Yemen: 14 killed by landmine explosions in 48-hour period

Fourteen people were killed in Yemen in a 48-hour period by explosive mines or their remnants across several governorates in the war-torn country, according to the Yemeni Landmines Observatory.

The observatory, which specialises in monitoring mine victims in Yemen, said on Friday that four Ethiopian migrants, including a woman, were injured as a result of a mine explosion in the Al-Yatma area, north of Al-Jawf Governorate, in northern Yemen.

In western Yemen, a child was killed and another victim injured in the Al-Hali district, located in the coastal Hodeidah governorate. A farmer was also wounded in a similar incident in the At-Tuhayta district, south of Hodeidah.

14 قتيلا وجريحا من المدنيين خلال الــ 48 الساعة الماضية:

⬅️ الجوف:
إصابة 4 مهاجرين إثيوبيين بينهم امرأة بجروح متفرقة نتيجة انفجار #لغم في منطقة اليتمة.

⬅️ الحديدة:
مقتل طفل وإصابة اخر بانفجار #لغم في "حي السلام" بمديرية الحالي.. كما أصيب مزارع بانفجار مماثل في مديرية التحيتا.

— المرصد اليمني للألغام (@MinesInYemen) February 3, 2023

Multiple injuries were also reported in the district of Baqim, north of Saada Governorate and in the district of Ku'aydinah, northwest of the Hajjah governorate, as a result of explosions of leftover ammunition.

The Yemeni landmine monitor also documented the injuries of 3 children, one of whom was critically hurt, in addition to an elderly woman, as a result of a projectile explosion left over from the war in Al-Qabbaytah district, in Lahj governorate.

The United Nations has called for urgent and concrete measures to be taken to rid areas in Yemen of landmines and their remnants.

The intergovernmental organisation has affirmed its commitment to support NGOs and local authorities on the matter, saying it will provide coordination and technical support for activities relating to mine removing, including support for awareness-raising about the dangers they pose.

Mine explosions are common in war-torn Yemen, posing a threat to economic activity and distribution of aid, according to the UN, with almost a third of reported incidents occurring in the Hodeidah governorate.

From mid-2019 until early August 2022, the same Observatory said that 426 civilians, including 101 children and 22 women were killed, while 568 others were wounded as a result of mines, improvised explosive devices, unexploded shells and war debris in a number of governorates.

Yemen is currently experiencing what aid groups describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, where poverty, shortages in food and medicine are rife. The country also continues to reel from war and insurgency for almost eight years, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed coalition have been fighting since 2015.