عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Ethiopian Migrants Plan Taking Houthis to ICC

Houthis in Sanaa. (Reuters file photo)
Houthis in Sanaa. (Reuters file photo)
TT
TT

Ethiopian Migrants Plan Taking Houthis to ICC

Houthis in Sanaa. (Reuters file photo)
Houthis in Sanaa. (Reuters file photo)

Ethiopian activists in Yemen revealed that a team of lawyers has been hired to file a lawsuit against Houthi leaders at the International Criminal Court in pursuit of justice for the hundreds of African migrants killed in a fire at a detention center in the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa.

“The crime that the Houthi group committed on March 7 against hundreds of migrants will not be subject to the statute of limitations, justice will be served, and they will all pay the price of their crime,” representatives of the Ethiopian community in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Speaking under conditions of anonymity, the representatives reaffirmed that dozens of migrants are protesting in front of the offices of the UN refugee agency in Sanaa.

Despite Houthis threatening them with meeting the same fate as the fire victims, protestors have continued to demonstrate for two weeks in a row.

“Last Thursday, Houthis assaulted some refugees and kidnapped others who participated in the demonstrations denouncing the repeated crimes and attacks staged by the Iran-backed militias,” a Sanaa-based Ethiopian activist told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Dozens of Ethiopian migrants have organized a wave of demonstrations across Sanaa to reject the Houthi narrative of the crime and affirm their demands to expose and punish the perpetrators who set the center ablaze.

Houthis are accused of burning down the center after the migrants having refused to join their ranks.

Demonstrators also urged Houthis to disclose the names of those who died in the fire and release information about the whereabouts of those injured in the fire.

They also urged for the Iran-backed militia to allow giving the victims a proper burial.

Houthis have tried to pay hush money to the relatives of the victims, offering $150 as a down payment for each family. They also promised the victims’ dependents valuable support.

More so, the group has actively sought to conceal details about the crime, activists complained.

Ethiopian migrants are also demanding an end to international silence against the rampant crimes carried out by Houthis.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
TT
TT

LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)

The Lebanese Forces party has called for a national conference to address the Israeli war on Lebanon.

The conference, which will take place at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, aims to establish a political framework to halt the war, in cooperation with Arab nations and the international community, according to sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The sources said invitations have been sent to opposition parties, independent MPs, and national figures, though key groups such as Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Marada Movement have not been invited.

They also noted that the goal is to “create a roadmap to rescue Lebanon from the destruction caused by its involvement in the conflict and to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people, who have endured violence, displacement, and destruction.”

The conference will emphasize the need for peace, prosperity, and the reconstruction of Lebanon, reflecting the will of the majority of the Lebanese population who feel powerless in the face of ongoing turmoil, the sources stressed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a source within the LF said that the party has remained “strategically silent out of respect for the war’s victims” but now believes it is time to speak up. The party’s leader, Dr. Samir Geagea, will outline key solutions, including an immediate ceasefire, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the urgent election of a president. These proposals are intended to appeal to both domestic and international audiences, including Iran and Israel, according to the same source.

The call for a conference follows an earlier initiative by opposition MPs, including those from the Lebanese Forces, which called for the Lebanese state to reclaim control, distance Lebanon from regional conflicts, and commit to a ceasefire and the full implementation of international resolutions. However, that initiative did not yield significant results.

While there are no guarantees that the Maarab conference will lead to immediate solutions, the source in the LF said that the party is determined to push forward, pointing that a follow-up committee will be formed to engage with political forces in Lebanon and key international stakeholders, including the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.