Yemeni security forces inspect unexploded ordnance confiscated from Houthi rebels. Saleh Al Obeidi / AFP
Yemeni security forces inspect unexploded ordnance confiscated from Houthi rebels. Saleh Al Obeidi / AFP

Devastating impact of mines leaves lasting legacy



It is one of the most enduring images of Diana, Princess of Wales. Wearing a visor and bombproof vest, she picked her way carefully through an active minefield in Angola, where one person in every 333 had lost a limb to the explosive devices. "I am not a political figure," she said in response to criticism from parliamentarians, "my interests are humanitarian."

That expedition in 1997 put the issue of landmines on the international agenda and was partly credited with attracting 122 signatories to the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty the same year, banning the stockpiling, production and use of mines.

More than 20 years on, we are seeing an ever more pressing need for action on mines, whose deadly legacy survives long after conflicts have ended.

In Yemen, UAE and Saudi armed forces have defused more than 40,000 and say Houthi rebels have planted a suspected one million mines across the country, some disguised to look like rocks or toys.

Syria is facing an unprecedented landmine crisis, with departing ISIS fighters booby trapping household items like teapots, pillows and fridges to target families returning home for the first time in years.

In the 60-plus countries still contaminated by landmines, they wreak unspeakable devastation, killing and maiming indiscriminately and activating years after they were rigged. Their presence is difficult to detect but they cause a ripple effect of fear among populations and hinder recovery from warfare and development, long after peace has been established.

The retreating Houthis who have peppered the Yemeni landscape with these killing machines supplied by Tehran have only one purpose in mind: to spark terror in the very civilians they sought to govern by force.

UAE mine specialists have been combing the land to destroy them, a ceaseless battle as the Houthis often return to plant devices overnight.

The rebels care little for the havoc and destruction they are perpetuating on a scale not seen since the Second World War.

As Emirati minesweeper Ghaneem Al Kaabi says, Yemen is unlikely to be clear of mines in his lifetime.

That is a sobering thought. Yemenis who have lost so much at the hands of the rebels are being robbed a second time of their right to peace of mind.

Company name: Farmin

Date started: March 2019

Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi 

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: AgriTech

Initial investment: None to date

Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs 

HOW TO ACTIVATE THE GEMINI SHORTCUT ON CHROME CANARY

1. Go to chrome://flags

2. Find and enable Expansion pack for the Site Search starter pack

3. Restart Chrome Canary

4. Go to chrome://settings/searchEngines in the address bar and find the Chat with Gemini shortcut under Site Search

5. Open a new tab and type @ to see the Chat with Gemini shortcut along with other Omnibox shortcuts to search tabs, history and bookmarks

ROUTE TO TITLE

Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2

Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson

Three stars

Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team

Several girls started playing football at age four

They describe sport as their passion

The girls don’t dwell on their condition

They just say they may need to work a little harder than others

When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters

The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside

RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm