Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi directed the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Human Rights Violations to intensify field monitoring and investigations in Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and areas affected by Houthi attacks, as a Yemeni rights network documented the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians and hundreds of violations in Taiz Governorate in less than two weeks.
During a meeting with the chairman and members of the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Human Rights Violations, Al-Alimi said that the developments witnessed in the country in recent days, particularly in Taiz, Hodeidah, and the western coast, had been accompanied by widespread displacement and attacks on civilian facilities and objects protected under international law.
He noted that the affected sites included warehouses belonging to the United Nations and international organizations, as well as the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
Al-Alimi called on the commission, within the framework of its mandate and independence, to intensify monitoring and investigations into incidents related to the recent events, including the killing and starvation of civilians, displacement, forced displacement, attacks on homes and civilian, medical, and educational facilities, damage to displacement camps, the planting of landmines, and any other violations of international humanitarian law or human rights law.
661 Violations
In a separate report, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said it had documented 661 crimes and violations that it said were committed by the Houthi group against civilians in Taiz Governorate between September 3 and 15.
According to the report, the incidents included killings, injuries, field executions, shelling of civilian objects, abductions, arrests, raids on homes, destruction of property, and attacks on vital facilities and infrastructure.
The network reported that 51 civilians were killed and 62 others injured, most of them children and women, as a result of sniper fire, artillery and mortar shelling, drones, and ballistic missiles.
It also said the Houthis carried out the field execution of nine military personnel in front of their children in the districts of Al-Wazi'iyah, Maqbanah, and Al-Kadaha.
According to the report, the violations included 167 cases of abduction and arrest, most of them in districts under Houthi control, as well as raids on 213 homes in Al-Wazi'iyah, Maqbanah, and Al-Kadaha.
The network also documented attacks on five mosques, six health facilities, 16 electricity stations and generators, and nine communications networks and stations, as well as two bridges and two main roads, including the Hija Al-Abed road linking Aden and Taiz, in addition to 34 civilian means of transportation.
Displacement and Vulnerable Groups
The rights network said the figures reflected the widening scope of violations over a short period, noting that attacks on homes, health facilities, mosques, communications and electricity networks, roads, and means of transportation affect not only individuals but also the basic foundations of civilian life, making access to food, water, healthcare, and transportation more difficult.
It added that the latest clashes had led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Taiz, with thousands of families displaced from various areas and severe shortages of food, water, and medicines, along with a decline in basic services, particularly electricity and water.
In another development, the network's field monitoring team said it had documented widespread recruitment operations that it said affected large numbers of African refugees and migrants, as well as Yemeni children.
The network said some of them were lured or forced to join the Houthi ranks and sent to the front lines in Taiz Governorate. It considered this a violation of international rules concerning the protection of children and civilians and said it exposed the most vulnerable groups to direct risks.
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms warned of the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Taiz, calling on the international community and human rights organizations to document violations, protect civilians, and pressure for an end to attacks on civilians and civilian objects, while ensuring that aid and essential services reach those affected and displaced.
