Identifying Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Unexploded ordnance — munitions that were fired, dropped, or planted but did not detonate as intended — is one of the most persistent and lethal legacies of armed conflict. Bombs, artillery shells, mortar rounds, grenades, cluster munitions, and landmines can remain lethal for decades after fighting ends. Civilians, including children, are killed and maimed by UXO every year in countries where conflict ended generations ago.

Understanding what UXO looks like, what to do when you encounter it, and how to minimise risk in affected areas is a survival-critical skill for anyone living in or moving through conflict-affected territories.

Why UXO Is So Dangerous

Unexploded ordnance fails to detonate for many reasons — defective fuzes, incorrect angles of impact, soft ground absorption — but it remains armed. The fuze mechanism is still active. Movement, pressure, vibration, heat, corrosion, or attempted handling can trigger detonation at any time, sometimes decades later.

Type	Typical Trigger	Notes
Artillery shells	Impact, handling, corrosion	Common in battle areas; often large
Mortar rounds	Impact, vibration	Frequently found in residential areas
Grenades	Handling, heat	Smaller; easily mistaken for debris
Cluster bomblets (submunitions)	Pressure, movement	Brightly coloured in some cases; attract children
Landmines (anti-personnel)	Pressure, tripwire	Deliberately concealed; designed to wound
Landmines (anti-tank)	Heavy pressure	Larger; can kill or destroy vehicles
Aircraft bombs	Impact, handling	Very large; extreme blast radius
IEDs (improvised)	Variable — command, pressure, tripwire	Deliberately constructed; unpredictable fuzing

⚠️ There is no safe way to handle, move, or disarm UXO. If you encounter any suspicious object, the only correct action is to leave the area immediately and report it to the appropriate authorities.

What UXO Looks Like

UXO can appear in many forms. Common visual indicators:

Artillery and Mortar Shells

• Cylindrical metal objects, often with a pointed or rounded nose
• May be partially buried with only part visible
• Rust, paint, or markings visible on the body
• Size ranges from 60mm (small mortar) to 203mm+ (large artillery)
• May have stabilising fins at the base (mortar rounds)

Cluster Munitions (Submunitions / Bomblets)

• Much smaller than shells — often the size of a tennis ball or drink can
• Some are brightly coloured (yellow, orange) — a design feature that makes them more visible but also more attractive to children
• May be spherical, cylindrical, or irregularly shaped
• Often have ribbons, parachutes, or stabilising fins attached or nearby

Landmines

• Anti-personnel mines may be circular, rectangular, or irregularly shaped
• Often plastic or metal housing — colour varies from green to grey to brown
• May be partially visible at the surface or barely covered
• Pressure plates, tripwires, or tilt fuzes may be visible
• Some older mines contain only a small amount of metal — difficult to detect even with metal detectors

Grenades

• Approximately fist-sized, oval or cylindrical
• Metal body with a fuze assembly visible at one end
• May appear to be intact (lever or pin in place) but still be dangerous

Aircraft Bombs

• Large cylindrical or teardrop-shaped objects
• May be partially or fully buried
• Tail fins may be visible
• Found in areas that were bombed — urban areas, fields, roadsides

High-Risk Environments

UXO is most likely to be encountered in:

Environment	Risk Profile
Former battle lines	High density of all ordnance types
Agricultural fields near former conflict areas	Artillery, mortars, landmines
Former military installations	All types; possible stores of munitions
Roadsides in formerly occupied areas	IEDs, landmines placed on routes
Urban rubble and building collapse areas	All types
Rivers and waterways near former conflict	Ordnance washed and moved; unpredictable locations
Forests and undergrowth	Landmines, old ordnance hidden by vegetation

Children are disproportionately UXO casualties because they often play in fields, rubble, and abandoned areas, and because some cluster munitions resemble toys.

The Universal Rule: Don't Touch

The behaviour response to any suspected UXO is simple and universal:

1. Stop moving immediately.
2. Do not touch, kick, move, or attempt to pick up the object.
3. Look around carefully for other objects before moving — UXO rarely appears alone.
4. Move away along the path you came from — the ground you walked on is more likely to be safe.
5. Mark the location if safe to do so — stones, sticks, or cloth markers help others avoid the spot.
6. Report the location to UXO clearance authorities, military, police, or humanitarian organisations operating in the area.

What NOT to Do

Many UXO casualties result from actions people thought were safe:

• Do not attempt to disarm or move the object — even trained EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) technicians have been killed by UXO they thought they understood.
• Do not heat the object — some people have attempted to burn UXO; heat causes detonation.
• Do not use metal tools on it — striking metal against fuze components can cause detonation.
• Do not throw it — this is an obvious trigger for impact-fuze ordnance.
• Do not approach to get a better look — photographs and GPS coordinates can be captured from a safe distance.
• Do not allow children to approach even if you believe it is safe.

Special Warning: Cluster Munitions

Cluster munitions (submunitions, bomblets) represent a particularly acute hazard because:

• They are small and numerous — hundreds can be dispersed over a wide area in a single strike
• Their failure rate is high — up to 40% may not detonate on impact
• Some are brightly coloured and resemble toys or beverage cans
• They are found across wide areas, not concentrated at a single impact point

If you are in an area where cluster munitions have been used, avoid all open ground until clearance organisations have surveyed the area.

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Quick Reference

Object	Do	Don't
Any suspected UXO	Stop; look around; back away on your path; mark; report	Touch, move, heat, strike, or approach closer
Brightly coloured small objects in conflict areas	Treat as potential cluster munition; keep children away	Allow children near; assume it is safe
Partially buried metal objects in field or rubble	Mark location from a distance; report	Dig up, pull out, or investigate
Tripwire across a path	Stop immediately; do not step over or cut; back away	Attempt to step over, cut, or move it
Reporting	Local EOD authority, military, police, HALO Trust, MAG, UNMAS