Landmines and unexploded ordnance claimed the lives or caused injuries to 107 Yemenis during the first half of 2025, according to Yemen Today satellite channel.
Citing figures from international non-governmental organisation Save the Children, the channel reported that children remain the most affected by Houthi-laid mines, which continue to litter residential neighbourhoods, roads leading to schools, and playgrounds.
A recent tragedy in Taiz, where five children were killed while playing football, brought the number of child victims to over 40, accounting for 37% of total casualties.
The report also highlighted alarming statistics from Project Masam, which has removed over half a million mines, explosive devices, and unexploded ordnance since its launch in mid-2018.
Despite these efforts, an estimated two million Houthi-laid mines remain buried across the country, posing a deadly threat to civilians and potentially endangering lives for the next three decades.
Project Masam’s Managing Director Ousama Algosaibi announced that project teams removed 505,466 landmines, explosive devices, and unexploded ordnance since the project’s inception up to 11 July 2025.
In a statement, Algosaibi detailed the breakdown of the cleared items: 343,570 pieces of unexploded ordnance, 8,244 explosive devices, 146,830 anti-tank mines, and 6,822 anti-personnel mines.
He noted that demining teams have cleared more than 68,338,920 square metres of Yemeni land, paving the way for the resumption of agriculture, housing, and infrastructure reconstruction in previously contaminated areas.
Algosaibi emphasised that these operations are part of the project’s broader humanitarian mission to protect civilians and restore normal life in mine-affected regions – areas that remain among the most dangerous zones for Yemen’s population.
