Throughout the lean years of the war in Yemen, there are victims whose disability was not born with them, but rather sinful hands buried it in the soil of their lands and by their homes.
The mines planted in this war claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including children, old people, women, and young people, disabling their bodies, polluting agricultural lands and preventing the population from obtaining clean water. The mines drew a life line on the verge of death or loss, reduced the delivery of relief aid to those who deserve it, and booby-trapped homes, schools, fields, roads and mountains.
News of the dead and injured as a result of mine explosions turned into daily events in the media, in light of the expansion of minefields as the fighting spread. The stories of mine victims are heartbreaking; Civilians whose only concern is to get medicine, food, or water, or go out to graze. Everyone who lives in areas planted or possibly planted with mines, live under enormous psychological pressure and fear of cylinders stuffed with explosives that may be under their feet or the tires of their car, or even under the feet of the livestock on which they depend for their livelihood.
In the Al-Jawf desert (Northern Yemen), Mosad Saleh was returning home, but he woke up after days to found himself in the hospital, his right leg was amputated and the fragments of a mine settled in one of his kidneys, and he was forced to undergo dialysis permanently. "I was hit by a mine planted by the Houthi group, and now I live waiting to die," says Massad to Khuyut. The injury deprived him of practicing his daily life like others, and he became a prisoner of his pains.
On the other side in the center of the country, Salah Al-Sharabi lost his arm and the fingers of his other hand as a result of a landmine explosion in the 30th Street in the Old Airport neighborhood, west of Taiz. Salah was driving his minibus taxi to transport passengers, but that day he was on his way home. In addition to his arm and the fingers of his other hand, he also lost the bus, which was his source of income to support his family. Salah told "Khuyut" that he still suffers from the pain of disability and his inability to accept it, as it is a human act, and that sometimes he thinks of surrendering to death or ending his life; "I used to work and support myself and my family, and today I am waiting for help from others." This is how he thinks when the pain and need are severe.
The stories of amputation of the limbs of the war victims' civilians in Taiz are many, and the doctors there say that those who are treated as a result of the explosion of mines arrive at the hospitals in miserable condition, and that the doctor has no choice but to amputate to save the life of the injured
Psychiatric diagnosis
Ala'a Abdel-Haq, a psychologist, says that many people who are permanently disabled as a result of wars find it difficult to accept, and that they may develop depression and fear from the surrounding society, and prefer not to interact with others, which may lead them to occupy by the control of dark thoughts.
She added to "Khuyut", that people with disabilities in Yemen live in very difficult conditions, where psychological rehabilitation and reintegration programs are almost non-existent, not to mention that many of them do not find the price of medicines and other needs, such as prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.
Shehab Abdo Saeed, a resident of the "Kilaba" neighborhood in the east of Taiz, was wounded at the beginning of the war in 10 different parts of his body. He tells "Khuyut" that he has experienced various kinds of dangers that have left him with endless pain. Between sniper fire and shrapnel of shells that were fired at the neighborhood from the building of the Central Security Camp, which is controlled by forces affiliated with Ansar Allah group (Houthis)
The last sniper operation that Shehab was exposed to was eight months ago, while he was running to get financial assistance to have an operation on his stomach due to a previous injury. He went out, as usual, from the house, but this time the mine exploded.
A number of residents of Kalaba neighborhood told "Khuyut" that last year's (2021) rains washed away mines that had been buried in the area, as one of them exploded when (Shehab) walk on one of them. He was taken immediately to the hospital and his right foot was amputated, the left foot was saved, and his eye was injured.
The stories of amputation of limbs for war victims in Taiz are numerous, and doctors there say that those who are treated as a result of mine explosions arrive at hospitals in a miserable condition, and that the doctor has no choice but to amputate, while some of the injured come with their limbs amputated, so the doctors intervene to stop the bleeding and save the life of the injured.
Human Rights Watch has documented the use of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines by Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in the governorates of Abyan, Aden, Lahj, Marib, Al-Hudaydah and Taiz.
