His Excellency the Yemeni President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Yemen, said that he awarded the Order of Bravery – one of the highest Yemeni orders – to the Saudi project Masam, and the Yemeni National Mine Action Programme, for their efforts in clearing Yemeni territories of mines and removing 500,000 mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from them since 2018.
Last March, the Yemeni president issued two decrees granting Project Masam, and the National Mine Action Programme the order of Bravery. He also honoured Project Masam, represented by its Managing Director, Ousama Algosaibi, and the National Mine Action Programme represented by its director, Brigadier General Amin Al-Aqili, in recognition of their role in clearing Yemeni territories of mines, IEDs planted by the Iran-supported Houthi militias as well as unexploded ordnance (UXO), and in appreciation and commemoration of the sacrifices of their colleagues who sacrificed their lives for the safety of the Yemeni people and their future generations.
During an interview with Al-Mashhad programme broadcast on the Egyptian satellite channel TeN TV, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi said: “When we talk about the removal of half a million mines, then we have a real disaster, because we do not know how many mines are still in the Yemeni territories laid by the Houthi militias with Iranian help, and we expect that there are still about 1,5 million to 2 million mines laid in Yemeni territories.”
President Al-Alimi explained that the military institution in the Republic of Yemen destroyed the landmines it had before 2011 under the resolutions of the United Nations and other international organisations that prohibit them.
For their part, the Houthis established factories in Saada Governorate with the help of Iranian and Hezbollah experts, he claimed, as they imported and smuggled fertilisers dedicated to agricultural purposes which they used in the manufacture of landmines in huge quantities.
“The Houthis make mines in the form of stones and rocks to deceive shepherds and passers-by,” al-Alimi said, adding that there are thousands of victims as well as permanently disabled or amputated people who suffer because of the mines planted by the Houthi militias.
Since its beginning in June 2018, the Masam project has cleared 55,393,442 square meters of Yemeni lands and removed 436,759 mines, IEDs, and UXOs, including 6,495 anti-personnel mines, 144,026 anti-tank mines, 278,220 UXOs, and 8,018 IEDs.
