News
, one second is all it takes for a person to step on a landmine, turning their lives and their family’s lives upside-down.
Antipersonnel landmines cause appalling suffering, and even when an encounter with one does not result in death, it is often not without amputation, serious medical intervention, and long-term physical rehabilitation. Permanent handicaps are common, with victims dealing with serious economic, psychological, and social consequences.
Surgeons often consider the kind of traumatic injuries that landmines cause to be some of the most
difficult to treat, for several reasons. The loss of limbs and the prevalence of shrapnel can cause complications in surgical interventions, as can the severity of trauma to the abdomen, chest, and spine.
One of the reasons landmines are such an effective weapon of terror in this conflict is that the Houthi militias have sought to plant as many mines as possible, in as wide a variety of areas as possible, especially in instances where they have been forced to retreat and subsequently mine public roads and the homes of civilians.
The Yemeni National Army has been able to liberate the Aljehmlah area of the Taiz Governorate, but still needs years to free it from the threat of the thousands of landmines that still remain, where the Houthi militias had been forced to withdraw from dozens of residential areas. When previously displaced individuals had thought to return to their homes, they had been unaware of the fact that the militias had left behind an untold number of landmines and improvised explosive devices.
Doctors Without Borders has called on the authorities and specialized organizations to strengthen demining operations in order to reduce the number of casualties in civilian areas.
In addition, the Houthi militias planted landmines in farmlands and fields, depriving the local populace of their livelihoods.
The consequence of this tragedy affect not only individual victims, the Yemeni society as a whole. Without adequate intervention, dependence on outside assistance and isolation will become more prevalent. Project Masam continues to work steadfastly in that regard, having removed 2403 landmines during the month of April, including 1410 in a single week. These consisted of the following: 565 anti-tank landmines, 17 antipersonnel landmines, 766 unexploded ordnance, and 62 improvised explosive devices, bringing the total number of munitions removed since the onset of the project to 55, 180.
It will be many years before Yemen is finally rid of the threat of landmines, and will require as much effort and support as it can possibly get.