Human Rights Watch said today that the Houthi rebels on civilian homes and areas may amount to war crimes, commenting of the Houthis attack of a small village in al-Bayda governorate in northern Yemen, between January 5to12.2025, where they broke in several civilian homes, , killing several people and injuring dozens of others.
“The Houthis have shown little limit to the harm they cause for Yemeni civilians,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, adding “ “The Houthis’ repeated attacks against civilians under their control should be independently investigated, and the international community should take more serious steps to ensure accountability and enhance the protection of Yemeni civilians.”
People interviewed by HRW said that the Houthis used drones, armored vehicles, rockets, small arms, and light weapons to attack civilians and civilian objects.
Human Rights Watch was able to visually verify the Houthis’ use of small arms and light weapons in the attacks.
A human rights activist from the area said that he had gathered information from residents that the Houthis had destroyed civilian homes and attacked civilians in the village. He said that dozens of families had been displaced due to the attacks.
SAM for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, documented the destruction of 10 houses in the village, the burning of a mosque and a religious school, along with looting and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of civilians.
Throughout the more than nine-year conflict in Yemen, the Houthis have consistently attacked civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“The Houthis have time and time again shown their willingness to kill and arbitrarily detain Yemenis living in areas they control,” Jafarnia said. “Statements and apologies will never make up for the loss of civilian life, and the Houthis should immediately end attacks on civilians, release all the detainees, fully lift the media blackout of al-Bayda, and provide reparations to the victims and their families.”