When the United States suddenly moved to dismantle its foreign aid system earlier this year, the UN's landmine safety and removal project in Nigeria braced for impact.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance killed or injured 418 civilians in northeast Nigeria in 2024, more than double the year prior -- but workers knew the severity of the crisis was no guarantee that the programme would survive. 

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.