A Yemeni civilian has described how people in his village remained “under siege” in their own homes for three years due to the fear of walking on a landmine.
Ahmed Mubarak, who is from the Al-Hajar Kutbah area, said that the militias ravaged his village by planting landmines extensively and indiscriminately.
Describing the situation, the villager indicated that villagers remained, for long periods, unable to go outside their homes for fear of landmines and, he claimed, had suffered as a consequence.
Mubarak held the view that the siege of this village continued for about three years, until Project Masam’s demining teams came to clear the mines, and brought a sense of safety and freedom back to the village.
Life has now returned to normal, Mubarak said. Villagers are now able to leave their homes and travel, they returned to their place of work and agriculture is flourishing, while schools reopened.
In the interview, Mubarak thanked Masam for the success of its humanitarian landmine clearance mission in Yemen, adding he believed that Project Masam brought life, hope and good to people across Yemen.
