Japan Grants $10M to Aid Cambodia’s Landmine Clearance

CMAC

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Japan has pledged over $10 million in grants to support Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war, a legacy of decades of conflict.

The funding, formalised in an agreement signed on Thursday between Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn and Japanese Ambassador Ueno Atsushi, will be directed to the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC).

Of the total amount, $8.3 million will go towards strengthening CMAC’s South-South Cooperation training programme, which helps share demining expertise with other affected nations. The remaining $2.1 million will fund the construction of a training complex and outreach facility.

Cambodia remains one of the world’s most landmine-affected countries, with an estimated 4 to 6 million unexploded munitions left behind from conflicts that ended in 1998. Since 1979, landmines and explosive remnants of war have killed nearly 20,000 people and injured more than 45,000.

Japan has long been a key supporter of Cambodia’s demining efforts, and this latest contribution is expected to enhance the country’s capacity to train specialists and accelerate mine clearance operations, making communities safer.

-2025-03-31