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A number of challenges must be overcome before Yemen is free of landmines.

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YEMAC’s goal is to free Yemen from the impact of landmines by the year 2014. Achieving the status of being “impact free” requires that all assets previously blocked by landmines are once again safe for use and that landmines no longer pose a threat to the safety of individuals. Before Yemen accomplishes this goal, a number of challenges must be overcome.

Steep Terrain

Since the majority of areas where casualties occur are located in the mountains, clearance of minefields located on hilltops or other types of steep terrain remains a serious obstacle for de-miners in Yemen. Members of de-mining teams must walk up to two hours every day carrying approximately 25 pounds of de-mining equipment to reach these minefields.

The difficulties teams face in reaching their working area significantly slows down the rate of clearance. As a result, operations in mountainous areas often are slow and dangerous. In 2004, YEMAC de-miners were involved in two accidents, both of which left the de-miners involved severely disabled.

Moving Dunes, Shifting Sand and Lack of Technology

More than 50 percent of the total remaining mine-affected land in Yemen is in deserts. Clearance of desert land is extremely difficult as sands constantly shift. Consequently, with time, the mines sink deeper and deeper into the sands. In some cases, mines have been discovered at depths of up to two meters. Even when the location of a mine is known, excavation is a difficult process.

The process of excavation requires the digging of a pit. The deeper the pit, the more quickly sand fills it, making it extremely difficult to reach the mine. Such situations are also dangerous for the de-miner, as there is a very real chance of the pit caving in.

The process of excavation requires the digging of a pit. The deeper the pit, the more quickly sand fills it, making it extremely difficult to reach the mine. Such situations are also dangerous for the de-miner, as there is a very real chance of the pit caving in. YEMAC has been forced to suspend its operations in two minefields due to the lack of technology for dealing with deep mines. These areas have been permanently marked and will be cleared when the appropriate technology becomes available.

Nuisance Mining

Generally, mines have not been laid in accordance with military doctrines. Various groups have laid mines according to their own security needs without taking into ac-count the consequences for the civilian populations. Vast areas of land are suspected of mine contamination when, in fact, only small portions are affected. The result is that a relatively small number of mines are blocking the use of large amounts of desperately needed land. De-mining such areas and bringing them back under cultivation can make the difference between poverty and self-sufficiency in many communities.

Soil Contamination

The presence of a high level of minerals and a large number of metal fragments and debris in mined areas presents a challenge to survey and clearance operations. This problem makes metal detectors ineffective in certain areas. In the past, it was necessary to treat every piece of metal found as a mine. On average, more than 100 pieces of metal were investigated for every mine found.

Text: Letter from YEMAC's General Director

The goal of this booklet is to demonstrate the impact landmines and other unexploded ordnance have had on Yemen and to explain the work that the Yemen Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC) is undertaking to mitigate these effects. In 1997, YEMAC, with assistance from the Yemeni government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), created a multifaceted program that has since surveyed and cleared more than 721,000 square kilometers of land, educated nearly 800,000 people on the risks of landmines, and established a worldwide network to assist Yemeni victims of landmines, both medically and psychologically.

Our work has not been easy. We have overcome significant financial and geographic obstacles. However, despite our limited resources, YEMAC has made exceptional progress. Our Survey and Clearance Performance is unmatched in the region. We have sent Yemeni Mine Risk Educators to every landmine-affected community. Our Victims Assistance Program was praised by the United Nation in its GICHD (Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining) assessments, and we are now sharing the knowledge we have gained, through training we provide to the staff of other mine action programs, across the globe.

As the YEMAC project manager, I and the Government of Yemen, the National Mine Action Committee, and the Mine Action Staff wish to thank the donor countries, international and local NGOs, and GICHD for all of their assistance. Without their support, we could not have achieved so much.

YEMAC is dedicated to eliminating the threat of landmines in Yemen. To date, we have removed more than 205,328 mines and other explosive remnants of war. Every landmine removed is a potential life saved, and every child who learns about the risks of landmines has the potential to be a saved child and to help to save others. We will work until Yemen is declared free from the impact of landmines, to a considerable extent clearing a path to a better future for Yemen.

Monsur al-Azi
General Director, Mine Action Yemen

Text for "Victim's Assistance":

Landmine Victims Assistance Program

Established in 1999, as a section of the Yemen National Mine Action Program (YNMAP), the Landmine Victims Assistance Program plays a critical role in helping to fulfill YEMAC's purpose. The program involves a five-member medical team, which assists YEMAC by con-ducting interviews of and performing medical examinations upon landmine victims in all areas of Yemen.

The assessment process consists of three stages: medical survey, examination, and support. The goal of the process is to ultimately improve the quality of life of victims by providing medical treatment for the injuries they suffered as a result of landmines.
Medical treatment is a key component in the program’s goal of economic reintegration of victims. While the program has been very successful, both in treating victims and enabling them to reintegrate into their communities, a great deal remains to be accomplished.

Medical Survey Phase

The Landmine Victims Assistance Team travels to affected communities and performs medical assessments of victims. They choose their destinations based on information pro-vided by the Information System for Mine Action, which compiles data on the number of victims present in any given location. The hotel and all costs related to transportation, accommodation and medical examinations are covered by the program.

