The Story of 'Odi,' the Killed, and 'Abd al-Malik,' the Wounded
In the village of "Al-Mukhafi" in the Mustaba district, west of Hajjah Governorate—an area located near the frontlines of conflict between the internationally recognized government forces on one side and the fighters of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group on the other—the region has been under the control of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group since 2015.. Due to the deteriorating security situation, harsh living conditions, and the collapse of the education system, many parents have been forced to send their children to herd sheep or work the land.
Among them are Odi Mohsen Mohab (13 years old) and Abd al-Malik Ali Okki (12 years old), who are among many children who have left school and were forced to help their families by herding sheep. Every morning, Odi and Abd al-Malik go out to herd sheep in the "Drainage Channels of al-Mukhafe Valley".
On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 17, 2024, Odi and Abd al-Malik were walking when they came across a bottle that resembled a soda bottle. Odi attempted to open it with his hand but couldn’t, so he resorted to using his teeth. As soon as he opened it, strange smoke began to rise from the bottle! Abd al-Malik, who was standing beside him, was startled and started to retreat. However, he didn't have enough time to escape. The bottle exploded instantly, causing severe and tragic injuries.
The bottle was just one of the modified mines dropped by the Ansar Allah/Houthis in the area; Odi was injured by shrapnel that amputated his right hand and others that penetrated his chest, face and neck. Abdulmalik was injured by shrapnel in his face that tore off his right ear and wounded his mouth and nose, a shrapnel that penetrated under his chin on the right side, a small shrapnel in the middle of his neck and another in his right shoulder.
The two injured children were transferred to the Khamis Mustaba Health Center. After intense efforts to save Odi, he took his last breath and passed away. His father collapsed onto his chest, crying, and similarly, his twin brother (Qusay) embraced him, weeping uncontrollably, saying, "I swear by God, no, he won't die alone, we will die together just as we were born together," until he fainted from the overwhelming grief and tears, in a deeply emotional scene.
Abdul Malik was transferred to Abs Rural Hospital. (Médecins sans Frontières Section), doctors did what they could to get some shrapnel out of his body, so he was transferred to Al-Thawra Hospital in Hodeida governorate at the expense of Médecins sans frontières (MSF). There, he was taken to the operating room, and all the shrapnel was removed from his body except for one piece in the neck area, which proved difficult for the doctors to remove. Every time they tried to extract it, it became more deeply embedded. Therefore, the doctors concluded that it was best to leave it.
The father of Abdul Malik says: "My son is still suffering right before my eyes and before the doctors' helplessness. He can't eat or drink, and every time he eats something, he vomits it." He adds that he wishes he had the money to treat his son in any country outside Yemen, instead of watching his son's body waste away and grow weaker each day.
The father of "Odi" says that he was shocked—after the death of his son—when a photographer and a reporter from Al-Masirah TV (affiliated with the Ansar Allah/Houthi group) came to his house. They uncovered his son's body, began taking pictures, and then asked him to do an interview for the channel, accusing the "aggressor forces" of what happened to his son and holding them responsible.
Mwatana for Human Rights urges Ansar Allah (Houthi) group to immediately stop planting mines of all types, to hand over maps of mine-contaminated areas, and to work on clearing them to prevent further civilian casualties. it also urges securing the lives of people returning to their areas and original environments. Mwatana calls on the international community to take effective steps to pressure the group to cease its mine-laying activities, expedite the clearing of contaminated areas, and establish an international criminal investigation mechanism to ensure accountability for violators, as well as to provide justice for the victims.
