Landmines laid by Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to kill and cause serious injuries to civilians, Human Rights Watch said today.
“Houthi forces flouted the landmine ban for years and Yemeni civilians are paying the price as these weapons kill and wound indiscriminately,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, adding “There is an urgent need to step up clearance of landmines to save lives, prevent unnecessary suffering, and ensure people can safely access their homes and livelihoods.”
The landmines have also made it more difficult for villagers to feed themselves and maintain their incomes. According to the World Food Programme, as of February 2024, 64 percent of Taizz governorate’s population do not have sufficient food, and Taizz is one of four governorates in Yemen facing “high risk and deteriorating” food insecurity.
Human Rights Watch has monitored Yemen’s policy and practice on antipersonnel mines since 1999 and has documented in depth numerous incidents of Houthi use of antipersonnel mines in Taizz and other governorates, including in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.
The Landmine Monitor initiative by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines reported that at least 582 people were killed or wounded by landmines or other explosive remnants of war in Yemen in 2022, up from 528 in 2021.
Greater international assistance is urgently needed to equip and assist clearance personnel to systematically survey and clear mines and explosive remnants of war from Yemen, Human Rights Watch said. Assistance should include medical care, including reconstructive surgery and psychosocial support, prosthetics and other assistive devices where appropriate, and ongoing rehabilitation if needed.
“The devastating impact of landmines in Yemen will not end until there’s a major mobilization to clear and destroy these weapons,” Jafarnia said. “People in Yemen are facing catastrophic levels of hunger and desperately need access to essential agricultural and grazing lands, but these lands are often contaminated by mines.”