الانصات
Two Children Were Killed and Another Injured
As the villagers in Malha, Majzar district, located in the northwest region of Ma'rib governorate, bid farewell to a sad day, the sun casts its golden rays upon the village. Meanwhile, women are hard at work harvesting corn in the agricultural fields situated three kilometers to the west of their homes. To get to the fields or return home, they have to traverse a valley that spans about one kilometer in width.Scattered throughout the area are Athal and Sidr trees, and in the afternoon, children can be seen grazing sheep. Specifically, three children are tending to their flock in the field known as Al-Nisah, which is familiar to the locals. During times of war in this district, sheep are an essential source of income for the residents.In the houses situated east of the agricultural fields, men were chewing Qat when a sudden explosion rocked the area and sent a cloud of dust billowing up into the pasture. Frightened residents rushed to the roofs of their houses, with their hands pressed to their chests, wondering who might be the victim this time. Unfortunately, landmines and weapons remnants are strewn across the confrontation areas around the village, reflecting the intense battles that took place between the government forces and Ansar Allah group (Houthis) from 2016 to 2020. At the end of that period, particularly in January 2020, the latter took control of the district, but it is often the civilians who bear the brunt of the consequences of war, as they are the ones who suffer the most.At approximately 4:00pm on October 5, 2022, three children—Saqr Abdel Wali (8 years old), Ghazi Sinan (12 years old), and Qaid Khaima (13 years old)—were out grazing their sheep at a former site that had once been used by members of the Ansar Allah armed group, to the west of the village. While resting under a tree, the children stumbled upon a spherical object buried in the ground. They excitedly retrieved it and began playing with it, only to discover that there was a ring attached to the small iron object. When they removed the ring, the object began emitting a sound similar to that of whistling.Saqr immediately recognized the danger of the sound and cautiously stepped back three meters. He once had learned about the danger of landmines during an awareness lesson from a volunteer at his school morning queue, who emphasized that such devices emit a sound before exploding. However, Qaid, one of Saqr's peer friends, insisted that it was just a harmless metal object and encouraged Ghazi to bring it closer to their ears to listen to the sound it was making. Suddenly, the object exploded, creating a loud bang in the area.The explosion killed Qaid and Ghazi instantly, and their bodies were scattered away. Saqr was fortunate enough to have sustained only minor injuries. Despite being bleeding from his face and feet, he managed to make his way back to the village seeking help. Upon arrival, he told the residents what had happened. Some of the villagers, realizing the severity of the situation, fired their machine guns into the air to alert others and gather their assistance. Together, they rushed to the site of the explosion.The entire village quickly gathered at the scene, where the families of Qaid and Ghazi were crying and wailing loudly. The tragic incident left a profound impact on the residents of Malaha village, and it will undoubtedly remain etched in their memories forever.One eyewitness, who is 30 years old, recounts, "I was chewing Qat in my house about two kilometers east of the scene when I heard a loud explosion coming from the west, where the pastures are. I immediately went out to see what had happened. I was aware that Saqr had gone out to graze sheep in the valley, which is the course of the torrent coming from Mount Yam, located about 20 kilometers south of the village and adjacent to Fardhat Nehm. Sometimes the torrent brings landmines from these areas to ours."He continues, "I thought that a landmine had exploded with the children who were grazing sheep. I was scared, so I rushed to the scene. Meanwhile, Saqr managed to get up despite being injured. He went to the nearest house in the area, which was about one kilometer away from the scene. There, a man found him and took him in his car to rescue him. Saqr told the rescuer that there were two other children at the scene of the explosion.""When we arrived at the scene," the witness adds, "we found the two children, Qaid and Ghazi, lying on the ground with their bodies torn to pieces. Abdullah had already died, while Ghazi was still stuttering and muttering words that no one present could understand. Their sight was heart-wrenching, and their images are still vividly engraved in my memory, and cannot forget them for the rest of my life. We wrapped their bodies in blankets."According to another witness, Qaid's mother is a divorced woman who has two children, Qaid and his younger sister. After their separation, the father took their daughter to live with him and his new family in another village, while Qaid stayed with his mother.The witness stated, "When Qaid's mother heard about the explosion, she rushed to the scene in search of her son. However, she fell on the road and fainted due to the tragedy. She and her son were taken to Al-Hazm General Hospital in Al-Jawf, 25 kilometers away. Unfortunately, she did not regain consciousness, so she was transferred to a hospital in Sana'a where she remained in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a week until she regained consciousness.As for the child, Ghazi Farag, he passed away before reaching Al-Hazm Hospital in Al-Hazm city. His body, along with his little friend Qaid's, was taken to the hospital mortuary until they were buried on the fifth day in the village cemetery. The funeral procession was attended by people from nearby villages.On the other hand, Saqr was urgently transferred to Sana’a for medical treatment after receiving first aid at Al-Hazm General Hospital in Al-Jawf governorate. In Sana’a, Saqr’s family began a new chapter of the tragedy, as they had to move from one hospital to another for their son get treated. Saqr had sustained shrapnel wounds above his left eyebrow, burns on his left knee, and a small piece of shrapnel in his body. His clothes were burned, and he lost his hearing completely.
