Barran Press
The Saudi-led project "Masam," dedicated to clearing Yemeni lands of landmines, announced on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, that its engineering teams removed 829 mines and unexploded ordnance during the third week of October.
In a statement shared with "Barran Press," Masam detailed that the removed items included one anti-personnel mine, 49 anti-tank mines, and 777 pieces of unexploded ordnance, along with two explosive devices.
The report highlighted that the teams removed 202 pieces of unexploded ordnance in Aden, as well as one anti-tank mine and two unexploded ordnance in the Qatabah district of Al-Dhale. In the Hays district of Al-Hudaydah, teams removed one anti-personnel mine and two unexploded ordnance, while in the Al-Wahd district of Lahij, one unexploded ordnance was also cleared. Additionally, two unexploded ordnance and one explosive device were removed in the Al-Mudharabah district of Lahij.
In Marib, the teams cleared one anti-tank mine in the Harib district, along with 20 anti-tank mines and 400 pieces of unexploded ordnance in Marib city. Meanwhile, in the Usailan district of Shabwa, three anti-tank mines and one unexploded ordnance were removed.
In Taiz, the project reported that teams cleared one anti-personnel mine, four anti-tank mines, and six pieces of unexploded ordnance in the Dhabbah district. They also removed 20 anti-tank mines, one piece of unexploded ordnance, and one explosive device in the Al-Mokha district, along with 160 pieces of unexploded ordnance in the Sabir district.
So far in October, a total of 3,038 mines have been cleared. Since the inception of the Masam project, a staggering total of 466,711 mines have been removed from various regions of Yemen, many of which were indiscriminately planted and have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, including women, children, and the elderly.
According to UN reports, the Houthi group, classified internationally as a terrorist organization, has planted nearly two million mines in areas under its control, causing over 20,000 civilian deaths and injuries, predominantly among women and children. Human rights organizations have accused the Houthis of turning Yemen into "the largest minefield in history" and have repeatedly called for the group to provide maps of the landmines they have planted to aid demining efforts.