Yemeni army: Houthis recruited over 200,000 children since 2015, targeted Taiz schools

Brigadier General Yahya Al-Hatami, head of the military media sector at Yemen's Ministry of Defense, revealed that the Houthi group has recruited more than 200,000 children since 2015. He accused the group of exploiting schools, summer centers, and sectarian courses to attract children and prepare them for military activities, warning of the consequences of these practices for the future of Yemen and the region.

Speaking to Al-Ekhbariya TV, Al-Hatami explained that the group targets children aged 12 to 18 through summer centers and sectarian-oriented courses, noting that educational institutions in areas under Houthi control have been turned into tools for recruiting children and influencing their beliefs.

On the ground, the Yemeni military official disclosed that more than 13 children were captured on the Halhalan front, in addition to about 70 children detained over the past two months. He cited these figures as evidence to warn against the continued exploitation and involvement of children in the conflict.

Al-Hatami pointed out that the Houthis are using schools in areas they control in Taiz province to recruit children and spread sectarian ideas, rather than focusing on education.

View the post on X

The head of the military media sector at Yemen's Ministry of Defense described child recruitment as a systematic policy pursued by the Houthis to spread extremist ideas and fuel conflicts, warning that the continuation of these practices poses a threat to the future of Yemen and the region.