Ethiopia: Children disproportionately affected by weapon contamination

Addis Ababa (ICRC)— Eighty percent of victims of unexploded ordnance assisted by the International Committee of the Red Cross in rural areas of northern Ethiopia have been children, underscoring the grave danger posed by old weapons to young and often curious people. 

The ICRC has helped 390 victims of unexploded ordnance since the beginning of 2023. 

Millions of people live and work in areas with a heavy presence of unexploded ordnance. The continuous threat leads to profound psychological consequences and affects all areas of life, hampering educational and economic opportunities, as well as access to vital resources like agricultural land and water. 

Tabir Gebreyohannes’s eight-year-old daughter was injured after stepping on an unexploded device.

"She is traumatized by what happened. When she walks around, she does not go far.  She is afraid because of the explosion," says Gebreyohannes. "There is a real threat. It is difficult to leave children and do some work. You worry that one of them will pick or step on them. We are very worried."

Weapon contamination seriously affects food production in regions that suffer from food insecurity and high malnutrition rates, especially among new mothers and children under the age of five.

The ICRC together with Ethiopian Red Cross Society works with the affected communities to raise awareness and reduce the risk. It also urges the authorities and international actors to proceed with clearance work, a task of tremendous proportions, especially in places where conflicts are still ongoing. All stakeholders must do more to protect communities from the indiscriminate harm caused by these weapons.