Riyadh: The managing director of Saudi Arabia’s landmine clearance Project Masam recently met with UN officials at the project’s headquarters in Aden.
During his talks with UN Office for Project Services adviser on mine action Charles Frisby and expert Javed Habibullah, Ousama Al-Gosaibi highlighted the areas where mines were most concentrated and the devastating impact of them on communities.
He noted what he described as a lack of international support in tackling Yemen’s landmines crisis and pointed out the urgent need for funding toward clearance operations.
Al-Gosaibi said concerted efforts were required to compel the Iran-backed Houthis to stop laying the explosive devices and comply with international humanitarian law by providing maps of their location.
He told Frisby and Habibullah about the project’s successes in Yemen over recent years, achieved in partnership with the Yemen Executive Mine Action Center and with the help of Yemeni citizens.
Al-Gosaibi added that news about project activities was shared with media outlets on a weekly basis.
Vince Kabir, chief technical adviser at Project Masam, explained to the visiting delegation the operational strategies and techniques used by project workers in Yemen.
He gave examples of sophisticated and covert mines successfully removed by project teams operating in nine Yemeni governorates and detailed the meticulous procedures implemented for the safe disposal of mines.
Frisby praised the efficient and highly organized work of Project Masam teams in safeguarding Yemeni civilians, dismantling mines, and clearing the lingering hazards of warfare.
He said: “Yemen is confronting a dire crisis marked by mines, IEDs (improvised explosive devices), and the remnants of conflict.
“It is crucial for all to rally behind the Yemeni people to eliminate these threats and bring life back to normal across all Yemeni territories,” Frisby added.
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