Landmines honor no peace agreement or ceasefire. Conflicts may end, but landmines remain. When mines explode, they do not distinguish between armed combatants and innocent civilians. Most of the 26,000 victims claimed by landmines each year are women and children. Mines disrupt agriculture, damage the environment, inhibit the return of displaced persons and refugees, and impede development and relief efforts.
Mines are the greatest violators of international humanitarian law.
They practice blind terrorism . There are 250,000 amputees injured by landmines worldwide. Secretary General Half of mine victims die within minutes of the blast. The most common landmine victim in Bosnia-Herzegovina is a male farmer who has returned to work his land following the war. By adding a disabled member to the family, landmines exacerbate an already tenuous socio-economic situation and fuel malnutrition.