Coinciding with Women International Day; SAM Organization Publishes Report Summing Up Violations of Five Years against Women
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, warned today, Monday, of war crimes committed by Houthis militia against civilians in Hajour in Hajjah governorate and al-Husha in Addalie governorate, through sniping, indiscriminate shelling, the detonation of houses and displacement of civilians.
SAM said in a press release today, that these crimes and violations have resulted in the killing and injuring of tens of civilians, including women and children, destroying of 17 houses, in Attamira village, and detonation of a school, mosque and damaged hundreds of houses and displacement of more than 2700 families.
SAM clarified that the violations in Hajour area started when Houthis militia shelled Shilila village on 10 January 2019, with Katyusha rockets, killing 8 civilians, half of them are women, and injured 5 others.
On January 26, the Houthi militia bombed a camp for displaced people from the village of Shilila, with a rocket, killing 8 civilians and injured 24 others, mainly women and children.
SAM pointed that Houthis militia launched in February, a comprehensive attack, on Hajour from three sides, using all types of medium and heavy weapons, including tanks, mortars, and ballistic missiles.
On 4th and 5th March, Houthis militia fired 3 ballistic missiles, from Abs coastal area, and Jabal Hadeed in Khiran al-Maharaq district, on the civilian houses, killing many of them, and displaced more than 2000 families, including 425 families moved to the neighbouring villages, 225 families to the schools, and the remaining families to Sana’a and Amran governorates, and to the neighbouring districts in Hajjah governorates.
SAM indicated that Houthis militia imposed comprehensive siege on the area, disconnected the internet and communications, apparently to conceal their crimes, and blocked relief aids and medicines to the besieged people in Hajour villages, where the militia deployed armed checkpoints at the eastern entry points from Qafla Azir, in Amran, and the southern side in Aflah al-Sham, and third one in western side at Mastba.
SAM said that the continuous military operations disrupted public life, where the commercial businesses stopped in most of the markets, which compounded the suffering of the population, also schools due to the strikes and/or turning of schools into shelters for the displaced, and more than 2000 students were deprived of education. In addition, more than 150 farms were destroyed.
According to eyewitnesses interviewed by SAM; Houthis militia prevented some of the injured from being rescued due to the bombing, causing their death, including Wadhah Rabian, and murdered whosever opposed them, where the militia killed on 20 February, Muhammed Ali Qasim, inside his house, who tried to stop them from deploying a tank at his house, in Douba’ Anneed, road in Aflah al-Sham, southern Kushar district, in addition to detonation of two houses, belong to Muhammed Hameed Omier, after killing him and his wife, and to Amin Abdullah al-Nashma ,also 4 elders were killed and many children and women were injured.
SAM pointed that Houthis militia deliberate retaliation against its opponents, by detonating their houses, burning their farms and livestock, and indiscriminate shelling, reflects a systematic policy against the civilians, which mount to war crimes, calls for accountability of the perpetrators and the commanders.
SAM has documented the demolition of 16 houses in Hajour, and damage of 1500 others, since the commence of the military operations in the area, thereby impeding the return of the displaced to their villages.
SAM report stated that al-Husha area in Addalie governorate, is also, exposed to attacks by medium and heavy weapons, where 8 civilians were killed, and 30 others were wounded, including children and women, and closed 4 schools, depriving 1500 students form schooling. In addition to detonation of a house belong to Abdo Mohammed al-Hudhaifi. Houthis shelling also forced 700 families from Sanah, Qataba, al-Fakhir, and Azzaqma villages to flee their houses.
SAM mentioned that Houthis militia seized on 8 February, Annajd, and al-Mahram villages, and detonated Abdul Jalil Ahmed Al-Huthifi’s house, after looting his belongings, and firing at the children and women, in addition the militia detonated some trade stores and looted livestock of the civilians.
On the other hand, SAM director, lawyer Tawfeq al-Humeidi, expressed his concern over reports on heinous violations against the civilians, including field executions, amid the military operation to control the area, and subjugate the population, using all types of weapons, without due respect to the IHL rules on protecting the civilians and their properties. Al-Humeidi, said; we are much concerned that, as we lost contact with our sources, due to disconnecting communications with the besieged villages, and amidst reports on filed executions against tens of civilians, including women and children, following Houthis control over the area.
Al-Humeidi denounced the silence of the international community, led by the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, who failed to take a solid stance against the violations in Hajour and other areas, which jeopardize Stockholm understandings and foreshadow the failure of the international community in Yemen.
SAM called the UNSC Panel of Expert and the UNHRC Panel of Experts to visit Hajour area and document these violations and push Houthis militia to respect the IHL rules and spare civilians the scourge of conflict.
SAM called all warring parties in Yemen and the international community, to execute the international conventions in Yemen on civilians’ protection during the war, especially women and children.
SAM reiterated its call for immediate intervention to relief displaced civilians, in al-Husha, Hajour and Kushar, in order not to exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe further.
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, Geneva
11 March 2019.