TRIPOLI — Libyan Red Crescent volunteers left a United Nations workshop last week better equipped to recognise dangerous weapons, explain evolving explosive threats to communities, and prevent the kinds of accidents that continue to claim civilian lives across Libya—especially those of children.
Twenty-one volunteers, including seven women, participated in the workshop, which was delivered by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), a section of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The workshop builds on UNSMIL’s continued engagement with Libyan partners to address explosive hazards through community-based awareness and the promotion of safer practices, in line with UNSMIL’s mandate to protect civilians, support Libyan institutions, and advance a safer and more stable environment across the country.
The need to enhance awareness-building efforts was tragically underscored just days before the workshop, when a boy was killed and his brother blinded after handling a hand grenade in a residential area of Misrata. Since May 2020, the Libyan Mine Action Centre has recorded 484 victims of explosive incidents in Libya, including 174 deaths, 19 of them children, highlighting the persistent risks posed by weapons and explosive remnants of war.
“Local organizations such as the Libyan Red Crescent are often the best placed to reach families in their homes and neighbourhoods where the risks are the most real and immediate,” said Ulrika Richardson, UNSMIL Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident Coordinator in Libya. “When volunteers are equipped to recognise explosive dangers and explain them directly to family members, lives are more likely to be saved, especially those of children. This way of raising awareness at the community-level is among the most powerful tools we have to together prevent further tragedy and keep people safe across Libya.”
Through hands-on discussions, technical briefings, and real-world case studies, Libyan Red Crescent members who participated in the workshop strengthened their ability to distinguish between different types of weapons, understand how modern mines evade detection, and communicate risks to the public in line with international standards.
Participants said the workshop directly addressed the realities their team encounters in the field.
“The information we gained from the workshop was valuable and enhanced our ability to better distinguish between light, medium, and heavy weapons,” said Abdul-Muhaymin Farhat, a member of the Libyan Red Crescent’s mine and war remnants awareness team. “It also reviewed past experiences from different countries, which were extremely helpful.”
Mohammed Mubasher, who works on environmental sanitation for the Libyan Red Crescent in addition to mine and war remnants education, said he “always struggled to differentiate between the weapons terminology and classification.”
“The workshop provided a valuable introduction that will allow me to conduct extensive research to further develop my understanding," he said.
A key focus of the workshop was helping participants keep pace with changes in weapons and mine manufacturing. While older metal mines can be identified using specific detection devices, modern plastic mines often cannot be detected using traditional methods.
“Understanding this evolution is essential, because it explains why the danger persists even years after active fighting has stopped,” said Noha Abu Ras, who leads mine and war remnants awareness activities for the Libyan Red Crescent’s Tripoli branch.
Noting that public awareness of war remnants and mines remains limited, Mubasher added: “Many people, even those with some knowledge about war remnants and mines, handle unfamiliar objects carelessly, unfortunately leading to serious harm.”
Abu Ras called the situation in Libya “catastrophic in terms of the proliferation of weapons.”
“Weapons are not confined to any one entity, and the storage of weapons in homes and residential areas puts civilians’ lives at risk,” she said. “To achieve security and safety for the people, this reality must change.”
