Middle East Monitoring Desk Islamabad
Thousands of children and women among landmine victims, amid warnings of growing humanitarian and security risks resulting from the recent escalation by Houthi militias in Yemen.
Statistics released by Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights revealed that landmines killed 4,501 people and injured 5,083 others between 2014 and 2025, bringing the total number of those killed and injured to 9,584.
These figures coincide with the emergence of recent video footage documenting the discovery of landmines and camouflaged improvised explosive devices in Taiz Governorate and areas along Yemen’s western coast, according to the Masam Project, which removes and dismantles landmines planted by the terrorist Houthi militias.
The statistics showed that children were among the main victims of landmines, with 979 children killed and 1,213 others injured. The number of women killed reached 338, while 381 were injured, reflecting the scale of the risks facing civilians in conflict-affected areas.
In the latest developments on the ground, the Masam Project for landmine clearance in Yemen published video footage on October 10 that it said revealed fields of anti-vehicle mines and improvised explosive devices camouflaged as natural rocks in areas along Yemen’s western coast recently retaken from Houthi control (as shown in the photographs).
According to the project, the footage showed four improvised explosive devices camouflaged to resemble ordinary rocks, making them more difficult to detect and placing civilians—particularly farmers, herders, children, and displaced families returning to their homes—at grave risk. These are smart mines activated by thermal cameras installed like tiny eyes inside holes in the rocks, detonating as soon as a human or animal approaches them.
These discoveries raise concerns about renewed landmine contamination in areas where some clearance operations had previously taken place, threatening to obstruct residents’ return and the resumption of their agricultural and livelihood activities. The data reveal the scale of the humanitarian challenges facing Yemen, with the project’s teams announcing the removal of 596,036 explosive items between July 2018 and October 2026.
The total included 153,174 anti-vehicle mines, 7,759 anti-personnel mines, 8,689 improvised explosive devices, and 426,414 unexploded mines. According to cumulative statistics published through May 2026, Aden Governorate recorded the removal of 135,583 explosive items, followed by Taiz with 130,364 and Marib with 124,698.
These figures reflect the extensive contamination caused by landmines and remnants of war and do not necessarily mean that all these explosive items were planted during the latest military escalation.
Behind these figures lie thousands of human stories: families that have lost their breadwinners, children left with permanent disabilities, farmers denied access to their land, and families still unable to return safely to their homes.
In rural areas, agricultural roads and the surroundings of homes can become sources of constant danger because of hidden landmines and explosive devices, allowing the effects of these criminal acts to persist even after military operations subside.
Human Rights Watch has also previously documented the use of anti-personnel mines by Houthi militias in several Yemeni governorates, including Taiz, and the resulting civilian casualties and damage to residents’ livelihoods. All these acts constitute violations of international humanitarian law and humanity.
The repercussions of Yemen’s landmine crisis are not confined to its domestic humanitarian dimension; they also extend to regional stability and the security of international navigation—issues of growing importance to countries, given Yemen’s position overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the strategic maritime passages connecting the Red Sea to global trade routes.
Continued instability in the region is therefore a source of concern for countries dependent on maritime trade. This requires giving this issue—the issue of landmines—regional and international importance and creates room for discussion about opportunities for humanitarian and technical cooperation in landmine clearance, training specialist teams, and assisting victims, provided that appropriate frameworks and agreements are in place.
Field and human rights reports underscore the urgent need to expand landmine clearance operations, strengthen assistance to victims, and conduct independent investigations into responsibility for planting landmines and improvised explosive devices in civilian areas.
They also highlight the importance of supporting humanitarian efforts to rehabilitate affected areas, enable displaced people to return safely, and protect children, farmers, and local residents from the continuing dangers of remnants of war.
Recent developments in Taiz Governorate and along the western coast reveal that the threat of landmines does not end when fighting stops but may persist for years, making civilian protection and explosive clearance urgent humanitarian priorities in Yemen.
Sources: Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights; the Masam Project for Landmine Clearance; Human Rights Watch; Mwatana for Human Rights.
