DUBAI: The Saudi mine action program “Masam” has removed 852 Houthi landmines from areas across Yemen during the first week of June, state news agency SABA reported.
Masam said there had been 168,155 landmines removed since the mine clearance program started in the country in May, 2018.
More than 1.1 million mines have been laid by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen during the conflict, claiming hundreds of civilian lives.
In April 2019, Human Rights Watch said Houthi-laid mines had killed hundreds of civilians, obstructed their movement and prevented lifeline humanitarian aid from reaching people.
The Masam project is one of several initiatives undertaken by the Kingdom to help ease the suffering of Yemeni people, the supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, said.
The Masam program aims to locate and destroy explosive devices illegally planted by Iranian-backed Houthi militias to help bring back safety and security in the state.
