By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-03-22

ADEN -- The number of civilians injured or killed by mines planted by the Houthis on land and sea continues to increase, experts say, with children and fishermen often among the victims.

A child was killed March 6, along with three adults, when a landmine planted by the Houthis exploded in Ad Durayhimi district of southern al-Hodeidah province, local media reported.

Two children were killed in the al-Awsha area of Shabwa province's Nisab district on March 4, when an improvised explosive device (IED) the Houthis had planted years ago exploded.

The United Nations Mission to Support the al-Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) recorded three incidents related to landmines and explosive remnants of war in al-Hodeidah in February, with one child injured and two killed.

One boy was injured in January in the province's Hays district, it said.

"The Iran-backed Houthis planted mines in every area they entered, especially in areas from which they withdrew, with the aim of killing innocent civilians," Abaad Center for Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

After the Houthis seized control of parts of the Tihama region, a coastal plain, around al-Hodeidah, they planted mines "on farms and even in homes," he said.

Mohammed noted that the Houthis' planting of mines in Shabwa was a prelude to their advance into the eastern oil-producing regions.

"Upon entering Shabwa, they attempted to plant mines as much as they could in order to maintain their control, regardless of the risk these mines pose to children and civilians," he said.

Civilian casualties

"Houthi mines will continue to threaten the lives of Yemenis, both now and for decades to come," said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the human rights office in Sanaa.

Civilians are regularly "killed, injured and disabled by mines, booby traps, ammunition, explosive devices and deadly shells," he told Al-Fassel.

Children are often among the casualties, he said.

One of the group's most heinous crimes "is the planting of mines on farms and public roads," he said, which has had a devastating impact on daily life in rural areas as transportation and tending crops becomes a dangerous activity.

"The threat does not stop on land, but extends to the sea, threatening the lives and livelihoods of Yemeni fishermen," he added, noting that the Red Sea has become dangerous due to the threat of naval mines and the Houthis' attacks.

The Houthis are using methods they learned "from experts from Iran and Lebanese Hizbullah to kill Yemenis and target engineering teams working to clear mines," al-Zubairi said.

"The mine-caused tragedies are repeated every day and are crimes punishable under international law and international agreements such as the Ottawa Convention (Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty)."