Moreover, the Yemeni law prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines, as part of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which Yemen ratified in 1998 and entered into force in March 1999, and Yemen committed itself not to use anti-personnel mines under any circumstances. In April 2017, Human Rights Watch informed the parties to the conflict in Yemen that individuals and those responsible for using prohibited weapons or launching indiscriminate attacks may be prosecuted as war crimes.
The city of Taiz is among the cities crowded with mines, which are concentrated in the seam areas and the lines of fire; 32 mined areas have been identified, distributed in the three districts of the city and its outskirts from the districts around the city, in the geographical area controlled by the internationally recognized government forces).
Additionally, Muwaza district - southwest of the city of Taiz, and the Mukha district on the western coast of Yemen, shall be added to above figure where mines spread in large areas where the battles that took place and UN agencies worked to clear some of them. Mines in the livestock distribution are always killing citizens, and costing them heavy losses in light of a very difficult economic situation in which people resort to raising livestock as a main source of income for them and their families.
As part of the UN Emergency Demining Project, which began in December 2017 and ended in December 2021, a survey and clearance of land was conducted in 21 governorates and 233 districts, clearing more than 23 million square meters of land, and removing approximately 635,000 items of explosive ordnance.
However, the renewed battles in several areas, led to a new wave of mines plantation, and it became difficult to identify the mined areas, as there is no clear map specifying the locations of these mines or even warning signs, and this is what the Executive Center for Mine Action is trying to do in partnership with UNICEF. The center launched many awareness campaigns about the dangers of mines and how to deal with explosive objects by going to the governorates and districts in which they are deployed, in addition to distributing educational posters and infographic advertisements, and urging citizens to call the free number 151 to report any strange object they see in their areas.
People must fortify themselves with knowledge.” He says that during 2022, it is expected that the field activities of the center will stop or be greatly reduced.
Abdo Ali Radman, a focal point member of this program, said in an interview with "Khuyut", that the awareness campaigns targeted the districts of the city of Taiz affiliated with the internationally recognized government, and similarly, the areas under the control of Ansar Allah (Houthis), such as the districts of: Mawiyah, Samae`, Khadeer, Sharaab Al-Salam, and Sharaab Al-rawna.
These awareness campaigns were organized before the demining teams and explosives arrive, and they also urge people to put local signs in places they see or believe that there are explosive objects, such as placing a pile of dirt or firewood, or placing sticks in the shape of the letter X to facilitate the work of teams scanning.
Redman added: "we seek to promote the correct behavior in how to deal with mines to spare people countless tragedies and pain, remove fear, and push them to practice their normal lives." He also noted that "people must fortify themselves with knowledge." That the activities of the field centers may be suspended or reduced significantly.
Hodeidah residents most affected by mines
Mohammada Mohammad Jalajel, a woman from Al-Hali District in Al-Hudaydah Governorate, used to count the nights until she gave birth to her baby. In mid-October... (what year?) She was on her way home when she stepped on a mine that amputated her legs, and she became permanently unable to walk.
Mohammada is an example of what the residents of Al-Hudaydah are subjected to from the scourge of mines that were planted on their farms, public roads, near their homes, water fetching roads, and pastures for animals.
In April 2019, Human Rights Watch said, in a report, that Ansar Allah (Houthis) had extensive use of landmines along the western coast of the country since mid-2017, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians, preventing relief organizations from reaching vulnerable communities, and that Mines impede crop harvesting, relief work, and health care.
A UNDP employee said that "mined areas are difficult for relief to reach, despite the need for all kinds of relief in the Al-Hudaydah districts." The United Nations mission to protect the "Hudaydah Agreement" (within the Stockholm Agreement) urged the parties to the conflict in Yemen to remove mines and protect civilians.
Mines are considered an obstacle that prevent safe and healthy education which is essential in raising generations, as education has stopped in many schools and parents' fear for their children has increased.
In the report (GCPAtwees) in accordance with the Convention (Ottawa) calling for countries free of mines, the report stated that since 2018, explosive weapons, landmines and cluster bombs have been used in educational facilities in an increasing proportion by all parties to the conflict. The report also indicated that 25% of boys, girls and young men were unable to reach their schools due to landmines or explosives in the first quarter of 2021.
