Cambodia demining efforts face funding shortages due to donor fatigue

Humanitarian demining efforts in Southeast Asia are facing significant funding shortages due to donor fatigue. International aid is increasingly being redirected toward active conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and Afghanistan, as well as rising global defense spending.

In Cambodia, organizations such as Cambodian Self Help Demining work to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge era. Despite the cessation of major fighting, these deadly remnants continue to maim and kill residents, hindering regional development.

While American demining support to Cambodia has recently restarted following previous freezes in foreign aid via the U.S. Agency for International Development, demining groups warn that without sustained international support, the unfinished work of clearing explosives will continue to endanger communities in Cambodia and Laos for years to come.