In February 2025, Action on Armed Violence recorded 2,651 deaths and injuries from 425 incidents of explosive violence around the world, as reported in English-language media. Civilians accounted for 84% (2,240) of the deaths and injuries recorded.
In instances where explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 95% of casualties (2,074) were civilians, as opposed to 39% (166) in non-populated areas.
Manufactured explosive weapons accounted for 92% (2,205) of civilian casualties, while improvised explosive weapons (IEDs) accounted for 8% (185) of these civilian casualties in February 2025.
Of the main launch-method types of manufactured explosive weapons, ground-launched explosive weapons accounted for 42% (937) of civilian casualties, air-launched weapons were responsible for 40% (886) of civilian casualties, and mines were responsible for 1% (28) of civilian casualties.
At least one death or injury from the use of explosive weapons was recorded in 23 countries and territories in February 2025. The five most affected countries and territories in terms of civilian casualties from the use of explosive weapons were Sudan (911 civilian casualties), Ukraine (704), Myanmar (164), Syria (136) and the DRC (85).
SUDAN
In February 2025, there were 15 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Sudan, 14 of which caused 911 civilian casualties, 261 of whom were killed and 650 injured. Civilian casualties included at least 52 children. Overall, civilians accounted for 99.9% of those recorded in Sudan in February, as there was also one armed actor killed.
All 911 civilian casualties reported occurred in populated areas.
| Event Location | Civilian Casualties |
| Market | 34% (310) |
| Urban residential areas | 30% (275) |
| Multiple (urban) | 23% (205) |
| Encampment | 7% (68) |
| Hospital | 5% (43) |
| Village | 1% (10) |
The states in which civilian casualties were reported in Sudan in February are:
| Region | Civilian casualties |
| Khartoum | 361 |
| North Darfur | 319 |
| South Kordofan | 114 |
| South Darfur | 101 |
| East Darfur | 10 |
| Central Darfur | 6 |
Non-state actors caused 88% (799) of civilian casualties, specifically the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who accounted for 75% (685) of civilian casualties and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM-N), who accounted for 13% (114). Whereas state actors, specifically Sudan, accounted for 12% (109) of civilian casualties. Actors of unknown name and status accounted for less than 1% (3) of civilian casualties.
Explosive weapon launch method:
| Launch method | Civilian casualties |
| Ground launched weapons | 59% of civilian casualties Artillery shelling (316)Non-specific shelling (225) |
| Air launched weapons | 35% of civilian casualties:Air strikes (321) |
Civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Sudan in February 2025 increased compared to January, when 23 incidents caused 636 reported civilian casualties (316 killed, 320 injured). In December, 28 incidents of explosive weapon use were recorded, which resulted in 751 reported civilian casualties (401 killed, 350 injured).
UKRAINE
In February 2025, there were 228 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Ukraine, 222 of which caused 704 civilian casualties, 122 of whom were killed and 582 injured. Civilian casualties included at least 30 children, 97 women and 116 men. Overall, civilians accounted for 96% of all 736 casualties recorded in Ukraine in February, as there were also 32 reported armed-actor casualties, of whom 2 were killed and 30 injured.
97% (640) of civilian casualties occurred in populated areas:
| Event Location | Civilian Casualties |
| Urban residential areas | 68% (433) |
| Multiple (urban) | 21% (147) |
| Villages | 8% (49) |
| Armed base | >1% (5) |
| Public transport | >1% (5) |
| Hospital | >1% (1) |
The oblasts in which civilian casualties were reported in Ukraine in February:
| Oblast | Civilian casualties |
| Donetsk | 204 |
| Kherson | 169 |
| Kharkiv | 139 |
| Dnipropetrovsk | 45 |
| Sumy | 43 |
| Poltava | 30 |
| Zaporizhizhia | 28 |
| Odesa | 15 |
| Kyiv | 13 |
| Chernihiv | 6 |
| Khmelnytskyi | 5 |
| Zhytomyr | 3 |
| Kirovohrad | 3 |
| Mykolaiv | 1 |
The majority of recorded civilian casualties (99%) were attributed to state actor use of explosive weapons, specifically Russia (695 civilian casualties). Actors of unknown name and status caused 1% (9) of civilian casualties.
Explosive weapon launch method:
| Launch method | Civilian casualties |
| Air launched weapons | 49% of civilian casualties:Air strikes (327)Air-dropped bombs (15) Multiple explosive weapons (6) |
| Ground launched weapons | 30% of civilian casualties Non-specific shelling (178)Artillery shelling (14)Ground-launched rockets (10) Ground-launched missiles (5)Mortars (1) |
| Weapons of unclear launch method | 13% of civilian casualtiesMissiles (95) |
| Combined explosive weapons | 6% of civilian casualties (44) |
| IEDs | >1% of civilian casualties Non-specific IEDs (9) |
The number of civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Ukraine in February 2025 decreased compared to levels recorded in January, when 242 incidents caused 869 civilian casualties, 133 of whom were killed and 736 injured. In December, 221 incidents were recorded, which caused 586 civilian casualties (100 killed, 486 injured).
