The Director-General of Bayhan district in Yemen’s Shabwah province has described how his area has been “heavily damaged” by Houthi landmines.
Shabwah province has been a central frontline in the conflict between Houthi militias and pro-government forces and have been littered with landmines and other remnants of war.
Sheikh Muhammad Al-Fatimi, who welcomed Masam’s humanitarian landmine clearing efforts in Bayhan, said the the project’s demining teams have played a key role in “normalising the situation and restoring life to the district” after the deminers successfully managed to secure most of the residential and agricultural areas and road corridors.
In a statement, Sheikh Al-Fatimi said that the most important challenges and obstacles that authorities faced to normalise conditions in the district after its liberation and retreat of the Houthis, are the minefields that were extensively and indiscriminately planted with the “aim of killing civilians”.
Al-Fatimi confirmed that the Houthi militia did not plant mines in accordance with military-adopted plans and maps, as seen during previous wars in the country.
Rather, the Director-General said that militias had planted landmines of various shapes and sizes in all populated areas including plains, mountains, roads and civil and governmental buildings of the district, causing dozens of civilian casualties and tens of injuries.
Discussing Masam’s role in Bayhan district, Al-Fatimi said that the project began its clearance work early – which he said coincided with Yemeni liberation operations – as it deployed its demining teams at a time when the frontlines were still within the borders of the district.
The official confirmed that Masam’s teams had managed, in a short period of time, to clear many minefields, allowing “students to return to their schools, doctors to hospitals,
employees to their workplace, as well as farmers to their farms”.
Al-Fatimi said: “No one will appreciate this task except those who have lived with the threat of mines in this district.”
The Director-General thanked Masam for its efforts, and recognised that the project had lost two deminers, who were killed during demining operations in the district.
He called for continued efforts until Bayhan district is fully secured and rendered safe.
