Cambodia Faces a Long and Costly Explosive-Ordnance Cleanup
Cambodia could require approximately $1 billion and more than 10 years to investigate and clear newly contaminated areas associated with the 2025 Cambodia-Thailand border conflict, according to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).
CMAC Director-General Heng Ratana said the estimate represents an initial assessment of the direct costs associated with surveying affected areas, locating explosive remnants of war and carrying out clearance operations.
The estimate comes as Cambodia continues dealing with unexploded ordnance left behind by earlier conflicts spanning several decades.
Speaking during a presentation and interview at the Techo Peace Museum on September 11, Heng Ratana said the newly contaminated areas would create an additional challenge for Cambodia's mine-action sector.
He stressed that the actual timeframe would depend on available funding, trained personnel, operational capacity, access to affected locations and security conditions.
Why the Cleanup Could Take More Than 10 Years
Explosive-ordnance clearance is a complex process that cannot be measured simply by the amount of land involved.
Specialist teams must first identify potentially contaminated areas before conducting technical surveys and clearance operations. Difficult terrain, security restrictions and inaccessible locations can significantly slow the process.
According to Heng Ratana, Cambodia could complete the work in more than a decade if sufficient resources are available, but the actual timeline will depend heavily on the country's circumstances.
The $1 billion figure is also an initial estimate for direct clearance-related expenses, rather than a complete calculation of the economic cost of the contamination.
The wider consequences can include agricultural losses, restricted access to homes and public facilities, disruption to local businesses and additional government spending to support affected communities.
New Contamination Adds Pressure to Existing Mine-Clearance Goals
Before the 2025 conflict, Cambodia had established national targets for reducing the impact of anti-personnel mines by 2030 and addressing other explosive remnants of war by 2035.
However, CMAC says those plans were developed before the newly reported contamination from the 2025 fighting was taken into account.
This means Cambodia may need to reassess its existing strategy and priorities.
In November 2025, Cambodia submitted information to the international community concerning approximately 524 square kilometers of known anti-personnel mine-contaminated land.
CMAC said information from 11 districts in border provinces had not yet been fully incorporated because fighting occurred while survey teams were conducting field research.
The organization estimated that more than 200 additional square kilometers could potentially be identified, which could increase the area requiring attention for anti-personnel mine contamination to more than 700 square kilometers.
These figures do not include areas affected by other types of explosive remnants, including air-dropped bombs, cluster munitions and unexploded ordnance from previous conflicts.
More Than 16,000 Potentially Contaminated Locations Identified
Following the 2025 conflict, CMAC conducted preliminary assessments using evidence such as bomb craters, fragments, unexploded ordnance and other physical indicators.
The information was used to create maps showing potentially contaminated areas and to analyze the direction and distribution of attacks.
According to the preliminary CMAC assessment, more than 16,000 objects or locations were identified as evidence of explosive-ordnance contamination.
Those findings were subsequently organized into approximately 5,400 mapped polygons, covering an estimated 386,000 hectares.
The figures remain subject to further investigation as teams continue surveying locations that have not yet been fully accessible.
Cluster Munitions Present a Particular Challenge
CMAC estimates that approximately 295,000 hectares across 335 villages may have been affected by cluster-munition contamination.
Fourteen additional villages had not yet been fully surveyed because clearance teams could not safely access those areas.
CMAC estimates that between 6 million and 7 million submunitions could have been dispersed across the affected areas.
However, Heng Ratana emphasized that this is an operational estimate rather than a final physical count of every munition.
The difficulty is partly related to the way cluster munitions operate. A single weapon can disperse numerous smaller submunitions across a relatively wide area, and some may fail to explode immediately.
Those unexploded devices can remain dangerous for years and potentially pose risks when people farm, construct buildings or otherwise disturb contaminated ground.
According to the article, CMAC teams have found M42, M46 and M85-type submunitions in locations including agricultural land, villages, homes and schools.
Some devices have reportedly been found underground, while others have been discovered in trees, bamboo and on rooftops, adding complexity to clearance operations.
