Emergency Mine Action, Hudaydah Governorate, Yemen At time of compiling this request, no civilian mine action specialist has been given access to Hudaydah city and surrounding area where the current surge in fighting continues and no quantitative assessment has been possible. YEMAC (Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre) have teams on standby to deploy to the city to co-ordinate the mine action intervention, conduct a rapid contamination assessment and concurrently clear high-threat and high impact contamination. Part of a larger and ongoing national project conducted by YEMAC, field assets will be repositioned in Hudaydah when access is allowed and operate throughout the governorate.

From experience in similar theatres it should be expected the true nature of contamination will not be evident for some months after access is granted. In the meantime, it is reasonable to assume there are defensive minefields, booby-traps in key locations and nuisance traps of varying complexity, UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) of all types and disbursed AXO (Abandoned Explosive Ordnance) in various states and unmanaged. As the fighting continues so the UXO contamination with a 10-15% failure rate will increase accordingly.

YEMAC was originally designed to clear legacy contamination largely of late Cold War Soviet design or their ubiquitous derivatives. YEMAC is neither trained nor equipped to deal with many of the new threats arising from the current conflict. While YEMAC have 900 personnel mobilised nationally, they are overwhelmed by the increased geographic spread and the latest technical challenges. As priorities (and access in country) shift, so the teams deploy accordingly. The heightened situation in Hudaydah and the priority Hudaydah presents in country means assets will be moved to the city and governorate. Equipment in the field teams is often non-existent, aged and often redundant. Maintaining twenty year old vehicles, for example, is not economic and a component of the project is to upgrade the equipment and vehicle fleet. 

The overarching principles of the UNDP Mine Action intervention are: to assist in the restoration of normal services allow access to the infrastructure reduce injuries and fatalities all of which are a prerequisite to the normalisation of economic activity in many of the most impacted regions of the country and all of these are applicable to the planned interventions in Hudaydah. UNDP will assist NMAC (National Mine Action Committee)/YEMAC to re-structure where required and be technically competent to conduct efficient and effective physical operations to reduce the socio-economic impact of explosive remnants of war and landmines on people and communities, in order to ensure safe humanitarian access from the southern flanks to Al Hudaydah

In an expansion of activities to Hudaydah, similar to MA interventions in the rest of the country, the expected results of the project are: 1. Mine and UXO contamination is mapped and impact assessed using primary and secondary sources 2. Mines and UXO are efficiently cleared in identified priority areas 3. The awareness of the threat posed by mines and UXO is increased in affected communities 4. Survivors of ERW incidents are effectively screened, supported and rehabilitated. Focus of operations and objectives of the project will be survey and ERW (Explosive Remnants of War) clearance activities.

The target for land release, risk education and victim assistance and the decision making processes, is to reach all segments of society in Hudaydah. In addressing gender mainstreaming and balance the project will ensure that the capabilities, contributions, concerns and needs of women, girls, boys and men are acknowledged and/or addressed within the scope of its activities. The project will strive to have equal representation of women, girls, boys and men with access to and participation in mine action programmes as beneficiaries and employees in the decision making processes.