Houthi Landmines Kill 100 Civilians During Ceasefire in Yemen

Houthi mines and unexploded ordnance seized by the Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen (MASAM)
Houthi mines and unexploded ordnance seized by the Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen (MASAM)
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Houthi Landmines Kill 100 Civilians During Ceasefire in Yemen

Houthi mines and unexploded ordnance seized by the Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen (MASAM)
Houthi mines and unexploded ordnance seized by the Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen (MASAM)

The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs revealed that casualties increased by 38 percent during the truce due to Houthi landmines.

According to the latest UN office reports, 169 children and 79 women were killed or injured in the six months following the truce, citing landmines and unexploded artillery as the primary cause of casualties.

The report stated that landmines and unexploded artillery caused 343 civilian casualties, including 95 deaths, and 248 injuries, between Apr. 2 and Sept. 30, compared to 248, including 101 deaths and 147 injuries, in the six months before the ceasefire.

It also noted that preliminary evidence indicated torrential rains and flooding in July and August caused the explosive materials to shift.

Meanwhile, the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project stated that the monthly rate of civilian casualties dropped 54.3-percent, from 2,051 (including 630 deaths) during the six months preceding the truce to 936 (including 288 fatalities) between Apr. 2 and Sept. 21, 2022.

According to the project, this year's victims were mainly in Hodeidah, Taiz, Saada, Marib, and al-Jawf.

Hodeidah saw significantly higher numbers, and of the 598 civilian casualties reported in the governorate since the beginning of 2018, 31 percent have been killed in the nine months since the governorate’s frontlines shifted in 2021.

The UN office renewed the call for urgent and concrete efforts to clear the areas, noting insufficient funding from the Mine Action-Global Protection Cluster, noting that demining partners cleared 2,653,198 square meters of contaminated land across Yemen starting last June.

The office recalled the great benefits of the truce, saying it led to a decrease in the average monthly rate of internally displaced persons by 76 percent, noting that between Apr. 2 and Sept. 30, 11,294 families were displaced, compared to 46,640 families in the six months preceding the truce.

According to the report of the UN office, about 69 percent of the displacement, amounting to 7,500 families, has been reported since the declaration of the truce, most of whom fled sporadic clashes in areas along the front lines.

However, the UN report confirmed that the total number of displaced people decreased significantly in these governorates, compared to six months before the armistice when it was 32,775.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Elections to Be Held on Time, No Prior Deal over Govt

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Elections to Be Held on Time, No Prior Deal over Govt

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)

Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday that efforts are ongoing to hold the presidential elections on time on January 9.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said he had no intention to delay the elections and he had not received any request to that end from any of the political powers.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since October 2022 when the term of President Michel Aoun ended without the election of a successor. Bickering between the political blocs over a suitable candidate has thwarted the polls.

Efforts are underway to ensure that the elections are a success, declared Berri.

He denied claims that he was seeking understandings over the shape of the new government, including its prime minister, lineup and agenda, ahead of the elections.

The presidential elections come first, he stated.

There are constitutional guidelines that dictate what happens after the elections, he added, referring to the binding parliamentary consultations the new president will hold to name a new prime minister.

The prime minister, in turn, will hold non-binding consultations with lawmakers over the government lineup.

Berri declined to comment on his ally, former MP Walid Jumblatt’s endorsement of army commander Joseph Aoun as president, saying: “Everything will become clear during the elections.”

The speaker had previously said that Aoun’s election requires a constitutional amendment that demands the resignation of first-rank civil servants, including the army commander, at least two years before their election as president.

Aoun, who is not related to Michel Aoun, is projected to win 86 votes in the elections.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan dismissed the figure, saying no candidate has the needed number of votes to be elected president.

He added that Hezbollah is holding contacts over the elections but it does not have time to reveal what they have yielded.

The results will be revealed during the elections in January, he told the Sputnik news agency.