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Human Rights Situation Report on Yemen in 2023
Mwatana for Human Rights, in its annual report titled "Legacy of Gunpowder," released today, highlighted the human rights situation in Yemen for the year 2023. The organization noted that despite a de-escalation trend among parties to the conflict since the first half of 2022 continuing through 2024, this did not deter these parties from committing various violations against civilians in their controlled areas. This conclusion is based on investigations, monitoring, and documentation conducted by Mwatana’s team throughout 2023.
Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, stated, "The continued practice of violations by Yemen's warring parties against civilians demonstrates their confidence in escaping punishment and accountability. It appears as if the various parties to the conflict are competing in inflicting harm on civilians in all forms and patterns." She added, "One would have expected a limited halt in military operations to result in a proportional decline in the number and types of violations against civilians. However, the opposite has occurred, which is deeply concerning."
Mwatana emphasized in its report that 2023 was not any less severe for Yemeni civilians than previous years of conflict. Civilians have endured various forms of harm due to ongoing violations and assaults by warring parties, including torture, killings in detention, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, vehicular assaults, sham trials, unfair executions, child recruitment, attacks on vital facilities, obstruction of humanitarian aid, sexual violence, and assaults on personal and public freedoms. Additional atrocities include starving civilians, imposing levies, planting explosives in populated areas, blocking main roads, restricting civilian movement, and looting property.
Despite a limited decrease in large-scale military operations, particularly airstrikes, the frequency of other violations, such as landmines, explosive devices, drone attacks, using educational facilities for military purposes, attacks on healthcare facilities, and recruiting children for military tasks, has increased.
The report clarified that the violations committed against Yemeni civilians by the warring parties and the number of victims have not decreased compared to previous years. This indicates that the violations have continued at the same rate and scale, which is disproportionate to the cessation of most military operations during the de-escalation period that followed the UN-brokered truce between the Yemeni parties from April to October 2022.
These findings, as presented in the "Legacy of Gunpowder" report, suggest that the warring parties are intent on committing further violations and harming civilians, even without any necessity to do so. This behavior contradicts the principles of international humanitarian law, which have been flagrantly violated by these parties, who have shown little regard for these laws throughout a decade of conflict.
The "Legacy of Gunpowder" report documents at least 1,418 incidents of violations by various parties to the conflict in Yemen during 2023, resulting in the deaths of 190 civilians, including 107 children and 107 women, and injuries to 405 civilians, including 208 children and 44 women. Additionally, about 789 civilians fell victim to other types of violations such as child recruitment, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture.
The Ansar Allah group (Houthis) are responsible for 828 of the documented violation incidents. Internationally recognized government forces are responsible for 247 incidents, The Southern Transitional Council is responsible for 246 incidents, the Saudi-led coalition forces, including Saudi border guards, for 47 incidents, the Joint Forces for 17 incidents, and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for 5 incidents. Furthermore, non-authoritative actors, including human smuggling and trafficking gangs, were responsible for 28 incidents.
Mwatana for Human Rights called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to adhere to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, facilitate the rapid and safe access of humanitarian aid and relief workers to all Yemeni governorates, and immediately release all arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared individuals. It also urged an investigation into incidents of torture and other inhumane treatments in detention centers.
Furthermore, Mwatana emphasized the need to stop targeting health facilities and schools or using them for military purposes, halt the planting of landmines, disclose maps of mined areas, and work on demining contaminated regions. It stressed the importance of conducting impartial and transparent investigations into severe violations and crimes committed by warring parties’ leaders or members, ensuring redress and reparations for civilian victims, and holding perpetrators accountable as undeniable rights.
