“In Syria, after the report went to press, government forces laid mines on the border with Lebanon,” Wareham said, adding that the group was also “very disappointed” that Israel had decided to “refurbish” its mine fields this year.

Despite the widespread use in Libya, she said the new National Transitional Council has publicly committed to not using landmines and ICBL believes it has adhered to this.

In Burma, which has laid mines every year since the group began reporting in 1999, both the government and rebel groups continued to use the deadly explosives despite ongoing political change, the report said.

“On the ground, there is not much change in how antipersonnel mines are used by the government or militias,” said Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, a Landmine Monitor researcher.

The start of talks this week between several armed groups and Burmese state authorities is a welcome development and the group will lobby for a ban on landmines to be included in any ceasefire agreement, he added.

Only 12 manufacturers of anti-personnel mines were recorded − the same as in 2010 − with just three countries believed to be actively producing: India, Burma and Pakistan, the report said.

Mines are still being laid by non-state armed groups in four countries − Afghanistan, Colombia, Burma and Pakistan, it said.

Landmines and explosive remnants of war caused 4,191 new casualties in 2010, five percent more than in 2009. The ICBL said the real figure could be nearer 6,000 casualties, with the discrepancy due to incomplete data collection.

The ICBL collects its data from a range of sources, including on-the-ground researchers, the military, government and charities.