In Taiz, a local mediation took place to exhume the bodies of those killed by the internationally recognized government forces and the dead bodies of Ansar Allah group (Houthis) from the area of (Thabbat al-Qarn) in Mount (Han) west of Taiz; Two of the mediation committee members were killed by a mine explosion and two others were injured.
Banned from returning home
Entisab Nasr, a mother of three children, says: “I have a house in the Al-Zanouj neighborhood (north of Taiz city). It was a beautiful house that my husband and I persevered to build so we can get rid of the rent anxiety.”
With the outbreak of war in the city of Taiz in 2015, Ensab left her home and was unable to return until today, for fear of falling victim to mines, which she hears killed and injured many residents of the neighborhood.
In the details of her story that she told "Khuyut", her husband owned a small shop in the front of the house, in which they put all their properties to invest in that shop they owned to be their source of livelihood. Her husband was selling foodstuffs in that store, but with the outbreak of the war in their neighborhood, they were forced to move and close it. When the battles subsided, her husband was unable to return to his shop or take out his goods for fear of mines and renewed battles. She says with a sigh of sorrow, that the goods in the shop may now be expired or have been eaten by mice, overcoming the pain of returning to worries about rent and double work to meet the needs of her children.
In Taiz, too, a local mediation took place to exhume the bodies of those killed by the internationally recognized government forces and those of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) from the area of (Tabbat al-Qarn) in Mount Han, west of Taiz; two of the mediation committee members were killed by a mine explosion and two others were injured.
According to the (Yemeni Landmine Monitor), 12 people were killed in all governorates of the Republic in October 2021, and 18 people were injured, all of them civilians.
In the annual briefing for the year 2021, by Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, statistics indicate the occurrence of 36 mine explosions which resulted in the killing of 23 people and disabling 82, including 46 children and 18 women, in addition to 47 incidents of explosive objects.
The United Nations said that the death toll because of landmines reached 1,424 civilians during the four years of the war in Yemen.
Assam, a camel herder in Taiz told Khuyut, that before the war they used to go grazing in Tihama and Mocha and return to their areas, but the shepherds and beekeepers who are now wandering face many and dangerous obstacles in their movement, including mines. He adds with a sigh that he lost three camels in a mine explosion, and he cried for a week over them, because one of them did not die directly in the explosion, so he twisted his neck towards his shepherd as if he was appealing to Assam to save him. However, Osama's father prevented him from approaching the camel because they were grazing in a minefield without any warning sign about it.
Marib.. Mine deserts
Safiya Munawer, a young woman who was detonated by a mine in Sirwah, Marib, after demining the area. Her sister told Khuyut: “They told us that they removed the mines, and we went back to our house, and a mine exploded in my sister, disabling her, and she lost her leg.”
Speaking to "Khayut", Khaled Shabeh, an explosives and mine expert, said: "We are shocked and amazed by the horror and the amount of mines that have been planted in the deserts of Marib, in the Al-Jadaan, Sirwah, Raghwan and Majzar districts. The danger of the mines lies in the fact that they are made of stainless materials that are not affected by natural factors. And it can be buried in the dirt for a hundred years or more, and it poses the most severe types of obstacles for future generations, as well as for the state and government projects after the war.”
He added that the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) used types of anti-personnel mines, string mines, pedals and explosives, and that they were planted irresponsibly in public roads, farms, deserts, mountains, near homes, and near water sources.
Earlier, the representative of the United Nations Development Program in Yemen talked about the Yemeni Executive Center for Mine Action’s help in removing explosive remnants of war and landmines from residential neighborhoods, workshops, agricultural lands and factories, so that people can resume their normal lives.
The center had announced that it had used trained dogs to detect mines as alternate of explosives and cluster bomb detectors which the Arab coalition refused to allow into areas controlled by Ansar Allah (Houthis), and that the center had established a unit to train detector dogs, but the coalition's aviation targeted this unit on Thursday, October 20 2021, and several dogs were seriously injured and one died of the injury.
From 1999 until 2020, 7,704,674 square meters of the territory of the Republic of Yemen were cleared by mine detection dogs, and during the year 2021, 919,670 square meters were cleared by the specific unit of detection dogs.
