Mine Action Center Warns of Explosive Remnants of War Carried by Floods

The Executive Mine Action Center has renewed its warning to residents of Sana’a Governorate and other provinces about the dangers of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the war being carried by floods during the current rainy season.

In a statement issued following the unfortunate incident where 30 students were injured in an explosion caused by a piece of ordnance brought by a student to the Martyr Ali Saad Al-Qulaisi School in the village of Al-Qulayis in Bani Matar District, Sana’a Governorate, the center highlighted the dangers.

The statement mentioned that Bani Matar District, like many other areas and governorates in Yemen, has been subjected to numerous airstrikes during the years of aggression, many of which used cluster bombs. It added that due to the extensive contamination, these bombs have resurfaced because of the rains and floods, which have carried them to areas previously deemed safe by non-technical surveys but are now considered dangerous due to the war remnants.

The Executive Mine Action Center reiterated its call to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Julien Harneis, to resume funding for the removal of hazardous remnants for humanitarian purposes, which has been halted since June 2023, despite repeated communications and follow-ups from the center. This call is particularly urgent given the increasing number of landmine and cluster bomb victims and the complete lack of response to the effects of floods in Hodeidah and other areas.

Various regions across Yemen’s governorates have been subjected to bombardment by the US-Saudi aggression using cluster bombs. Many of these internationally prohibited munitions still pose threats, scattered among farms and roads, leading to dozens of victims.

The toll of cluster bomb victims has exceeded 25,000 civilians since the onset of the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen. Landmines and remnants left by aggressive forces during their occupation continue to endanger residents, particularly in farming areas and along roads.