An Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) team from the Project Masam has received a report concerning a suspected anti-personnel mine near a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Al Dhale Governorate.
Located in southern Yemen on a strategically important corridor linking Aden with central and northern parts of the country, Al Dhale remains a sensitive frontline governorate where renewed violence has compounded longstanding explosive contamination; recent incidents involving landmines, IEDs and UXO have caused multiple civilian casualties, including an explosive ordnance incident in June that killed five children and injured at least seven others.
While conducting a field EORE programme on Tuesday (11 August) in Baja village, Al-Hajar District, the team distributed awareness materials featuring images of landmines and other explosive hazards to women and children, helping community members recognise potential threats and understand how to respond safely.
After seeing one of the leaflets, a displaced woman approached one of Project Masam’s volunteers and reported that she had previously seen a suspicious object resembling one of the landmines pictured in the awareness material near the displacement camp.
Manal Al-Suraimi, the volunteer who received the report, said the relevant technical team was immediately notified. The team deployed to the location and safely dealt with the anti-personnel mine in accordance with established technical procedures.
The incident demonstrates the practical importance of Project Masam’s EORE activities across Yemen. These programmes provide communities living with explosive contamination with information about the dangers posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war, how to recognise potentially hazardous objects, and what action to take when a suspicious item is encountered.
Project Masam’s EORE teams also emphasise a fundamental safety message: civilians should never approach, touch or attempt to move a suspected explosive item. Instead, they are encouraged to keep a safe distance and report the location so that trained personnel can respond.
The awareness campaign at the displacement camp in Baja village reached more than 100 internally displaced people, the majority of whom were women and children.