While medical examinations are conducted, the survivors receive appropriate treatment based on their needs for surgery (eyes, ears, or limbs) and physiotherapy. All the necessary arrangements, such as, appointments with various specialists in the hospital, are made by the Victims' Assistance Teams in advance of the patient's arrival. In cases in which patients require prosthetic devices, Handicap International takes that responsibility and provides the necessary devices. At the end of this process, a list is developed detailing the needs of the various patients for further medical support.

Medical Support Phase

At this stage, victims who have previously been identified as in need of specialized care are seen by specialists who assess individual needs. These might include hearing aids, corrective surgery, ophthalmologic procedures, or other medical equipment or procedures. Meanwhile, the Handicap International Prosthetic Center works in partnership with YEMAC to provide all forms of treatment related to prosthetic devices, including corrective surgery, physical therapy, and many other types of treatment. It is often necessary for recipients of prosthetics to make multiple trips to the center to complete their treatment. Upon completion of the medical support phase, a public ceremony is held, during which patients are presented with wheelchairs, hearing aids, prosthetics, and eyeglasses.

Photograph by Tim Grant.

All of the art drawings on these pages were made by Yemeni children as part of their Mine Risk Education.

YEMAC MRE Facts:

MRE uses pictures to help teach children the dangers of landmines and to asses children's knowledge of mines.

YEMAC has provided MRE to over 700,000 men women and children.

MRE teaches communities about the de-mining process and how to recognize signs indicating mined areas.

Civilian casualties from landmines in Yemen have been reduced by 80 percent due to MRE and de-mining.

As an official spokesperson for YEMAC, Arwa works to raise awareness by sharing her story with others.

Arwa's story in her own words:

“Everything changed for me after the accident. The world turned upside down, and I was forced to learn to live without the use of my legs.

The day was ordinary, just like any other. The sun was shining, and it was unusually warm. I started to herd my animals. I was happy and carefree. My thoughts were filled with my older brother’s upcoming wedding, the beautiful new clothes I would wear and the shoes and purse my family had just bought for me.

I made my way towards a shady spot near a tree in the pasture. Suddenly, my day-dreams were ended by a strong explosion. When I opened my eyes, I found myself about 10 meters from the tree. I looked down and realized my right leg was missing and lots of blood was coming from the place where it had been. My left leg was also injured. It was hanging unnaturally.

I tried to move, but I could not. The blood scared me. I wanted my mother and started to shout, “Mama, where are you? Help me, I'm dying!”

A crowd of people surrounded me. One of them stopped the bleeding from my right leg with a rope, but my left leg was left to continue to hang in the same unnatural way.
My mother came. She was clearly very frightened. I was driven to the hospital. The doctors and nurses at the hospital took good care of me. I had an operation there; and, when it was over, I realized that I had lost both of my legs. It was so hard for me to believe. I was afraid to touch or even to look at the empty places where my legs had been.

Thanks to the care and attention of the people around me, my situation has improved greatly. At first it was very hard for me to accept what had happened, but the help that YEMAC gave me has allowed me to see a future beyond my injury. Now I am entirely recovered. Every day, I pray for an end to landmines, not only in my country, but in the whole world.”

* Pictured above is Arwa, giving a speech about YEMAC ‘s Victims’ Assistance Program at the at the National Mine Action conference in Sana’a, Yemen .

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Jalal's story in his words:

"After the cactus season...my parents by gifts for everyone...I had been promised a new organge bicycle."

It was a May day, the flowers had just started to blossom, and all of the mountains were green. The cactuses were ripe, and my father took us to the place where they were the best quality. I was helping my mother and father to pick the cactus fruits. We sold what we picked in the city, and my family earned a good living from this. Every year, after the cactus season finishes, my parents buy gifts for everyone.

That year, I had been promised a new orange bicycle. With my new bicycle, I planned to ride to Damt, and my older brother told me that if I was good, I could even ride to Guban.

I wish we had not gone out that day.

I remember the cactuses were hanging over a large rock. They moved as though they were waving at me with their big orange blossoms. Suddenly, a large explosion threw me. I heard my father shout, “Oh…what happened?” I felt dizzy and could only wonder about what had thrown me into the middle of the cactuses and who would take me out of them. There was so much blood!

Many people gathered around, but they were afraid to come to help me. The last thing I remember of that terrible day is my father and brother coming towards me, cutting the cactus, trying to reach me. I don’t know what happened after that.

When I understood that I had lost my left leg up to the knee, I lost my will to live. I didn’t want to speak to the people of my village. My thoughts of a new orange bicycle were gone, and I couldn’t bear to see the orange fruits of the cactuses. I could not sleep. My dreams were filled with the shouts of my father and the crying of my mother.

Now, as time passes, I have gotten used to moving without my leg. I have even been told that soon I may be able to ride the new orange bicycle that I used to dream of. “

* Since this interview, Jalal has continued to receive support from YEMAC. He has undergone surgery as well as rehabilitation. During his most recent medical treatment, he was fitted with a prosthesis.