The Executive Center for Mine Action stated that the number of mines’ victims, cluster bombs and remnants of war reached 46 during the month of October, including 18 killed and 28 injured.
In a statement, a copy of which was received by Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that since the beginning of 2022 AD, it has recorded (643) civilian casualties, including (219) killed and (424) injured as a result of mines, cluster bombs and remnants of war, indicating that the statistic included child victims, who numbered 197, including 43 martyrs, most of them in Hodeida.
The center pointed out that mines, cluster bombs and remnants of war continue to claim civilians’ lives in Yemen, children and women, and hinder citizens in many provinces and areas contaminated with these remnants.
The statement stated that in the face of these large numbers of victims and the tragedy caused by war remnants on civilians in Yemen, the Executive Center, during the past years, especially during the period of the armistice, and through various channels of communication, all UN and international organizations, continued to provide mine detection devices to be able to perform its duty as required, to reduce the number of civilian victims who fall daily in the provinces and areas affected by these remnants and carrying out purification work in a manner that covers all provinces, but to no avail. The center stressed that has not received any response from the United Nations Development Program to date.
The Center considered the continued denial of entry to these devices obstructing humanitarian work in Yemen, deliberately harming the largest number of Yemenis, and ignoring the remedial measures required to be taken, whether for the phase of conflict or beyond, as stipulated in the Fifth Protocol annexed to the “Ottawa” Convention.
The Center considered the continued denial of entry to these devices obstructing humanitarian work in Yemen, deliberately harming the largest number of Yemenis, and ignoring the remedial measures required to be taken, whether for the phase of conflict or beyond, as stipulated in the Fifth Protocol annexed to the “Ottawa” Treaty.
The statement stressed that the Saudi-led coalition did not take the simplest necessary measures, but rather resorted to excessive bombardment using cluster bombs, rockets and various missiles on populated areas, which are documented crimes against civilians, regardless of international conventions and treaties related to the use of weapons.
The center pointed out that the Saudi coalition exposes the lives of thousands of children and women to death and injuries due to preventing the entry of mine detectors, which contribute to saving civilians and clearing their areas contaminated with the remnants of war.
The Executive Center renewed the call for the Office of the United Nations Envoy to Yemen, the Head of the Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement, General Michael Perry, the Humanitarian Coordinator, David Grisley, and representatives and heads of humanitarian missions in Yemen related to mines and others, to play an effective and urgent role by putting pressure on the coalition to allow the entry of the mine-detection devices that were prevented from entering Yemen.
The Executive Center stated that Security Council Resolution No. (2643) specified the mission of Hodeida Agreement mission “Onema” to supervise the redeployment and remove mines, cluster bombs and remnants of war within the Hodeidah province and obligated the head of the Hodeidah mission to submit a monthly report to the Security Council explaining the progress made in the agreement and the obstructing party The mission’s performance or any obstacles that cause the decision not to be implemented, including removing mines and remnants of war, but the mission did not issue a statement explaining that the coalition of prevents the entry of mine detectors.
The center indicated that providing these devices and equipment is one of the mission’s tasks, which the resolution identified as the least work it can do in front of the large numbers of victims in Hodeidah, stressing that providing these devices is a humanitarian work and contributes to saving and alleviating the suffering of thousands of civilians in the province.
