675 women killed by Houthis in four years, Yemen minister says

The Houthis have killed 675 women in Yemen over the last three years of the conflict, the minister of social affairs and labour said yesterday.

“The [Houthi] coup militias have killed more than 675 women since their coup against the legitimate government,” Ibtihaj Abdullah Al-Kamal said.

Saudi quagmire in Yemen – Cartoon [Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]

Al-Kamal went on to accuse the Houthi group of forming a women’s military brigade, recruiting more than 350 women and using them in military operations and raids.

The accusation was made yesterday on International Women’s Day, where the world witnessed celebrations, strikes and protests to mark the day.

In May last year, it was reported that the Houthis opened training camps for women who were then being exploited and deployed across Yemen.

Read: More than 15,000 Palestinian women arrested by Israel since 1967

The Houthis took control of the capital Sana’a back in September 2014, with the assistance of an alliance of convenience with late and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and forces loyal to him. The Saudi-led coalition was invited by the internationally recognised President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to neutralise territorial threats by the Houthi armed group in March 2015.

Women in Yemen have also been at the forefront of seeking due process and redress for abducted male family members. A group of 20 women run the Abductees’ Mothers Association launched in April 2016 which holds regular protests against the Houthis. Protests have also been held against the Saudi-led coalition’s prisons.

Human Rights Watch accuses the Houthis of abduction, enforced disappearance and torture of a number of individuals, including journalists and political prisoners.