40 Killed, Dozens Wounded from Houthi Mines in Yemen

MASAM has removed 386,282 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices planted by Houthis in Yemen. (MASAM)
MASAM has removed 386,282 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices planted by Houthis in Yemen. (MASAM)
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40 Killed, Dozens Wounded from Houthi Mines in Yemen

MASAM has removed 386,282 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices planted by Houthis in Yemen. (MASAM)
MASAM has removed 386,282 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices planted by Houthis in Yemen. (MASAM)

A rights group has announced that more than 100 civilians were killed and wounded by landmines in the past six weeks, amid government warnings of the escalating threat of Houthi landmines on civilians.

International and Yemeni reports revealed that the Houthi militias have planted more than one million landmines, including the naval mines manufactured with Iranian expertise.

The Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar al-Eryani, warned of the escalating threat of landmines randomly planted by the pro-Iran terrorist Houthis in villages and cities.

The minister noted that the number of civilian victims of landmines has been on the rise since the beginning of the year.

The Yemeni Landmine Records documented the death of 42 and injury of 61 between January and mid-February with the majority being women and children, the minister added.

He accused the militias of not differentiating between civilian and military targets, in what he described as the biggest landmines planting operation since World War 2.

Eryani called on the international community to pressure the Houthis to halt landmine planting and to hand over the maps as well as support the government efforts in clearing Yemeni territories from such explosives.

More than 100 Yemeni civilians have been killed and injured by landmines planted by Houthis since the start of the year, according to the Yemeni Landmine Records.

The group said that 42 civilians were killed and 61 were wounded in the past six weeks.

Three children were killed in Hais by a landmine planted on a football field.

The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen (MASAM) announced last week removing 1,387 landmines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices planted by the militias. They were distributed as follows: 1,087 unexploded ordnance, 49 explosive devices, 233 anti-tank mines, and 18 anti-personnel mines.

MASAM cleared a total area of 277,794 square meters in one week.

Since its launch until Feb 10, MASAM has removed 386,282 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices.

MASAM Project Manager Osama al-Gosaibi has made a visit to Aden and the West Coast to check on the progress of the work of MASAM’s engineering teams.

Gosaibi discussed with the Yemeni officials the difficulties faced by MASAM teams and the solutions required to facilitate their fieldwork.

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, a press release said.

Gosaibi further 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.



AU Urges Permanent Ceasefire in Libya After Clashes

A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)
A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)
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AU Urges Permanent Ceasefire in Libya After Clashes

A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)
A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)

The African Union called for a permanent ceasefire in Libya on Saturday after deadly clashes in the capital earlier this month and demonstrations demanding the resignation of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The latest fighting in the conflict-torn North African country pitted an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based GNU against factions it has sought to dismantle, resulting in at least eight dead, according to the United Nations.

Despite a lack of a formal ceasefire, the clashes mostly ended last week, with the Libya Defense Ministry saying this week that efforts towards a truce were "ongoing".

On Saturday, the AU's Peace and Security Council condemned the recent violence, calling for an "unconditional and permanent ceasefire".

In a statement on X, the council urged "inclusive, Libyan-led reconciliation", adding that it "appeals for no external interference".

Libya is split between the GNU in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east.

The clashes were sparked by the killing of an armed faction leader by a group aligned with Dbeibah's government -- the 444 Brigade, which later fought a third group, the Radaa force that controls parts of eastern Tripoli and the city's airport.

It came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups but excluding the 444 Brigade.

Egypt has flown 71 nationals home from Tripoli following the unrest, the foreign ministry said.

Friday's special flight by flag carrier EgyptAir "enabled the repatriation of 71 Egyptian citizens who had expressed a desire to come home", the ministry said.

Türkiye evacuated 82 of its nationals from Tripoli on a similar repatriation flight last week.