Yemen... Government Commission of Inquiry Investigates U.S. Strikes Against al-Qaeda

A Yemeni government committee said it had documented about three thousand cases of violations, most of them committed by the Houthis, while it investigated raids by US drones against al-Qaeda elements, but caused civilian deaths.

The National Commission to Investigate Allegations of Human Rights Violations launched its eleventh periodic report on its monitoring, documentation and investigation work during the period from August 2022 to July 2023.

The periodic report documented (2997) cases of alleged violations in various governorates of the Republic of Yemen, distributed among more than (31) types of human rights violations, in which (3287) victims of both sexes were killed.

The report indicated that with these statistics contained therein, the total number of violations monitored and documented by the Committee during its period of work starting from January 2016 until the date of issuance of this report reached (25,511) violation incidents, in which the total number of victims reached (48,866) victims.

The committee explained that during the period of the new report, it listened to more than (11,988) witnesses, whistleblowers and victims, and reviewed about (17,982) documents, as well as reviewing and analyzing hundreds of photographs and videos related to violations, which were worked on and saved in the committee's database.

The periodic report of the National Commission stated the results of its investigations related to international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

During the reporting period, the total number of cases monitored and investigated by the Committee amounted to (782) incidents of killing and injuring civilians, in which (288) people were killed, including (21) women, (48) children, and (657) wounded, including (151) children and (52) women.

The responsibility for this violation was distributed among the parties to the armed conflict, with (217) dead and (502) wounded attributed to the Houthi group, while (55) people were killed, and (96) wounded as a result of the strikes of the Arab coalition and government forces.

During the same period, the committee was able to monitor (117) cases of alleged recruitment of children under the age of (18), including (116) cases in which the responsibility falls on the Houthi group, and one case in which the responsibility lies with the government and its affiliated parties.

During that, the committee completed monitoring and investigating (161) cases of individual mine explosions, which resulted in (55) deaths, including (3) women, and (11) children, in addition to (124) wounded, including (6) women and (26) children, and all these cases were unique to the Houthi group.

The periodic report indicated that the committee monitored and investigated (23) incidents alleging assault and damage to cultural and historical objects and property in a number of areas, including Hodeida, including (18) incidents in which responsibility was proven on the Houthi group, while the responsibility was proven on the government's National Army forces and the Arab coalition aircraft for (3) incidents, and two incidents in which joint responsibility between the Houthi group and government forces was proven.

He also explained that it has completed monitoring and investigating (6) cases of alleged targeting of objects and medical staff in several areas, including (4) in which responsibility was proven on the Houthi group, while the joint responsibility of the government's National Army forces and the Arab coalition aircraft for two incidents was proven.

During the reporting period, the committee completed the investigation into (66) incidents of collective and individual forced displacement in different areas of Yemen, including (52) incidents in which the responsibility of the Houthi group was proven, and (14) incidents in which the responsibility was shared between the government forces and the Houthi group.

The report of the National Committee stated the results of the investigation into violations related to international human rights law, as it completed the investigation into (76) cases of allegations of extrajudicial killings carried out by the parties in various regions of the Republic of Yemen, and the responsibility of the Houthi group was proven for (35) cases, while the responsibility of the army forces and the security authorities affiliated with the government was proven for (15) cases.

During the reporting period, the Committee was also able to monitor and investigate 689 cases of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance carried out by various parties in all regions of the Republic of Yemen, of which the Houthi group was found responsible for 516 cases, while government forces and government security agencies were found responsible for 152 cases.

During the reporting period, the Committee monitored and investigated 20 cases of allegations of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment by various parties in a number of regions of the Republic of Yemen, the Houthi group was found responsible for 15 cases of torture, while the army forces and government security agencies were found responsible for 3 cases of torture, and two incidents were the responsibility of other parties.

The report of the National Committee reviewed violations related to house bombings, where it monitored and investigated (20) cases of house bombings, it should be noted here that this type of violations is unique to the Houthi group only, as shown in the result of the investigations of some models mentioned by the Committee in this report.

In its current report, the National Committee has concluded its investigation into (6) cases of attacks on freedom of opinion and expression, carried out by various parties in a number of regions of the Republic of Yemen, the Houthi group was proven responsible for (3) cases, while the army forces and the government-affiliated security authorities were proven responsible for (3) other cases.

In conclusion, the eleventh report dealt with the incidents of bombing of American drones, where the Committee says that it was able to monitor and investigate (4) incidents of alleged violation related to the so-called American drones, targeting civilians, which were documented, collected information, and investigated by the Committee, and statistics indicate that (7) victims, all of them civilians.