Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar Al-Iryani visited the headquarters of Project Masam in Marib Governorate, Yemen, on Thursday (25 June) to review the project’s humanitarian mine clearance operations and congratulate its teams on the extension of operations into a ninth consecutive year.
Al-Iryani said the visit, conducted on behalf of the Yemeni government, provided an opportunity to recognise Project Masam’s achievements and gain firsthand insight into its humanitarian work. Since its launch in 2018, the project has cleared more than half a million landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and unexploded ordnance from contaminated areas across Yemen.
The minister said: “What we witnessed today in terms of extensive work and exceptional efforts highlights the scale of the tragedy caused by landmines. Regrettably, rather than developing tools and capabilities to serve the Yemeni people and improve their living conditions, the Houthi militia has focused on developing instruments of death, killing, and maiming that target innocent civilians.”
He added: “We are reassured by the fact that the Masam project possesses the expertise and advanced technologies necessary to identify and safely neutralise the various types of landmines and improvised explosive devices planted by the militia, thereby eliminating threats that continue to endanger the lives of Yemenis.”
Al-Iryani reaffirmed the Ministry’s support for Project Masam and its commitment to highlighting the project’s humanitarian role in protecting civilians. He also expressed the ministry’s readiness to support the launch of an annual National Mine Awareness Week to educate communities about landmines and explosive remnants of war, promote safe behaviour, and raise awareness of the risks they pose.
During the visit, Project Masam Operations Manager in Marib, Sean Wells, presented Minister Al-Iryani and the accompanying media delegation with a photo exhibition featuring landmines and unexploded ordnance recovered from different regions of Yemen. The exhibition also documented the experiences of women and child landmine victims, alongside photographs highlighting the work of the project’s engineers and demining experts.
The minister and his delegation were also briefed on Project Masam’s operational procedures and the challenges faced by demining teams in clearing contaminated land and protecting local communities from landmines and explosive remnants of war.
At the conclusion of the visit, Al-Iryani expressed his appreciation for the humanitarian work carried out by Project Masam, stressing the importance of sustaining demining operations to protect civilians and enable communities to return safely to their homes, farmland, and livelihoods.
Upon his arrival at the project headquarters, the minister was welcomed by Sean Wells, Project Masam’s Operations Manager in Marib; Ahmed Al-Adhamad, Director of Operations at the Yemen Mine Action Center (YMAC); and members of the project’s engineering and support teams.
