JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Masam project has cleared 600,000 landmines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices across Yemen since beginning operations in June 2018.

The figure, recorded as of Oct. 30, marks more than eight years of clearance work in a country where explosive remnants of war continue to threaten civilians and restrict access to homes, farmland, roads and essential infrastructure.

Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s managing director, described the milestone as an exceptional achievement, reflecting years of challenging field operations and the dedication of its engineering teams.

“The true value of this achievement lies in the lives saved, the dangers eliminated and the areas that have regained a measure of safety,” he said.

Special task and rapid-response teams remain on standby to handle emergencies within their areas of operation in Yemen’s liberated territories, Al-Gosaibi added.

The operations covered Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada. The explosives were planted indiscriminately, threatening civilians, particularly children, women and the elderly.

Teams have cleared explosive devices from farmland, residential areas, roads, grazing land and sites near vital infrastructure, helping communities safely access places essential to their daily lives and livelihoods.

The devices include anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices found across varied terrain, often without accurate minefield maps or reliable location data.

“Our experts continuously review and update operational plans to prepare our teams for evolving explosive threats,” Al-Gosaibi said.

Operations have continued despite difficult terrain, changing security conditions and the technical challenges posed by different explosives. The project also trains local demining engineers, equips them with modern tools and supports Yemenis injured by explosive devices.

Al-Gosaibi said the achievement had come at a human cost, with project personnel killed or injured while clearing explosives to protect Yemeni civilians.

He reaffirmed the project’s commitment to its humanitarian mission, describing the milestone as motivation to continue its work.

Despite the progress, continued contamination, renewed fighting and reports of fresh mine-laying underscore the scale of the task ahead.

The project will continue clearance and emergency-response operations wherever conditions allow, aiming to reduce explosive threats and restore safe access to affected communities, the official said.

Since its launch, the project has cleared 430,060 items of unexploded ordnance, 153,384 anti-tank mines, 7,842 anti-personnel mines and 8,714 improvised explosive devices. Its teams have also cleared about 867 million sq. meters of land.

Through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, Saudi Arabia continues to support mine clearance in Yemen, protecting civilians and helping communities live in safety and dignity.

Recently, Yemeni President Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, praised Masam’s demining operations and humanitarian role in protecting civilians, saving lives and restoring safe access to land and livelihoods in affected areas.

Al-Alimi made the remarks during a visit to KSrelief headquarters in Riyadh, where he was briefed on its major humanitarian, relief and development projects in Yemen and other countries.

He expressed hope that the project would continue and expand its humanitarian work, stressing that mine clearance was a long-term investment in the lives of Yemenis. He said it directly helped protect lives, make land safer and reduce risks to affected communities.