Yemen: Houthi militias continue to plant mines and conceal their maps
The US embassy in Yemen called on Houthi rebels to hand over the mine maps in a tweet on Tuesday, expressing its sadness for the Yemenis killed and injured; The call is a direct accusation that the coup plotted to lay mines in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the Saudi project to clear Yemeni land of landmines (Masam) announced last Sunday the removal of more than 3,300 mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in a number of Yemeni provinces in March, a month after it announced the removal of 4,811 mines in February.
Since its launch in mid-2018 until the end of March last year, the Masam project has cleared 392,218 mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), according to press statements by the project’s Director General, Ousama Al-Gosaibi, who reported that the project’s teams have removed 137,560 anti-tank mines and 6,086 anti-personnel mines.
According to Al-Gosaibi; “So far, engineering teams from the Masam project have cleared 45,367,536 square meters of Yemeni territory that were booby-trapped with mines and improvised explosive devices planted by Houthi militias, as well as other remnants of unexploded ordnance and shells.”
A Yemeni report indicated that between the beginning of January last year and the end of February last year, 1,022 civilians were killed and injured as a result of mine explosions caused by Houthi militias and explosive remnants of war; Of these, 388 were children, 96 were women and 100 were elderly, of whom 386 were civilians, including 128 children, 25 women and 38 elderly people.
The report, issued by 13 local organizations entitled “Yemen… Mines and Peace”, accused the Houthi militias of closing roads that were not reached by military confrontations with mines in order to restrict the movement of civilians, and forcing them to walk on the roads it controls and fills with checkpoints. The report described the militias as no less dangerous than mines, due to the violations faced by civilians there.
The report confirmed a significant increase in the number of civilian victims killed and injured by mines planted by Houthi militias in vital and populated areas, in an indiscriminate way, with the intention of premeditated murder regardless of the identities and types of victims. It described these practices as “a war crime that is immoral and reflects the state of intellectual and mental deformity in those who commit them.”
“The report said Huthi militias have used mines, among other means, to blockade and restrict the movement of civilian and displaced populations;” “It has demolished bridges and vandalized roads in more than one province, and when forced to withdraw, it booby-traps bridges and ferries floodgates.”
“The report noted that Houthi militias reject the efforts of specialized demining teams, and prevent them from sweeping and clearing most of the roads.”
The United Nations Ceasefire Monitoring Mission in Hodeidah province on the country’s west coast reported in late February that the number of civilian victims of landmine explosions increased by 160% compared to a year ago; There were 289 casualties last year, compared to 111 during the previous year.
