Yemen’s Foreign Ministry has called for urgent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) action to stop the Houthis from carrying out mine operations in governorates in the country, in a statement on X. The ministry also strongly condemned the group’s “continued intensive and indiscriminate planting of mines, particularly in villages and populated areas, and held it fully responsible for the humanitarian repercussions arising from these practices”. The Houthis, since the recent escalation in fighting, have planted a large amount of naval mines directly in and around the strategic Bab al-Mendeb Strait. In 2024, the Houthis and other forces were accused of planting mines in areas of the country, claiming many lives and leaving others injured.