Houthis Accused of Forcibly Displacing 4 Villages in Hodeidah

Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa (Reuters)
Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa (Reuters)
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Houthis Accused of Forcibly Displacing 4 Villages in Hodeidah

Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa (Reuters)
Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa (Reuters)

The Houthi militias started a large-scale campaign of demographic change in the southern districts of Hodeidah, displacing hundreds of residents from four villages and replacing them with residents from Saada and Hajjah.

The new plot is part of the Houthi scheme to change the demography of Sunni areas in particular, as they did in Sanaa.

Residents and local sources on the western coast told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi militias began their operation last Tuesday and isolated the four villages using excessive force. They prevented the injured from being treated and launched a campaign of arrests that targeted more than 70 residents and village officials.

- Real Estate Confiscations and Arrests

The sources reported that large number of militia forces are carrying out a forcible displacement operation in al-Maarif, al-Hadaryah, Bani al-Sahel, Bani al-Sabahi, and the villages in al-Qasra.

It cordoned the area and prevented access to the road linking al-Hodeidah and the al-Hussainiya area, south of the Bait al-Faqih district

According to the sources, the Houthi armed men warned the residents of those villages to evacuate their homes and farms under the pretext that these lands belong to the endowments.

In fact, they wanted to evacuate the residents and bring in others from Saada and Hajjah after concluding fake contracts under the names of influential figures in Hodeidah who serve the militias.

According to local sources, dozens of armed military vehicles raided the villages and arrested over 70 people from the residents of those villages, including 12 officials.

The militias also transferred al-Taqwa Mosque and its annexes south of Bait al-Faqih to prison for residents who opposed the campaign. It also prevented ambulances from treating the injured, including 18 women.

The residents defied the military campaign, refusing to vacate their homes and farms.

The militias used 30 military vehicles loaded with armed men to conduct their campaign, accompanied by eight bulldozers, that leveled the farms.

The area the militias seek to confiscate is estimated at 10 square kilometers, according to the sources, housing over 5,000 persons. They inherited the sites from their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

The sources indicated that the campaign is led by the Houthi security leader Abu Yassin, from Saada. He is accompanied by the leader Abu Ahmed al-Hadi, the leader of the Fronts’ Mobilization Committee in Hodeidah, the intelligence official, Abu Amin, and the supervisor of the Bait al-Faqih district, Abu Atef.

- Government condemnation

The Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Moammar al-Eryani, condemned the terrorist Houthi militia raid, saying they stormed dozens of houses, fired indiscriminately, and arrested nearly 70 citizens, including dignitaries and children, as part of a comprehensive campaign to loot lands.

Eryani said the “heinous crime” comes within the plan of terrorist militia to confiscate more than 10 km of land owned by locals, “benefiting about 5,000 citizens and has been used for watering, pasture, and farms, after issuing instructions to confiscate it and turn it into a restricted military area.”

He called on the international community, the UN, human rights organizations, the UN and US envoys to condemn this heinous crime and pressure Houthi militia to stop confiscating civilians’ lands and properties in Hodeidah Governorate, immediately release all detainees and return the displaced to their homes.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.