Leader of Masam’s Team 16, Engineer Mubarak Salem, has confirmed the successful completion of surveying and clearing of landmines in the Mafraq Al-Saadi area in Bayhan province in Yemen’s Shabwah governorate.
Salem explained that his team started work in the minefield at the beginning of September and was able to clear the area planted by the Houthi militia with various landmines, especially anti-tank mines.
He said that the type of mines planted in the area varied between anti-personnel and anti-tank, pointing out that Mafraq Al-Saadi is mainly an agricultural area.
Salem said: “We are performing our humanitarian role in surveying and clearing this area from mines planted by the Houthi militia in every inch of the area, to secure the whole province.”
This area was previously cleared by Project Masam. However, the Houthi militia re-planted the area after its recent incursion in Bayhan in early 2021.
The Team Leader indicated that the most important difficulties facing the team are the abundance of explosive devices in the ground, but highlighted civilians’ cooperation and positive interaction which facilitated the team’s work.
Salem renewed his call to civilians not to deal with any strange items, and how they must inform the competent authorities if any strange devices are found.
The engineer called upon human rights organisations and the international community to put more pressure on the Houthi militias to hand over the minefield maps, as the mines were indiscriminately planted and caused large-scale damage to the local population – including families, farmers and livestock.
Salem pointed out that landmines do not discriminate between a civilian or a military personnel, as a military personnel can survive the discovery of a landmine by virtue of his combat experience, while the civilian is always the victim.
Last week, Muntazer Al-Radfani, Deputy Director of the Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC), confirmed that Masam, in partnership with the National Demining Programme, had carrying out the destruction of war remnants, which consisted of anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines and a number of detonators estimated at 141 items, which were cleared by the teams working in Usaylan, Bayhan and Ain Mahaya.
Previously, Project Masam’s Managing Director Ousama Algosaibi condemned the manufacturing, use and planting of newly found anti-tank landmines he described as “bigger than ever seen before” in Yemen’s central energy-rich Shabwah Governorate.
In a worrying trend, Masam’s demining teams operating in the area confirmed the discovery of a new type of anti-tank landmine, which construction methods and workmanship may be signalling a change of tactics in landmine warfare efforts from Houthi militias.
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.
