Major General Amin Saleh Al-Aqili, Chairman of Yemen’s National Mine Action Committee, has condemned the landmine explosion that killed five children and injured nine others in the village of Al-Ribi, in Yemen’s Al-Dhale Governorate.
Speaking during a telephone interview broadcast on Aden TV, Major General Al-Aqili described the incident as a grave humanitarian crime, stating that it adds to the long list of civilian casualties caused by landmines and explosive remnants of war left behind by the Houthis.
Al-Aqili noted that despite extensive explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) and awareness campaigns carried out by Yemen’s National Mine Action Programme and the Saudi-funded Project Masam, large quantities of explosive hazards remain scattered across affected areas. He explained that some items are visible on the surface, while others remain buried, continuing to pose a serious threat to civilians.
He stressed that Project Masam is the National Mine Action Programme’s largest operational partner, with more than 43 engineering teams deployed across mine-affected governorates. Al-Aqili also expressed his appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its continued support through the project, describing its contribution as instrumental in helping Yemen avert a potentially devastating humanitarian catastrophe.
The Chairman of the National Mine Action Committee further emphasised that the continued laying of landmines in civilian areas by the Houthi militia constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law. He called on the international community to strengthen its support for humanitarian mine action in Yemen and to increase assistance for demining operations to protect civilians and reduce the ongoing humanitarian impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war.
