CMAC and APOPO Launch $281K Project to Clear Nearly 8 Million Sqm of Landmines

9 December 2025
Local News
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Partnership Targets 7.5 Million Square Meters in Siem Reap and Preah Vihear Using Specialized Rats and Technical Dogs

The Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) and the APOPO organization have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to execute a joint demining project spanning approximately eight million square meters of land across two provinces. This critical operation will strategically employ both specialized mine-detecting rats and technical research dogs to locate and neutralize explosives. The MOU was formalized on December 4, 2025, with signatures from His Excellency Heng Ratana, Delegate of the Royal Government in charge as Director General of CMAC, and Mr. Michael Raine, APOPO Cambodia Program Manager.

According to H.E. Heng Ratana, the new project has a budget totaling $281,490.35. It is scheduled for a one-year implementation period, beginning on January 1, 2026, and concluding on December 31, 2026. The project’s plan specifically outlines the clearance of 7,560,000 square meters of landmine contamination located in Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces.

H.E. Heng Ratana also highlighted the longstanding success of the partnership, noting that CMAC and APOPO first began their collaboration on mine clearance projects utilizing mine-detecting rats 12 years ago. In addition to their work within Cambodia, the two organizations have strengthened their cooperation internationally, which includes dispatching mine-detecting dogs to countries such as Turkey and several nations in Central Africa. This commitment extends to human resource development, with the partnership supporting the training of specialized Cambodian officers abroad and hosting foreign officers for training within Cambodia.

This announcement comes as CMAC continues to post impressive clearance figures; from January to October 2025, the organization’s operations successfully cleared a total of 14,397 hectares of land contaminated by mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), as reported in a CMAC statement released on November 15, 2025. (read more)

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