Ayman recovers from a terrible landmine accident

Ayman is a 15-year old boy from Al-Jah village in Yemen. In 2024, while tending to his family’s sheep - a daily routine for many children in rural communities - Ayman stepped on a mine.

The explosion was devastating, leaving him severely injured. He was rushed to Al-Thawra Hospital. Despite the efforts of the medical team, the damage was too extensive, and Ayman lost both of his legs.

To be physically prepared for prostheses

In 2025, he came to Humanity & Inclusion (HI)'s centre seeking prosthetic limbs and a chance to walk again. He had been relying on a wheelchair for almost two years due to the absence of prostheses. During this period, his mobility was therefore very limited.

He was first engaged in physical rehabilitation sessions to strengthen his body before any fitting.

“The rehabilitation of Ayman, a person with bilateral limb amputation was complex. A person with one amputated limb generally has better balance, mobility, and functional independence because the intact limb can provide support during standing, transfers, and movement. For Ayman, mobility was more challenging and may require greater use of assistive devices. In some cases, particularly for mobility inside the home, environmental modifications and adaptations may be needed to enable safe and independent movement.”

HI project Manager Burshra Alaghbari

The physical effort of fitting

Fitting and learning to use one prosthetic limb requires considerable physical effort and energy expenditure. When two prosthetic limbs are required, the physical effort and overall energy needed can be higher, making rehabilitation more demanding and requiring a gradual and closely monitored training process.

But Ayman is young and in good health. He was also super motivated to walk again.

For a better mental health

It had also a great psychological impact. The injury forced Ayman to leave school, a loss that deeply affected him. He was almost not able to leave the house for months which is a great limitation on his participation in daily and social activities.

Having prostheses was such a relief for Ayman and allow him to connect with friends ans his community. 

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In 2024, Yemen recorded 247 mine/ERW casualties, ranking 5th globally again, behind Myanmar (2,029), Syria (1,015), Afghanistan (624), and Ukraine (293). Antipersonnel landmines, including IEDs, were reportedly used in Yemen, primarily on the west coast near the port of Al-Hudaydah. It had resulted in significant harm to civilians, documenting casualties in Aden, Al-Hudaydah, Lahij, Ta'izz, and several other governorates. In recent years, the Monitor has continued to document non-state armed groups (NSAGs) producing improvised mines in Yemen.