Returning displaced civilians to their homes in Mocha, Taiz Governorate

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More than five million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen – many of them displaced by the presence of landmines on their land.

We caught up with Abdullah Shafiel, Leader of Team 21, whose team has been clearing landmines in the Hassi Bin Alwan area of Mocha, Taiz Governorate, where “hundreds of mines [have been] planted extensively and randomly”.

“Our teams moved to this area and surveyed it based on many reports stating the presence of mines scattered all over the land in this area,” Shafield told Project Masam. “When we moved to this area, we found all roads were closed. Water sources were closed and agricultural areas and dwellings were empty.”

Shafiel’s goal? To return displaced civilians back to their homes, secure access to farmland, water sources and pastures. “The residential areas are almost all secured, but in the pastures there are still landmines scattered and planted in a random way – but we are working hard and hopefully they will be completely cleared,” he explained.

13 anti-tank mines have been recovered so far. Some of the landmines were recovered close to former houses and settlements.

Since it first entered Yemen in mid- 2018, Project Masam has located and destroyed 275,305 explosive devices including 4,105 anti-personnel mines, 89,504 anti-tank mines, 6,096 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 175,600 unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Yemeni liberated areas (as at 17 September 2021).

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