Saudi Arabia names new interior minister

Newly appointed interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif.
Updated 23 September 2017
Follow

Saudi Arabia names new interior minister

JEDDAH: A Saudi royal decree was issued Wednesday morning appointing Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif as interior minister after Prince Mohammed bin Naif was relieved of his role as the interior minister.
Born Nov. 4, 1983, he is the youngest ever interior minister to serve.
The prince graduated from Dhahran Private School.
He is the eldest son of the Eastern Province governor, Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz and has four sons: Naif, Ahmed, Saud and Mohammed.
Armed with a law degree from King Saud University, Abdulaziz bin Saud first chose to explore the private sector for several years before serving as a member of the Supreme Committee for the Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz Award for the Prophetic Sunnah and Contemporary Islamic Studies, in addition to the Scientific Committee of the Award.

Previous posts
The 34-year-old prince has been appointed to several posts throughout his life, most recently serving for two years as adviser to the former interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Naif.
After King Salman came to power, Prince Abdulaziz was appointed as an adviser to the Royal Court in various departments.
Prince Abdulaziz has worked in the political division for six months, then as an adviser to the Defense Ministry.


Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day

Updated 22 January 2026
Follow

Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day

  • Project Masam aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 4,235 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices in a single day from Bab Al-Mandab region in southwestern Yemen, as part of its mission to protect civilians.

Osama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s director general, said it aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people.

On Wednesday, the project’s teams destroyed 33 anti-tank mines, 31 anti-personnel mines, 86 miscellaneous shells, 2,750 assorted rounds, 1,291 breakers and valves used in devices, 12 grenades, two Katyusha rockets, a missile, 15 shell arrows, and 14 other explosive devices.

Masam’s teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and areas around schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.

The project trains local people to become demining engineers, provides them with modern equipment to do the job, and also offers support to Yemenis injured by explosive devices.