The spokesman for the army in Taiz Governorate, Colonel Abdul Basit Al-Bahr, has commanded Project Masam for its humanitarian landmine clearance after it cleared swathes of land.
These landmines would have continues to plague Yemenis for the next 30 years, Al-Bahr claimed.
The spokesman explained that planting landmines in homes, rooftops, roads, schools, valleys, water wells, and farms has no military benefit, but rather reflected the Houthi militia’s goal to target as many people as possible to regain land.
Al-Bahr also said that one of the important achievements has been the demining of several schools in Taiz and across several region, which allowed for the educational process to resume. Without landmine clearance, schools would have remained closed, and student would have missed out on precious education time.
The colonel indicated that data collected by human rights organisations across Taiz governorate showed that 107 civilians had been left with life-changing disabilities as a result of landmine incidents.
Al-Bahr said that Masam’s efforts in Taiz, which include clearing and destroying landmines, mine risk education (raising awareness of the dangers of explosive devices) and training of Yemeni personnel in accordance to international standards, resulted in the return of many displaced people to their villages and contributed to overall safety to allow civilians’ lives to return back to normal.
The army spokesman argued it was a necessity for Project Masam to continue its landmine clearing efforts in Taiz, and across the country, to ensure Yemen is completely rid of landmines.
