RIYADH: A Saudi land mines clearance project in Yemen is to run for another year thanks to an investment of almost $31 million (SR116 million). The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) has extended the contract for its MASAM initiative for one year, which will see Saudi and international experts continue to clear mines especially in the governorates of Marib, Aden, Sanaa and Taiz. The project aims to help cut the number of deaths and injuries caused to Yemenis by hidden explosive devices. Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and KSRelief general supervisor, said the contract renewal came as a result of the center’s humanitarian responsibility toward its brothers in Yemen. He added that the Iranian-backed Houthi militias’ mines were randomly planted to target civilians, causing permanent injuries and chronic disabilities to children and the elderly among other victims.FASTFACT In its first phase, the project had been launched to extract more than 74,000 mines and shells. Al-Rabeeah noted that the MASAM program was aimed at ensuring current and future security for the Yemeni people and was one of several projects and initiatives provided by the Kingdom as part of its efforts to bring stability and development to the war-torn Middle Eastern country. He said that through centers established by KSRelief in the governorates of Marib and Aden to provide artificial limbs for the victims of mines, hundreds of prostheses had been fitted. Al-Rabeeah said that the project, in its first phase, had been launched to extract more than 74,000 mines and shells, and he thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their continued support for KSRelief and its work throughout the world.