By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-07-31

ADEN -- The Houthis are using mines as a tool of terror, planting them in residential and agricultural areas to intimidate local residents and prolong the conflict, Yemen-based experts said.

Five children between the ages of 12 and 14 were killed when a warhead they were playing with exploded in at-Taiziyah district's al-Muhashamah area, north of Taez city, the Yemeni Observatory For Landmine Removal reported July 13.

Between January 2017 and January 2025, mines planted by the Houthis caused 2,316 deaths and 4,115 injuries, per the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms.

Of this number, 387 children and 412 women were killed, and 738 children and 677 women were injured. Among the survivors, 918 suffer permanent disabilities, with 413 undergoing amputations and two cases of total blindness.

Mine clearance initiatives such as the Masam project and the National Mine Action Program have cleared hundreds of thousands of mines and war remnants.

The Houthis have planted more than one million mines in homes, schools, farms and along roads, political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

The group has used mines indiscriminately, he said, sometimes even camouflaged as children's toys or household items.

He noted that "this not only sows terror among civilians, but also serves as a strategic weapon to prolong the war, as they are planted in liberated areas to hinder the return of residents and prevent the advance of legitimate forces."

"Mines prevent food and medical aid from reaching besieged communities," he said. "They also obstruct the work of medical and relief teams, exposing them to daily dangers."

'Composite war crime'

The Houthis' modification of anti-tank mines for use as anti-personnel mines "constitutes a composite war crime and confirms their deliberate intent to inflict the greatest possible harm on civilians," he said.

"These practices demonstrate that the group does not recognize any red lines."

The Houthis planted mines before withdrawing their forces from certain areas, said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the human rights office in Sanaa.

They did this "to sow fear, restrict the movement of residents, hinder the return of displaced persons, and thwart any efforts for peace," he told Al-Fassel.

Planting mines in civilian areas, including humanitarian corridors, violates the Ottawa Convention and Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

Mines present an obstacle to reconstruction and the return to normal life.

They are used to prevent the opening of roads, advance of government forces and to control strategic corridors, complicating international efforts to deliver humanitarian aid or reach sustainable peaceful solutions.