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South African, European demining experts killed in Yemen
RIYADH, Jan 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Five demining experts killed in a weekend
explosion in Yemen were from South Africa and several European countries, a
Saudi-run organisation in charge of the project said Monday.
The state-run King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief)
said two South Africans, a Croatian, a Bosnian and a Kosovan were killed
Sunday when a vehicle carrying mines to be destroyed exploded in the central
province of Marib.
A British national was injured in the explosion, KSRelief said without
naming the casualties.
War-torn Yemen is home to what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian
crisis, with 24 million people in need of assistance and millions on the
brink of famine.
The World Health Organization estimates that around 10,000 Yemenis have
been killed since 2015, when a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in
support of the government in the fight against Iran-backed rebels.
Rights groups say both sides have committed potential war crimes.
The Huthi rebels have been accused of the widespread and indiscriminate use
of landmines, while the Saudi-led coalition has faced criticism for deadly
air raids on civilians.
Yemen is a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty, an international pact which
came into force in 1999 and aims to eliminate landmines and clear up vast
tracts of affected land.
BSS/AFP/RY/1945 hrs