NGO Report Accuses Houthis of Violating Children Rights 66,000 Times

Boys carry a jerrycan filled with water from a cistern at a makeshift camp for displaced Yemenis in severe shortage of water in the northern Hajjah province, March 24, 2020. (AFP)
Boys carry a jerrycan filled with water from a cistern at a makeshift camp for displaced Yemenis in severe shortage of water in the northern Hajjah province, March 24, 2020. (AFP)
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NGO Report Accuses Houthis of Violating Children Rights 66,000 Times

Boys carry a jerrycan filled with water from a cistern at a makeshift camp for displaced Yemenis in severe shortage of water in the northern Hajjah province, March 24, 2020. (AFP)
Boys carry a jerrycan filled with water from a cistern at a makeshift camp for displaced Yemenis in severe shortage of water in the northern Hajjah province, March 24, 2020. (AFP)

A human rights report has revealed that Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have committed almost 66,000 crimes against children since the conflict broke out in 2015.

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said the Houthis perpetrated 65,971 offenses against minors in nearly four years since they started monitoring the militias’ activities.

The crimes took place between Jan. 1, 2015 and Aug. 30, 2019.

The rights group documented 3,888 deaths among children in Houthi-related attacks on civilian areas. The deaths were documented in 17 different Yemeni governorates and included 79 infants.

According to the report, 656 children were killed in Houthi shelling, 291 in landmine explosions, 467 in direct shootings and 412 as a result of deprivation of medical provisions.

It also documented 12 executions Houthis carried out against minors. Another eight children were tortured to death in Houthi prisons.

Some 1,721 minors were killed on different battlefronts after being recruited by the militias and used as cannon fodder.

The Taiz province topped the list with 896 child soldiers being killed, followed by Hajjah with 398, Amran with 377, Hodeidah with 362, the interim capital Aden with 276, Houthi-held Sanaa with 258, Saada with 249 and Dhale with 203.

The rights group likewise said that children were being forcefully recruited to Houthi ranks, with about 12,341 underage fighters still in their ranks.

As for injuries, the report documented 5,357 cases in which minors incurred injuries in 19 different governorates.

They were mainly wounded as a result of sniper fire and landmine explosions.

At least 321 children were permanently disabled by Houthi arbitrary targeting of civilian areas.



Syrian Defense Ministry Begins Reshaping Military Affairs in Daraa

Meeting in Busra al-Sham, Daraa Countryside, attended by Col. Binyan al-Hariri (Daraa News Network)
Meeting in Busra al-Sham, Daraa Countryside, attended by Col. Binyan al-Hariri (Daraa News Network)
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Syrian Defense Ministry Begins Reshaping Military Affairs in Daraa

Meeting in Busra al-Sham, Daraa Countryside, attended by Col. Binyan al-Hariri (Daraa News Network)
Meeting in Busra al-Sham, Daraa Countryside, attended by Col. Binyan al-Hariri (Daraa News Network)

The Syrian Ministry of Defense has begun reorganizing military affairs in the southern province of Daraa, days after the Eighth Brigade — a former opposition group integrated into the army — surrendered its weapons to government forces.

The move comes as part of Damascus’s efforts to tighten its grip over southern Syria, particularly in areas previously outside its full control.

Separately, the Interior Ministry said it had seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition hidden inside a vehicle and arrested the driver as he attempted to smuggle the arms into the neighboring province of Sweida.

Daraa police said late on Sunday they discovered another stockpile of weapons concealed under piles of hay in a truck in the eastern town of al-Sahwah.

Authorities seized a significant weapons cache, including Katyusha artillery shells, anti-tank Malutka missiles, heavy machine guns, and ammunition, in a smuggling attempt from Damascus to Sweida.

The haul was intercepted by security forces, with images released by the General Security Directorate showing the captured items.

The vehicle, which was stopped by security patrols, was reportedly en route from the Syrian capital, Damascus, to Sweida when the arms were discovered. Authorities transported the confiscated weapons to the security center in the town of Izraa for further investigation.

Reports from Daraa have varied, with some claiming the shipment was intended for the group of Ahmad al-‘Awda, leader of the Eighth Brigade, based in Busra al-Sham in southern Daraa. Others suggest the weapons were meant for his affiliates and were to be sent later to Sweida.

There are also concerns that some members of the Eighth Brigade, who had previously retained their weapons after the group's dissolution announcement, may use the arms to stir unrest in the region.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense began accepting recruitment applications on Monday from residents of the eastern Daraa countryside. The registration process is taking place at one of the ministry’s offices west of Busra al-Sham.

Local sources in Daraa reported that the recruitment campaign will extend to other villages and towns in both central and western Daraa in the coming days. A training course for new recruits is expected to begin within two weeks.

The recruitment drive follows a meeting held on Sunday in Busra al-Sham, which included Col. Binyan al-Hariri, commander of the 40th Division, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Defense and former leaders from the area.

The meeting aimed to organize military affairs and register both new and former personnel into the Ministry of Defense.

According to local reports, the upcoming training will include new recruits from Busra al-Sham and its surrounding areas.