SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, has been observing the allegations of human rights violations in Al-Sarari area, Taiz governorate raised by conflict parties in Yemen, and exchanged accusations on committing violations against innocent civilians, and to the international humanitarian law.

In order to protect civilians and ensure compliance with the international humanitarian law and international human rights law by conflict parties, SAM organization has dispatched its monitors Al-Sarari to investigate and document these allegations and violations to human rights and international humanitarian law.

Al-Sarari village, is part of Al-Misrakh and Sabir Al-Mawadim districts’ villages that are located southern Sabir Al-Mawadim district, is inhabited by Al-Junaid family who are affiliated to Houthis group, with a total population of 700 people. Houthis group used the village as a military training camp for its combatants who were gathered from neighboring districts and villages. Neighbors of Al-Sarari village, including social figures and former workers at the education complex of the village, has confirmed that Houthis group used Al-Sarari Education Complex as a warehouse to store arms and to train its insurgents who has been mobilized from neighboring village for the past three years.

SAM teamwork has confirmed that the region witness armed conflicts since late 2015, between two groups; Houthis and their allies pro-Saleh military units, and popular forces supported by president Hadi and Arab Coalition. Last week conflict to control Al-Sarari was a continuation of that yearlong conflict. SAM monitors have observed military arrangements, ditches and military fortifications by both sides as well as list of combatants from the village.

SAM team has verified the allegations made by pro-Hadi group that Al-Sarari villagers have participated in the Taiz city blockade, however the team could not confirm these allegations, noting that the road that leads to Taiz through the village was not used for the past three years, as confirmed by a citizen called (Y.A.J), inhabitant of the village, who mentioned that this road was blocked due to rain floods and other geographic factors.

The team also has verified other allegations made by Houthis-Saleh group that the village was sieged and on field execution were committed, dead bodies were dragged, and graves were exhumed. Also these allegations were not proved. The monitors have interviewed a number of women in the village who confirmed that the villagers have evicted the village during Ramadhan and Eid – Al-Fitr, also during the ceasefire reached between the two parties prior to pro-Hadi forces control.

Out of then 87 houses in the village, the total number according to Population and Houses Census of 2004, the monitors have documented burning of 27 houses in the village. Leaders of the popular resistance interviewed by the monitors, claimed that these were burned during exchange of fire, however SAM monitors could not verify these allegations, rather they’ve noticed that some of houses were set on fire intentionally, where burning was in the lower floors and that the roofs of multistore houses has collapsed. SAM team has also verified that from statements made by popular resistance elements interviewed, who justified burning of houses by saying that such houses contained Houthis books and pictures of their leaders and their dead soldiers. However, this is clear violation to war treaties and the international humanitarian law.

Also SAM team has confirmed that one of the resistance battalion, “Al-Hasm battalion”,  has detonate and exploded Sheikh Jamaleddin archaeological mosque by “TNT” explosives, without any military justification allows that. SAM monitors also interviewed leaders of this battalion who claimed that the mosque was used in “polytheism” practices which justify its explosion according to them.

SAM organization has documented killing of one women, Aziza Seif Saeed female 45 years, from Al-Nidan neighboring village, by Houthis sniper and injuring of three other civilians, including one child. SAM monitors also documented shelling of some houses by Grad rockets in Al-Hasan village, by Houthis-Saleh artillery located in Khader district eastern of Al-Sarari.

The team also documented extensive presence of resistance and pro-Hadi forces in the village, which provocative to the inhabitants and hinders return of the displaced people from neighboring districts. Some of the villagers complain that resistance elements and pro-Hadi troops has looted their livestock and some of their belongings, which was verified by the team.

SAM Organization calls upon all parties to the conflict to commit to protect the innocent civilians and to abide by the principles of international humanitarian law, and calls upon the government to compensate the victims in Al-Sarari village immediately, whose houses were burnt and who lost their belongings, and to remove all military presence from the village, also calls upon Houthis and pro-Saleh armed units to cease immediately from using villages and residential areas as military training centers, and to stop immediately indiscriminate shelling on civilians.

SAM Organization urges all UN agencies and humanitarian agencies to provide assistance to return the IDPs and provide them with livelihood means.

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, Geneva 19 Aug 2016