By Manal El Warraky
Military Advisor to the UN Envoy to Yemen Anthony Hayward: Continuing Such Humanitarian Projects Like MASAM Is a Vital Issue
In victory for life and insistence on its return to its safe nature and in response to the call of humanity in Yemen, the MASAM Project for Mine Clearance – Yemen continues its vital role in combating the explosive tools of death that continue to plague life in this country, through the removal and destruction of unexploded ordnance by this humanitarian project teams, which, when removed, life recovers from the pandemic of mine-borne death.
In this context, the media center of the MASAM Project for Mine Clearance in Yemen issued its monthly report for November 2024, where this report indicated that the total number of mines, unexploded shells and IEDs removed in this month amounted to 2967.It is noteworthy that the project was able to remove 2,715 unexploded ordnance and 214 anti-tank mines during November 2024, while the total area cleared during the same month amounted to 940,792 square meters of Yemeni lands. It is also worth noting that the project destroyed 2,026 mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices during the month of November. The total amount of mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices removed since the launch of the MASAM project at the end of June 2018 until now has reached 471,034 mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive devices, which were planted by the Houthi militia in a terrifying random manner in various Yemeni governorates. The total area cleared has reached 62,389,146 square meters, since the launch of the project until today.
Continuous Cleansing Race
Team 19 “MASAM” managed to secure and clear 3 mine-contaminated fields, with a total area of 43 thousand square meters in the Sheikh Saeed area, on the coast of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, affiliated with the Dhubab Directorate in Taiz Governorate, western Yemen.
In a special statement to the “MASAM” media office, Engineer Khaled Dawood, the leader of Team 19, explained that the team responded to the appeals of the local authorities in Dhubab to secure the Bab al-Mandab coast, which witnessed several painful incidents due to the explosion of mines.
He also pointed out that many injuries occurred among Yemeni fishermen who frequent the coast to fish, and the mines caused the death of marine creatures that resort to the coast to lay their eggs in the sand.
He pointed out that the Houthi militia did not stop at planting mines densely and randomly, but rather deliberately booby-trapped them using criminal means to ensure the largest number of innocent victims, noting that the team will continue its humanitarian efforts to secure the Bab al-Mandab coast from all mines and other war remnants, given the strategic importance of the area to the local authority and fishermen from the region.
Destruction.. A Top Priority
The MASAM project has carried out the destruction of 1,071 pieces of unexploded ordnance in the Dofas area in Zinjibar District, Abyan Governorate, southern Yemen.
The project also carried out the destruction and detonation of 955 mines, explosive devices, unexploded shells and war remnants in the Ghail Warka area in Jabal Habashi District, Taiz Governorate, carried out by the MASAM Special Tasks Team.
Continuous Awareness Efforts
In another context, the MASAM media team carried out an awareness campaign targeting students of the Kuwait School in the Suwayda camp for displaced persons in Marib Governorate, with the aim of enhancing their awareness of the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance, and preserving their safety.
The media team explained that the campaign included directions and instructions for dealing with strange and suspicious objects, in addition to information about the safe methods that must be followed in areas contaminated with mines.
UN visit and praise
The military advisor to the UN envoy to Yemen, Anthony Hayward, praised the efforts and achievements of the MASAM project during his visit to the headquarters of the MASAM project in Marib Governorate, accompanied by a UN delegation, where he considered the continuation of such humanitarian projects like MASAM to be a very vital issue.
During the visit, Hayward met with a number of project officials, and he and the accompanying delegation listened to a brief presentation given by Retief Horn, Deputy Director General and Director of Operations at MASAM, in which he touched on the work provided by the project in Yemeni lands since the start of its work in mid-2018.
For his part, the UN advisor stressed the importance of the work carried out by the MASAM project, as it contributed to protecting the lives of civilians and securing vast areas of Yemeni lands despite the challenges imposed by mines on the lives of civilians, stressing the importance of continuing such humanitarian projects to achieve stability in Yemen and protect the lives of civilians.
Other Challenges
As part of its humanitarian mission in Yemen, the Masam project faces many challenges. In the heart of the Shabwa desert, among the sand dunes that expand and form with every gust of wind, the sixth team advances on a mission fraught with challenges and risks; in one of the most difficult and complex areas of individual mines in Yemen.
Under the scorching sun, the sixth team works in the Shaqt al-Tayyar area, which connects the Asilan district in Shabwa and the Harib district in Marib. It is an area of a special nature, due to the widespread presence of sand dunes, which deepens the danger of burying mines.
