700 Houthi Mines Dismantled In Yemen Under Masam Project

 

Nearly 700 mines planted by the Houthi militia, an Islamist political and armed group, across Yemen were dismantled by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center’s Masam project during the second week of July.

Around 320 anti-tank mines and 380 non-explosive ordnances were also removed in July. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the total number of  1,538  mines were removed in July under KSRelief’s Masam project. 

The Masam team

The Masam team removed 54 anti-tank mines and 86 non-explosive ammunition in Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen. Nearly 266 anti-tank mines and 294 non-explosive ammunition were removed from the Marib district in Yemen. 

The Masam project was launched in 2018, with the aim to protect civilians and safeguard the delivery of urgent humanitarian supplies in Yemen. Since the beginning of the project, as many as 350,0421 mines have been dismantled in Yemen. 

In June, KSrelief renewed the Masam project for a fifth year for $33.292 million. In May, the supervisor general of KSrelief discussed the humanitarian situation in Yemen with the charge d’affaires of the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Houthi militia

The Houthi militia has clashed with Yemen's government for more than a decade. The country has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. 

The war between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition has caused a terrible humanitarian crisis in the country. The ongoing conflict has also displaced more than 4 million people in Yemen. Mine explosions near homes, schools, and markets have been a daily occurrence in the war-torn country. Nine Yemeni soldiers have been killed by the Houthi militia during the past 48 hours in Yemen.