British actor Rosamund Pike, Ambassador to the Mines Advisory Group, is visiting Sri Lanka this week as the country celebrates the clearance of one million landmines over 17 years, with annual casualties dropping dramatically from 250 to three.
Sri Lanka has reached a significant milestone in its post-conflict recovery efforts, clearing one million landmines since 2007 with support from international partners including the United Kingdom. The achievement comes as Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor Rosamund Pike visits the country in her capacity as Ambassador to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a humanitarian organization leading demining operations across multiple northern districts.
During her visit, Pike is engaging directly with communities affected by landmine contamination, spending time with deminers and visiting minefields in Mannar and Mullaitivu districts. She is also scheduled to meet with families from both Tamil and Sinhala communities, including survivors of landmine accidents, and will attend a risk-education session at a local school. Meetings with Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya and government officials are planned to discuss ongoing efforts toward making Sri Lanka completely landmine-free.
The human impact of these clearance efforts has been substantial. Annual mine-related casualties have fallen dramatically from approximately 250 to just three in 2024, while roughly one million displaced people have been able to return to their homes. MAG, which began operations in Sri Lanka in 2002, has rendered approximately 103 square kilometers of land safe for communities across seven districts, enabling residents to resume farming and rebuild their livelihoods.
Pike emphasized the importance of continued vigilance, noting that the danger remains real more than 17 years after the conflict ended. "When MAG releases decontaminated land to people, communities can trust that their land is now safe to farm, to walk through and to harvest necessities from," she stated, highlighting how the painstaking work represents a form of reconciliation in restoring safety to affected regions.
