What happened
The European Union is committing resources to help African countries clear landmines and build the capacity to detect and remove them. This shifts the cost and responsibility for mine removal away from individual African governments toward a coordinated international effort with European funding and technical support.
Why it matters
Landmines kill and disable civilians long after conflicts end, and removing them is expensive and slow — this decision makes it more likely African countries can actually complete clearance rather than leaving mines in the ground for decades, which affects everything from agricultural productivity to refugee return rates to infrastructure development.