Project Masam demining teams cleared 1,263 landmines and explosive remnants of war during the first week of March 2026, continuing efforts to reduce explosive threats and protect civilians across Yemen’s liberated areas.
According to the project’s operations room, the items removed between 28 February and 6 March 2026 included three anti-personnel mines, 33 anti-tank mines, and 1,227 items of unexploded ordnance.
During the same reporting period, Project Masam teams secured 8,200 square metres of land, making it safe for civilian use. The cleared areas include locations in Al-Hudaydah, Hadramout, and Marib governorates, where explosive contamination continues to threaten communities, agricultural activity, and access routes.
Operations during this period took place while most Project Masam demining teams were temporarily stood down during the holy month of Ramadan, with 11 emergency and standby teams remaining on duty to respond to urgent threats and continue limited clearance activities where required.
The high number of unexploded ordnance located during the week highlights the ongoing scale of contamination faced by demining teams operating in formerly contested areas. Many of these items remain buried or concealed in farmland, roadsides, and residential areas, posing long-term risks to civilians.
Alongside clearance operations, Project Masam teams continue to document the location, type, and condition of explosive devices found in the field. This documentation supports a clearer understanding of contamination patterns and contributes to broader humanitarian mine action efforts in Yemen.
Since the project began operations in mid-2018, Project Masam teams have cleared more than 547,000 explosive threats across Yemen, including landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices. These operations have helped make nearly 78 million square metres of land safe, enabling displaced families to return, farmers to access their land, and humanitarian organisations to operate more safely.
Despite difficult terrain, security constraints, and shifting environmental conditions such as sand movement, Project Masam continues to carry out systematic clearance operations in line with international humanitarian mine action standards.
