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Donor fatigue guts demining in Asia, as active conflicts draw away funding

Southeast Asian demining groups face severe funding cuts as international donors shift critical financial aid toward active conflict zones like Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, with Ukraine alone receiving a third of all humanitarian demining funding in 2024.
The Vietnam War's legacy, including the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror that killed about 1.7 million Cambodians, left Cambodia with 1,749 square kilometers of uncleared land as of last year, contaminating vast regions with mines and unexploded ordnance.
Deminer Poy, who lost an arm and an eye to a land mine, works with Cambodian Self Help Demining; unexploded ordnance has killed approximately 90,000 people across the region, with children accounting for more than 40% of global civilian casualties.
President Donald Trump's 90-day freeze on aid last year worsened regional instability, though State Marco Rubio recently announced $130 million in demining assistance; Danae Hendrickson of Legacies warned the volatility has "set a really dangerous precedent for what can be done."
Some groups may be forced to halt operations by September due to sharp donation cutbacks, and advocates warn that Southeast Asia's unfinished work will continue to endanger communities and slow regional development for years to come.

Insights by Ground AI