Mining industry of Yemen

Industrial minerals with identified reserves include black sands with ilmenite, monazite, rutile, and zirconium, celestine, clays, dimension stone, dolomite, feldspar, fluorite, gypsum, limestone, magnesite, perlite, pure limestone, quartz, salt, sandstone, scoria, talc, and zeolites; some of these are under exploitation.

The slow progress in the mineral sector is on account of the security situation caused by civil strife and political uncertainty in the country which has been a deterrent for private companies to operate.

In recent explorations carried out by the Geological Survey & Mineral Resources Board and Foreign Companies some of these mines have been identified.

[1] Cobalt, copper, nickel reserves are found in three locations in the Al Masna’a, the Suwar, and the Wadi Qutabah in northeastern Yemen.

[1][2] Nine locations have been identified for mining of iron oxide, pigments and titanium; these are in the Mkiras region and in Um Halwal (Majil).

The Jabali zinc and silver mine, to the northeast of Sana'a, has reserves of 12.6 million tons of oxide resources, though awarded for extraction, was under hibernation.