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The continued use of landmine claims Yemeni lives and undermines their livelihoods
Mwatana for Human Rights stated in a statement today, on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness observed every year on 4 April, that landmines of various types constitute a lethal and long‑lasting threat to civilians in Yemen. Since the outbreak of the ongoing armed conflict in September 2014, these weapons have continued to claim civilian lives, cause severe bodily injuries and produce permanent disabilities, while the conflict persists and the territory contaminated by mines expands.
Mwatana noted that the widespread emplacement of mines in residential areas, public roads, farms, grazing lands, near water sources and fishing areas has exacerbated civilian suffering, restricted freedom of movement and the ability to work or return safely to homes, undermined livelihoods and deepened humanitarian vulnerability across many Yemeni governorates.
This day, Mwatana Added, is not merely an annual reminder of the risks posed by laying and using mines in armed conflict; it is an important opportunity to call on the parties to the conflict in Yemen — foremost among them Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) — to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities to protect civilians. Those responsibilities include immediately ceasing the emplacement of mines, handing over maps and information about contaminated areas, clearing contaminated sites, and providing necessary support to victims and survivors and their families, including medical care, physical and psychological rehabilitation, social inclusion and measures that enable them to restore their lives and livelihoods with dignity.
Mwatana documented at least 701 mine incidents committed by various parties to the conflict, attributing approximately 95.5% of the total documented incidents to Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) — 671 incidents recorded from the outbreak of the armed conflict in late September 2014 through February 2026. Other parties to the conflict and extremist groups together account for roughly 4.5% of documented incidents, equal to 30 cases: extremist groups in Yemen are responsible for 13 incidents; internationally recognized government forces for 9 incidents; the Saudi/UAE‑led coalition forces for 3 incidents; the UAE‑backed Southern Transitional Council forces for 3 incidents; and the Joint Forces in the western coast for 2 incidents.
Mwatana said that 54 of the 701 documented mine incidents occurred between January 2025 and February 2026; Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) is responsible for 52 of those, while extremist groups are responsible for two.
The mine incidents documented by Mwatana resulted in 1,416 victims, including 495 fatalities — among them 212 children and 38 women — and 921 wounded, including 417 children and 105 women. These victims are spread across several governorates under the control of different parties to the conflict. Mwatana stressed that the real number of mine victims is much higher than these figures; the statistics reflect only those incidents the organization’s field teams were able to document using a precise monitoring methodology and do not necessarily capture all mine‑related violations during the statement period.
According to Mwatana’s documentation, these incidents took place while civilians were moving on public roads, working in farms, herding livestock, collecting firewood, fishing along the coast, or when displaced families were returning to their home communities after periods of displacement. Mines were often laid indiscriminately and most contaminated sites lacked warning signs or markings.
Radhya Al‑Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, said: “The spread of mines and their ongoing threat to civilians’ lives and livelihoods represent one of the painful dimensions of the ongoing conflict in Yemen. They reflect the warring parties’ disregard for civilian life and safety and their failure to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law and to protect civilians.” She added: “The danger of mines is not limited to the immediate harm they inflict on civilians, severe as that is; their consequences extend to the basic means of life and sources of livelihood on which civilians depend.”
Al‑Mutawakel continued: “The parties responsible for laying and spreading mines — foremost among them Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) — must put an end to this crime and fulfill their legal and moral duties to clear contaminated areas and support demining efforts carried out by international humanitarian actors. They should enable that work by identifying contaminated sites, handing over maps of minefields, and facilitating safe and rapid access to those areas.”
Mwatana explained that the humanitarian consequences of mine contamination go beyond direct loss of life and physical injury; they include deep social and economic repercussions for victims, their families and affected local communities. Many survivors suffer permanent disabilities that deprive them of the ability to work and shoulder the burdens of life, while families face additional care and treatment costs in the context of limited health services and rehabilitation capacity in Yemen. These conditions exacerbate humanitarian vulnerability and deepen cycles of poverty and suffering.
