Indiscriminate Bombing, Sniping, Detention and IDPs

Geneva

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties warned of war crimes committed by Houthis militia, by sniping and indiscriminate bombing on civilians at Al-Haqab village, Damt district, Addalie governorate, where SAM received reports on the death of 11 people and injuring of tens others, including women and children, in addition to demolishing of 8 houses, and displacement of one thousand people from Al-Haqab village to neighbouring villages.

SAM indicated in a statement today, Sunday that the violations continued since the closure of the southern entry of Al-Haqab by Houthis on 5th November and denied access of villagers to the village. Houthis also prevented injured to access to the medical centres outside the village, and snipers targeted the civilians, urging them to flee the village leaving behind their house sand livestock.

According to eyewitnesses interviewed by SAM, Houthis deployed their forces at the nearby mountains and besieged the village form the south, and blocked the road leading to Damt city, where the marketplace and the hospital located. The villagers are unable to reach Damt for medication, and were forced to go to Murais district, 20 km far. Houthis snipers also were deployed at the surrounding heights, including Al-Haqab fortress and “Qifla Al-haqab”, and hindered movements inside the village by targeting the unarmed civilians.

“SAM has documented bombing of some houses by mortars, causing damage and killing several civilians, including Kawthar Al-Qufaili, 27, a pregnant woman and mother of 2 children, Nawa Qassim Al-Haqab, a mother of 6 children, and Gibreel Muslih Al-Harazi, 27” Tawfeq Al-Humeidi, SAM director, said.

SAM confirmed that the killings and injuries were caused by sniping and indiscriminate bombing, where on 8th and 9th November, child Gaith Abdulkareem Al-Sha’bani, was killed by sniper’s fire, and injured Hameed Ahmed Abdulqaui, 30, who suffers mental disorder, and Fathya Ahmed Mohammed who was sniped while grazing her goats.

Al-Humeidi expressed his concern on the sniping attacks, that comes within a military campaign by Houthis to control the area, noting that major victims are unarmed civilians.

SAM also documented detention of civilians by Houthis, in Al-Haqab, where they raided civilian houses in the village and abducted many of them including elderly people, among the abductees are Mohammed Ali Jurab, 65, Muslih Saleh Al-Zaheri, 60, Naser and Mane’ Ahmed Al-Dibei, 50, and 60, and others. Seif, and IDP told SAM that they have never experienced such situation, and we are under unimaginable sufferings, where 300 families were displaced.

SAM warned that Houthis militia chased civilians to Beit Al-Yazedi neighbouring village to which the villagers fled, and attacked one house by mortar on 10th November, injuring 2 IDPs severely, and 2 others from Beit Al-Yazedi village.

One injured civilian told SAM that “at 6 a.m. of Saturday, 10th November we heard the bombing near the house while sleeping, with some other friends, we feel that it was a deliberate attack. Five minutes later another bomb hit the house and I fall, I closed my eyes for a while and couldn’t see my friend, I saw the door and moved towards it and heard screams and moaning, I went outside, and my body was covered with bloods. I saw many people rushing to the house and carried Haitham who was bleeding from wounds at his back, legs and abdomen. I fainted and my other IDPs friends took us to Murais hospital... Haitham was bleeding a lot due to the long distance to the hospital”.

SAM indicated that the villagers must leave Beit Al-Yazedi, again to Murais district, and they received few aids since then. The houses are congested with the newly arrived IDPs, warning of the deteriorated humanitarian situation of the IDPs of Al-Haqab and Beit Al-Yazedi villages.

SAM warned that Houthis indiscriminate and deliberate bombing of civilians is clear violation to the international law and violates the principle of discrimination between civilians and combatants and is a war crime, according to Rome Statutes of the ICC, considering the recurrence of these attacks by Houthis militia, according to article (8, 2, h, 1) of the Statutes.

SAM organization urged the UNSC Panel of Experts to investigate and document these violations in Al-Haqab and called Houthis militia to respect the rules of the international law and protect civilians.

SAM organization also called all the warring parties in Yemen and the international community to ensure implementation of the international and humanitarian conventions and treaties, concerned with the protection of civilians during wartime, and to avert them the woes of war, particularly women and children.

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties

18 November 2018