The Explosive Weapons Monitor (EWM) records incidents of explosive weapons use that reportedly harmed civilians or civilian infrastructure. This bulletin covers 1 January to 31 March 2026 and draws on ACLED and Insecurity Insight data.
Civilians around the world continued to experience severe harm from the use of explosive weapons. In the first quarter of 2026, 6,130 people were reported killed in explosive weapons incidents that harmed civilians, and the Explosive Weapons Monitor estimates that about 13,400 to 23,400 civilians were injured (average-to-high estimate)*. March 2026 was the month with the most civilian casualty incidents of the past 12 recorded, with 1,873 incidents and 3,654 reported fatalities, following the start of hostilities between Israel, the United States and Iran on 28 February and the escalation in Lebanon in March.
* This is an estimated range calculated from reported fatalities based on previously reported ratios of injured persons. See: Explosive Weapons Monitor: Methodology. The data do not capture every incident, and casualty figures almost certainly always undercount the full impact on civilians. The data includes provisional totals for some harm events.
Ukraine recorded the most incidents in Q1 2026 (1,504), followed by Russia (419), Myanmar (412) and Lebanon (350).
Figure 1. Countries and territories with recorded incidents of civilian harm from explosive weapons use, January–March 2026. Boundaries do not imply any position on status or borders. Sixteen incidents at sea are counted under the nearest country.
Recorded harm rose sharply over the quarter, from 960 incidents and 1,151 reported fatalities in January to 1,873 incidents and 3,654 fatalities in March, the highest monthly totals of the past 12 months.
Insecurity Insight recorded 1,376 incidents affecting civilian infrastructure, 38 percent more than in the previous quarter. Healthcare was affected in 23 countries and territories (425 incidents), most often in Ukraine (181), Lebanon (63) and Iran (56), and education in 23 (351). At least 39 educators, 142 students, 26 health workers and 24 aid workers were reported killed.
A notable feature of this quarter was the rise of incidents where explosive weapons damaged water infrastructure. Reported incidents of explosive weapons impact on water infrastructure rose from 21 in the last quarter of 2025 to 47 in the first quarter of 2026, representing a rise of 124 percent. While the actual number of incidents may seem low when compared to incidents directly harming civilians, a focus on incident numbers masks the true scale of civilian impact. Damage to a water treatment plant, pumping station or major distribution pipeline disrupts supplies to thousands of households and essential activities. When tap water is unavailable, households may need to purchase bottled water or rely on alternative sources. Shortages also constrain hygiene and sanitation, irrigation and the provision of water for livestock, affecting public health, livelihoods and food security.
Of the 47 incidents recorded by Insecurity Insight, only 11 per cent directly killed or injured people. No casualties at the time of the explosion does not mean an absence of harm. A limited focus on direct casualties overlooks the interconnected nature of water infrastructure, where damage to a single component can disrupt services for large populations, far beyond the immediate location of an incident often for days, weeks or months.
The increase in reported damage to water systems coincides with the growing use of explosive weapons in urban areas. The number of countries where explosive weapons affected water systems more than doubled, from five to eleven between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026.
State actors accounted for 87 percent of incidents where the conflict party was reported. Conflict acts that resulted in damage or destruction of water systems were attributed in high numbers to Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, Myanmar armed forces (particularly in Sagaing Region) and Russia in Ukraine. Non-state armed groups damaged water systems in Iraq (Islamic Resistance in Iraq), Lebanon (Hezbollah), Somalia (Al-Shabaab), Syria (Syrian Democratic Forces) and Sudan (Rapid Support Forces).
Recorded incidents in Lebanon rose from 29 in the previous quarter to 350, 315 of them in March, with at least 834 people reported killed. During the period, 96 percent of all incidents involved air-launched weapons. Most were in the south of the country, in Nabatieh (157 incidents) and South governorates (137). The two together account for 294 of the 350 incidents, about 84 percent. During the quarter there were 124 incidents affecting civilian infrastructure, 63 of them healthcare.
Sudan recorded 129 incidents, 3 percent of the global total, but 1,088 reported fatalities, 18 percent of the total and more than any other country. That is 8.4 reported fatalities per incident, against 1.6 globally. Fifteen incidents with 20 or more reported fatalities account for 523 of the deaths, nearly half the national toll. Incidents rose each month, from 28 in January to 44 in February and 57 in March, with fatalities of 299, 255 and 534. Air-launched weapons were used in 111 of the 129 incidents, and drones were reported in 103, which accounted for 952 fatalities. Kordofan accounted for 614 fatalities: West Kordofan 322, South Kordofan 197 and North Kordofan 95.
