RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief has implemented mine-clearance projects in Yemen, Azerbaijan and Iraq at a cost of more than $294 million, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The agency’s various humanitarian initiatives and projects are aimed at protecting civilians and alleviating the suffering of those affected by conflict.
The Masam project, which is dedicated to clearing landmines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices planted indiscriminately across Yemen, accounts for the lion’s share of the funding, at more than $290 million.
Since the project’s launch in 2018, its teams have removed more than 550,000 landmines and other explosive devices, and cleared almost 78 million sq. meters of land in a bid to make villages, roads, farms and vital facilities safe for local people.
Almost 750 people, including specialists and experts from around the world, are involved in the project’s complex and challenging operations. Several of them have themselves been injured while carrying out their humanitarian work.
Similar projects are also underway in Iraq, where KSrelief leads a $1 million funding memorandum to support mine survey and clearance projects in several areas. And in Azerbaijan, the agency is supporting a $3 million minesweeping project as part of a broader humanitarian initiative.
KSrelief also runs a prosthetics program that provides high-quality artificial limbs and rehabilitation services to those affected by mines. Almost 92,000 people have benefited from the program since its launch.
The UN estimated that around the world one person every hour is killed or injured by a landmine, unexploded ordnance or improvised explosive device. Civilians, particularly children, are the worst affected.
International Day for Mine Awareness is observed annually on April 4.
