EOD) training in #Syria.

Thanks to @germany.diplo.de funding, those staff will begin their life-saving work next month - protecting communities who are returning home to find their land contaminated with deadly explosives.

Syrians returning home confront the terror of hidden explosives Amidst the rubble of a devastated Syria, millions of civilians are confronted by the hidden dangers of explosive devices, hindering their attempts to rebuild

The highest concentration of unexploded devices is along old frontlines in Aleppo and Idlib, @thehalotrust.bsky.social found.

Here, Assad forces uprooted olive trees, made earth barricades, planted mines and booby traps to cause maximum harm.
@thenewarab.bsky.social
www.newarab.com/features/syr...

The German Foreign Office (GFFO - @germany.diplo.de) supports HALO with a €5M grant to boost demining in #Syria.

Our CEO James Cowan said: “We're extremely grateful to the GFFO. As millions of Syrians return, this funding will help avoid deaths and injuries."

Read more ➡️ bit.ly/4c1Y8R4

HALO Global Ambassador Josh Kennedy-White visited #Afghanistan to witness our work first-hand.

In this LinkedIn article, Josh reflects on a land that "bears the deep scars of past conflicts," where HALO's clearance work is a vital first step for a safer, more prosperous future.

➡️ bit.ly/4iUHgOg

Ukraine’s mine-ridden ghost villages are being reclaimed - but it's the deadliest job in the world It’s minus 14 degrees, a sunny February day and - words I never thought I’d ever write - I’m walking through a live minefield in the most mined country in the world.

"It’s minus 14 degrees, a sunny February day and - words I never thought I’d ever write - I’m walking through a live minefield in the most mined country in the world."

HALO was delighted to host Rachel Johnson in Bervytsia village, Ukraine for @lbc.co.uk:

www.lbc.co.uk/opinion/view...

🎥 Three years of war in #Ukraine has left huge amounts of land contaminated with deadly mines and explosives.

HALO will continue to make the land safe so families can return home and farmers can grow grain - building a more secure future for the people of Ukraine:

The HALO Trust is helping eradicate the dangers of landmines HALO is working with AWS to clear landmines faster using drone technology and AI.

💡 “Working with Amazon Web Services and using AI will transform the way we work," says Matthew Abercrombie, Head of Research and Development at The HALO Trust.

As part of AWS's Pioneers Project, Matthew discusses HALO’s use of drones and AI to clear landmines more quickly: bit.ly/4kcC6P1

🎥 Whatever the future holds for #Ukraine, The HALO Trust will be at the cutting edge of mine clearance technology - keeping farmers and families safe and paving the way for a more secure and prosperous future. ⬇️