Engineering teams of the Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen (MASAM) have removed since the beginning of Jan. 4,141 mines and unexploded ordnance, Program Manager Osama al-Gosaibi said.
Gosaibi added that the teams cleared during the third week 1,286 mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices, 354 anti-tank mines and 11 anti-personnel mines.
He noted that since launching the project – end of June 2018 until Jan. 16 – a total of 124,286 mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices have been removed.
Despite MASAM’s efforts, Houthi militias continue to plant mines to transform the western coast into one of the biggest minefields in the world.
MASAM struggles in its demining activities in deserts and mountainous areas to ensure the safety of Yemenis and alleviate their suffering.
On its website, MASAM announced that in Rumah it restored hope to 3,000 displaced families after their houses and farms were cleared of thousands of mines and explosive devices.
Hassan al-Jahwari, head of team 17 in MASAM, affirmed that Rumah is one of Mokha’s largest areas where mines have been planted heavily and randomly. It consists of housing compounds extending on a 20-square-kilometer area and more than 250 farms.
Jahwari stated that his team has been working in Rumah since July 2018 and that so far more than 14 minefields have been cleared with a total of 2,500 mines and explosive devices removed from the area.
Most of the removed mines are manufactured in Iran, which supplies them to the Houthis to target civilians and their sources of income.
