The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen (MASAM) Project Manager, Osama al-Gosaibi, has arrived in Aden and the West Coast on a periodic visit to check on the progress of the work of MASAM’s engineering teams.
He held several meetings with the Project’s experts to review reports of the achievements made by MASAM’s demining teams during the past period as well as the level of performance development.
Gosaibi held a separate meeting with Brigadier General Ameen Saleh Alaqili, Director of the Yemen Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC), and Brigadier General Qaid Haitham Halboub, Director of the Executive Office for Mine Action in Aden.
They discussed the difficulties faced by MASAM teams and the solutions required to facilitate their fieldwork in a way that serves the project’s goals of securing the lives of civilians and clearing their agricultural lands and properties of the mines that have been intensively and randomly planted across Yemeni territory.
Moreover, Gosaibi met with Deputy Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nizar Basuhaib at MASAM’s headquarters in Aden.
Basuhaib was briefed on the Project’s achievements in Yemen as well as its humanitarian role in securing the lives of Yemenis from the danger of mines.
During the visit, the deputy minister highlighted how the Project is one of the most important humanitarian projects operating in Yemen, and its impact has been felt by hundreds of thousands of Yemenis.
Basuhaib stressed that the dedication and sacrifices of every project staff are highly appreciated by the Yemeni leadership, government, and people.
They also discussed ways to bolster the role of humanitarian organizations working in the field of demining and enhancing Mine Risk Education and awareness, given its importance in raising societal consciousness of the dangers of mines and ways to avoid them.
Gosaibi pointed out that MASAM, through its press office, is also making every effort to raise awareness to ensure civilians are conscious of the dangers of landmines, and to shed light on the unfortunate reality of civilians’ landmine tragedies in Yemen.
He pointed out that all MASAM teams, working in over eight Yemeni governorates, continue to conduct awareness-raising campaigns, along with their clearance work, in all the areas where they are deployed.
He stressed the importance of establishing and activating official channels concerned with documenting and surveying mine victims in Yemen as well as issuing semi-periodic official reports to explain the crimes perpetrated by Houthi mines against civilians.
In the same context, Gosaibi held an extensive meeting with the leaders of the demining teams in Aden and the West Coast, during which he discussed the project’s progress and the achievements made so far by MASAM’s teams.
He further discussed the difficulties faced by the engineering teams during their fieldwork.
He stressed the importance of believing in the message of Project MASAM, doubling the efforts, and facing all difficulties, especially since working in the field of mine clearance is considered worthy humanitarian work.
Gosaibi called upon the engineering teams to fully commit to the safety procedures and practices putting into consideration that the slightest mistake in the mine clearance domain could be fatal.
He lauded the efforts exerted by Project MASAM’s demining teams, who are working in all the Yemeni governorates, affirming that the skills and experiences of the deminers are constantly evolving and therefore they have acquired the skills necessary to handle all types of landmines and explosives manufactured by the militia.
Since its launch, MASAM has removed 384,895 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices, he noted.
Since the end of June 2018, the Project has removed 234,994 unexploded ordnance and 7,678 explosive devices, in addition to 136,190 anti-tank mines, and 6,033 anti-personnel mines.
The total cleared area of the Yemeni land reached 43,845,128 square meters, Gosaibi added.
