Project Masam has announced that its demining teams have now located and destroyed a total of 511,355 explosive devices in Yemen’s liberated areas since the project’s launch in mid-2018.
This cumulative figure includes 6,840 anti-personnel mines, 147,089 anti-tank mines, 349,161 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 8,265 improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Over this period, clearance operations have covered more than 69,500,524 square metres of land.
Since the escalation of the conflict between Yemen’s pro-government forces and Houthi militias in 2014, vast areas of the country have been heavily contaminated with landmines, UXO, and other remnants of war. Strategic regions in particular have been severely affected, with estimates suggesting that the Houthis have planted between one and two million mines across the country.
During the most recent reporting week, spanning 16 to 22 August 2025, Project Masam’s deminers removed a total of 828 explosive devices. These included two anti-personnel mines, 42 anti-tank mines, 783 items of unexploded ordnance, and one improvised explosive device. In the same period, teams cleared 224,897 square metres of land.
This followed the week from 9 to 15 August 2025, in which Project Masam teams cleared 182,409 square metres and removed 915 explosive devices. That week’s activities included the clearance of eight anti-personnel mines, 13 anti-tank mines, 880 items of UXO, and 14 IEDs.
In the preceding week from 2 to 8 August 2025, teams cleared 235,169 square metres and removed 1,140 explosive devices, including one anti-personnel mine, 49 anti-tank mines, 1,090 items of UXO, and no IEDs.
And in the week from 26 July to 1 August 2025, teams cleared 163,168 square metres and removed 884 explosive devices, including two anti-personnel mines, 28 anti-tank mines, 854 items of UXO, and no IEDs.
Project Masam continues to prioritise its humanitarian mission of clearing land in civilian areas (including villages, roads, schools, and essential infrastructure) to enable safer movement for communities and humanitarian personnel alike.
It is estimated that up to five million Yemenis have been displaced since the beginning of the war, with many driven from their homes due to the widespread presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war.
In recent weeks, seasonal sand and dust storms have heightened the risks facing displaced communities. These storms, which have affected more than 21,000 families across 73 displacement sites, significantly reduce visibility and increase the likelihood of accidental encounters with landmines, especially in areas where clearance efforts are still ongoing.
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