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MASAM Director to Asharq Al-Awsat: Demining Efforts Will Cover All Yemeni Territory

Members of a Yemeni military demining unit prepare to destroy unexploded bombs and mines collected from Aden, Yemen August 2017. (Reuters)
Members of a Yemeni military demining unit prepare to destroy unexploded bombs and mines collected from Aden, Yemen August 2017. (Reuters)
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MASAM Director to Asharq Al-Awsat: Demining Efforts Will Cover All Yemeni Territory

Members of a Yemeni military demining unit prepare to destroy unexploded bombs and mines collected from Aden, Yemen August 2017. (Reuters)
Members of a Yemeni military demining unit prepare to destroy unexploded bombs and mines collected from Aden, Yemen August 2017. (Reuters)

Program Manager of the Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen (MASAM) Ousama Al-Gosaibi revealed that over 400 specialists have been tasked with ridding Yemen of mines.

He stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that this humanitarian project aims at clearing mines throughout the country, without discriminating between one region and another.

The 40-million dollar one-year project will be implemented over five phases. It will start with the equipping and training of the personnel, preparing the specialized demining teams, sending them to the field and later relaying their expertise to Yemeni cadres. MASAM is being implemented with Saudi and global expertise, stressed Gosaibi.

Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemen has been one of the Kingdom’s top priorities for decades, he said, underlining the neighborly, religious, social and familial ties that bind the peoples of both countries.

MASAM was funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), which has been offering and continuing to offer humanitarian projects for the war-torn country, he remarked. These efforts have exceeded 1.6 billion dollars.

MASAM seeks to clear the mines that have been arbitrarily planted by the Iran-backed Houthi militias throughout Yemen, most notably in Marib, Aden, Sanaa and Taiz, Gosaibi said. It also seeks to help the Yemeni people overcome the humanitarian tragedy that has resulted from the mines.

Preliminary statistics revealed by Yemeni officials showed that the militias planted nearly one million mines throughout the country.

Gosaibi highlighted in this regard the efforts of the KSRelief-funded prosthetics center in Marib that has so far provided prosthetic limbs to over 195 mine victims, who are often women and children.

MASAM field teams have been in Marib for two months to begin their mine clearance mission. Thirty-two demining teams consisting of over 400 people are operating in Yemen.

He underlined the close cooperation between MASAM and the national Yemeni demining project, saying that each one complements the other.

The Saudi project will focus on sensitive areas that have high populations. It will tackle the provinces of Marib, Aden, Taiz and Sanaa in its first phase, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

After this phase is complete, MASAM will turn to mines planted in desert regions.

MASAM also boasts rapid intervention experts and others specialized in defusing explosives, Gosaibi said.

The Saudi project, he reiterated, does not discriminate between Yemeni regions. It launched its operations to achieve purely humanitarian goals regardless of the developments in Yemen.

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FAO Official: Gulf States Shielded Themselves from Major Shocks

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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FAO Official: Gulf States Shielded Themselves from Major Shocks

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Asharq al-Awsat that global hunger increased sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the GCC countries were able to shield themselves from major shocks affecting food security.
Laborde added that global hunger affected over 152 million people, with no improvement in the past two years.
Today, 733 million people suffer from chronic hunger, and 2.3 billion face food insecurity, according to the UN annual report on “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.”

Laborde explained that the global economic crisis has worsened food insecurity, keeping hunger levels high.
Alongside this, climate shocks and conflicts are major causes of hunger. He also pointed out that food insecurity is closely tied to inequality, and the economic crisis, rising living costs, and high interest rates are deepening existing inequalities both within and between countries.
On whether economic diversification in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is boosting food security, Laborde said: “A move towards a more diversified economy and enhancing the ability to rely on various sources of food supplies are key drivers of food security resilience and stability.”
“GCC countries have managed to shield themselves from major shocks, primarily due to their high income levels and ability to cover import costs without difficulty,” he explained.
Regarding the FAO’s outlook on reducing global hunger, Laborde insisted that ending hunger will require a significant increase in funding.
When asked for suggestions on how governments could enhance food security, Laborde said: “Despite global figures remaining stable, improvements are seen in Asia and Latin America, showing that the right policies and conditions can reduce numbers.”
“Hunger is not inevitable. Investing in social safety nets to protect the poor, along with making structural changes to food systems to be more environmentally friendly, resilient, and equitable, is the right path forward,” emphasized Laborde.
The annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, published on Wednesday, said about 733 million people faced hunger in 2023 – one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa.
Hunger and food insecurity present critical challenges affecting millions globally.
The annual report, released this year during the G20 Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty Task Force ministerial meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is significantly lagging in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2—ending hunger by 2030.
It highlights that global progress has regressed by 15 years, with malnutrition levels comparable to those seen in 2008-2009.
Despite some progress in areas like stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, a troubling number of people still face food insecurity and malnutrition, with global hunger levels rising.