Documented examples of mine violations
- On Thursday, 26 March 2020, at approximately 08:00, in the village of Al‑Ma’arif, Al‑Durayhimi district, Hodeidah governorate, a mine explosion from remnants of Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) killed two brothers (ages 9 and 10) while they were fetching water from a nearby well.
The victims’ father told Mwatana: “My sons went to fetch water; each rode a donkey. The family was waiting for them to return with water so we could go to a wedding at my brother’s house, which was celebrating the marriages of two of his sons. Shortly after they left home, we heard an explosion.”
He added: “Moments later neighbors came to my house and told me what had happened. I went straight to the explosion site and found only the dead donkeys; my sons had been taken to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital I saw my two sons, their bodies torn apart — they had died. This turned our lives into tragedy and turned the wedding into a disaster.”
- On Tuesday, 18 June 2024, at approximately 08:30, in the village of Al‑Joul, Ahwar district, Abyan governorate, a mine explosion laid by Al‑Qaeda killed a child (14 years old), and injured his brother (9) while they were herding sheep. One of the boys stepped on a mine, which detonated and reduced him to pieces; his brother suffered shrapnel wounds to both thighs, resulting in a permanent disability.
The victims’ mother told Mwatana: “I am still in shock over what happened to my sons. I saw one of my children as scattered body parts. This is because of the mines planted by Al‑Qaeda elements that operate in the nearby mountains; they plant mines to hinder movement by military forces pursuing them.”
- On Monday, 4 November 2019, at approximately 15:00, in the village of Al‑Qaflah, Bilad Al‑Youbi sub‑district, Qa’atabah district, Ad Dali’ governorate, a mine explosion from remnants of Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) injured five women, including a girl, while they were traveling for a family visit via a side road.
- On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, at approximately 16:00, in the village of Khabzan, Al‑Qarah area, Al‑Maslub district, Al‑Jawf governorate, a mine explosion from remnants of Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) killed a woman who stepped on a mine while going to a farm to fetch fodder for sheep; the explosion reduced her to pieces and she died instantly.
The use of mines, particularly anti‑personnel mines, is a military practice that causes devastating and long‑term humanitarian consequences for civilians. The international community has acted to prohibit them through the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti‑Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention), to which Yemen is a party. The Convention absolutely prohibits the use, production, transfer or stockpiling of these types of mines, and obliges States Parties to take effective measures to clear mined areas, destroy stockpiles, and provide assistance and care to victims and survivors. Mines of all types are also indiscriminate weapons that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants and are therefore prohibited under international humanitarian law. Article 7 of Protocol II (as amended) to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons addresses the prohibition of mines and other explosive devices. Yemeni Law No. 25 of 2005 also prohibits the production, possession, use, transfer and trade of anti‑personnel mines without exception.
In November 2024 Mwatana published the report “Fields of Death,” which highlighted the consequences of landmine use in the current Yemeni conflict, both the direct and indirect effects on civilians’ lives and futures across multiple contaminated areas and governorates. The report described mines as a form of violation whose effects persist long after military operations end — potentially for decades — and documented the alarming spread of mines and the types of locations in which they were emplaced. The report called for addressing this violation at a time when the danger and number of victims grow as military activity subsides and many residents return to areas from which they were displaced.
Mwatana called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen, particularly Ansar Allah Group (Houthis), to comply with international humanitarian law, including the Ottawa Convention; to immediately cease the emplacement and use of mines; to mark mined areas with clear warning signs to reduce civilian harm; to cooperate in clearing contaminated areas; and to facilitate demining operations by national and international actors by handing over maps of mine distribution and allowing entry for experts and technical and protective equipment for demining teams. The organization also urged that effective measures be taken to redress the harm suffered by victims and their families, including the provision of adequate compensation and support for health, psychosocial and community‑based rehabilitation programs.
Mwatana appealed to the international community to support monitoring and reporting programs on mine incidents, fund victim rehabilitation and reintegration programs, mine‑clearance operations, and mine‑risk education to reduce the dangers in contaminated areas. Mwatana renew its call to support peace efforts in Yemen and to place human rights issues, including accountability and reparation, among the priorities of any future peace plans and programs
