Mine disaster in Yemen...a new Houthi wave in the Taiz countryside

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The Yemeni Mine Observatory warned on Sunday of the escalation of the dangers of landmines, which the Houthi terrorist group has intensified its planting - over the past few days - in large rural areas in Taiz Governorate, southwest of the country, threatening the lives of civilians and warning of more casualties.

The Observatory explained that planting mines and spreading camouflaged explosive devices on mountain highlands, side roads, and the homes of displaced people constitute a direct threat to the lives of civilians, including livestock herders and people who move along side roads.

The Observatory called on the Houthi militia to immediately stop these practices, remove planted mines, and deactivate explosive devices in the Taiz countryside. It also urged residents of rural areas to be vigilant and cautious, and to educate children about the dangers of approaching or touching suspicious objects, in order to preserve their lives and safety.

The Observatory’s warnings come after it announced, during the past hours, the killing of the 12-year-old child, Shuaib Ali Thabet, as a result of the explosion of a landmine planted by the Houthi militia while he was grazing livestock in the village of Al-Atheer in the Jabal Habashi District, in an incident added to the crimes of the terrorist militia’s mines, and its continued threats to the lives of civilians in the rural areas of the governorate.

In this context, the Saudi project to clear Yemeni lands of mines, Masam, revealed that its field teams removed about 1.3 thousand explosive remnants of war during the past week.

The project operations room said, in a press statement on Sunday, that Masam teams were able to remove 1,291 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices, and secured 209,755 square meters of land, during the period between October 3 and 9, 2026.

The statement added that the removal operations included 1,253 unexploded ordnance, 26 anti-tank mines, 10 anti-personnel mines, and two explosive devices, in 9 governorates, where “explosive contamination continues to threaten communities, agricultural activity, civil infrastructure, and roads.”

Masam Operations explained that the total number of items removed by the teams since the beginning of this October has risen to 2,547 deadly items. It included 2,454 unexploded ordnance, 67 anti-tank mines, 24 anti-personnel mines, and two explosive devices, while securing 366,882 square meters of areas contaminated with remnants of war.

The statement indicated that the project teams, since the start of their work in the Midi District of Hajjah, “have been able to remove 13,292 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices, and clear 4,974,123 square meters of land, as part of the efforts aimed at removing the remnants of war and securing the areas for the population.”

The project manager pointed out: Osama Al-Gosaibi noted that “Masam” teams, from the start of their work at the end of June 2018 until October 9 of this year, “succeeded in removing more than 596,000 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices, and clearing a total area of ​​86,179,144 square meters of land under the influence of the recognized government.”

The Iranian-backed Houthi group is the only party in the conflict in Yemen that plants internationally banned mines, as the group is accused of polluting Yemeni lands with more than two million mines, which is the highest percentage of mines since World War II, according to the United Nations.