At least 68 African migrants have been killed in a US air strike on a detention centre in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen, according to the armed group’s TV channel. Al Masirah reported that another 47 migrants were injured, most of them critically, when the centre in Saada province got bombed. The channel even posted graphic footage showing multiple bodies covered in the rubble of a destroyed building. The US military didn’t have any immediate comment, but this incident occurred shortly after US Central Command announced hitting more than 800 targets since President Donald Trump ordered an intensification of the air campaign against the Houthis on 15 March.
The migrant detention centre in Saada was reportedly holding 115 Africans when it got hit four times shortly before 05:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Monday, as per Al Masirah. The casualty reports couldn’t be immediately verified, but Al Masirah’s videos showed first responders recovering the bodies of at least a dozen men among pieces of concrete and metal debris on the floor of a large building with partially destroyed walls and no roof. An injured man at a local hospital told Al Masirah, “The strike hit us while we were sleeping, that’s it.”
After visiting the scene, the chairman of the Somali community in Yemen, Ibrahim Cabdulqaadir Macallin, told the BBC, “It was tragic and horrific… I saw burnt people. We couldn’t recognize some of the bodies we saw.” He mentioned that the number of Somali migrants who were killed was “very small” because a group had been removed from the detention centre three days earlier, and that the majority of the detainees were Ethiopians. He also mentioned that the facility was in an “open area” and “not near any military base”.
The Houthi-run interior ministry condemned what it called the “deliberate bombing” of the facility and said it constituted a “war crime”. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) expressed being “deeply saddened by the reports of the tragic loss of life in Saada”. “While IOM has not been operating at this facility, we remain committed to closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to offer support as needed,” it added. “We call on all parties to the conflict to prioritize the protection of civilians and ensure full respect for international laws.” The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said teams from the Yemen Red Crescent Society provided lifesaving support by evacuating the wounded to hospitals and were ensuring a dignified management of the dead.
So, yeah, this is a pretty intense situation with a lot of casualties and injuries. It’s not really sure why this matters, but maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the details are important to understand the gravity of the incident. It’s just heartbreaking to see innocent people suffer like this, you know? The fact that the majority of the detainees were Ethiopians adds another layer of tragedy to the whole situation. It’s just a reminder of how vulnerable migrants are in conflict zones.
In conclusion, the air strike on the migrant detention center in Yemen has resulted in a significant loss of life and injuries. The details of the incident are still unfolding, but the impact on the African migrant community is devastating. The international community must prioritize the protection of civilians in conflict zones and ensure that such tragedies are not repeated. The world needs to come together to prevent such senseless loss of life in the future.