Project Masam has cleared and destroyed 183 landmines, shells and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the Qa’atabah district of Al-Dhale governorate, southern Yemen.
Al-Dhale has been heavily planted with landmines due to its strategic location – there is only one main route from Al-Dhale towards the south connecting Al-Dhale with the Aden and Abyan governorates. Gaining control of this route would ensure logistic replenishments and reinforcements to sleeper cells and other organisations further south.
In a statement, the leader of Project Masam’s special task force explained that the shells and UXO that were disposed of were removed over the past weeks by the project’s demining Team 18 working in the al-Dhale governorate.
He added that these war remnants posed a direct threat to the lives of civilians, highlighting the need to urgently clear these deadly items.
The expert pointed out that the special task force faced difficulties when finding a place to carry out the destruction process of these war remnants, as he explained it was difficult to move them to the project’s designated central destruction site (CDS).
With the cooperation of all members of Team 18, he said the war remnants were transferred to one of the valleys – far from civilian houses and farms, where the destruction process was carried out successfully.
In alignment with the global mine action sector, Project Masam’s responsibilities include the clearance, removal or destruction of landmines stockpile and explosive remnants of war.
By destroying the explosive items, Project Masam ensures they can no longer function as designed – this effectively protects civilian populations and helps to eradicate these deadly weapons.
For his part, the leader of Team 18 referred to a tragic incident that occurred on 17 April 2024, in the Zubairiyat area of the Qa’taba district.
“Three brothers played with a fuse of an 82-caliber mortar shell, which led to its explosion, injuring the children with shrapnel scattered all over their bodies and leaving them with light to moderate injuries,” he said.
Project Masam’ first operations in Al-Dhale started in December 2018 in the village of Muress. Since then operations have expanded to the regions of Qa’tabah (May 2019) and Hajar (Oct 2023).
