RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam dismantled 731 mines in Yemen — which had been planted by the Iran-backed Houthi militia — between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2.
Overseen by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, the project’s special teams destroyed 622 pieces of unexploded ordnance, 93 anti-tank mines, 12 improvised explosive devices, and four anti-personnel mines.
The explosives, which were planted indiscriminately by the Houthis across Yemen, posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
Project Masam is one of several initiatives undertaken by Saudi Arabia at the request of King Salman to help the Yemeni people, clearing routes for humanitarian aid to reach the country’s citizens.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale, and Saada.
A total of 431,054 mines have been cleared since the start of the initiative in 2018, according to Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s managing director.
The initiative trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
Up to 5 million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, many of them displaced by the presence of land mines.
Masam teams are tasked with clearing areas such as villages, roads, and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian goods and services.
