Hidden Explosives Endanger Displaced Civilians as Yemen Conflict Intensifies, HALO Warns

Explosive devices concealed beneath soil, hidden inside roadside bags, or disguised as everyday objects such as rocks, bricks, and thermos flasks pose an escalating threat to civilians fleeing intensifying combat in Yemen, the HALO Trust warned on Monday.

Shifting front lines are forcing families onto unfamiliar routes, while reports of fresh minelaying and unexploded ordnance along key roads jeopardize civilian movement and humanitarian access, the mine clearance organization stated.

More than 281,000 Yemenis have been displaced since August, according to United Nations figures. Over half are sheltering in the government-held enclave of Taiz, where heavy fighting has severed major roads, disrupted food and medical supply chains, and cut off critical water infrastructure.

“With front lines shifting and civilians fleeing their homes for unfamiliar areas, the risk of encountering hidden explosives is growing by the day,” said Andrew Moore, HALO’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Survey and mine clearance are critical and must keep pace with the changing conflict to help protect lives.”

Nearly two-thirds of reported minelaying incidents are concentrated in Taiz, HALO reported. Anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines have been documented along vital community access routes in Jabal Habashi, while reports from Al-Turbah describe a mixture of explosive devices, including disguised bombs. Approximately 30 HALO staff members are among the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the Taiz area as Houthi forces tighten their siege, the organization noted. Elsewhere, more than 42,000 people have fled fighting across southern and western Yemen.

Reports of newly laid mines along coastal transport routes near Bab Al-Mandab and on the west coast have raised further concerns regarding civilian safety and aid deliveries. Migrants transiting through Yemen also face acute risks. More than 134,000 people from the Horn of Africa arrived in September, many seeking to reach Gulf countries, potentially traversing unfamiliar routes contaminated with explosives.

Since 2020, HALO has destroyed more than 7,700 explosive items in Yemen and cleared 2 million square meters of land.

Separately, Saudi Arabia’s Masam mine clearance project announced on Monday that it had removed 600,000 landmines, unexploded munitions, and improvised explosive devices across Yemen since operations began in June 2018. The total, recorded as of October 30, reflects more than eight years of work to remove explosives that threaten civilians and restrict access to homes, farmland, roads, and essential infrastructure. Masam’s operations have covered 11 governorates: Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale, and Saada. Teams have cleared explosives from residential areas, farmland, roads, grazing land, and sites near vital infrastructure.

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