Masam Clears 1,779 Mines Across Seven Yemeni Governorates in June

Spread the Word

Masam demining teams cleared 1,779 mines and explosive devices across seven Yemeni governorates during the third week of June, the Saudi-run project has reported, in the latest instalment of a clearance effort that now stretches back eight years. The week’s haul reflected the continuing scale of the contamination that the project is working to remove from Yemeni soil.

According to the project, the week’s total comprised 257 anti-tank mines, 151 anti-personnel mines, 79 improvised explosive devices and 1,292 items of unexploded ordnance. The teams carried out the work across the governorates of Aden, Hodeidah, Hadhramout, Hajjah, Marib, Shabwa and Taiz, covering both frontline zones and districts where displaced families have begun to return.

The figures add to a fast-rising tally. Masam reported clearing 4,622 devices during June, while its cumulative total since the project began has reached 568,961 mines and munitions, a figure that lays bare the sheer scale of contamination across Yemeni territory and the magnitude of the task of clearing it.

The project was launched by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre on 25 June 2018, under the banner of delivering what it described as a life without landmines for Yemen. In the years since, it has become one of the most prominent demining initiatives in the country, clearing vast quantities of mines and explosive devices.

The composition of the week’s clearance, with unexploded ordnance accounting for the large majority, reflects a characteristic feature of Yemen’s contamination. Unexploded ordnance, comprising munitions that failed to detonate, poses a persistent and unpredictable danger, and its clearance is an essential part of making affected areas safe for civilians.

The presence of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines among the devices cleared underscores the range of threats. Anti-personnel mines are designed to kill or maim people and pose a grave danger to civilians, while anti-tank mines can destroy vehicles, endangering those who travel the roads and tracks on which communities depend.

The distribution of operations across seven governorates reflects the geographic breadth of the contamination. From the Red Sea coast to the eastern interior, large areas of Yemen have been affected by mines and explosive remnants of war, and clearance efforts must range widely to address a threat dispersed across diverse and often difficult terrain.

The reference to districts where displaced families have begun to return points to a particularly important dimension of the work. The return of displaced people to their home areas depends on those areas being safe, and clearing contamination is a prerequisite for return, making demining central to enabling families to rebuild their lives.

The cumulative total of more than 568,000 devices cleared since the project began testifies both to its achievements and to the enormity of the challenge. Despite years of effort and the removal of vast quantities of ordnance, large amounts are believed to remain, ensuring that demining will be required for years to come.

Yemen is regarded as one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, a legacy of years of conflict during which vast quantities of mines and explosive remnants of war were laid or left behind. The scale of the contamination poses an enduring threat to civilians and a formidable challenge to those working to clear it.

Demining is exacting and dangerous work, requiring specialised training, equipment and meticulous care. The teams that carry it out operate in hazardous conditions, methodically locating and neutralising devices while guarding their own safety, and their efforts are essential to reducing the toll that ordnance continues to exact on the population.

The threat posed by mines extends well beyond the immediate danger to life and limb. Contaminated land cannot be safely used, obstructing agriculture, construction, travel and the return of displaced families, so that the clearance of ordnance is a prerequisite not only for safety but for the recovery and normal functioning of affected communities.

The human cost of landmines in Yemen has been severe, with mines and explosive remnants of war having killed and injured many civilians, including children, women and the elderly. Each device cleared represents a potential tragedy averted, and the work of demining is measured ultimately in the lives protected and the communities made safer.

The detailed reporting of figures reflects an emphasis on transparency and accountability in the delivery of demining work. Such data help demonstrate the impact of operations, inform planning and support the case for continued funding, contributing to the effective management of an effort that must be sustained over the long term.

The eight-year span of the project, marked by the anniversary of its launch, reflects the long-term nature of the demining effort. Clearing Yemen’s contamination is a task measured in years, and the continued operation of the project reflects a sustained commitment to reducing the threat posed by mines and explosive remnants of war.

For now, the clearance of 1,779 devices in a single week adds to the steady progress of the effort to rid Yemen of the explosive legacy of its conflict. As the work continues across the affected governorates, the demining teams contribute to the safety of civilians and to the broader task of enabling communities to recover and to return.