We turn now to Yemen, where the population continues to deal with the deadly remnants of fighting between government forces and the Houthi rebels from 2015 to 2023. During this time, Yemen was pounded with American cluster bombs and other banned weapons by the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis. CGTN's Ehab Al-fandi tells us how Yemen is coping with the aftermath. 

Cluster bombs and weapons banned under the Oslo Convention have brought catastrophic destruction in populated areas, farmlands, and livestock in Yemen. The National Mine Center of the Sana'a government, which holds remnants of these bombs, confirms that the coalition used them excessively. The remnants of the bombs continue to pose a threat to farmers and livestock even today. It's a struggle for the National Mine Center to detect these bomb parts – due to the lack of UN support and a shortage of detection devices and protective gear for field teams.

MOHAMMED AL-ABDALI, Deputy Director, Victim Assistance at the National Mine Center "There have been over 3,000 cluster bomb airstrikes on Yemen. The Center has cleared more than three million pieces of cluster munitions, but there are still many more. Large areas in several provinces are strewn with these remnants."

Casualty numbers on this front continues to climb, despite the country entering a state of relative calm since the signing of the humanitarian ceasefire agreement two years ago. Remnants of cluster bombs and banned weapons thrown onto Yemeni lands continue to claim many civilian lives, especially in villages and farms near the border with Saudi Arabia. According to the Humanitarian Eye Center, the Yemeni provinces of Saada, Hajjah, and Hudaydah were the ones most targeted by cluster bombs, along with white phosphorus bombs and toxic gas missiles in Marib – leaving behind thousands of victims.

AHMED ABU HAMRA , Head of Humanitarian Eye Center "People are dying due to cluster bombs found in populated residential areas and agricultural fields, where children often mistake them for toys and carry them home. The latest tragedy occurred in Hamdan and Dhamar, where a child brought one to school, thinking it to be a toy, causing the deaths of 12 students".

FARES QARAMESH, Father of cluster bomb victim "My son Muhammad was playing with his siblings in the afternoon. While they were playing in the dirt, he found a cluster bomb and took it, which exploded in his hand and amputated his fingers."

Field teams specialized in landmine clearance are working tirelessly to sanitize areas targeted by cluster bombs. Officials at the Mine Center report that 11 out of 19 types of these bombs are of American origin. However, these teams struggle due to limited resources and lack of necessary safety equipment for their protection.

EHAB AL-FANDI, Sana'a "The war in Yemen may end completely, and military clashes may stop. However, another threat will continue for a while. This threat involves Yemeni civilians encountering leftover weapons and cluster bombs from the war, which might keep claiming the lives of many innocent people. Ehab al-fandi, CGTN, Sana'a-Yemen."