IEDs disguised as rocks, bricks and thermos flasks pose new threat to civilians in Yemen 

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) reportedly concealed beneath soil, inside roadside bags and disguised as everyday objects including rocks, bricks and thermos flasks are among the emerging explosive threats facing civilians in Yemen, as conflict intensifies and frontlines shift, the HALO Trust warns.

Since August 2026, escalating conflict has driven large-scale civilian displacement. Media reports and open-source data indicate new mine-laying activity and unexploded ordnance contamination along vital transport routes and humanitarian access corridors.

“With frontlines shifting and civilians fleeing their homes for unfamiliar areas, the risk of encountering hidden explosives is growing by the day. Survey and mine clearance are critical and must keep pace with the changing conflict to help protect lives,” says Andrew Moore, HALO Middle East and North Africa Regional Director.

More than 281,000 Yemenis have been forced to flee their homes since August 2026, according to the UN. More than half are sheltering in the frontline, government-held enclave of Taiz, where heavy clashes have cut off major roads, food supplies, medical access and critical water infrastructure.

Close to two-thirds of reported mine-laying incidents are reportedly concentrated in Taiz. Anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines have been found on key community access routes in Jabal Habashi, alongside reports of mixed explosive devices and disguised IEDs in Al Turbah.

Around 30 HALO staff remain among the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the area, following the tightening of the Houthi siege on the mountainous city.

Displacement is also increasing across southern and western Yemen, where the number of people wfled the fighting has exceeded 42,000. New reports of landmine emplacement along coastal transport corridors in Bab al Mandab and the West Coast raise further concerns for civilians and humanitarian access.

The crisis is compounded by migration across the region. More than 134,000 people from the Horn of Africa arrived in Yemen during September 2026, many seeking to reach Gulf countries, potentially exposing more people to explosive contamination along unfamiliar routes.

HALO is currently the only operator in Yemen with mechanical mine clearance capacity. Since 2020, it has destroyed more than 7,700 explosive items and made two million square metres of land safe.

More on our work in Yemen

• The UN's 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan estimates that 22.3 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 18.3 million facing acute food insecurity.

• More than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including more than 516,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.  

• HALO has worked in Yemen since 2019, starting in Aden, and beginning operations in Taiz in late 2022, with around 70 staff working across Aden, Taiz and Ad Dhale.  

• Since 2019, HALO Yemen has made more than two million square metres of land safe, destroyed over 114 tonnes of explosives, and provided explosive-ordnance safety training to more than 58,000 people.  

• HALO's Yemen programme is delivered in partnership with YEMAC.  

• HALO trains and employs Yemeni staff in specialist mine-action roles. 

About The HALO Trust

• The HALO Trust is the world's largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation.

• HALO works in 30+ countries including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Colombia, Angola and Sri Lanka.

• We deploy groundbreaking technology in conflict and post-conflict settings to help people rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods and keep their children safe.

• HALO also runs programmes in weapons and ammunition management and safety training. During emergencies, we also provide humanitarian aid and logistical support.

• HALO was founded in 1988 in Afghanistan.

• We employ over 8,000 staff worldwide and recruit 95% of them locally.