Project Masam has announced that its demining teams have now located and cleared 532,705 explosive devices across Yemen’s liberated areas since operations began in July 2018, according to the latest weekly project report covering activities up to 16 January 2026.
This cumulative clearance includes 7,011 anti-personnel mines, 149,965 anti-tank mines, 368,377 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 8,352 improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Through these efforts, more than 76,565,997 square metres of land have been made safe for civilian use, supporting safer returns, livelihoods, and humanitarian access across multiple governorates.
Since the conflict escalated in 2014, vast areas of Yemen have been contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war, particularly in strategically significant and formerly contested regions where contamination levels remain severe and complex. Estimates indicate that Houthi forces have laid between one and two million mines nationwide, creating long-term risks for civilians, agriculture, infrastructure, and humanitarian operations well beyond active frontlines.
During the most recent reporting week (10 January to 16 January 2026), Project Masam teams cleared 837 explosive devices, including one anti-personnel mine, 104 anti-tank mines, 729 UXO, and three IEDs. Over the same period, clearance operations secured 328,214 square metres of land across affected districts, despite heightened security constraints and difficult terrain slowing progress in some areas.
Project Masam continues to prioritise the clearance of villages, agricultural land, key infrastructure, schools, and access routes to ensure safer movement for civilians and humanitarian workers.
Up to five million Yemenis have been displaced since the start of the war, many driven from their homes not only by active fighting but also by widespread landmine contamination.
Seasonal sandstorms, shifting frontlines, and restricted access in heavily contaminated areas continue to complicate clearance efforts. Despite these challenges, Project Masam remains committed to protecting lives and supporting Yemen’s recovery through sustained humanitarian mine action.
