Aden — The widespread use of landmines by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias not only kill civilians but block aid to the most needy, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, according to Human Rights Watch.

HRW said in a new report on Monday that at least 140 people, including children, have been killed in Taiz and Hodeida since 2018.

The Houthis have blanketed farmlands, wells, and roads with anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines.

HRW researcher Priyanka Motaparthy said the Houthi mines have “not only killed and maimed numerous civilians, but they have prevented vulnerable Yemenis from harvesting crops and drawing clean water desperately needed for survival.”

She said the mines have also “prevented aid groups from bringing food and health care to increasingly hungry and ill Yemeni civilians.”

The MASAM project of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has successfully cleared hundreds of mines, planted by Houthi militias in Yemen.

More than 1 million mines have been planted by the Houthis in Yemen over the past three years claiming hundreds of civilian lives.

MASAM has removed 44,743 mines since the beginning of the project. — Agencies