Death in the Land: How Yemen Became a Killing Field of Landmines

In mid-June 2018, Saudi Arabia launched a special program called "Masam" under the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to remove war landmines in Yemen. This initiative came in response to increasing casualties from landmines planted by the Houthi group across the country. The "Masam" program's staff encountered two main types of landmines: standard ones and locally made mines, the latter constituting 85% of all mines removed.

Types of Landmines

The locally made mines, produced in Houthi workshops, vary in size, shape, and purpose, and are particularly dangerous as they often function as antipersonnel mines designed to explode under minimal pressure. They include electrical circuit-triggered antipersonnel mines, often placed at village entrances and populated areas, and pedal mines, originally meant for vehicles but repurposed by the Houthis into highly dangerous antipersonnel mines. The teams also dealt with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), disguised as rocks, iron blocks, and other deceptive forms, further complicating the task of mine removal.

Camouflaging Landmines

The Houthis have ingeniously converted ordinary objects like bean cans into deadly explosives by filling them with metal fragments, gunpowder, and a blast charge connected to an electric detonator that activates upon approach. They also camouflage improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as rocks or palm tree trunks, placing them in citizens' farms. The "Masam" project has encountered these disguised IEDs, including some hidden in car tires, and has successfully removed many of these highly dangerous and explosive devices. Recently, the Houthi group has increasingly used "bounding mines" or "cluster mines," which are anti-personnel mines that leap into the air and explode, causing significant harm.

Number of Mines and Devices Removed

Since its inception, the "Masam" project has removed nearly half a million landmines and explosive devices, specifically 432,371, including unexploded ordnance.

Sheba Intelligence Tracks the Reality of Mines in Yemen with Detailed Figures

A table provides detailed statistics on the prevalence and types of mines in the Yemeni conflict.