The head of Jabal Habashi district, west of Taiz Governorate in Yemen’s southwest has warned that the majority of parents in his area had stopped sending their children to school because of the presence of landmines near or in these schools.
On the other hand, some parents had no other choice but to send their children to school, Far’es al-Maleky told Project Masam.
The humanitarian landmine clearance project carries out an integrated clearance process in the village of Akkad’s Al-Shaab school, where they are conducting a clean-up operation, carried out safeguarding training for workers, provided protection and supporting the workers.
Al-Maleky described the situation at the Al-Shaab School as a “real disaster”, because children were sent to study in a vicinity that abounded with landmines – without being aware of their presence.
He explained: “Several months ago, one of the students of Al-Shaab school lifted part of an explosive device from the ground and took it with him to home where it exploded, causing him to lose his fingertips”.
The clearance process in Al Shaab school is a highly sensitive one, as the deminers have to clear landmines from the ground, as well as those potentially buried under rubble, whilst ensuring a safe access to the clearance sites.
Al-Maleky highlighted how Masam’s operation in Al Shaab School would contribute to paving the way for other specialised professionals needed to rehabilitate the buildings. They have so far refused to carry out their construction work because of the landmine threat, the Director said.
Al-Maleky said that Masam, represented in Engineer Aref Al Qahtani, who supervises Masam’s demining teams in Taiz, has a long history in the domain of landmine clearance, especially in difficult areas and conditions.
Indeed, Masam has cleared several areas in the area that were planted with hundreds of landmines – which had hampered the return of displaced civilians.
“I’d like to thank the demining team on the ground, wishing wellbeing for all of them; I’d like to thank ,in particular, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their humanitarian work with Yemenis in such a hard time.”
