PHNOM PENH: On the afternoon of February 5, 2026, H.E. Heng Ratana, Director-General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), and Mr. Hans Peter Risser, Country Director of Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), signed a landmark partnership agreement. The project, titled “Protecting Lives and Moving Toward Eliminating the Impact of Explosive Remnants of War in Cambodia,” is a direct response to the lingering threats of unexploded ordnance in the Kingdom.
Project Funding and Duration
The initiative is backed by a $5 million USD grant from the United States government. The funding is allocated as follows:
- CMAC: $4,000,000 USD for direct field operations.
- NPA: $1,000,000 USD for technical support, capacity building, and project management.
The project will span 18 months, beginning on February 1, 2026, and concluding on July 31, 2027. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Ms. Kelly Saltzman, political associate from the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, reinforcing the strong bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
Addressing the Legacy of the 2025 Border Conflict
The report highlights a critical and urgent need for demining following the 2025 border conflict with Thailand. This conflict left behind a devastating trail of contamination, including:
- Cluster bombs and air-dropped munitions (bombs/drones).
- The conflict also left behind remnants of chemical weapons and general explosive ordnance.
- Approximately 441,595 hectares of land remain under threat across 340 villages.
This contamination affects 91,411 families (roughly 364,694 individuals) across seven provinces along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
Operational Focus: Oddar Meanchey and Tboung Khmum
The project will deploy nearly 300 CMAC specialists into two dedicated demining units. While operations cover several border areas, the primary focus is Oddar Meanchey province, which alone has an estimated 40,400 hectares of suspected contaminated land across 145 villages.
H.E. Heng Ratana expressed his deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet for his support and extended sincere thanks to U.S. President Donald J. Trump, the American people, and the NPA for their steadfast commitment to Cambodia’s humanitarian mine action and national development.
FAQ: CMAC-NPA Demining Project 2026
The U.S. Department of State often funnels demining aid through international NGOs like the NPA to leverage their global technical expertise while ensuring the funds directly support national agencies like CMAC for field operations.
While the 2025 border conflict introduced new contamination, this project is a strategic effort to address those “new” risks so that Cambodia can stay as close as possible to its 2030 goals.
The report refers to various specialized munitions used during the recent conflict that require specific technical handling to safely neutralize without harming the surrounding environment or local communities.