MYANMAR
In February 2025, there were 29 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Myanmar, which caused 164 civilian casualties, 54 of whom were killed and 110 injured. Civilian casualties included at least 13 children, 25 women and 15 men. Overall, civilians accounted for all casualties recorded in Myanmar in February.
94% (154) of civilian casualties occurred in populated areas.
| Event Location | Civilian Casualties |
| Village | 40% (61) |
| Urban residential | 36% (55) |
| Public gathering | 13% (20) |
| Multiple (urban) | 5% (7) |
| Encampment | 4% (6) |
| Agricultural land | 3% (5) |
The regions in which civilian casualties were reported in Myanmar in February are:
| Region | Civilian casualties |
| Rakhine | 40 |
| Mandalay | 33 |
| Magway | 20 |
| Sagaing | 19 |
| Shan | 17 |
| Kachin | 16 |
| Tanintharyi | 11 |
| Mon | 5 |
| Bago | 3 |
State actors, specifically Myanmar, accounted for 82% (135) of civilian casualties. Actors of unknown name and status accounted for 13% (22) of civilian casualties. Non-state actors, specifically the People’s Defence Force (PDF) also caused 4% (7) of civilian casualties.
Explosive weapon launch method:
| Launch method | Civilian casualties |
| Air launched weapons | 71% of civilian casualties:Air strikes (113)Air-dropped bombs (4) |
| Mines | 15% of civilian casualtiesLandmines (20)Anti vehicle mines (5) |
| Ground launched weapons | 9% of civilian casualties Artillery shelling (15) |
| IEDs | 4% of civilian casualties Mortar (5)Non-specific IEDs (2) |
The number of civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Myanmar in February 2025 decreased compared to levels recorded in January, when 32 incidents caused 347 civilian casualties, 190 of whom were killed and 157 injured. In December, 30 incidents were recorded, which caused 157 civilian casualties (50 killed, 107 injured).
SYRIA
In February 2025, there were 47 incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Syria, 20 of which resulted in 136 civilian casualties, 55 of whom were killed and 81 injured. Civilian casualties included at least 13 children, 23 women, and 12 men. Overall, civilians accounted for 58% of all 233 casualties recorded in Syria in February, as 97 armed actor casualties were also recorded, including 47 killed and 50 injured.
82% (112) of civilian casualties occurred in populated areas.
| Event Location | Civilian Casualties |
| Urban residential | 46% (63) |
| Village | 24% (32) |
| Multiple (urban) | 5% (7) |
| Police station | 4% (6) |
| Other | 3% (4) |
The states in which civilian casualties were recorded in Syria in February are:
| Region | Civilian casualties |
| Aleppo | 103 |
| Deir Ezzor | 8 |
| Idlib | 6 |
| Latakia | 6 |
| Homs | 4 |
| Raqqa | 3 |
| Hasakah | 3 |
| Rif Dimashq | 2 |
| Damascus | 1 |
Non-state actors accounted for 48% (65) of civilian casualties, specifically unknown non-state actors (55), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (7), and Hezbollah (3). State actors accounted for 47% of civilian casualties, specifically Turkey (56 civilian casualties), Syria (6), and Israel (2).
Explosive weapon launch method:
| Launch method | Civilian casualties |
| IEDs | 40% of civilian casualties Car bomb (54)Roadside bomb (1) |
| Air launched weapons | 31% of civilian casualties:Air strikes (42) |
| Ground launched weapons | 24% of civilian casualties Non-specific shelling (16)Grenades (7)Rocket propelled grenade (6)Ground-launched rockets (3) |
| Weapons of unclear launch method | 5% of civilian casualties Rockets (7) |
Civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Syria in February 2025 decreased compared to January, when 75 incidents caused 318 reported civilian casualties, 82 of whom were killed and 236 injured. In December, 98 incidents were recorded, which resulted in 555 civilian casualties (244 killed, 311 injured).
DRC
In February 2025, there was 1 incident of explosive weapon use recorded in the DRC, which resulted in 85 civilian casualties, 13 of whom were killed and 72 injured. Overall, civilians accounted for all casualties recorded in the DRC in February.
The incident took place in a market, which is classified as a populated area.
| Event Location | Civilian Casualties |
| Public gathering | 100% (85) |
The states in which civilian casualties were recorded in the DRC in February are:
| Region | Civilian casualties |
| South Kivu | 85 |
It remains unknown who carried out the mortar attacks at the 2025 M23 rally in Bukavu, South Kivu, which killed 13 people and injured 72 others.
Explosive weapon launch method:
| Launch method | Civilian casualties |
| Ground launched weapons | 100% of civilian casualties Mortar (85) |
Civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in the DRC in February 2025 escalated compared to previous months, the last incident recorded was in June 2024, where 2 incidents resulted in 5 civilian casualties, all of whom were killed. In May 2024, 1 incident resulted in 32 civilian casualties (12 killed, and 20 injured).
AOAV condemns the use of violence against civilians and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. All actors should stop using explosive weapons with wide-area effects where there is likely to be a high concentration of civilians.
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