Manama: A Saudi programme committed to making Yemen landmine-free in order to protect civilians and to safeguard the delivery of urgent humanitarian supplies has been launched.
The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (MASAM), by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) tackles the plague of landmines left behind by Iran-backed Al Houthi militants as they retreat from battlefield losses.
Landmines constitute a major impediment to social and economic development efforts and expose citizens to potentially fatal risk for generations to come, MASAM says.
Militias had planted more than 600,000 mines in liberated areas, 130,000 in the sea, 40,000 mines in Marib and 16,000 mines in the island of Mayon.
The deployment of landmines by militias during the on-going conflict has resulted in over 1,539 recorded deaths, over 3,000 injuries and permanent disability to over 900 Yemenis, a majority of whom are women, children and the elderly.
“Unfortunately, these recorded figures are far less than the actual numbers as the national demining programme has not been able to identify and register them. Such hostile action has also resulted in a wide array of other life-threatening crises and security concerns,” the Riyadh-based Centre for International Communication (CIC) said.
At a KSrelief-funded prosthetics centre in Marib, Yemen, 305 prosthetic limbs were fitted last year to more than 195 landmine victims, mainly Yemeni women and children, aged between 12 and 72 years old.
The Yemeni government is a signatory of an Agreement for Clearance of Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War with Dynashield, in solidarity with Dynasafe, a UK company.
The first stage of the programme involves surveying affected areas and coordinating with local authorities.
In phase two, experts are deployed to begin work to clear the landmines.
Phase three will be the complete removal of landmines across the six governorates of Yemen.
Phase four will build critical aid delivery infrastructure to deal with emergencies.
The final phase sees a comprehensive operations management of both phases three and four.
“The use of landmines against the innocent people of Yemen has been a despicable blight on the lives of civilians and aid workers across the country,” Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief, said at the launch.
The civil war in Yemen entered its third year in March. It pits a Saudi-led Arab coalition and Yemeni forces against Al Houthi militants who overthrew the internationally-recognised government in late 2014.
Since its inception in 2015, KSrelief has provided humanitarian and development aid of over $1.8 billion to more than 40 countries.
