Over 600 Yemeni civilians killed or injured, 200,000 displaced in September Houthi escalation

The Yemeni government has announced that the recent escalation by the Houthi group in September resulted in the deaths of more than 250 civilians and injuries to over 360 others, with nearly 200,000 people displaced by the end of the month, according to a statement by Yemen’s Minister of Human Rights, Musheddal Mohammed Omar, before the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Omar said these figures reflect the impact of the latest wave of violence on civilians, holding the Houthi militia responsible for the ongoing deterioration of humanitarian and human rights conditions in Yemen, including serious violations against civilians, especially children.

During the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council, the minister outlined the escalation’s effects on health and educational facilities, the continued recruitment of children, exploitation of migrants, detention of UN and humanitarian workers, and threats to international navigation, according to the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights.

He reported that the ministry had obtained information on 50 people killed or wounded in attacks on convoys of displaced people fleeing from Hays to Al-Khawkhah, noting that some victims suffered severe burns as a result of the shelling.

The minister also highlighted the killing of three children, including a girl under 18 months old, in a Houthi attack on the village of Al-Turayrah in Taiz province on September 17.

Regarding the wider impact of the escalation, Omar said that around 3,000 people had arrived in Djibouti as the violence and humanitarian crisis continued to worsen.

Omar addressed the issue of child recruitment, describing it as one of the most serious violations committed by the Houthi militia. He said the group had turned schools, summer centers, and other civilian facilities into tools for indoctrination and recruitment, pushing children into military environments that deprive them of education, protection, and threaten their lives and futures.

He noted that the United Nations has documented cases of children being recruited and used in military and field roles by the Houthis.

According to the minister, the attacks have also affected health facilities and medical services in Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and the western coast, disrupting services at 26 health centers supported by UNICEF and impacting access to care for civilians, displaced people, the wounded, and the sick.

He also described what he called the looting of warehouses, clinics, and medical facilities funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center by the Houthis, noting that the Saudi field hospital was among the facilities targeted in attacks on Al-Khawkhah, the port of Mokha, and other civilian and service sites.