Some of the quarter’s deadliest incidents struck schools, hospitals and markets, places that serve civilians. A strike on a school in Minab, Iran, on 28 February killed 168 people, including 66 boys and 54 girls, 26 teachers and four parents. Strikes on hospitals in Kabul (16 March) and Ed Daein, Sudan (20 March) killed 269 and 70 people, and a drone strike on the Janjaru Gusar market in Sudan on 3 January killed 42. Insecurity Insight also recorded a suspected drone strike on a school in Sudan in March that killed nine students and three teachers, and Israeli air strikes in Lebanon that killed five paramedics in their vehicle on 28 March and three more on 16 March.
Armed forces of 22 states were reportedly responsible for 84 percent of incidents (3,312) and 86 percent of reported fatalities (5,277), and 1,184 of the 1,376 incidents where vital civilian infrastructure was damaged (86 percent). Non-state or unidentified actors were associated with 621 incidents (16 percent) and 853 fatalities, and named non-state actors with 142 of the 1,376 incidents where vital civilian infrastructure was damaged (10 percent). The remaining 50 incidents were not attributed to named users of explosive weapons (4 percent).
Russian armed forces were associated with the most incidents (1,257), almost all in Ukraine. Israeli armed forces were associated with 644 incidents and with the most reported fatalities of any user (1,782). Sudanese (56 incidents) and Pakistani (66) armed forces were associated with fewer but among the most lethal incidents, with 751 and 393 fatalities. The United States armed forces were associated with 53 incidents and 391 fatalities, most of them in Iran.
Table 1. Use of explosive weapons by state armed forces that reportedly caused harm to civilians, Q1 2026. Launch-type columns show each state's own incidents.
| State armed forces | Where used | Reported fatalities | % air-launched | % ground-launched | % directly-emplaced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | Ukraine, Russia | 539 | 81% | 19% | <1% |
| Israel | Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, Syria | 1,782 | 89% | 10% | 1% |
| Ukraine | Russia, Ukraine, Belarus | 238 | 90% | 10% | <1% |
| Myanmar | Myanmar, Thailand | 745 | 73% | 21% | 6% |
| Iran | 13 countries and territories, including Israel and the Gulf states | 53 | 39% | 58% | 3% |
| Pakistan | Afghanistan, Pakistan | 393 | 41% | 59% | 0% |
| Sudan | Sudan | 751 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| United States | Iran, Colombia, Venezuela, Iraq, Ecuador, Panama | 391 | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Other states (14) | Mostly within their own territory | 385 | 58% | 26% | 16% |
Air-launched explosive weapons were used in 71 percent of incidents (2,792) and accounted for 85 percent of reported fatalities (5,189). Ground-launched weapons accounted for 514 fatalities and directly-emplaced weapons for 427. In March, fatalities from air-launched weapons rose from 1,037 in February to 3,234 in March, 89 percent of all fatalities that month, most of them in Iran (800), Lebanon (784) and Sudan (510).
Air-launched explosive weapons accounted for 985 of the 1,376 reported incidents where vital civilian infrastructure was affected (72 percent) in the quarter, ground-launched weapons for 196 reported incidents (14 percent) and directly-emplaced weapons for 81 (6 percent). In 99 incidents the launch method of the explosive was unspecified. A further 11 incidents involved a combination of weapons and launch methods (categorised as “airstrikes and shelling”), and 4 involved unexploded ordnance. Air-launched weapons accounted for at least 68 percent of reported incidents in every month of the past 12.
Figure 6. Weapons used in incidents that caused harm to civilians, by launch category, Q1 2026. ACLED data.
The Explosive Weapons Monitor reports on civilian harm from the use of explosive weapons, including civilian casualties and attacks on civilian infrastructure. This reporting is based on data collected by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and Insecurity Insight, including incidents of explosive weapons use that reportedly caused civilian casualties, including deaths and injuries, as well as incidents that affected civilian access to healthcare, education, humanitarian aid, food and water systems. The totals count civilian fatalities. Where an incident involved both civilians and non-civilians, and the incident notes identify the non-civilian fatalities, those are excluded.
