JEDDAH: The Saudi-backed Masam project for landmine clearance in Yemen has destroyed 4,925 landmines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war in the Bab Al-Mandab area of the Taiz governorate.
In a statement, the project’s media office said the destroyed items included 29 anti-personnel mines, 49 anti-tank mines, 106 assorted shells, 1,698 various fuses, 11 hand grenades, 14 improvised explosive devices, 2,986 rounds of ammunition, 26 shell projectiles and six rockets.
The operation was carried out by Masam’s Second Special Tasks Team, which also collected large quantities of war remnants from the governorates of Taiz, Hodeidah and Lahj.
Col. Adel Al-Mahwali, operations chief of the 17th Giants Brigade in Bab Al-Mandab, said the district’s villages had been among the areas most heavily contaminated with mines and war debris in recent years.
He said the contamination had caused numerous civilian casualties and prevented residents from returning to their homes and farms.
Al-Mahwali added that Masam has significantly reduced the threat by clearing thousands of mines and explosive remnants across Bab Al-Mandab and Yemen’s western coast, helping to lower accident rates and gradually restore normal life in several villages.
However, he warned that the danger remains due to the random planting of mines and the lack of maps marking their locations.
He cited a recent incident in the Kahboub area of the Bab Al-Mandab district, where an anti-tank mine exploded beneath a civilian vehicle. Masam teams responded to the scene and removed five additional anti-tank mines from the area.
Al-Mahwali expressed appreciation to the Masam project and Saudi Arabia for their humanitarian efforts, saying the initiative has played a key role in enabling families to return home and resume their lives after years of suffering caused by landmines.
Masam continues to conduct demining operations in several Yemeni governorates affected by widespread mine contamination.
