SANA’A (Xinhua) – Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) caused 121 civilian casualties in Yemen during the first quarter of 2023, according to a report released by the Yemen branch of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The report, which was based on data from the Yemeni Mine Action Center (YMAC), found that the majority of the casualties were caused by landmines and UXOs on the west coast of Yemen, particularly in the governorates of Hudaydah, al-Jawf, and Ma’arib. Heavy rainfall in these areas dislodged explosive devices, making them more likely to be triggered by civilians.
The report also found that the number of civilian casualties from landmines and UXOs decreased from 144 in the fourth quarter of 2022, due to a number of factors, including increased removals of the war remnants by the YMAC, as well as the displacement of civilians from areas that are heavily mined.
Despite the decrease, the OCHA warned that landmines and UXOs continue to pose a serious threat to civilians in Yemen. There are millions of landmines and UXOs scattered across the country, and these weapons will continue to kill and maim civilians for years to come, it added.
The OCHA called on the international community to provide more funding to support mine clearance efforts in Yemen, stressing that the UN’s efforts to clear landmines and UXOs are essential for millions of Yemenis to return to their home and recover the woes of the country’s conflict.
In addition to clearance operations, the UN is also working to raise awareness among Yemeni civilians about the dangers of landmines and UXOs by conducting risk education campaigns and providing training to local communities, equipping them with knowledge on identifying and avoiding these hazardous remnants, the report added.
Saudi Arabia started a brutal war of aggression against Yemen in March 2015, enlisting the assistance of some of its allies, including the United Arab Emirates.
The war, which has enjoyed generous arms, logistical, and political support from the United States and several other Western governments, has been seeking to restore power in Yemen to the country’s former Riyadh- and Washington-friendly government.
The former Yemeni government’s president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigned from the presidency in late 2014 and later fled to Riyadh amid a political conflict with Ansarullah. The movement has been running Yemen’s affairs in the absence of a functioning administration.