A selection of Elsa Buchanan’s reporting, photo essays and communications work, drawn from field assignments and collaborations across the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Covering conflict, human rights and humanitarian issues, the work combines on-the-ground reporting with specialist analysis.

Human Impact

Stories exploring how conflict shapes daily life, from displacement and education to livelihoods, environment, and long-term recovery.

Conflict & Security

Reporting on frontlines, weapons, and military dynamics, examining how conflict is fought and sustained in complex environments.

Accountability & Rights

Investigations and reporting examining violations, legal accountability, and the human rights dimensions of conflict and crisis.

Health & Humanitarian

Reporting on healthcare, humanitarian response, and the long-term impact of conflict on communities, from emergency care to recovery and resilience.

Human Impact elsa buchanan Human Impact elsa buchanan

When the earth becomes a casualty: How landmines devastate Yemen’s environment

While landmines in Yemen kill and injure civilians, they are also poisoning soil, blocking access to farmland and leaving lasting scars on the environment. Through interviews with deminers, environmental specialists and affected communities, this report explores the hidden ecological consequences of contamination and the challenges facing areas struggling to recover from years of conflict.

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Mine Action in Yemen: Reaching those cut off by war, illiteracy and mistrust

Gaining rare access to communities beyond the reach of traditional awareness campaigns, this report explores how mine action teams in Yemen adapt their work for people isolated by conflict, illiteracy and deep mistrust. Through field reporting and interviews with deminers and risk education specialists, the story reveals the challenges of protecting civilians in some of the country's most vulnerable and hard-to-reach areas.

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Landmine survivors in Yemen face more than physical injuries: they face rejection, stigma and silence

For many Yemeni landmine survivors, the explosion is only the beginning of their ordeal. Drawing on interviews with survivors, psychologists and rehabilitation specialists, this report explores the social consequences of life-changing injuries, including stigma, discrimination, family rejection and the loss of employment opportunities. It reveals how survivors often face a second battle after leaving hospital: rebuilding their place within communities that frequently view disability through the lens of shame, dependency or misfortune.

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Turning the tide: How civilians hoarding weapons for personal gain are now handing over thousands of landmines

In communities affected by years of conflict, civilians once incentivised to keep weapons and explosive remnants are now voluntarily surrendering thousands of dangerous items. Drawing on exclusive access to mine action programmes in Yemen, this report explores how community engagement, trust-building and risk awareness are helping remove explosive hazards from circulation, reducing threats to civilians and supporting safer recovery.

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Fears take hold of Yemen Red Sea Coast civilians already reeling from presence of mines and IEDs as tensions escalate

With tensions rising along Yemen's Red Sea coast, civilians already living among landmines and improvised explosive devices faced growing uncertainty about what lay ahead. Based on exclusive access and interviews with affected communities, the report explores how years of contamination have transformed daily life, leaving families trapped between conflict, fear and the constant threat of explosive hazards.

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