"Houthi" booby-traps fishing boats and pushes them into Bab al-Mandab
Masam discovered the presence of huge quantities of explosives inside a fishing boat
The Saudi project to clear Yemeni lands of mines, Masam, revealed that the Houthi militia booby-trapped fishing boats and pushed them towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait to disrupt international trade.
This came in a speech by the project’s general manager, Osama Al-Gosaibi, which he delivered at a symposium on efforts made to clear mines and their impact on peace and human security, which was organized by the European Organization of Islamic Centers in Geneva, according to the project’s website.
Al-Gosaibi reported that one of the project teams, in cooperation with the Yemeni National Mine Action Program, dismantled large explosive devices early this month that were on board a fishing boat that had washed up on the coast of Bab al-Mandab.
He explained that the project team examined the boat and found that it contained a huge explosive device consisting of 25 kg of highly explosive C4, and at least 50 kg of TNT, in addition to 25 barrels of gasoline, each with a capacity of 20 litres. The team safely removes these components and disposes of the explosive devices.
He added: "This incident and others confirm the Houthi militia's insistence on disrupting international trade in one of the most important water straits in the world. It also harms the local economy based on fishing activities, in addition to polluting the marine environment."
Al-Gosaibi stressed that Yemen is experiencing a real catastrophe that threatens the lives of civilians, represented by the random planting of mines and explosive devices, noting that the project’s estimates of the amount of landmines planted in the territory of the Republic of Yemen amount to two million mines.
He pointed out that the Houthi militia continues to plant mines and explosive devices, flouting international rules and norms established by civilized nations.
Al-Gosaibi touched on the number of challenges facing the “Masam” project work teams, explaining that, in addition to the huge quantities of mines, explosive devices and unexploded ordnance, they include natural factors such as the environment and weather, as well as the difficult geographical nature in the areas where mine-laying operations by the Houthi militia are active.
He pointed out the humanitarian cases that Masam teams face during their work in sites that were contaminated by the terrorist militia with mines and explosive devices, which represent testimonies that the Houthi group holds international criminal responsibility for this horror and tragedies.
He said that since the start of its work in mid-2018 until today, the project has cleared Yemeni territory of 438,413 anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices.