Over 329,000 land mines in Yemen have been cleared by the Saudi Arabia-based King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) since the project first launched in 2018, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
Project Masan has reportedly saved “hundreds of thousands of people” in Yemen by removing mines that were placed in residential areas, roads, schools, and farms, SPA reported.
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Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis are reportedly behind the use of the contraption.Anti-personnel land mines are prohibited under the UN-backed Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (or Mine Ban Convention), adopted in 1997 by over 150 countries.
At least 450 experts, part of 32 teams, are said to be behind the mine removal program with KSrelief.
The humanitarian body has extended the project for a fourth consecutive year to “enhance security across all the country,” SPA reported.
So far, KSrelief has spent over $4 billion on aid to Yemen, of which $1.3 billion has gone towards food security, according to data shared on the organization’s website.
Over 61,000 child soldiers are benefiting from the ‘Child Soldiers Rehabilitation’ program, while over 26,000 are being supported by the ‘Artificial Limbs Program’ as of April 6, 2022.
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