Marwan Youssef Taleb’s story

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Like millions of Yemenis, Marwan Youssef Taleb and his family fled fighting in their home village.

“We were displaced. When we left our home, we were surprised by a Houthi mine. My family was killed. My sister and my friend Moukhtar Ghaleb were also killed.”

Gravely injured, Marwan was hospitalised in Aden, where both his legs were amputated.

Since Yemen’s civil was began in 2014, Houthi militias have planted land and sea mines in the Red Sea. Coastal communities in Yemen are direct victims of these explosive items. Whilst Yemeni fishermen are regularly killed by aquatic mines, those unable to access fishing sites are also deprived of their source of income and food.

“[Houthis] destroyed our livelihood, as we depended on our work in the sea,” Marwan added. “They deprived us of everything, even our homes, we can’t return to them. They target the civilians, the military, anything… They care about nothing.”

“We are exhausted and we can do nothing. I hope that all mines will be cleared from our country, and that I will be the last victim in Yemen,” the young man said.

By clearing coastal areas and areas of immediate humanitarian priority, Project Masam is preventing future tragedies and allowing for the safe movement of civilians and humanitarian goods and services, effectively creating resilience within communities affected by the threat of land and sea mines.

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