RIYADH – Yemeni Minister of Human Rights Dr. Muhammad Askar revealed that the Iranian-backed Houthi militias have used children in planting mines in the areas from which they are expelled. They also deliberately planted bombs in houses, hospitals and places of worship as a threat to civilians, Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.

He explained that the militias used different kinds of mines, especially anti-personnel mines, which is one of the most dangerous and banned weapons planted in populated areas. They also used improvised and camouflaged mines, creating new ways and means in using anti-vehicles mines and changed their use to anti-personnel ones in order to cause the greatest extent of disability and harm to innocent civilians. Here follows the text of the dialogue:

Q: Initially tell us about the methods used by Houthi militias in mines planting?

A: The Houthi militias ordered children to plant mines in the areas from which they were expelled or on the Yemeni-Saudi border. These mines led to the death of many people as well as the children recruited by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.

Q: How are these children drawn to do these tasks?

A: The Iranian-backed Houthi militias have exploited the difficult economic and social conditions along with the intertwined tribal nature of Yemen to attract and recruit children. In this context, financial and employment incentives are advancing among children-recruiting mechanisms where poverty and poor economic conditions are being exploited. Many families send their children to join the Houthi militias in exchange for nearly 50,000 Yemeni riyals, equivalent to $150, in an attempt to provide financial resources to help them provide the minimum required for their daily needs, especially in some families with 15 members — according to interviews with the recruited children and their families. This is apart from religious mobilization operations carried out by the Houthi militias, particularly in the northern province of Saada, where schools allocate weekly classes talking to the students about the virtues of wars.

Q: How many mines were planted by Houthi militias in Yemen since 2018?

A: The number of mines planted by Houthi militias exceed a million mines. They caused the disability of 814 civilians with permanent disabilities, of whom 374 had their lower limbs amputated and disabled, including children and women.

Q: What about the most prominent areas exposed to the operations of mines planting?

A: The land mines were planted in many areas of Aden, Abyan, Marib, Al Jawf, Al-Baida, Hodeidah and areas of north Sanaa.

Q: Did you limit the types of land mines used by the Houthi militias?

A: The Houthis used various types of mines, such as anti-personnel mines, one of the most dangerous banned weapons planted in populated areas and turned it into death fields. There are more than 300,000 mines in several southern and northern Yemeni provinces, causing many civilian causalities, where the damage amounted to more than 3,000 cases, which varied between killing, wounding and bombing of facilities, add to that the bombing of vehicles, bridges, farms and wells.

Houthis also used improvised and camouflaged mines, creating new ways and means in using anti-vehicles mines and changed its use to anti-personnel ones in order to cause the greatest extent of disability and harm to innocent civilians. The shapes and sizes of mines vary and are of a similar nature as the land in which they are planted, which leads to great difficulty in discovering them.

There are also sea mines that were planted in areas frequented by fishermen.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militias masterminded the bombing of houses, public property including government headquarters, schools, hospitals; water, electricity and communications networks; roads and bridges; shops, vehicles, farms, companies, factories and even places of worship including mosques; all of these places suffered from their actions.

Q: Tell us about the negative effects of mines planting on civilians?

A: The damages caused by mines and explosives are new, suffering after surviving the pain of war, where it begins with the war-caused diseases and disabilities and ends with the inability to provide treatment. The numbers of wounded and injured people are still increasing, especially the numbers of mines and missiles victims. All of that caused permanent and dangerous disabilities as well as the victim’s sense of helplessness and exclusion from treatment and work due to the poverty and difficult financial conditions and continuous pain of disability. A center has been restored and opened in the Yemeni province of Marib by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief).

Q: What about the humanitarian role in helping mine victims?

A: The representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations Laila Rizouki had been contacted about mine planting and the recruitment of child soldiers. In addition, Virginia Gambia, the UN Secretary General's special representative for children and armed conflict on children, has also been notified. These calls were shown in their reports, and ongoing meetings were held with the UNICEF. Also detailed reports were presented with evidence to the UN Security Council Committee of Experts, which referred to the militias’ violation of the International Human Rights Law.

There is no doubt that the most prominent aid received by the Yemenis was from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief). The center implemented an artificial limbs program in Marib General Hospital, and established a center for insurance and installation of artificial limbs of quality to those who need it. The Center supported the authority of Ma'rib General Hospital with an amount of $3,174,046, and supported the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) with an amount of $10,000,000. That was to support post-injuries rehabilitation centers, artificial limbs and other projects in the health sector and healthcare and treatment of a number of the wounded in many hospitals abroad. – SPA