Forces loyal to the Houthis attacked a number of civilians and detained them, in a move that could be a “war crime”, Human Rights Watch revealed yesterday.
In a statement, the organisation reported that “pro-Houthi forces fatally shot two women and held aid workers hostage in the southern Yemeni city of Aden.”
646civilians have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led airstrikes began
“The incidents, which are possible war crimes, exemplify the grave threats to civilians in the embattled southern seaport, where Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, and their allies are fighting forces of the Popular Resistance Committees for control of the city,” they added.
They also urged the Houthis to investigate and appropriately punish members of their forces who are responsible for the abuses.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said: “The difficulty of investigating the fighting in Yemen may mean abuses like these in Aden are just the tip of the iceberg. The onus is on all factions and on the Saudi led coalition to take steps to abide by the laws of war.”
He also noted that according to the UN, the coalition airstrikes, “some of which appear to have involved violations of international humanitarian law, and fighting on the ground in Yemen, have killed at least 646 civilians, including 50 women and 131 children, and wounded more than 1,364.”
There has been no response from the Houthis to the international organisation’s accusations. However, the Houthis usually deny these claims and consider them to be “slander”.
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