Project Masam has destroyed and detonated 1,316 landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Yemen’s Bab al-Mandab.
Since the conflict between Yemen’s pro-government forces and Houthi militias escalated in 2014, liberated strategic areas have been left cluttered with anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines, along with unexploded explosive remnants of war (ERW).
The Operations Room announced in a statement that the demolition operation carried out by the Special Task Force team today (31 May 2023) included 275 anti-tank mines and 22 banned anti-personnel mines.
The demolition operation also included the destruction of 420 miscellaneous fuses and 491 assorted artillery rounds. In addition, 85 shells, two rockets, nine Katyusha warheads, as well as 12 IEDs were destroyed.
This is the third demolition operation carried out this month. It follows two previous operations that took place in Bab al-Mandab and Abyan in the past two weeks which included the destruction of 2,877 mines, UXO, and IEDs.
Since mid-2018, Project Masam has been carrying out humanitarian landmine clearance operations across several Yemeni regions to bring life back to normal in vital areas and facilities.
Deminers’ efforts have contributed to the trust Yemenis are giving Project Masam, and they are fully cooperating with the project by reporting any suspicious objects or accidents to the concerned authorities.
Awareness campaigns, and the clearance efforts, have helped reduce the number of civilian landmine casualties.
Since its inception in June 2018, Project Masam has removed 400,070 mines, UXO, and IEDs and cleared more than 46 million square meters of Yemeni territory.
