Nonprofit Removes 300,000 Landmines in Sri Lanka, Allows 280K People to Return to Their Homes

In northern Sri Lanka, fields that once hid danger are finally safe again.
After years of patient, painstaking work, The HALO Trust has removed its 300,000th landmine from the region — and more than 280,000 people have been able to return to the places they once called home.

The cleared land covers an area a third larger than Manhattan, and with it, whole villages are coming back to life.

From War to Renewal

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, but the fear it left behind took much longer to fade.
Landmines and unexploded bombs were buried deep in the soil of the north and east — silent and deadly reminders of a conflict that lasted over 30 years.

Since the war’s end, The HALO Trust, a British nonprofit that clears mines and ordnance in post-conflict areas, has worked village by village to make the land safe again.
In June, the organization announced that its teams had cleared 300,000 landmines and rendered 120 square kilometers safe for farming and settlement.

“Thanks to HALO, over 280,000 people have now returned safely to their homes,” the group said in a statement. “Every cleared mine means another field can be planted and another family can move forward.”

A Job That’s Personal

For many of HALO’s staff, this mission hits close to home.

“These minefields were laid when I was still in primary school,” said Vithoozen Antony, HALO’s Operations Manager in Sri Lanka.
“I remember hearing about them in the news. Now, I’m part of the team that’s clearing them.
Reaching 300,000 removed isn’t just a number — it’s lives saved and communities restored.”

In places like Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Mannar, families are rebuilding homes, tending crops, and reopening schools.
For the first time in decades, kids can play outside without fear.

A Landscape Coming Back to Life

The north of Sri Lanka is beautiful — wide lagoons, palm forests, and quiet coastlines.
For years, these places were empty. Now, nature and people are returning together.

Coconut farmers are planting again. Birds and elephants roam safely.
And as roads reopen, tourists are beginning to explore regions that were off-limits for decades, helping bring new income to local families.

The Bigger Picture

HALO is the world’s largest landmine clearance charity, with teams in over two dozen countries.
In Cambodia, it recently marked 550,000 mines and unexploded bombs cleared since 1991.
Each one means a life no longer at risk.

From Sri Lanka to Ukraine, the work continues — quiet, careful, and lifesaving.

A Future Without Fear

In northern Sri Lanka, the land once scarred by war is green again.
Rice paddies stretch where minefields used to be. Children laugh where soldiers once stood guard.

It’s proof that even the deepest wounds can heal — and that peace, like life, has a way of growing back.