ISLAMABAD: Landmines in Yemen have killed 4,501 people and injured 5,083 others between 2014 and 2025, bringing the total number of casualties to 9,584, according to statistics released by Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights.
The figures come amid warnings of growing humanitarian and security risks following the recent escalation by Houthi militias in Yemen. Thousands of children and women are among the victims of landmines in conflict-affected areas.
According to the ministry’s data, 979 children have been killed and 1,213 others injured by landmines. The number of women killed stands at 338, while 381 women have been injured, reflecting the scale of danger faced by civilians.
The Masam Project for landmine clearance in Yemen said recent video footage documented the discovery of landmines and camouflaged improvised explosive devices in Taiz Governorate and areas along Yemen’s western coast. The project removes and dismantles landmines planted by Houthi militias.
In footage published on October 10, Masam said fields of anti-vehicle mines and improvised explosive devices were found in areas along Yemen’s western coast recently retaken from Houthi control. The devices had been camouflaged as natural rocks, making them difficult to detect.
According to the project, the footage showed four improvised explosive devices designed to resemble ordinary rocks. Such devices pose grave risks to civilians, particularly farmers, herders, children and displaced families returning to their homes.
Masam said these were smart mines activated by thermal cameras installed like tiny eyes inside holes in the rocks. The devices detonate when a human or animal approaches them.
The discoveries have raised concerns about renewed landmine contamination in areas where some clearance operations had previously taken place. They also threaten to obstruct the return of residents and the resumption of agricultural and livelihood activities.
Masam’s teams announced that they had removed 596,036 explosive items between July 2018 and October 2026. These included 153,174 anti-vehicle mines, 7,759 anti-personnel mines, 8,689 improvised explosive devices and 426,414 unexploded mines.
According to cumulative statistics published through May 2026, Aden Governorate recorded the removal of 135,583 explosive items, followed by Taiz with 130,364 and Marib with 124,698.
The figures reflect extensive contamination caused by landmines and remnants of war, but do not necessarily mean that all the explosive items were planted during the latest military escalation.
Behind the numbers are thousands of human stories, including families that have lost breadwinners, children left with permanent disabilities, farmers denied access to their land and families still unable to return safely to their homes.
In rural areas, agricultural roads and the surroundings of homes can become constant sources of danger because of hidden landmines and explosive devices. As a result, the impact of these acts continues even after military operations subside.
Human Rights Watch has previously documented the use of anti-personnel mines by Houthi militias in several Yemeni governorates, including Taiz, along with civilian casualties and damage to residents’ livelihoods. Such acts constitute violations of international humanitarian law and humanity.
The repercussions of Yemen’s landmine crisis are not confined to the country’s domestic humanitarian situation. They also extend to regional stability and the security of international navigation, given Yemen’s position overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with global trade routes.
Continued instability in the region remains a concern for countries dependent on maritime trade. The situation calls for regional and international attention to the landmine issue and opens space for humanitarian and technical cooperation in clearance operations, training of specialist teams and assistance to victims, provided appropriate frameworks and agreements are in place.
Field and human rights reports have underscored the urgent need to expand landmine clearance operations, strengthen assistance to victims and conduct independent investigations into responsibility for planting landmines and improvised explosive devices in civilian areas.
They have also highlighted the importance of supporting humanitarian efforts to rehabilitate affected areas, enable displaced people to return safely and protect children, farmers and local residents from the continuing dangers of remnants of war.
Recent developments in Taiz Governorate and along the western coast show that the threat of landmines does not end when fighting stops, but may persist for years, making civilian protection and explosive clearance urgent humanitarian priorities in Yemen.
Sources: Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights, the Masam Project for Landmine Clearance, Human Rights Watch and Mwatana for Human Rights.
