Landmine Blast Kills Five Children in Yemen’s Al-Dhalea

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Five children were killed and seven others wounded when an explosive remnant of war detonated in Al-Reibi village, in the Hajar district of Yemen’s Al-Dhalea governorate. One of the injured children was reported to be in a critical condition, according to local accounts of an incident that added to the grim toll that unexploded ordnance continues to exact on the country’s youngest civilians.

Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights condemned the blast and held the Houthi movement responsible, both for this incident and for the thousands of casualties it attributes to landmines and explosive remnants of war across the country. The ministry described the killing and maiming of children as among the most devastating tragedies of the war.

The ministry said the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance among civilian communities constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Such characterisations reflect the government’s position regarding responsibility for the contamination, in a conflict where the attribution of such incidents is often contested by the parties.

The tragedy forms part of a documented and worsening pattern. The organisation Save the Children reported that child casualties in Yemen surged in 2025, with an average of one child killed or injured every day, and with the number of children killed roughly doubling compared with the previous year, an alarming indicator of the dangers facing children.

The killing of children by explosive remnants of war reflects the particular vulnerability of the young to such hazards. Children may be drawn by curiosity to unfamiliar objects, or may encounter devices while playing, herding animals or helping their families, and their small size and lack of awareness of the dangers make them especially susceptible to grave harm.

Al-Dhalea, the governorate where the incident occurred, has been among the areas affected by the conflict and its legacy of contamination. Like many parts of Yemen, it bears the marks of the fighting, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance continues to pose a threat to its population long after particular battles have ended.

The broader problem of landmine and explosive contamination in Yemen is immense. 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, including large numbers of children, across the country.

The surge in child casualties reported for 2025 reflects a deeply troubling trend. An average of one child killed or injured each day represents a staggering toll, and the reported doubling of child deaths points to a worsening of the dangers facing children, underscoring the urgency of efforts to protect them from the hazards of the conflict.

The characterisation of the presence of mines among civilian communities as a violation of international law reflects the legal framework governing the conduct of conflict. International humanitarian law imposes obligations regarding the protection of civilians, and the indiscriminate threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance raises serious concerns under these standards.

The human cost of contamination extends beyond those killed and injured to the families and communities affected. The loss or maiming of a child 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.

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

Awareness-raising and risk education are important complements to physical clearance, particularly for children. Educating communities about the dangers posed by mines and how to avoid them can help reduce casualties in areas that have not yet been cleared, though such efforts face challenges in reaching all those at risk.

The reporting of incidents such as the one in Al-Dhalea contributes to the documentation of the human cost of contamination. Recording the toll of mines and explosive remnants of war is part of the broader effort to draw attention to the issue and to press for action to protect civilians and to clear affected areas.

The protection of children in conflict is a matter of particular international concern, reflected in the standards and mechanisms addressing the impact of war on the young. The dangers facing children in Yemen, including from mines and unexploded ordnance, underscore the importance of efforts to safeguard them from the consequences of the conflict.

The persistence of child casualties from explosive remnants of war highlights the long-term nature of the threat. Even as clearance efforts continue, the vast scale of contamination means that children and other civilians remain at risk, and incidents such as this one are a stark reminder of the ongoing danger.

For now, the deaths of five children in Al-Dhalea stand as a tragic illustration of the toll that mines and explosive remnants of war continue to exact on Yemen’s children. As the country contends with the legacy of its conflict, protecting civilians, and especially children, from the hazards of contamination remains an urgent and enduring challenge.