A number of Yemeni journalists and human rights activists have commented on the extensive and indiscriminate planting of landmines in Yemen.
Discussing Project Masam’s aim to clean and secure Yemeni lands of landmines planted by Houthi militias, journalist Mobeen Abu Aser from the governorate of Marib, said he believes Masam’s humanitarian work is one Yemenis cannot forget.
While Houthi militias are planting mines and booby traps, Masam’s teams are working to restore life and hope to liberated areas – something Aser said has been met with silence by the international community. More needs to be done to alert governments and world leaders about the continuous planting of landmines in Yemen.
Journalist Ahmed Shabeh, meanwhile, said that Houthi militias are destroying Yemen’s beauty by planting landmines, noting that since the beginning of the humanitarian truce, the United Nations found that the number of landmine casualties had fallen during the cease-fire period.
In this content, Shabah said that Project Masam is a “window of hope” for Yemenis to get rid of the extensively planted landmines.
Journalist and political activist Hammoud Hazaa pointed out that the disregard shown by the United Nations and the international community towards the Houthi mine-planting crimes “raises questions about the double standards of the international community in dealing with these crimes” and “encourages the Houthi militia to continue their destruction of Yemenis’ lives”.
Hazaa stressed that Project Masam is one of the largest and most important clearance projects, and thanks to its demining teams, Yemen is being cleared of millions of landmines and explosive devices that pose the greatest threat to the lives of Yemenis and their sources of livelihood.
