Al-Baziji calls Huthis to stop killing

Yemeni government forces continue to destroy the remnants of Houthis, from mines that are planted randomly, in areas that have witnessed battles in the past and controlled by Yemeni army forces. The military engineering units of the fourth military zone, which leads the army in Lahj, Aden, Taiz and Abyan, destroyed quantities of mines and explosives in Al Alam area of Aden governorate, in conjunction with the executive center for mine action.

In an exclusive interview with Arabs Today, the executive director of Yemeni Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations, Mutahar Al-Baziji, revealed that the coalition monitored and documented 2258 cases of human and material damage left by mines planted by Houthi forces since the beginning of the three-year war. The losses varied between killing, wounding, bombing public institutions.

He explained that the mines planted by  Houthis in the cities, houses, streets, roads, schools, facilities and public squares that have been invaded by the Houthis group since they took over the cities with the force of arms caused great damage and casualties. "The mines' danger is still existing because there are no maps that help to remove it completely," he said.

Al-Baziji pointed out that the number of people killed was among the Yemeni governorates of Taiz, Marib, Al-Bayda, Lahj, Aden, Ibb, Sana'a, Abyan, Jouf, Dali`, Amran, Shabwa, Sa'ada, Hajjah and Dhamar. He indicated that the number of civilians killed exceeds the number of military deaths, indicating that the threat posed by landmines primarily threatens civilians. He documented 615 cases of mine-related deaths in the said governorates, including 101 killings of Yemeni children under the age of 16, while the civilian death toll was 533, compared with 82 in the military.

He pointed out that they documented 924 cases of mine explosion, including 160 cases of children, 36 cases suffered by women, while the number of wounded civilians reached to 682 people.

He called on the Houthi forces to quickly hand over the maps of the mines they had planted so far, and to refrain from planting internationally banned mines to avoid further civilian casualties, where measures will be taken by the concerned authorities to remove them and warn the residents of these areas until they are assured of demining and securing them.

Al-Baziji  also called Yemeni government to intensify the efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of mines and the survey of liberated areas, and to identify the places of cultivation of mines, and not allow civilians to enter until the completion of clearance, and ensure that they are free of any mines.