Masam clears 391,613 landmines and explosive threats in Yemen

PHOTO-2022-12-11-14-05-48

Project Masam has announced it has located and destroyed 391,613 explosive devices in Yemeni liberated areas.

These include 6,071 anti-personnel mines, 137,400 anti-tank mines, 7,742 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 240,400 unexploded ordnance (UXO) neutralised over 45,367,536sqm of land since mid-2018.

Since the conflict between Yemen’s pro-government forces and Houthi militias escalated in 2014, liberated strategic areas have been left littered with Houthi anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines, along with unexploded remnants of war.

Last week (10 –17 March 2023) alone, Project Masam deminers removed 1,027 deadly items, including six prohibited anti-personnel mines, 203 anti-tank mines, 817 UXO and one improvised explosive device (IED), effectively clearing 268,235sqm of land, which has now been returned to civilians, according to Project Masam Managing Director Ousama Algosaibi.

Up to five million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen – many of them displaced by the presence of landmines on their land.

Masam teams are tasked to clear areas of immediate humanitarian priority: villages, roads, schools, etc… in order to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and humanitarian goods and services.

For insights into our humanitarian mine clearance work, project updates and to hear from our demining experts, follows on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Share

WhatsApp
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook