UN calls on parties in Yemen to take ‘urgent demining action’

By Hamdi Yildiz

YEMEN (AA) – The United Nations urged parties in Yemen on Wednesday to take “urgent demining action” following the deaths of a man and two children due to an exploding mine.

“Children are once again victims of a mine incident in the #Hudaydah Governorate that killed two boys and one man in an explosion while traveling on a motorcycle in Ad Durayhimi district,” said the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) on Twitter.

“UNMHA appeals to the parties to continue to take urgent demining action to protect Al Hudaydah’s population and future generations against the recurring and devastating impact of #mines,” it added.

Yemeni security forces on Tuesday accused Houthi rebels of planting the mine that killed the three people.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation and caused one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% of the country’s population or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.