RIYADH — The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (Masam) has removed until March this year as many as 230,592 mines in Yemen since the launch of its operation three years back. Masam is one of several humanitarian initiatives undertaken by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), the charity arm of Saudi Arabia. Masam seeks to remove mines that have been planted by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia across Yemen and they have so far claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Yemenis. It also seeks to help the Yemeni people overcome humanitarian tragedies resulting from the spread of mines and empowering Yemenis to bear responsibilities in the long term. Masam’s engineering teams are spread over nine Yemeni governorates of Mareb, Al-Jawf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hudaidah, Lahij, Al-Bayda’, Al-Dale’ and Saada. This vital project is part of the humanitarian and relief projects that Saudi Arabia offers through the center to provide all kinds of assistance to the Yemeni people and alleviate their suffering during the current crisis. In a related development, a Yemeni official on Wednesday said that mines and improvised explosive devices planted by the Houthi militia during the years of war have killed more than 8,000 civilians, including children, women, and the elderly. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the director of Yemen’s national mine action program, Brig. Ameen Al-Aqeeli, called upon the international community to pressure the Houthi militia to stop planting mines after they have caused a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. He praised the efforts of Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief’s Masam project to clear mines planted by the Houthi militia.