RIYADH — The delegation of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) visited on Saturday Masam teams working in the liberated areas of Hodeidah governorate. The international delegation is comprised of expert Leon Visagi Lou, assistant Iveta Havaikova, and political affairs coordinator Muhammad Ismail Khan. The delegation visited the working areas of Masam teams 25 and 27 and was briefed on the nature of the region, and the density and types of the mines that were planted there. The delegation members listened to an explanation, by Masam officials, about the number of the victims of mines in the region, especially the victims of the internationally banned anti-personnel mines which were manufactured by the Houthi militia. The delegation was also briefed on the role of Masam teams with regard to the process of clearing the area, and listened to an explanation about the explosion of one of the anti-personnel mines, which led to the amputation of both feet of deminer Fadl Al-Falawi; a member of team 25. For their part, the project officials gave a presentation on the difficulties that the teams face in the area due to sand dunes and the movement of mines from one place to another as a result of the torrential rains in the area. During the tour, the UN delegation viewed a model of locally manufactured mines removed from the field, and listened to a detailed explanation about their mechanism of action and the methods used by the terrorist militia in planting mines. Afterwards, the delegation members moved to Al-Humayniyyah, where Masam team 26 was working, and watched the school which was destroyed by the Houthi militia, as well as the water project in the area. Then, the team went to Sha'b Bani Zuhair, where the medical center, which Masam teams cleared of explosive devices, is located. Work has begun in this center after the completion of landmine clearance and restoration. The tour of the UN delegation included a visit to the main water tank of Hays district, which was destroyed by the terrorist Houthi militia, and they listened to an explanation about the work done by Masam teams to remove the mines around it. The Masam Project is a humanitarian landmine clearance project in Yemen, launched by Saudi Arabia in June 2018. The project, carried out by Saudi staff and international experts through Yemeni teams, focuses on dismantling all forms and manifestations of mines to clear Yemeni lands from the dangers they pose. It also includes training and capacity-building activities for Yemenis involved in mine clearance. The project has cleared more than 400,000 mines and various projectiles.
