The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Friday for urgent action by the United Nations Development Programme and relevant international organizations to stop the planting of anti-personnel mines by the Houthi militia in several governorates of the country, and to expand mine clearance and contaminated area decontamination programs and assist victims.
The Ministry clarified in a memorandum addressed to the UNDP Resident Representative in Yemen that the Houthi militia has planted landmines and disguised explosive devices in mountainous highlands, secondary roads, and displaced persons' homes in the countryside of Taiz Governorate, causing daily civilian casualties, including women and children, especially in the southern suburbs of Taiz city and areas near contact lines.
The Ministry emphasized that Yemen is among the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, given the militia's continued planting, particularly in villages and populated areas, and the serious and catastrophic dangers left behind by unexploded ordnance, which threaten the lives, safety, and livelihoods of the population.
It pointed out that children top the list of victims, due to mine explosions while herding livestock, playing, or traveling on rough secondary roads that civilians are forced to use due to the blockade imposed by the militia on cities and main roads.
The Ministry stressed the importance of supporting the National Mine Action Programme and enhancing its capacities, enabling the Republic of Yemen to fulfill its obligations under the 1999 Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, international humanitarian law rules, and related international conventions.
The Houthi militia has been committing violations against Yemenis, including planting mines that have killed and injured dozens of civilians; recently, a woman was killed and three other women were injured following the explosion of a landmine planted by the militia in Wadi Assas, in the center of Al-Shamaytain District, south of Taiz Governorate.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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