A fifth of Afghanistan’s population is at risk of death or serious injury from landmines and unexploded ordnance, according to a new warning from HALO Trust, the world’s largest demining organization.

In a recent analysis, the charity revealed that around 6.4 million people—roughly 20% of Afghans—live in areas contaminated by remnants of decades of conflict.

Afghanistan is now the second most heavily mined country in the world, behind only Ukraine, and is in danger of becoming “a forgotten humanitarian problem.”

The HALO Trust reports that civilians continue to be killed or maimed by explosive devices on a monthly basis, with children accounting for more than 80% of the casualties. Many young victims are injured while scavenging for scrap metal to help support their families.

The crisis has worsened following the return of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees expelled from neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

Many of these returnees, displaced after the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021, are resettling in hazardous areas with limited resources or support.

Since beginning operations in Afghanistan in 1998, HALO Trust has cleared more than 800,000 landmines and 11 million items of unexploded ordnance.

However, recent cuts to international aid—particularly from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), once a major funder—have forced the charity to reduce its Afghan staff from 2,200 to 1,000.

“Afghanistan is now a forgotten humanitarian problem,” said Dr. Farid Homayoun, the HALO Trust’s Afghanistan Programme Manager.

“The Afghan people have endured more than four decades of war, displacement, and poverty. The international community must not abandon them before the job is done.”

The warning comes amid growing concern over the future of global demining efforts. Earlier this year, HALO Trust raised alarms after several European countries signaled intentions to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, the landmark 1997 agreement that bans anti-personnel mines.