In response to the escalation in hostilities in Cambodia, MAG is delivering life-saving risk education to displaced communities, reaching over 1,400 people affected by the ongoing conflict in recent weeks.
The renewed fighting has forced more than 525,000 people, including over 167,000 children, to flee their homes across multiple provinces and seek safety in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
In coordination with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, MAG teams are actively conducting risk education sessions at five IDP camps in Battambang Province, providing essential guidance to help communities stay safe from explosive hazards. The sessions focus particularly on risks posed by newly encountered and unfamiliar explosive ordnance and munitions used in recent fighting.
In parallel, MAG’s digital risk education campaign has reached over 2.2 million people across six provinces in northern and western Cambodia.
Running from 12 December to 31 December, the campaign targets audiences aged 13 to 65+ in multiple provinces through tailored Facebook and Instagram advertisements. The estimated potential audience for this campaign is up to 7.2 million people.
As displacement continues, additional donor support is urgently needed to sustain and expand MAG’s life-saving activities. This funding would enable us to reach more displaced people, scale up digital outreach in high-risk provinces, and respond rapidly as needs evolve.
MAG has been in Cambodia since 1992, clearing minefields and cluster munition-contaminated areas so families and farmers can rebuild their lives and livelihoods in safety.
Decades after conflict, unexploded bombs continue to endanger communities, with both cluster munitions and landmines contaminating large parts of the country. Over 64,000 people have been killed or injured by explosive items since 1979, and children face the highest risk of death or injury due to their natural curiosity.
Due to the work of the mine action sector, accidents have fallen year on year, but contamination continues to block safe access to land that could be used for agriculture, schools, housing, infrastructure, and water access.
Through our combined clearance and risk education efforts, MAG continues to ensure that displaced and at-risk populations receive critical information to reduce the risk of harm from unexploded ordnance, helping communities stay safe during challenging times today, and for many years to come.
Support for our emergency response in Cambodia is provided through grants from the US Department of State and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
