Demining funding shifts from Southeast Asia

Humanitarian demining groups in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, are facing severe funding shortfalls as international donors redirect resources toward active conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and Afghanistan. The shift, compounded by increased defense spending and the U.S. freeze on foreign aid under President Donald Trump, has left organizations like Cambodian Self Help Demining struggling to continue operations. The group may halt work by September due to lack of donors. U.S. demining aid to the region has fluctuated, with a $130 million assistance package announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in July, but trust has been eroded by the previous freeze. Cambodia remains one of the world's most land-mined countries, with over 1,700 square kilometers of uncleared land, and the lack of funding threatens to leave communities endangered and development stalled.