The Lasting Danger of Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War in Yemen

Apr 26, 2026, 09:43

Introduction

This report examines the ongoing casualties and the serious challenges caused by landmine contamination in Yemen following the April 2022 ceasefire between the government and Houthi forces.

Main Body

The presence of explosive remnants of war continues to cause significant civilian casualties, especially among children. According to data from Save the Children, at least 843 children have been injured and 339 killed since the 2022 truce, with landmines causing nearly half of all conflict-related child casualties. In the first half of 2025, 107 civilians were affected, including five children who were killed while playing sports in Taiz. These trends are supported by historical data from 2014 to 2022, which shows that 534 children and 177 women were killed across 17 provinces, with Taiz experiencing the highest rates. Individual stories highlight the long-term physical and social impact of these weapons. For example, in August 2023, a 13-year-old girl in Taiz had to have her leg amputated after a landmine exploded, which forced her family to move to Taiz city. Similarly, a 20-year-old man in the Maqbna district suffered a similar amputation in 2018. These cases emphasize the difficulty of getting medical help in rural areas, where traveling to a city hospital can take several hours. International and regional organizations are working to reduce these risks. Project Masam, funded by Saudi Arabia, reported that it had removed 549,452 explosive devices and cleared 7,799 hectares by March 20, 2026. Furthermore, the Danish Refugee Council has cleared over 23,302 square meters of contaminated land. However, completely removing all mines remains a difficult goal because a final peace agreement has not yet been reached. Researcher Adel Dashela asserted that several structural problems are slowing down the de-mining process. He emphasized that mines were placed randomly, access to areas controlled by different armed groups is restricted, and there is a lack of accurate maps. Additionally, there is a shortage of trained local staff and modern detection equipment. As a result, environmental factors, such as the flash floods of August 2025, have made the situation worse by moving explosives into new areas.

Conclusion

Yemen continues to face high levels of landmine contamination. Despite active clearance operations and the 2022 ceasefire, these explosives continue to cause casualties among the civilian population.

Vocabulary Learning

casualties (n.)
victims / people injured or killed in a war or accident傷亡人員
Example:The heavy storm resulted in numerous casualties and widespread damage to the coastal town.
contamination (n.)
pollution / the state of being made impure or unfit for use污染
Example:The contamination of the local water supply has caused many health problems for the residents.
highlight (v.)
underline / to attract attention to or emphasize something important突顯；強調
Example:The report aims to highlight the importance of early childhood education.
restricted (adj.)
limited / kept within certain limits or controlled by rules受限制的；受約束的
Example:Access to the military base is strictly restricted to authorized personnel only.
shortage (n.)
lack / a situation in which there is not enough of something短缺；不足
Example:Many countries are facing a severe shortage of food and clean water due to the drought.

Sentence Learning

These trends are supported by historical data from 2014 to 2022, which shows that 534 children and 177 women were killed across 17 provinces, with Taiz experiencing the highest rates.
Passive Voice & Non-defining Relative Clause: The passive voice 'are supported' shifts focus to the evidence, while 'which' adds supplementary details about the data.被動語態與非限定關係子句: 被動語態「are supported」將重點轉移至證據，而「which」則為數據添加了補充細節。
For example, in August 2023, a 13-year-old girl in Taiz had to have her leg amputated after a landmine exploded, which forced her family to move to Taiz city.
Causative Form & Sentence-Relative Clause: 'Had to have her leg amputated' describes an action performed on someone, and 'which' refers back to the entire preceding event.使役用法與修飾全句的關係子句: 「Had to have her leg amputated」描述了發生在某人身上的動作，而「which」則指代前面提到的整個事件。
These cases emphasize the difficulty of getting medical help in rural areas, where traveling to a city hospital can take several hours.
Relative Adverb 'Where': This structure introduces a relative clause that provides descriptive information about a specific location.關係副詞「Where」: 此結構引導一個關係子句，以為特定地點提供描述性資訊。
However, completely removing all mines remains a difficult goal because a final peace agreement has not yet been reached.
Gerund Phrase & Present Perfect Passive: The gerund 'removing' functions as the subject, while the present perfect passive indicates a state that has not been completed.動名詞短語與現在完成式被動語態: 動名詞「removing」充當主語，而現在完成式被動語態則表示一個尚未完成的狀態。
Despite active clearance operations and the 2022 ceasefire, these explosives continue to cause casualties among the civilian population.
Contrast Linker 'Despite': This preposition links a noun phrase to the main clause to show a contrast between the efforts made and the ongoing danger.對比連接詞「Despite」: 此介詞將名詞短語與主句連接，以顯示已作出的努力與持續存在的危險之間的對比。