Barran Press
The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (MASAM) announced on Sunday that its field teams have successfully removed 500,000 landmines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices across various regions of Yemen.
Osama Al-Qusaybi, MASAM's General Manager, stated in a press release obtained by "Bran Press" that this figure represents the project's achievements since its inception in mid-2018 up to Friday, June 13, 2025. This staggering number underscores the profound humanitarian crisis gripping the Yemeni population.
The cleared ordnance includes 6,802 anti-personnel mines, 146,655 anti-tank mines, 8,240 improvised explosive devices, and 338,303 unexploded munitions. The total area cleared by MASAM spans an impressive 67,585,167 square meters.
MASAM highlighted that the Houthi group has relentlessly continued to plant landmines, even during periods of truce and temporary ceasefires. The group is consistently developing and modifying mines and explosive devices to further its criminal objectives against civilians.
Al-Qusaybi added that preliminary estimates suggest the presence of two million landmines, a figure that represents a catastrophe by all measures. This is due to the Houthis' indiscriminate planting methods in civilian areas far removed from military operations, a deliberate strategy employed by the group.
He emphasized that the casualties among children, women, and the elderly clearly demonstrate the Houthis' intent to kill as many civilians as possible, instill fear among the populace, and force displacement by systematically targeting their workplaces and livelihoods.
Al-Qusaybi further stressed that the targeting of schools, farms, and access roads serves as proof of the militia's deliberate transformation of civilian facilities into military targets, a blatant violation of international laws.
United Nations reports indicate that approximately two million landmines, planted by the Houthi group in areas they controlled, have resulted in over 20,000 civilian casualties, the majority of whom are women and children.
While human rights reports accuse the Houthis of "transforming Yemen into the largest minefield ever," by planting over two million mines, human rights organizations are repeatedly calling on the Houthi group to hand over maps of the planted landmines to organizations involved in demining efforts.