Masam demolishes 1,073 mines and unexploded ordnance in Bab al-Mandab

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On 4 November 2021, Project Masam carried out a bulk demolition of 1,073 explosive items including 109 anti-tank mines, 33 anti-personnel mines, five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 926 unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Bab al-Mandab on Yemen’s western coast.

In alignment with the global mine action sector, Project Masam’s responsibilities include the clearance, removal or destruction of landmines stockpile and explosive remnants of war. By destroying the explosive items, Project Masam ensures they can no longer function as designed – this effectively protects civilian populations and helps to eradicate these deadly weapons.

In accordance with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS​), Project Masam carries its Bulk, or Mass, Demolition Operations on selected demolition grounds, with International Set of Rules included in all its standard operating procedures (SOP 22). These operations are executed by well trained personnel and clearance is always done in the presence of a demolition expert who monitors the operation from off-loading to counting of the physical demolition.

Landmine awareness

Dr. Zauba Alrawi, Project Masam’s Operations Manager in Aden and the West Coast, oversaw the bulk demolition in Bab al-Mandab. He reiterated Masam’s call for Yemenis – civilian and military – to report suspicious areas to Masam teams.

“From a technical and professional point of view, this is another success for Masam’s teams in bringing us closer to Project Masam’s desired humanitarian goal of a Yemen free of
landmines” Alrawi said. “On this occasion, I would like to encourage the local civilians, military colleagues and every Yemeni  to race to report any suspicious object, that might be dangerous, and we will work towards clearing and neutralising it.”

Since Yemen’s civil was began in 2014, Houthi militias have planted land and seamines across Yemen. Coastal communities in Yemen are direct victims of these explosive items. This is a vital area for civilians – boats transport fishermen’s catch, foodstuffs and animal feed. By preventing access to trade, landmines and seamines are preventing access to civilians’ lifelines and livelihoods.

By clearing coastal areas and areas of immediate humanitarian priority, Project Masam is preventing future tragedies and allowing for the safe movement of civilians and humanitarian goods and services, effectively creating resilience within communities affected by the threat of land and sea mines.

Freeing civilians

“For any civilian, the demolition of these landmines means he is freeing himself from the anxiety that he was experiencing when leaving his house daily, about the possibility that he would be exposed to the danger of mines that might take his life or damage that life and the life of his family behind him with an injury that might prevent him from fulfilling his obligations towards that family,” Alrawi explained.

Landmine clearance is also “freeing the material resources that he disposes of to run his normal life, such as agricultural land, livestock, water source, or other source of livelihood, such as a factory, a job, or a work that he may benefit from and may seek to develop”.

“He and his family and children enjoy freedom of movement to schools, markets, and their safe participation in developing their lives for the better,” the Operations Manager added. “There is a feeling of satisfaction in the knowledge that others are thinking of his life and his future.”

Since it first entered Yemen in mid- 2018, Project Masam has located/destroyed 286,080 explosive devices including 4,174 anti-personnel mines, 96,046 anti-tank mines, 6,111 IEDs and 179,749 UXO in Yemeni liberated areas.

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