Contamination and Impact

The Republic of Yemen is contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) from a series of conflicts (1962–1969, 1970–1983, and in 1994), but escalating instability and conflict in the last two years has added significant new ERW contamination.

Mines

Mines were laid in border areas between North and South Yemen before they unified in 1990, again in the 1994 internal conflict,[1] and most recently in the political turmoil and tribal conflicts of the last two years.[2]

Yemen’s Article 5 deadline Extension Request in 2008 reported that it had 457 mined areas to be “addressed,” covering a total of 213km².[3] Its latest Article 7 report stated that 20 of Yemen’s 21 governorates had suspected contamination affecting 757 communities and covered a total area of 1,157.55km².[4] Yemen Mine Action Center (YEMAC), however, has reported there are 1,328 mined areas covering 1,064 km².[5]

The Article 5 deadline extension request noted that a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) completed in July 2000 identified mine and ERW suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) covering an estimated 922km² and affecting 592 mine villages across 18 of Yemen’s 21 governorates. Subsequent demining identified a further 10 mined areas estimated to cover a total of some 605,000m², bringing the estimate of total contamination to 923km². The extension request reported that 710km² of affected land had been released, leaving 457 areas covering 213km² still to be released.[6]

However, new contamination, some of it on previously cleared land, resulted from the 2010 insurgency in northern Sa’ada governorate led by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the 2011 insurgency around southern Abyan by militants identified as belonging to Ansar al-Sharia which is linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as well as conflict in Amran and Hajjah.[7] YEMAC said non-technical survey (NTS) conducted in 2012 in two districts of Abyan, Zinjibar and Khanfar had increased estimates of their contamination from 35.48km² to 126.8km².[8]

A media report in 2013 alleged that two of the government’s Republican Guard units had emplaced around 8,000 mines in the mountainous Bani Jormooz area north of the capital, Sanaa, in 2011. The report said local inhabitants had collected four types of antipersonnel mines.[9]

Cluster munition remnants

Yemen is affected by cluster munition remnants but the extent of contamination is not known. YEMAC has confirmed the presence, but not the origin, of cluster munition remnants in four districts on the border between Sa’ada governorate and Saudi Arabia.[10] These consisted mainly of BLU-97s, dual purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICMs), and BLU-61s.[11]

Amnesty International reported the presence of unexploded BLU-97 submunitions in June 2010, which it alleged originated from a United States (US) cruise missile attack on 17 December 2009 on the community of al-Ma’jalah in the Abyan area in south Yemen.[12] YEMAC said it has not been able to access the area to confirm the presence of submunitions.[13]

Other explosive remnants of war

Contamination identified by the LIS (see above) included unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as mines, but the full extent of UXO contamination following recent conflict is not known. An August 2012 funding appeal by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the presence in Abyan of “new threats from unexploded ordnance, mines and the new and more unpredictable security environment.”[14] In addition to reports of booby-traps and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) around Abyan and its main town, Zinjibar, recaptured by government forces in June 2012, media photos also suggested the presence of artillery shells among other items of UXO.[15]

Mine action program

Key institutions and operators

Yemen established a National Mine Action Committee (NMAC) in June 1998 by prime ministerial decree to formulate policy, allocate resources, and develop a national mine action strategy.[16] NMAC, chaired by the Minister of State (a member of the cabinet), brings together representatives of seven concerned ministries.

YEMAC was established in Sana’a in January 1999 as NMAC’s implementing body with responsibility for coordinating all mine action in the country.[17] It is supported by a Regional Executive Mine Action Branch (REMAB) and a National Training Center in Aden, also set up in 1999, and another REMAB in al-Mukalla (Hadramout governorate) that was added in March 2004. REMABs are responsible for field implementation of the national mine action plan.

