Cambodia Intensifies UXO Clearance Following Thai Border Fighting
Cambodia Intensifies UXO Clearance Following Thai Border Fighting
PHNOM PENH, 26 July 2026 — Cambodia’s Mine Action Centre (CMAC) says six months of operations to address explosive remnants of war following the border conflict with Thailand underscore the long-term humanitarian consequences of armed conflict, with hundreds of thousands of hectares still affected by unexploded ordnance.
According to CMAC’s report covering the first six months of 2026, the agency conducted 14,477 mine risk education sessions, reaching more than 1.37 million people living in affected communities.
The agency also carried out extensive surveys across seven provinces—Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, Siem Reap and Koh Kong—covering 22 districts, 60 communes and 335 villages impacted by the border conflict.
CMAC identified 265 bomb impact areas, covering approximately 4,829 hectares, and mapped 3,858 cluster munition strike areas affecting an estimated 262,506 hectares.
Based on its assessment, CMAC estimated that approximately 120,000 to 130,000 155mm cluster munition projectiles were fired during the conflict, dispersing an estimated 6 million to 7 million M42, M46 and M85 submunitions. The agency estimated that between 25% and 30% of those submunitions may have failed to detonate, leaving them as hazardous unexploded ordnance.
In addition, survey teams identified 1,401 locations contaminated by other types of unexploded ordnance, affecting another 119,870 hectares.
Overall, CMAC documented 5,348 contaminated sites, covering approximately 387,206 hectares, or 3,872 square kilometres, while collecting more than 18,500 pieces of physical evidence during field investigations.
As part of humanitarian clearance efforts, CMAC cleared priority land to facilitate the return of displaced residents, making safe areas surrounding 5,911 homes, covering nearly 1,455 hectares.
Clearance operations also included land surrounding 87 schools, 20 health centres, six pagodas, and 114 other public infrastructure sites, according to the report.
During the six-month period, CMAC located and destroyed more than 8,400 explosive devices, including 4,436 cluster munitions.
The agency said the figures illustrate that while armed conflict may end, the danger posed by unexploded ordnance continues to threaten communities, hinder resettlement and delay reconstruction efforts long after hostilities have ceased.
