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News > World

Landmines Still Haunt Civilians in Northern Yemen

  • Removal of landmines in Al-Denien, Yemen, April 17, 2022.

    Removal of landmines in Al-Denien, Yemen, April 17, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @MllerQuentin

Published 27 May 2022
Opinion

Over one million landmines have been laid since the outbreak of the civil war in 2014, when the Houthi militia took control of several northern provinces.

Earlier this week, Project Masam announced that its 32 teams working in liberated areas of Yemen had reached a significant milestone after clearing 5,060 landmines since mid-2018.

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Demining experts say that over one million landmines have been laid since the outbreak of the civil war in 2014, when the Houthi militia took control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa. Most of these landmines were homemade from plastic in the form of small rocks, food cans, and water bottles.

"The landmines have caused a major catastrophe in the country and threaten the lives of millions," said Kabol al-Absi of the Qarar Foundation for Media and Development, a non-governmental organization.

Recently, the Yemeni government, humanitarian organizations, and local activists took the chance of the two-month truce to launch a media campaign, urging the Houthi group to provide landmine maps for the removal work.

"The demining process may take many years" if they refuse to offer the maps, said Huda Al-Sarari, a demining advocate. "The demining campaign also tries to prevent more civilian casualties as most of the victims are children and women. It also aims at drawing the attention of the international community towards this catastrophe," he added

According to the latest statistics published by the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (MASAM), the project has so far removed 339,431 landmines from all over Yemen since mid-2018.

"The landmines planted under the sands of farms, pastures, and roads have caused a humanitarian disaster and great terror among the residents here. The number of victims is increasing day by day," Hassan Musbih, a tribal sheikh, said.

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Kabol al-Absi
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