YEMAC operated in 2012 with six demining units, one small unit or platoon, 12 survey teams, eight BAC/EOD (battle area clearance/explosive ordnance disposal teams, and 12 mine detection dog teams of which three were operational.[18] Yemen’s Article 7 report stated that it had 777 trained deminers and five quality insurance teams.[19]

UNDP started a program of support to YEMAC in 1999 but provided no international technical advisor between 2005 and 2013. Phase III of the program was due to end in 2009, but was extended as a result of political turmoil and conflict in 2010−2012. In March 2013, UNDP embarked on a new US$10.1 million four-year program of support, returning to a ‘direct implementation methodology’ and providing an international technical advisor to work with NMAC and YEMAC in developing a national strategy, priorities, and standards. The program for 2013 included drafting and disseminating a new National Mine Action Strategy; conducting NTS of 17,818km² in Amran, Hajjah, and Sa’ada as well as 2,830km² in Abyan; and reorganizing military EOD/demining capacity under a single, integrated command within the Ministry of Defense.[20]

Land Release

YEMAC reported release of a total of 3.13km² through clearance in 2012.[21] Although YEMAC conducted demining in 2010 and 2011, it did not report any clearance in those years. Yemen’s Article 7 report for 2012−2013 says it has cleared 815 minefields, 37 more than the report for the previous year, but it gave no detail of the amount of land cleared.[22]

Five-year summary of clearance

N/R = not reported

Survey in 2012

YEMAC reported that it conducted an emergency survey in Abyan after government forces regained control of the area, identifying 22 SHAs covering 19.32km² affected by antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, ERW, and booby-traps.[23] Survey initially focused on Zinjibar city, but from September onwards teams undertook non-technical survey in Zinjibar district and Khanfar district.

YEMAC started survey in Sa’ada governorate in November 2012 with three NTS teams, one technical survey team, one demining unit, and six BAC/EOD teams. By April 2013, YEMAC said they had identified suspected mined areas amounting to 107.4km² in three districts and confirmed hazards amounting to 9.82km².[24]

In 2013, YEMAC said it planned to conduct NTS in four more districts of Abyan governorate (Alwadee, Ahwar, Sarar Modia, and Almahfed) and in the western districts of Sa’ada (Haidan, Al Daher, Saqain, and Shatha). It expected to complete NTS in Sa’ada and Hajjah in about six months (October) and in Abyan by the end of the year.[25]

Mine and battle area clearance in 2012

YEMAC cleared a total of 2.1km² in 2012 in the governorates of Sa’ada, Abyan, Amran, Hadramaut, Ebb, and Al Dhala and expected to continue demining in these areas in 2013, operating with the same capacity as in 2012.[26] Yemen reported that demining operations were conducted in 23 districts of these governorates and was continuing in 61 minefields.[27]

YEMAC had halted demining operations in Sa’ada in 2011 because of insecurity but resumed working there in November 2012. By the end of the year, YEMAC reported that it had found and destroyed a total of 440 cluster munition remnants but did not identify the types or origin of these munitions.[28]

Mined area clearance: 2012[29]

U-SUB = unexploded submunition; UXO = unexploded ordnance other than unexploded submunition

Abyan became the focus of emergency survey and clearance operations after government forces regained control of most of the governorate from insurgents in June 2012. YEMAC and army engineers deployed to clear large numbers of mines, booby-traps, IEDs, and other ERW in Zinjibar, Lawdar, and other parts of Abyan. The contamination reportedly inflicted heavy civilian casualties and posed a major obstacle to the return of populations displaced by the conflict. YEMAC reported in July 2012 that 95 people had died in mine and ERW incidents in Abyan, including five of its own personnel. It said engineers had cleared 1,537 mines in Abyan since the government takeover. In September 2012, YEMAC reported to donors that its inquiries had revealed only 16 casualties resulted from mines or UXO; it also reported that it had cleared 72 antipersonnel mines, 35 antivehicle mines, 2,505 items of ERW, and 1,681 booby-traps since June 2012.[30]

Battle area clearance: 2012[31]

U-SUB = unexploded submunition; UXO = unexploded ordnance other than unexploded submunition

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the five-year extension granted in 2008), Yemen is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2015.

Contamination added by conflicts in 2010−2012 (not yet fully assessed) prevents any determination of the extent of Yemen’s contamination; however, even before these conflicts more than 200km² of SHAs identified by survey had not been cleared and therefore it looked certain that Yemen would need to apply for an extension to its Article 5 clearance deadline.

Quality management

YEMAC reports that it operates with five quality assurance teams.[32]

Safety of demining personnel

YEMAC reported that four deminers were killed and nine injured in 2012 in the course of clearance operations. Another four deminers were killed and one injured in the same year as a result of security incidents.[33]