Despite the bombing ending more than 50 years ago, cluster bomb contamination continues to kill, injure and hinder development in Laos. MAG has worked in Laos since 1994. Working across Xieng Khouang and Khammouane provinces, we clear community land from unexploded bombs.

More than two million tons of cluster bombs were dropped on Laos during the second Indochina War (1964-1973), making Laos the most heavily bombed country in history per capita. Khammouane Province in central Laos was a target for US bombing. The airstrikes were mostly aimed at disrupting movement along the Ho Chi Minh Trail – a key logistical supply route used by the North Vietnamese.

An estimated 30 per cent of the 270 million sub-munitions dropped on the country did not detonate. Five decades after the war, these deadly items remain a persistent threat and daily reality for thousands of communities across Laos. 

There is no agreed figure on remaining contamination in Laos, but current data suggests that approximately 1,800km² of land still requires clearance – an area two-and-a-half times the size of New York City. Contamination prevents communities from fully utilising their land, with the main economic activities for rural communities – forestry and agriculture – accounting for a large proportion of unexploded bomb accidents.

Development experts have long recognised the links between unexploded bomb contamination and poverty levels in Laos.

We have over 1,200 staff in Laos. We assess the scale of contamination, often by talking to communities, and then our staff physically clear priority areas, sometimes using machines to clear areas with heavy vegetation.

Risk education sessions help to raise awareness of the risks associated with potentially lethal items and promote safer behaviour, decreasing the likelihood of accidents among affected communities. MAG’s programme is designed to be gender and age appropriate, context-specific and to address the varying risk-taking behaviours that lead to accidents. For example, songs and games are used with children, and messages are made understandable for both literate and illiterate participants.

MAG has an unexploded bomb reporting hotline number that communities can use to report cluster bombs and receive an immediate response. In accordance with national standards, each item reported is destroyed within 24 hours and priority is given to those that present an immediate threat to life, such as in school playgrounds or gardens.