Bassam Massawi’s story

Landmine explosions bring severe psychological trauma to those who survive them. Bassam Massawi was returning from a sea trip on Yemen’s West Coast with eight of his friends. “After we ended the trip, and were returning to the Al-Khawkha region in the Al Hudaydah Governorate, we were hit by a mine,” Bassam told Project Masam.…

Radwan Zaid Ibrahim’s story

Radwan Zaid Ibrahim was only a child when a landmine explosion shattered his leg. Now in his teens, Radwan told Project Masam how the blast affected his life: he walks with difficulty and can no longer play or work. Luckily, after Project Masam heard of the presence of landmines in Radwan’s area, demining teams entered…

Muharram Zaid’s story

Muharram Zaid was tending to his sheep and goats when he came across an object that looked like a rock. Intrigued, he picked it up. It exploded. “My right arm was amputated,” Muharram told Project Masam, as he took his goats and sheep to graze. “On the day of the accident I had 50 sheep…

Amina Ibrahim’s story

Like hundreds of victims of landmines in Yemen, Amina Ibrahim was walking near her village when a mine exploded under her feet. “After the mine exploded, I didn’t feel anything anymore,” Amina told Project Masam from her home. Her right leg was amputated and she now wears a prosthetic leg to help her move around.…

Mahfouz Thabet’s story

Thousands of Yemeni lives are shattered by shrapnel wounds each year. Mahfouz Thabet, who is in his teens, was working in the fields when he triggered the mine detonating mechanism. The landmine projected metal fragments. “I was grazing cattle and I ran over a mine which exploded immediately,” he told Project Masam. “The mine exploded,…

Humanitarian mine clearance – why does it matter?

In Yemen, mine action plays a critical role in relation to ensuring humanitarian assistance. Why does it matter so much, and how does it work? Our Managing Director and Programme Manager Ousama Algosaibi answered: “The real issue in Yemen is that a lot of villages that the Houthis have been in have been laid with…

Iman Ibrahim’s story

Iman Ibrahim is a shy six-year-old. Unlike many other girls her age, Iman doesn’t dream of toys; her dream is for her limbs to work again. She was only little when a landmine exploded under her. Her right leg was badly damaged, the skin and muscles burnt and torn. Iman’s left arm was blown to…