Project Masam teams have cleared 80,647 square metres of contaminated land and removed 259 explosive threats near Al-Makhazen village in Midi District, northern Hajjah, as operations continue around agricultural and grazing areas used by local communities.
Securing this land is intended to reduce the risks facing farmers and herders, protect livelihoods and expand the areas residents can use safely for work, movement and daily life.
Near Al-Makhazen village, Project Masam demining teams continue survey and clearance operations around farmland and grazing areas affected by landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Engineer Abdulrahman Dhiab said Team 42 removed 111 explosive threats during October, comprising 74 anti-tank mines, 20 items of UXO and 17 IEDs, while clearing 7,500 square metres of land.
Dhiab said the team was carrying out intensive survey and clearance work in grazing areas regularly used by residents. The proximity of contaminated land to homes and areas of daily civilian activity continues to place people, livestock and livelihoods at risk while reducing the amount of land communities can access safely.
Further west of Al-Makhazen village, operations between June and the end of October 2026 cleared 73,274 square metres of land, alongside the removal of 118 anti-tank mines and 27 IEDs and items of UXO.
The clearance is helping expand safer access to land that communities depend on for agriculture, grazing and movement, particularly in areas where explosive contamination has displaced residents or prevented them from returning to farms and homes.
Since Project Masam began operations in Midi, teams have removed more than 13,000 landmines, items of UXO and IEDs and cleared millions of square metres of land across the district. Each cleared area can restore access to land that had previously been unusable because of explosive hazards, supporting safer movement, agricultural activity and the recovery of livelihoods in affected communities.
The work forms part of a wider Mine Action response in northern Hajjah, where survey, clearance, emergency response and Explosive Ordnance Risk Education continue alongside engagement with local communities reporting suspected hazards.
The scale and operational importance of this work was highlighted during a recent visit by Hajjah Governor Major General Abdulkarim Al-Sinini to Project Masam’s headquarters and field operations in Midi.
