Project Masam has announced that its demining teams have now located and destroyed a total of 507,588 explosive devices in Yemen’s liberated areas since the project’s launch in mid-2018.
This cumulative figure includes 6,827 anti-personnel mines, 146,957 anti-tank mines, 345,554 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 8,250 improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Over this period, clearance operations have covered more than 68,694,881 square metres of land.
Since the escalation of the conflict between Yemen’s pro-government forces and Houthi militias in 2014, vast areas of the country have been heavily contaminated with landmines, UXO, and other remnants of war. Strategic regions in particular have been severely affected, with estimates suggesting that the Houthis have planted between one and two million mines across the country.
During the most recent reporting week, spanning 19 to 25 July 2025, Project Masam’s deminers removed a total of 1,151 explosive devices. These included four anti-personnel mines, 49 anti-tank mines, 1,093 items of unexploded ordnance, and five improvised explosive devices. In the same period, teams cleared 186,051 square metres of land.
This followed a productive prior week, from 12 to 18 July 2025, in which Project Masam teams cleared 169,910 square metres and removed 971 explosive devices. That week’s activities included the clearance of one anti-personnel mine, 78 anti-tank mines, 891 items of UXO, and one IED.
Project Masam continues to prioritise its humanitarian mission of clearing land in civilian areas (including villages, roads, schools, and essential infrastructure) to enable safer movement for communities and humanitarian personnel alike.
It is estimated that up to five million Yemenis have been displaced since the beginning of the war, with many driven from their homes due to the widespread presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war.
In recent weeks, seasonal sand and dust storms have heightened the risks facing displaced communities. These storms, which have affected more than 21,000 families across 73 displacement sites, significantly reduce visibility and increase the likelihood of accidental encounters with landmines, especially in areas where clearance efforts are still ongoing.
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