Mines
The effects of conflict do not end when the sound of fighting stops. Many communities continue to face a silent danger hidden beneath the ground. Mines and unexploded ordnance do not distinguish between a child, a shepherd, or a farmer, and can turn an ordinary moment into a tragedy that changes an entire family’s life.
In the Jalamda area of Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Majid Al-Hussein experienced this tragedy.
One of his relatives, who was with him on the day of the incident, recalls:
“On a spring morning, I went out with my cousin Majid to graze the sheep, as we always did. Everything seemed normal until we decided to go to a nearby piece of land to collect some branches for a fire. While Majid was gathering firewood, a huge explosion suddenly occurred. In an instant, everything changed. I found Majid lying on the ground, seriously injured. I had no way to call for help except by shouting. After a few minutes, a car passing nearby stopped, and we took him to the nearest health center. But the doctors told us that he had died from his injuries.”
Those moments have remained in the witness’s memory to this day, just as the grief has remained in the heart of a family that lost one of its members in an incident that could have been prevented if the land had been safe.
Majid’s story is not an isolated case. It represents the reality faced by thousands of civilians in conflict-affected areas, where mines and explosive remnants of war continue to threaten their lives and prevent them from carrying out basic daily activities such as herding, farming, or going to school.