Masam destroys 4,141 mines and unexploded ordnance in Yemen

RIYADH: Saudi-backed demining project Masam on Wednesday destroyed 4,141 mines and unexploded remnants of war in the Midi district of Yemen’s Hajjah governorate.

Masam Managing Director Osama Al-Gosaibi said the operation was the first of its kind to be carried out in the governorate since the project began work there in September last year.

He added that 10 field teams are currently operating in the areas most heavily contaminated by mines.

“Our teams have cleared a total of 4,210,134 square meters of land in Midi,” Al-Gosaibi said.

“They have removed 153 anti-personnel mines, 2,669 anti-tank mines, 142 improvised explosive devices, and 8,285 pieces of unexploded ordnance to date.”

Al-Gosaibi said the destruction operation, carried out by Masam Team 39, was conducted in accordance with international technical standards for the disposal of mines and explosive remnants of war. He added that further destruction operations would follow under an approved timetable.

He thanked the local authorities in Hajjah governorate for their cooperation and support, saying it had enabled the project to carry out its humanitarian mission of improving civilian safety and allowing residents to live in areas free from mines and other explosive remnants of war.

Since its launch in mid-2018, Masam has removed a total of 578,226 mines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance across the areas where it operates in Yemen.

The project has also cleared more than 83.7 million square meters of land by the end of July, according to Al-Gosaibi.