The deaths of five children killed in Taiz in southwestern Yemen while playing football when unexploded ordnance (UXO) detonated has brought the number of child casualties of UXOs and landmines this year to at least 40.
ADEN, 13 July 2025 - The deaths of five children killed in Taiz in southwestern Yemen while playing football when unexploded ordnance (UXO) detonated has brought the number of child casualties of UXOs and landmines this year to at least 40, Save the Children said, calling for more funding for life-saving mine action activities.
Yemen remains one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world with landmines and unexploded ordnance, and children are paying the price. In the first half of 2025 alone, these remnants of war have killed or injured 107 civilians. Last year, the total was 260, of which over one third were children, according to the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project.
Decades of repeated armed conflict since the early 1960s have left behind a deadly legacy of explosive ordnance in Yemen, posing a constant threat to children's safety.
Despite this ongoing danger, funding cuts have forced life-saving mine action activities to halt including protection monitoring, mine clearance, risk education, and victim assistance across nearly all crisis-affected areas. These cuts come at a time when more than five million people—including 2.8 million children—are still in urgent need of mine action support, according to the United Nations.
Mohammed Mannaa, Save the Children’s Yemen Country Director, said.
“This tragic incident is a reminder that no place is truly safe for Yemen’s children while these deadly remnants of war remain scattered in their neighbourhoods, on their way to school, and even in the places where they play.
“This is not the moment to turn away from this very real and urgent issue. Abdullah, a 16-year-old from Hodeidah, lost his legs after stepping on a landmine while walking with his friends. He told us that he is sad to watch his friends playing football from a wheelchair. It’s our responsibility to ensure no more children suffer like Abdullah.”
Save the Children calls on donors to urgently restore and increase funding for mine action programmes and risk education initiatives. These life-saving efforts are critical to protect vulnerable communities, especially children, from the deadly impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance. At the same time, all parties to the conflict must cease the use of landmines and other explosive weapons and fully respect international humanitarian law to prevent further harm to civilians.
Save the Children has been working in Yemen since 1963. Child protection remains at the heart of our programmes, including specialised care and assistance for children injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war.
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