The Yemeni army revealed that Houthi militias have liquidated 10 of their prominent collaborators, including military officials, in a number of provinces falling under their control.
Their crimes were committed in light of Houthi differences on the division of power and the distribution of looted funds seized through tax collection and robbery of shops and businesses.
Growing disputes among field commanders have grown, reaching the point of threats under the force of arms against collaborators with the militias in the northern provinces.
The army’s intelligence service expected the situation to worsen in the coming days over fighters’ dwindling numbers and the scarcity of financial resources allocated for sending militants of different ages to front lines.
The militias have resorted to recruiting child soldiers, with more than 500 children present on a number of fronts in the west coast.
They also brought about 100 children to the port city of Hodeidah after training them in camps dubbed “summer centers.”
The liquidation process began with counter accusations in the media, followed by military attacks among militia commanders and collaborators, leading to the execution of 10 prominent figures working in their ranks, Yemeni National Army spokesman Brigadier General Abdo Abdullah Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Majali said the militias’ actions have not stopped there. They carried out large-scale abductions of collaborators, putting them in prisons.
He pointed out that the militias further carried out a military operation against civilians in the provinces that fall under their control in order to intimidate them.
According to Majali, militias have benefited from the “summer centers” to attract hundreds of children and train them to carry weapons and plant landmines.
He called on the United Nations and concerned parties to intervene and end these violations, also urging parents to prevent their children from heading to such camps.
Moreover, Majali stressed that the militias exploit their presence in the northern ports to smuggle arms and ammunition from the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa, noting that the army monitors smugglers and their smuggling techniques, to come up with appropriate plans to control them.
