A day hardly passes without the news of the injury or death of a Yemeni citizen due to mines planted by the Houthi militias after their successive losses against the progress of the legitimate forces supported by Arab coalition.
Yemen has become one of the most affected countries by mine planting since the end of the World War II, with a total of half a million mines planted by the militias in the Yemeni cities.
This huge amount of landmines constitutes a sustainable threat to civilian lives, compounded by the Houthi militias' deliberate, indiscriminate and heavy planting of internationally banned mines in areas from which they were expelled, even in homes, roads, and public facilities.
The types of mines planted by Houthis varies, including handmade mines that resemble the form of rocks and sand clusters, especially in mountainous areas.
Houthi militias deliberately plant mines and IEDs randomly in the streets, houses, farms without taking into account the lives of civilians, children, youth, and the elderly.
According to Local and international human right reports, the Houthi militias planted more than half a million mines in liberated Yemeni provinces, including internationally banned mines that killed hundreds of civilians and caused thousands of permanent disabilities to others. Every day, the damages of Yemenis are doubled and civilians pay the ultimate price. Houthis have mined the land and sea, depriving farmers and fishermen of practicing their daily work. There are a number of international agreements that regulate or prohibit the use of such landmines and explosive remnants of war.
These agreements are part of the international humanitarian law aimed at reducing the effects of armed conflict on humanitarian grounds, including the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention "the 1997 Ottawa Convention" which came into effect in March 1999. In March 2007, 153 countries agreed to the terms of the convention or acceded to it. The treaty imposed a total ban on anti-personnel mines after negotiations led by strong and unusual coalition involved a number of governments, UN, and international humanitarian organizations through a network known as (The International Campaign to Ban Landmines). The convention signatories are committed not to use, develop, or produce antipersonnel landmines, and to destroy - within four years - all mine stockpiles and to remove - within ten years - all planted mines.
In return, King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Center continues the implementation of its projects to rid the Yemeni people of the Houthi mines and their catastrophic consequences, including the project to support the physical rehabilitation Centers carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with more than 10 million dollars.
KSRelief pays special attention to victims of landmines victims. In addition to medical and therapeutic assistance, the center provides mine risk educational sessions and psychological support services for children and affected families in order to save the lives of Yemenis, especially children under 5, pregnant and nursing mothers, from the risks of death fields left by the Houthis and the followers of the ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh in every area they controlled before being liberated by the National Army and the Popular Resistance Forces with the assistance of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition Forces to support the legitimacy.