Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance: A Source of Death and Suffering in Yemen
Landmines in several Yemeni provinces remain a deadly danger for civilians and livestock. The end of war cannot wipe out the thousands of mines planted in valleys, mountains, and farms overnight. Despite the continued demining efforts over the past years, clearing Yemen of all mines is still challenging.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the director of Project Masam, said today the project carried out 59 operations of mines and explosive demolition in 2023 across Yemen, and the number of landmines and explosives was 47.204 throughout the year.
In a statement, Al-Gosaibi indicated that the demolition operations of landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and unexploded ordnance occurred in all the areas covered by Project Masam’s Marib and Aden headquarters.
Regarding the types of explosives demolished, Al-Gosaibi explained that 677 were anti-personnel landmines, 7,674 anti-tank landmines, 38,504 unexploded ordnance, and 349 improvised explosive devices.
The majority of landmine demolition operations happened on Yemen’s West Coast. According to Al-Gosaibi, there were 52 demolition operations on the West Coast, and the number of demolished mines and explosives reached 36,647.
Moreover, seven demolition operations happened in Marib province, and 10,557 explosives were disposed of.
The landmines continue to kill and wound civilians constantly. In November of last year, the Yemeni Observatory for Landmine Removal documented 15 civilian casualties (5 dead and 10 wounded) as a result of landmines planted by the Houthis and projectiles left over from the war. The explosions of mines and projectiles occurred in four provinces: Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Taiz, and Al-Hudaydah.
UN reports say that landmines and unexploded ordnance have significant economic and social effects on urban and rural territories in Yemen as they cause substantial development constraints.
In 2022, UNDP’s national partner YEMAC removed 81,000 explosive items in Yemen, mitigating the potential risk of mines in around 6.5 million square meters of land and benefiting over one million Yemenis.
|
Place of mine demolition in 2023 |
Name of explosives |
Number of explosives |
|
Yemen’s West Coast |
Anti-personnel landmines |
566 |
|
Anti-tank landmines |
5928 |
|
|
Unexploded ordnance |
29857 |
|
|
Improvised explosive devices |
296 |
|
|
Marib Province |
Anti-personnel landmines |
111 |
|
Anti-tank landmines |
1764 |
|
|
Unexploded ordnance |
8647 |
|
|
Improvised explosive devices |
53 |
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