The Economic Cost Goes Beyond Clearance
The estimated $1 billion cleanup bill does not represent the full economic burden created by explosive contamination.
Land that cannot safely be used for farming, housing or development can generate losses for communities even when no accident occurs.
Heng Ratana highlighted the importance of considering lost economic activity when calculating the overall impact.
For rural families, being unable to reach farmland can directly affect food production and household income. Restrictions on roads, water sources and public facilities can also make everyday life more difficult.
CMAC estimates that 22 districts, 60 communes and 349 villages along the border have been affected, involving approximately 92,000 households or nearly 399,000 people.
The reported restrictions have affected access to homes, farmland, schools, health centers, roads, wells and ponds.
Clearance Priorities Focus on Civilian Areas
CMAC has divided affected locations into three broad categories to help determine operational priorities and risk levels.
The categories include areas where residents may be able to return following urgent clearance, locations that can be accessed but remain close to hazardous zones, and high-risk areas where clearance teams cannot yet safely operate.
The initial priority is to make residential areas and essential access routes safe.
These include roads leading to water sources, schools and other public services. Clearance efforts can then expand toward agricultural areas and other locations needed to restore livelihoods.
This approach is designed to maximize the immediate humanitarian benefit of limited clearance resources.
More Than 100 Square Kilometers Already Addressed
During approximately six to seven months of emergency operations, CMAC reported that it had cleared or released more than 100 square kilometers of land and located or destroyed nearly 10,000 explosive items.
The organization also supported access to homes for more than 6,000 families.
In addition, clearance operations were conducted at 89 schools and 20 health centers, according to the figures presented in the article.
CMAC has also conducted approximately 5,500 mine- and unexploded-ordnance awareness sessions, reaching around 230,000 people.
These activities are particularly important in communities where residents may encounter explosive remnants while farming, walking through rural areas or repairing buildings.
Emergency Clearance Is Only the First Step
CMAC considers the initial clearance work an emergency response rather than a complete solution to the problem.
Long-term operations will require sustained government funding, international assistance, technical expertise and continued field surveys.
The organization has received support from several international partners, including Japan, the United States, Germany, China, United Nations agencies, the World Bank and mine-action organizations.
However, the scale of the newly reported contamination means additional resources may be required.
Cambodia also continues to address explosive remnants from earlier conflicts, making the new contamination an additional burden for an already established mine-action program.
Cambodia's Long History With Explosive Remnants
Cambodia has spent decades clearing mines and unexploded ordnance left by earlier conflicts.
According to CMAC figures cited in the article, the organization has cleared approximately 3.2 million items of unexploded ordnance over roughly 32 to 33 years, representing about 72–73 percent of the ordnance cleared nationwide.
The number of casualties from mines and unexploded ordnance has also fallen dramatically compared with previous decades.
The article states that annual casualties declined from nearly 1,500 people in 1999 to fewer than 50 cases in recent years.
The emergence of new contaminated areas, however, could complicate Cambodia's progress toward its existing mine-action targets.
What Happens Next?
The scale of the cleanup will depend on several factors, including the completion of technical surveys, safe access to affected locations, availability of funding and the ability to deploy trained clearance teams.
CMAC has not yet completed a final technical assessment establishing the definitive contaminated area, total cost and full implementation schedule.
That means the current $1 billion and more-than-10-year estimate should be understood as a preliminary projection, not a final national cleanup budget.
Further surveys and field assessments will be necessary before Cambodia can establish a comprehensive long-term clearance plan.
A Long-Term Humanitarian and Economic Challenge
The explosive remnants reported in areas affected by the 2025 conflict present a challenge that extends well beyond mine clearance itself.
For communities living near affected areas, safe access to homes, farmland, schools and water sources is closely connected to economic recovery and normal daily life.
The cleanup therefore represents both a humanitarian priority and an important part of restoring local development.
If CMAC's preliminary assessment is confirmed, Cambodia could face another decade or more of clearance work and substantial financial requirements.
The country's experience over the past several decades demonstrates the importance of sustained mine-action programs. The latest contamination, however, could require Cambodia and its international partners to devote additional resources to ensuring that affected communities can safely return to normal life.
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