HODEIDA: Mourad al-Maroui was just nine years old when a landmine killed him on a war-torn beach YemenA tragedy that will haunt his family forever.
After swimming, the little boy “suddenly disappeared” when he and his two brothers were searching the beach to sell garbage.
“All I saw were arms and legs,” older brother Yahya, 15, told AFP, after Mourad found it in the sand and held onto the garland given to him.
chilling event in January, in the western province of hodeidaThis is all too common in Yemen, where mines are a constant threat and affect economic activity and aid.
Morad’s father, Ahmed, is grappling with the gruesome memory of his son’s remains scattered on the ground.
“I will never forget the sight of the birds pecking at my son’s flesh as we waited for help to arrive,” the 50-year-old told AFP.
“I could neither wash it nor wrap it in a shroud (as per Muslim tradition). I buried the pieces in a plastic bag.”
The landmines are part of a legacy of war in Yemen, long the poorest country in the Arab world, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
Directly as well as indirectly, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and millions displaced, in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
And despite a ceasefire since April, which has significantly reduced conflicts, threats still remain.
This month, the United Nations said 19 civilians were killed and 32 wounded during the ceasefire, mostly in landmines, home-made bombs and other weapons.
According to the United Nations-linked Civil Impact Monitoring Project, landmines, unexploded shells and other explosive debris were responsible for 338 civilian casualties in 2021, including 129 deaths.
They are among the victims of landmines around the world every day, United Nations it is said.
– ‘They were all dead’ – About a third of Yemen’s landmine casualties were reported in Hodeida province, even though much has been spared in fighting aimed at protecting it after a 2018 ceasefire agreement. the Red Sea A port, a lifeline for the country.
Hodeida province is “a strategic hub” for the north, largely controlled by Houthi rebels, said Ibrahim Jalal, a researcher. middle east institute in Washington.
“In many Yemeni provinces, dozens of victims, including farmers, travelers and other civilians, are killed every day by the indiscriminate spread of landmines,” he told AFP.
“People are living in many uncertainties,” he said, explaining that mines complicate the transportation of aid and have a huge impact on an economy dependent on agriculture.
Experts estimate that at least one million mines have been planted during Yemen’s years of turmoil, often with tragic consequences.
In March, 23-year-old Abdul Ali was on his way to the city of Hodeida with his brother, son and nephews.
On their way, they passed their hometown, where they had fled because of the fighting, and decided to see if it was safe for them to return.
Abdul refused. He got out of the car and left them without him to go.
“It wasn’t five minutes before I heard a loud bang. I ran to the sound, and I heard people talking about a car that was going over a landmine. I panicked and prayed that It was not them.
“But very soon, I learned that it was them and they were all dead.”
After swimming, the little boy “suddenly disappeared” when he and his two brothers were searching the beach to sell garbage.
“All I saw were arms and legs,” older brother Yahya, 15, told AFP, after Mourad found it in the sand and held onto the garland given to him.
chilling event in January, in the western province of hodeidaThis is all too common in Yemen, where mines are a constant threat and affect economic activity and aid.
Morad’s father, Ahmed, is grappling with the gruesome memory of his son’s remains scattered on the ground.
“I will never forget the sight of the birds pecking at my son’s flesh as we waited for help to arrive,” the 50-year-old told AFP.
“I could neither wash it nor wrap it in a shroud (as per Muslim tradition). I buried the pieces in a plastic bag.”
The landmines are part of a legacy of war in Yemen, long the poorest country in the Arab world, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
Directly as well as indirectly, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and millions displaced, in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
And despite a ceasefire since April, which has significantly reduced conflicts, threats still remain.
This month, the United Nations said 19 civilians were killed and 32 wounded during the ceasefire, mostly in landmines, home-made bombs and other weapons.
According to the United Nations-linked Civil Impact Monitoring Project, landmines, unexploded shells and other explosive debris were responsible for 338 civilian casualties in 2021, including 129 deaths.
They are among the victims of landmines around the world every day, United Nations it is said.
– ‘They were all dead’ – About a third of Yemen’s landmine casualties were reported in Hodeida province, even though much has been spared in fighting aimed at protecting it after a 2018 ceasefire agreement. the Red Sea A port, a lifeline for the country.
Hodeida province is “a strategic hub” for the north, largely controlled by Houthi rebels, said Ibrahim Jalal, a researcher. middle east institute in Washington.
“In many Yemeni provinces, dozens of victims, including farmers, travelers and other civilians, are killed every day by the indiscriminate spread of landmines,” he told AFP.
“People are living in many uncertainties,” he said, explaining that mines complicate the transportation of aid and have a huge impact on an economy dependent on agriculture.
Experts estimate that at least one million mines have been planted during Yemen’s years of turmoil, often with tragic consequences.
In March, 23-year-old Abdul Ali was on his way to the city of Hodeida with his brother, son and nephews.
On their way, they passed their hometown, where they had fled because of the fighting, and decided to see if it was safe for them to return.
Abdul refused. He got out of the car and left them without him to go.
“It wasn’t five minutes before I heard a loud bang. I ran to the sound, and I heard people talking about a car that was going over a landmine. I panicked and prayed that It was not them.
“But very soon, I learned that it was them and they were all dead.”