Project Masam has announced that its demining teams have now located and destroyed a total of 512,323 explosive devices in Yemen’s liberated areas since the project’s launch in mid-2018.
This cumulative figure includes 6,844 anti-personnel mines, 147,121 anti-tank mines, 350,086 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 8,272 improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Over this period, clearance operations have covered more than 69,743,016 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 23 to 29 August 2025, Project Masam’s deminers removed a total of 968 explosive devices. These included four anti-personnel mines, 32 anti-tank mines, 925 items of unexploded ordnance, and seven improvised explosive devices. In the same period, teams cleared 242,492 square metres of land.
This followed the week from 16 to 22 August 2025, in which Project Masam teams cleared 224,897 square metres and removed 828 explosive devices. That week’s activities included the clearance of two anti-personnel mines, 42 anti-tank mines, 783 items of UXO, and one IED.
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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