(MENAFN- Nam News Network) ADEN, Apr 5 (NNN-SABA) – Landmines and unexploded ordnance have caused 105 civilian casualties in Yemen so far this year, the Yemen Landmine Observatory Centre said, yesterday, when marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
The non-governmental organisation, which documents victims of mines and unexploded munitions left over from Yemen's nearly decade-long conflict, revealed that 41 civilians were killed and 64 others injured from mine explosions across eight Yemeni provinces since the start of the year.
It said, the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah was the most affected by mine incidents this year, while the scourge has also torn through Lahj, Taiz, Al-Bayda, Marib, al-Jawf, Saada, and Hajjah provinces.
The observatory highlighted mine clearance as an urgent priority, calling it“a basic pillar in protecting civilians and restoring normal life and the first condition for achieving safety and peace in the country.”
Michael Beary, head of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement and chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee, said in a statement,“In any one month, we have between six and seven incidents that can have multiple injuries, life-changing injuries, and most sadly, to the most vulnerable women and children.”
Beary stressed the importance of spreading landmine safety messages on the international mine action day. He vowed, the UN mission will continue to assist in improving the situation and eliminating the scourge of landmines in Yemen.
Large swaths of Yemen have been contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance during the civil war that erupted in late 2014 after Houthi militants seized the capital Sanaa.
The Yemeni government accused the Houthi group of planting over two million landmines since the conflict began, posing a significant threat to civilians even after the cessation of hostilities.– NNN-SABA
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