More than 1,100 civilians have been killed by landmines in Yemen, figures

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More than 1,100 civilians have been killed by landmines in Yemen, figures show, with nearly 1,500 others wounded, underscoring the enduring toll of the country’s contamination and the calls for accountability it has generated. The statistics point to a crisis whose implications extend beyond the immediate victims, affecting communities, recovery and the broader humanitarian situation across the country.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since 2014, principally between the Houthi movement, which the government and its allies say is backed by Iran, and the internationally recognised government supported by a Saudi-led coalition. The war has devastated the country’s infrastructure and has been accompanied by widespread reports of human rights violations by various parties.

The use of landmines has emerged as a particularly damaging feature of the conflict. The government and rights advocates have attributed much of the contamination to the Houthi movement, describing the laying of mines among civilian communities as an insidious practice, though the attribution of specific incidents can be contested in a war marked by competing narratives.

The toll of more than 1,100 killed and nearly 1,500 injured reflects the indiscriminate nature of landmines and explosive remnants of war. These devices strike without distinction, and their victims have included large numbers of civilians going about their daily lives, farming, travelling or returning to their homes, long after particular battles have ended.

The particular vulnerability of civilians to landmines is a defining feature of the crisis. Unlike the immediate violence of the fighting, mines remain in place after clashes subside, lying hidden until disturbed, and their victims are overwhelmingly non-combatants, including children, women and the elderly, who encounter them unawares.

The human cost captured in the statistics extends beyond the individuals killed and injured to their families and communities. The loss or maiming of a family member inflicts profound and lasting suffering, and the pervasive threat of mines constrains the lives of communities, limiting the use of land and the movement of people in affected areas.

The contamination of Yemen with landmines and explosive remnants of war is immense in scale. The country is regarded as one of the most heavily mined in the world, a consequence of years of conflict, and the devices left behind continue to kill and maim civilians across the country, sustaining the toll reflected in the figures.

The calls for international intervention and accountability, generated by the crisis, reflect a desire to address the toll of landmines and to hold responsible those who have laid them. Advocacy of this kind seeks to mobilise international attention, to support demining efforts and to press for accountability for the harm caused by contamination.

Demining efforts, carried out by organisations working to clear contamination, are essential to reducing the threat, though the scale of the challenge is immense. Large quantities of mines are believed to remain across the country, ensuring that the danger will persist and that clearance will be required for years to come.

The characterisation of the laying of mines among civilian communities as a violation reflects the legal framework governing conflict. International humanitarian law imposes obligations regarding the protection of civilians, and the indiscriminate threat posed by mines raises serious concerns under these standards, informing the calls for accountability.

The impact of contamination on recovery is significant. Land that is contaminated cannot be safely used, obstructing agriculture, construction, travel and the return of displaced families, so that the clearance of mines is a prerequisite not only for safety but for the recovery and normal functioning of affected communities.

Awareness-raising and risk education complement the physical work of clearance, particularly for populations living amid the threat of mines. Educating communities about the dangers and how to avoid them can help reduce casualties in areas that have not yet been cleared, forming part of a comprehensive approach to protecting civilians.

The documentation of casualties contributes to the broader effort to record the human cost of contamination and to advocate for action. Recording the toll of mines is part of the effort to draw attention to the issue, to support demining and to press for accountability, even amid the difficulties of verification in a contested environment.

The persistence of casualties from landmines highlights the long-term nature of the threat. Even as clearance efforts continue, the vast scale of contamination means that civilians remain at risk, and the toll reflected in the figures is a reminder of the enduring danger posed by the explosive legacy of the conflict.

The protection of civilians from the hazards of contamination is bound up with the broader search for a resolution to the conflict. A durable peace, ending the fighting and enabling comprehensive clearance, is widely regarded as ultimately necessary to addressing the threat that mines pose to the population.

Behind each entry in such tallies lies an individual story of a life ended or altered in an instant, a reminder that the aggregate figures, stark as they are, can only hint at the scale of the human loss. Rights groups have urged that these numbers be treated not as a static record but as a running count that continues to climb with each passing week, and as a case for sustained investment in clearance and in the care of survivors, many of whom face lifelong disability with little of the support that recovery demands.

For now, the figures on landmine casualties stand as a stark illustration of the toll that contamination continues to exact on Yemen’s civilians. As the country contends with the explosive legacy of its conflict, protecting the population from the hazards of mines, and clearing the vast contamination, remain urgent and enduring challenges.