Yemen police find kidnapped 9-year-old girl with severed tongue

Civilians, who fled from the ongoing civil war where numerous civilian killed, are seen during their daily lives despite many difficulties at Al-Raqah refugee camp in Amran province of northern Sanaa, Yemen on 24 November 2019. [ Mohammed Hamoud – Anadolu Agency ]

A 9-year-old Yemeni girl who was kidnapped last week in the capital Sanaa has been discovered with clear signs of torture on her body, including a severed tongue.

Lujain Mohammed was reported missing three days previously, prompting a search in the city, which is under the control of the Houthi-aligned National Salvation Government.

According to Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni, local sources said the girl was found abandoned next to a rubbish bin next to a zoo, south of the capital. She reportedly had burn marks on her body and her tongue had been cut out, showing clear signs of psychological distress. The perpetrators are yet to be identified.

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The New Arab also reported that two teenage boys were reported missing last week in Taiz’s Dhabhan area, Mustafa Abdul Wasi, 13, and Awab Tarish, 14.

Hundreds of people have been kidnapped in Yemen over the last 15 years, exacerbated by the almost 5-year on-going war in Yemen.

A study published at the end of last year by the Sana’a Centre for Strategic Studies has revealed an increase in violence against women and children resulting from the conflict. Research shows women and girls in Yemen have been affected by rape, kidnapping and domestic violence, while boys face sexual violence and are forced to work.

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